can anyone help me sort out the different parts of Bath?

[Lua]

and no, I do not mean the tap and the basins...

I receive a job offer to move to Bath, and everyone tells me it is lovely!

However, the first time I went there it all look sterile at first gaze...

I have moved before, and I know just looking around might not be enough to get a feeling for a place, so I a going a second time.

I have two young children and will be working in the university. Will have to find a place in school ( I know, impossible!)

What I was wondering if anyone can help is:

• is there an area that is a bit more bohemian, but family oriented?

• what are good park, stores, resturants that I should go and hang out to get a feeling for the place?

• any suggestions of a nice place to live with walking access to useful stores a nice cafe?

• is there a local bakery, co-op, etc that is good?

thanks a lot in advace!

It is a lovely place, and very pretty but, I'm from the north of england and I found people to be quite 'up themselves' in Bath, i.e. people think they are cool and have a general air of thinking they are better than you, and are far to cool to say a simple 'hello' when you say a casual hi.

No-one chats to you when you're waiting at the bus stop, you can go to the same place to buy your lunch everyday with the same person serving you and they still act like total strangers towards you. I didn't find anyone to be particularly friendly in all the time i was there and actually felt the place was erroding my personality. I'm friendly and approachable and it actually made me feel as though i was going mad. I was relieved to leave and move back to a working class city.

Yes it's beautiful and has an interesting history, but it's all on the surface.

100times, I live in manchester now.
Call me crazy, but I love where I live.... it is a pretty bohemian part of the city, with the best delicatessen and polish bakery; and a fantastic vegan coopeative. You can imagine the kind of families that like this place... So was looking for something similar...

jenkel thank you very much for the tip.. sounds lovely!

should also say that bith DH and I did not grow up in the UK.... so lovellylullaby comments worry me.... would we find a nice community to make friends? with kids and no family, friends are really important!

Don't have much in the way of specific recommendations, but just wanted to say that I live in Bath and love it! Would hate to live anywhere else now I think.

(For the record, I've lived in Rhyl, Southampton, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro. Bath's my favourite, despite the prices!)

Well that hasn't been my experience of Bath tbh. It's like a large village, so you quite quickly get to know lots of people, and they to know you. Then it depends on how you feel about that. . .

I like a bit of city anonymity though so might not strike up conversations in the bus queues? DH and I both writers, so we might just be much more unsociable than others? I hope she never tried to talk to me in a bus queue now.

It won't be like your boho suburb of Manchester. It's just not. It doesn't have that urban vibe, but sometimes it tries. I know lots of people who have moved here from London and walked about in horror for a bit, and then got used to it. I do like it but I am a bit worried about you. IMO it's worked better for people if they make it a big change and go out to the countryside. It justifies the move - then they can dip in and go to the vegan healthfood shop, the great cafes, the farmers market etc, without having to feel they've come over all Stepford and provincial. That is my honest answer. But then again, it is here in small doses if you look for it - but it will be a big change etc.

thanks for your honesty 100times.

unfortunately I hate my current job so I will have to leave my small northrn paradise .

I don't have to go to bath, I can also go to Florida!

I imagine florida would be even more suburbian and boring! but there will be sun...

Oh gawd, what a choice.

Florida will be weirder that's for sure, but maybe more of an adventure?

It's not sterile here, but it's not Manchester or Bristol either. I honestly like it a lot, and my children are all having a fab time. I know lots of interesting people - but the boho scene isn't really happening here, it's happening in Bruton - but there's a great health food shop, wonderful cafes, a literary festival, a food festival etc, a great children's theatre etc. As places go, it's pretty good.

Go to Florida. God, I would. I'm dying to go and live in America. I want to car pool and own a gun.

Are you seriuos?
Would you really move to America?
The idea of having sun and a big house is really, really tempting. Bu the idea of cars and guns everywhre are really, really scary!
I talked with a teenager when I was visiting the town in FLa where I have a job offer, and I asked he how did she liked it.
she said: - its great! I love hanging out at the gas statin with my friends ..... and !

lol Oh see, I want to hang out at a gas station and wear inappropriate hot pants and drink beer and have a huge mahoosive gun in my plastic purse.

But no, obviously, I don't really want to. I want to take my children to the Bath Children's literary festival - well worth moving here for - and drama lessons at the Egg theatre, and walk in the parks and admire Georgian architecture, and buy improving muesli from Harvest.

I'm just going to gun tote and drink cold beer on steamy nights vicariously through you.

Come back. Walk down Walcot Street, look around Larkhall, Bear Flat and Batheaston. Go to Victoria Park, walk around the Circus. Read the fliers in the shops, pick up a copy of Bath Life. Go to Toppings bookshop. Then decide.

pheww... you got me worried

And if you do feel the need for something a bit more "urban" and "edgy", Bristol is not far at all, and as well as having the new Cabot Circus which will have the posh shops you are used to in Manchester, parts of Bristol can get very edgy indeed! Far too edgy for my taste!!

I was thinking that too, georgimama - it's not that much of a commute (I know plenty of people who do it where I work) and it sounds like it might be just what you've got now!

Ooh yes forgot the literature festivals - have seen several of my favourite authors. And Mr B's bookshop won the award for best independent bookshop in Britain last year, and is one of my favourite places in the world!

Any pedestrian families live in Bath, around Bear Flats/Oldfield Park? How is that? It seems like many of the after school activities are at Bath Sports Centre or at the university, is it a hard treck through traffic after the school run?