Children's Express Foyle Bureau members David Bell, 14, and Terri McLaughlin, 13, recently visited Newcastle Upon Tyne for a two-day visit, and managed to squeeze a lot into a fun filled trip.
Baltic museum
The Baltic is an international centre for contemporary art. It is situated on the South bank of the river Tyne in the Gateshead area. The exhibition we went to see was from Nancy Spero and Kiki Smith,"a major exhibition of the work of two eminent American artists who both share a history in feminism with an iconography rooted in the human body. Their art addresses issues of the feminine across cultures and mythologies." Well that's what we were told anyway.
There was also an exhibition of books and poems on display. One poem, which we enjoyed, was written on pencils. We found the Baltic interesting but it could have been more appealing to young children, although sifting through some of the books was good fun. It also helps that entry is free and the centre features a gift shop.
Discovery museum
Next we visited the discovery museum. It is a place of Science, Maths, Geography and the history of Newcastle. The science exhibit features many forms of science, Atoms to Magnetism, all of which is fun, easy and exciting to do. There were a lot of games and experiments that we got to take part in. It also features a breathtaking display of ship models representing 150 years of shipbuilding on the river, together with full-sized boats; a 12 metre long model of the River Tyne and a model swing bridge. We think it would really appeal to young children but adults will also be interested to look at the history of the city. Instead of boring you with facts and details it shows you pictures, recordings and videos all in a maze format, which contain all the information you will need to know about Newcastle. It would definitely be a must see for any local people, as it shows the small things that made a big difference to a big city. We thought it was overall a good exhibit and we would recommend a visit to others.
St. James Park
Home to the Newcastle United football club the St James' Park stadium has a total capacity of just over 52,000. The whole structure of the stadium is amazing and the football grounds are in great shape. We were a bit disappointed that the club does not run tours of the stadium but we did get to have a look through the conference suites. The interior is great and makes you really want to have a further look around just to see what its like. We did get to meet Newcastle and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given however, which made our visit worthwhile. We strongly recommend checking out the club shop too, where you can find all sorts of "geordie" goodies.
Newcastle City Centre
The town centre is a busy and crawling place. The shops are excellent, and we got tired walking around all of them. We got to see the Metro shopping centre and the sheer mass is amazing. You could spend a week trying to get around all the shops alone. We found the people are very friendly too. What we noticed the most was the amazing absence of any litter, there was none whatsoever. We were extremely impressed with the town centre.
The Gate mall and Odeon cinema
This is were we spent our nights entertainment, choosing to watch the hilarious film "School of rock". This cinema was fabulous looking. Instead of your usual dull and drab cinema this one was brightly decorated with clear glass walls for people to see into, bright luminous lights and glittery ceilings that change colour. The entire mall was bright, cheery and welcoming and the price of the film was only £3.50!!!
Chinatown
When choosing where to get our dinner we were happily surprised to find many different types of cafes and restaurants and we eventually decided to eat in the Chinatown area, which consists of mainly small restaurants along one street. We chose the Mandarin Palace, and for £8 each we were able to get a buffet dinner, which was delicious. They had a mixture of Chinese dishes, including some strange white jelly that Terri mistook for ice cream. Terri said, "It wiggled and tasted strange, but the dinner was excellent and we enjoyed ourselves." For those visiting we strongly recommend visiting at night, as the lights of the all the restaurants look really cool and from what we have seen the food is good.
Accommodation
We stayed in the Gresham Hotel. It is situated on Osbourne Road in the Jesmond area of Newcastle and the cosy bedrooms were en-suite with tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryers, telephones, sky television and the hotel itself had cheery and friendly welcoming staff. It is also near the West Jesmond metro station, which we used to get into the town, and if you are driving car parking is free. Overall the Gresham hotel is great for a short stay but will not appeal to those who are used to a very high standard, but with single rooms from £35 it is good value.
About the team
This story was produced by David Bell, 14, and Terri McLaughlin, 13. It was published by 24 Hour Museum website.
