The Knowhere Guide

Other Stuff in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire*

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire Stuff You Don't Get Anywhere Else

The Stuff We Can't Fit In Somewhere Else

• For its size Cambridge is a great city. People say there's not a lot to do, but I've never found that myself. As much as I hate the university, it adds character to the city. Brings lots of great totty as well (Uni students in the winter, language students in the summer :) )
• Its a common problem, you are travelling between pubs, clubs or to the last bus and the sudden urge for urination occurs. Well thankfully Cambridge is full of piss places that are often frequented by the locals or just drunk bastards that can't hold their piss. The car parks are with out completely soaked in bloody piss, this is obviouslt a common problem throughout the Car parks in the UK. Pembrooke St by this i mean the residential alleyways and peoples doorsteps. This is a common place really as this road is the direct link from the town centre pubs and old orleans/Mill. A long journey which no kidneys can sustain. Have fun, piss on the doorstep and ring the doorbell!!!!! Very often when you come outside the regal across the street is a bus stop (Maplins). On cold nights when waiting for buses the urge can be painful and so the alleyway next to maplins is very much abused. If you are feeling paticularly brave the spot next to the river Island when you come out of Toxic8 is a nice one, though watch out for the piles of puke with remnants of Uncle Franks kebabs and burgers nearby. Hobson street, thats the one that connects king st and St Andrews st, the back off M&S. There are many spots on this road, the one with the main gate to name but a few. Dont let the lights and camera deter you as the smell of fresh laundry more than compensates. If you are near the riverside, Henrys or quaybar the river obviously comes in handy. But the residential further in from the bars is a nice quiet and secluse spot to release the tension within. This spot is very famous, not because of the fact its next to the bus terminal and the old peoples bowls lawn but for the ironic fact its next to the public toilets. For the people in the know its the spot inbetween the lawn bowls and the toilets. The bit where no grass exists due to the accidity of the soil and the regular tramplings by the perpetrators. The smell is vulgar to say the least and if only they didn;t close the toilets as its a regular joint for hezza abusers by the homesless. So, next time if you're waiting for the bus and you need to urinate you know where to go, unless of course you prefer to release yourselfs amongst the friendly people of cambridge on the lovely stagecoach buses.
• the ship pub ARBURY serves mexican food and you can speaK TO SOME FAT BLOKE BEHIND THE BAR
• They should reopen Short street to normal cars again and scrap the rising bollards cos its a massive detour now.
• Up by the grafton centre theres a pucker little shop called Sunrise.....it's a MUST. Sells clubwear including a plastic see-through dress..., pipes, bongs,scales, jewellery,lots of others rare stuff...rumors of certains seeds begin sold there as well.....and also rumors of rush....
• I love Cambridge, having been a resident here for a few years. It is very 'English', but the mix is high enough where I live (around Mill Road) to fool you into thinking that there is potential for cosmopolitan here. There is a high turnover of people too, which really revitalises the place. As a University town, it is a lot more 'nerdish' than equivalents like Oxford or Dublin's Trinity, but that said, there is plenty out there to keep you occupied, and if you get slightly stir crazy, there is always the quick hour trainride to London. This is all relevant if you are looking to be a resident. For the tourist, Cambridge is a marvellous trip, particularly if you can fit in a punt ride. (rent your own, it is more fun trying not to fall in!!) One thing that gets my goat is the lack of reasonably priced decent accommodation. It is no wonder that there are so many 'day trips' rather than longer-term stays. I have seen a few places when my mother in law visited, and I wouldn't keep my pet cat in them. I would love to be proven wrong on this, so if anyone wants to correct me... let me know!! Regards and love from sunny Cambridge
• SOME PEOPLE ARE VERY RUDE.
• funny things that happen to tourists.....hehehehe
• I agree that Cambridge sucks, don't get me wrong...But to Damn the place is a bit OTT. Yes, the students are all wankers, yes the bars/clubs/pubs/venues are shite and yes, the folks who live here are among the most unfriendly I have ever come accross in my travels. Yet you have to understand that the ground you stand on is probably owned by some university or another, therefore until we all make a stand against the out of date policies, the place will remain as is. The only reason we have such an abundace of coffee shops and bookshops and irritating foriegn types is that this is the type of seattle style cosmopolitan living that the 'old school ties' wannabee living. I dont mind this, it is great for our city. but please give the population something/where to do/go!!!Other than eating establishments!!!!!! I beg you uni's, take a leaf out of the Oxford book. Anyplace that can spawn Supergrass and Radiohead..... I manage rock bands, and I can't find any locally.
• I run a mobile disco in and around Cambridge and your readers may well be interested in booking me for their special occassion venues. Please can you add my MOBILE DISCO ROADSHOW link onto the Cambridge website information. http://www.disco.x.tc Regards Julie Gibbins
• girls- not bad, al around some nice pussy. a lot of dirty student bitches prime for some ass smacking!
• Cambridge is brilliant and if you do a bit of research in the web you'll find loads to do - just ask a resident - from salsa to bingo, art to getting fit.
• The foreign students are a pain in the arse, although male friends of mine say they're good for copping off with. The university students are ok for a shag in a posh bedroom. If you're coming to Cambridge on holiday, remember to bring loads of change for the beggars (it's nearly as bad as London). Remember never ever to go to 5th Avenue or Chicagos unless you want a sloppy snog off some bloke who smells of Blue Stratos and Red Stripe. You can cycle on whichever side of the road you like because most of the traffic isn't moving anyway. The bumps is called the bumps because it means you have to walk along the river 'bumping' as many students into it as possible between the Fort St George and the Pike and Eel, without being beaten up.
• I agree with all the stuff said about snobby students at Cambridge whose mummies and daddies probably got them in anyway. It is because of this species of creature that us peasants who go to state schools don't get the opportunity to learn from the greatest university in the world. I totally blame them for my rejection from Clare, some rich bitch at my school got in just because her brother goes there!! I wipe the floor with her study wise! I'm not bitter, I'm going to York in order to rival Cambridge in being coldest. Cambridge, you will be sorry for forsaking me, I'm going to be famous and in all the public access I get declare Cambridge can't regognise a good thing when they see it, and I also know where you live......
• By the way to all the people to say Cambridge students are snobs...I went to a State School, as did the majority of the students here. The public school myth only exists because people like you perpetuate it.
• If you are coming to Cambridge to study, please don't be anything like the student who contributed earlier or you may find that all the locals hate you.
• I'm currently writing guides to Cambridge for foreign students of all ages. I have included some tips for the poor kids: don't stand in a big group, remember to enter the roundabouts clockwise, bike in a straight line etc. Maybe I should add: avoid wearing your blue rucksacks, it seems to tick people off (and some of them would like to run you over, by the way). Is there anybody who is proud and happy of the interest people take in visiting Cambridge?
• Advice for all foreign students thinking of visiting Cambridge - Don't, go and irritate Oxford residents instead. If you must visit, please try to follow these guidelines. 1) Learn to ride a bicycle in a straight line. 2) Do not stand in a group of 50 or more in the middle of the road. 3) Remember that the majority of locals will hate you and your bright blue rucksacks. Finally, in this contry we go round roundabouts in a clockwise direction. p.s. I went to the Perse. I'm not a stuck up tosser, my parents are not rich but I do think that all Cambridge students are twats.
• Oi! My son goes to the PERSE School (note spelling) and he is not a toffee nosed arsehole - we, his parents are a humble local government officer and chemical plant worker respectively. Cambridge is great for bookshops, but I agree with the bits about foreign students, tourists and cyclists! Sometimes I think the town is a bit too precious for its own good, especially the right on City Council (who I do NOT work for!) As a town, Bury St Edmunds is a lot nicer.
• unbelievable! What would Cambridge be without the students and the summer foreign language students - just another provincial large market town. Cambridge is one of the most cosmopolitan and vibrant places in the country and thats down to the people who live, study and visit the place.
• Very pretty town but once youve visited the pubs and looked at a few old buildings theres really bugger all left to do in cambridge.
• The note from a visiting language student sums up what we would like them to experience ... if you want to come, I promise that you'll love it. I've been here for a significant part of my life. Despite having worked abroad and elsewhere many times, I always find myself drawn to return. As a student you'll love it, whether of EFL or at the University. And, despite some of the things said, you'll also be made welcome.
• Since I am leaving this "wonderful" place, I would like to add...Could they please get rid of all those stupid people who ride red bike from Mikes bikes. Even worse are the people who walk down King's Parade with blue back packs on taking up all the pavement. Some even stop and stand there in the middle of the pavement...I am sure this is just to piss off the students. I once saw a wonderful thing in Cambridge, an old man told them all to get out of his F**k*** way. Great! Mind you, I am glad I had the Cambridge experience, without doing the work for it! (Now my friends will know who I am).
• Cambridge has a better range of arts and entertainment events in a wide range of venues than any small town in Britain and attracts hundreds of thousands of real people from all over the Eastern region. Seriously, you can see anything from All Night Raves to the Royal Ballet, Kronos Quartet to Radiohead, Black Theatre Co-op to David Byrne at the Corn Exchange.
• The worst thing about Cambridge is... The buses. 95 fucking pence for a five minute journey. No return tickets. One bus an hour. Stops ridiculously early. Total waste of time.
• Everything in Cambridge is based around the students, which is not really surprising considering the University owns most of it. Not so good if you have to live there due to work...
• I am a student, and I went to a comprehensive... stereotypes work in both directions.
  People mostly "hang around in pubs" everywhere else in Britain, so Cambridge isn't alone there.
• Cambridge is fucking cold almost every day apart from summer. It is also full of students, and they almost all went to some top public school and are therefore pretty damn sad. No one really hangs out anywhere apart from a pub as far as I can tell. On the whole, not much happens at Cambridge and it is a bit of a sad place. Go there in the summer, but only if you really have to or you love all the ancient colleges or something.
• Very, very, touristy. Impossible or expensive to park: use the park-and-ride.

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Last updated: 2008-05-09