Arcadia England

The UK is about the size of the state of Michigan, so day and weekend trips beyond one's city of study are very easy. Adeena Syed, who came to London in July with Temple Klein College of Media and Communication, visited Bradford , a city that rarely appears at the top of travel bucket lists, but which will be the UK's Capital of Culture in 2025.

When I arrived in London, I had two rather abstract goals in my mind: making important contacts during my time studying and visiting the city of Bradford. While the first goal was pretty typical for students coming on study abroad trips, the second goal caused a lot of raised eyebrows. To most people, Bradford is just the city they hear about in the news when something bad happens. It is the city people in London warn others about. It is not the city one would choose to go to while on holiday. I must admit my reasons for wanting to visit were at first out of sheer curiosity rather than a desire to see the wonders of Bradford. Prior to my visit, my only knowledge of Bradford came from what I had heard from others and it was almost always something negative. However, seeing such negativity towards an entire city is what piqued my curiosity. Despite the negative view that those who aren’t from Bradford have of the city, I couldn’t help but notice that those who are from the city have nothing but love for it. As I saw these drastically different viewpoints about Bradford, I started asking questions of my own. How can a city inspire such vitriol from people who have never even been there? Also, if people who have never been to the city have such a negative view of it, then why do the people who live there love it so much? Surely there must be a reason why people who live in Bradford love their city as much as they do. I decided that the best way for me to get answers was to go see the city for myself.

Shortly after my study abroad program finished up, I booked my mother and myself tickets on the LNER and we headed off to Bradford. Upon our arrival, the first thing my mother said was that compared to London, Bradford didn’t even look like a part of England. I have to admit that I felt the same as I looked around. The signs of neglect could be seen on the buildings around the train station as well as the station itself. Despite that, I could see the beauty in the old structures that surround the city. I’m willing to bet that with a little bit of attention and a little bit of work, those old grand buildings could easily be restored to their former glory.

Upon our arrival to Bradford, my mother and I decided to walk around and find a place to have dinner. As we walked around, we were struck by how many Pakistanis we saw all over the place. While we had expected there to be a large population of Pakistanis (Bradford isn’t considered the curry capital of Britain for nothing!), I don’t think either of us anticipated just how many Pakistanis there are in Bradford. Walking around the area almost felt like I was back in the streets of my family’s hometown Karachi. All around us were people in traditional cultural attire and we must have passed at least five Pakistani restaurants as we walked. I could even see ads for Bollywood films on street corners which is something that I have never seen in America even after over a decade of living there. Despite having never even stepped foot in Bradford before, I found myself overwhelmed with a strange familiarity as I walked around. I felt a type of kinship with the people around me that I don’t think I ever felt walking down the streets of my own neighborhood in America. That night, my mother and I had a great dinner at MyLahore.

The next morning, I must admit we had a somewhat strange experience as we tried to find a place for breakfast. We walked around the same area we had walked the night before yet the place was now almost deserted. Almost every cafe or restaurant we looked at was closed with no explanation. In the end, we decided that it would be better to just go and have a look around the National Science and Media Museum. The National Science and Media Museum is a great tourist destination for anybody who visits Bradford. Not only does it have great exhibits that showcase how British media has evolved over time with the aid of science, it also provides some great interactive exhibits that guests can have fun with. Certainly, as someone who is going into the media industry, there is no shortage of fun and educational things to see. My personal favorite was the Wonderlab where I got to see how light and sound are harnessed in order to broadcast shows and movies.

Later in the evening, we went for dinner at Omar’s Balti House. What’s notable about Omar’s is that it is famous for its naan platters. If you order any type of naan bread, they will serve you a giant version of it. Aside from that, I have to say that the atmosphere of the place is just wonderful. The restaurant itself may not look like much from the outside but we were greeted by a lovely server with a big smile as soon as we stepped into the place. We did indeed order the giant naan but we also ordered a biryani and a karahi. I think it says a lot that my mother, who is extremely picky about South Asian restaurants and was even hesitant to try Omar’s, ended up loving it. For any South Asian out there who may be interested, I can tell you that Omar’s is the place to go for good authentic South Asian food. Between the two of us, my mother and I were still unable to finish the naan but I think we certainly gave it a valiant effort.

As we walked back to our lodging after dinner, we heard a car backfiring repeatedly. Not knowing what the sound was at first, we immediately tensed up. If one hears a loud bang in America, the safest decision is usually to assume that it is a gunshot and find cover. However, one of the things I love the most about England in general is that I can walk around the streets without having to worry about excessive gun violence. I don’t feel as though I have to run for my life every time I hear a loud noise outside. Still, hearing that car backfire triggered an instinctual response in my mother and I and we both jumped. A couple of people who were hanging out outside the restaurant were quick to set us at ease and told us that this is a common occurrence around those parts. “Welcome to Bradford,” a young guy around my age sarcastically commented. Upon learning that we were visiting, he asked us why we chose to come from Bradford of all places which made me laugh at first. However, upon further reflection, I think it’s quite sad that someone so young has such a negative view of his own city that he would ask people why they would want to visit. It is very sad but it is not surprising.

It’s not surprising at all that when all they hear about the city they live in is about the Muslim “no-go” areas or the hotspots for white nationalists. Prior to my visit, my own knowledge of Bradford was largely drawn from what I had read about the Bradford race riots in 2001. Of course, what I had read only made me even more curious about the city and its history.

If people who have never been to the city have such a negative view of it, then why do the people who live there love it so much?

Funnily enough, the associate director of the Arcadia London Center Student Services Polly Penter is from Bradford herself. I was fortunate enough to have her put me in touch with a couple of her friends there so that I could get an honest account from people who actually know the city. I met Chris and Alyshea on the morning of the day I left Bradford at Starbucks. Chris was born just outside of Bradford and has lived in Bradford since he was seven. He currently lives just outside the city with his wife Alyshea. Alyshea is originally from London and moved up to Bradford after marrying Chris. She said that she had never been up north until after she met Chris and always assumed that there was nothing exciting up there for her. However, she says that she now loves living up north and actually finds the north more pleasant than London. She came to Bradford for the first time to meet Chris’s family after meeting Chris on a dating site.
“I fell in love really,” said Alyshea “with him [Chris] and with Bradford.”

Chris, who spent the majority of his formative years in Bradford said that one of the things he loves about Bradford is its multiculturalism. He said that he found himself learning about Pakistani culture as he grew up due to his own interactions with the large Pakistani community around him.
Chris described his own experiences of the Bradford race riots and talked about how boys on his school bus would yell at Pakistani people they would see walking by during that time.
“You would get the British Asian men walking down the street and you would get the guys on the bus shouting stuff at them” said Chris.

Despite the painful history of the riots, it was clear to me from the moment I stepped foot in Bradford that the Pakistani community there has remained as vibrant as ever.

One thing that Chris and I talked about during our conversation that I agree with wholeheartedly is the vicious circle that working class youth in northern cities find themselves trapped in. Since all they hear about themselves on the news is negative, they eventually start seeing themselves in the negative light that those with privilege see them in. This, in turn, discourages them from even trying to achieve more than what they have been given in life. The young man I met that night as I came out of Omar’s was probably around my age yet he was jaded enough to ask a visitor why they would ever want to come to his city. He didn’t think of Bradford as a city worth visiting because he has likely internalized the narrative that has been perpetuated about Bradford by those in power.

Bradford is a city filled with beauty, art and the loveliest of people.

However, as an outsider to Bradford myself, I can tell you that the narrative that we hear about Bradford could not be further from the truth. Yes, Bradford has seen its share of problems like any other city but it has also seen a lot of joy. Yes, there is much that needs to be done to improve the streets of Bradford and the lives of its people but there is a lot of work being done. For all that it tends to be scapegoated in the media, there is a reason why Bradford has been voted UK City of Culture 2025. Looking around the city, it is easy for me to see why. Bradford is a city filled with beauty, art and the loveliest of people. People who will greet you with a smile when you walk into their restaurant. People who will agree to meet with a stranger for coffee to talk about how much they love their city. People who are proud of who they are and where they come from. I may not have been able to spend nearly as much time in Bradford as I would have liked but I know that I will be returning. Come 2025, I plan on being there to celebrate this city right along with those that are a part of it.