What's the difference between Sunderland & Newcastle?

Tourism and marketing massively helps Newcastle. From April to October it’s rammed with stag / hen / weekends away who all pump fortunes into the city. To meet demand, investors open more hotels, bars and restaurants.
It’s been marketed really well also. Is Newcastle the 8th best party city in the world ? Probably not but plenty of people heard about it and wanted a piece of the action.
Also, love it or loathe it, Geordie Shore was huge advertising. It was the most watched programme on all of MTV Europe and these viewers saw a city that provided cheap laughs, drink and lots of shagging. Again, hey presto, people want a piece of the action.
I could go on, the Great North Run is a great advert. If it had of ended in Seaburn instead of shields it would have been a different story.
Sunderland needs to capitalise on it’s coast. I’m pleased it is starting to do so as personally I spend a lot of time there. As I keep repeating, the better the whole region is the better for all.
 


Morse said:
Newcastle’s city centre is leagues ahead of ours. So much more to do, and more aesthetically pleasing. Gateshead’s developments help the view down on the river. However, I much prefer Sunderland’s suburbs to Newcastle’s. I really wouldn’t want to live in Newcastle.


We have one precious resource in our favour. A sea front! Pity it hasn’t been properly exploited. We’re missing a real opportunity.

Our railway station fits well with our shit city centre, it’s nothing short of disgusting. It should be relocated outdoors where the line runs next to the Civic Centre. Imagine getting off the train for the first time in Sunderland. Compare that with Newcastle...
Durham’s population is roughly a third of the City of Sunderland’s, IIRC, and their station is vastly better and indeed bigger than ours.
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Spot on. Been brought up many times before on here. For me it's one of the key reasons Newcastle's center is superior (sadly true) to ours.

I'd happily go as far as saying that our train station is in the top 5 (if not the worst) railway station in the UK. I remember seeing one of Michael Portillo's railway journey episodes 2 or 3 years ago which was based in Tyne and Wear, for the Sunderland segment it showed him stepping out onto the taxi rank with the station entrance and facade in the background and it looked horrendous and made it look like the city center was a total clip on national telly.

Should be relocated to that open air area beside the civic centre as you say. A railway station makes a powerful first impression to anyone visiting by train for the first time, and that current underground concreted bunker does not make for a canny one. Just because we aren't directly on the East Coast mainline is no excuse to let the station look a shambles.
 
HoxtonMackem said:
Spot on. Been brought up many times before on here. For me it's one of the key reasons Newcastle's center is superior (sadly true) to ours.

I'd happily go as far as saying that our train station is in the top 5 (if not the worst) railway station in the UK. I remember seeing one of Michael Portillo's railway journey episodes 2 or 3 years ago which was based in Tyne and Wear, for the Sunderland segment it showed him stepping out onto the taxi rank with the station entrance and facade in the background and it looked horrendous and made it look like the city center was a total clip on national telly.

Should be relocated to that open air area beside the civic centre as you say. A railway station makes a powerful first impression to anyone visiting by train for the first time, and that current underground concreted bunker does not make for a canny one. Just because we aren't directly on the East Coast mainline is no excuse to let the station look a shambles.
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One of the stairs has been closed off for about month now. Due to a leaking roof.
 
HoxtonMackem said:
Spot on. Been brought up many times before on here. For me it's one of the key reasons Newcastle's center is superior (sadly true) to ours.

I'd happily go as far as saying that our train station is in the top 5 (if not the worst) railway station in the UK. I remember seeing one of Michael Portillo's railway journey episodes 2 or 3 years ago which was based in Tyne and Wear, for the Sunderland segment it showed him stepping out onto the taxi rank with the station entrance and facade in the background and it looked horrendous and made it look like the city center was a total clip on national telly.

Should be relocated to that open air area beside the civic centre as you say. A railway station makes a powerful first impression to anyone visiting by train for the first time, and that current underground concreted bunker does not make for a canny one. Just because we aren't directly on the East Coast mainline is no excuse to let the station look a shambles.
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Hull is even further off the east coast mainline and their station is in a different league to ours.
 
EDGE said:
Ours was demolished by National Rail and the Luftwaffe.
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Yep a direct hit off the Luftwaffe but if you look at pictures of the station in the 50s and early to mid 60s it’s still a lot better than it is today and actually resembles a proper station rather than an underground stop on the Metro.
 
Sgt Pepper said:
Yep a direct hit off the Luftwaffe but if you look at pictures of the station in the 50s and early to mid 60s it’s still a lot better than it is today and actually resembles a proper station rather than an underground stop on the Metro.
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Ya reet. Think the South End was changed from the original at least once before the current.

Must have been within 10 years since the current one was updated for the 66 WC I think.
 
EDGE said:
Ya reet. Think the South End was changed from the original at least once before the current.

Must have been within 10 years since the current one was updated for the 66 WC I think.
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Which end was it where the tower building was, north? Guessing it was the entrance hall where that minging concrete building now stands today occupied by Poundland? That building seemed to have survived the Luftwaffe going off a quick Google so must have been pulled down as part of a separate update of the station.
 
Sgt Pepper said:
Which end was it where the tower building was, north? Guessing it was the entrance hall where that minging concrete building now stands today occupied by Poundland? That building seemed to have survived the Luftwaffe going off a quick Google so must have been pulled down as part of a separate update of the station.
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North end. Think it was demolished in the early 60s, became Littlewoods.

Maybe shop space was more in demand. Dunno.
 

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