Tolkien grew up in the Birmingham area! You'll be able to go and see a lot of his old childhood hangouts (many of which inspired places in the LoTR).
The problem with Birmingham as a tourist destination (except for Tolkien fans, that is), is that, while it's big, it doesn't have a lot of beautiful and historic buildings. And old buildings are one of the major things the tourists want to see. But as a place to live, it looks like it's got plenty of interesting things to do - and that matters more than old buildings.
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Date: 2005-08-19 09:59 pm (UTC)The problem with Birmingham as a tourist destination (except for Tolkien fans, that is), is that, while it's big, it doesn't have a lot of beautiful and historic buildings. And old buildings are one of the major things the tourists want to see. But as a place to live, it looks like it's got plenty of interesting things to do - and that matters more than old buildings.