Bolton
The best advice I can offer about living in Bolton is to move a few miles out.

It's not so much that Bolton is excessively bad - yes, there's too much concrete, a chav problem, too many pound shops, odd people round the bus station and some of the pubs are far too rowdy on a Saturday night. It's probably also worth mentioning Ikon - an infamous nightclub which doesn't like anything even vaguely alternative (I've been turned away three times, at which point I sensibly gave up and decided never to go again).

Really, the problem is that in a choice between going out in Bolton and catching a train into Manchester (15 minutes), there's really no competition.

Move 2-3 miles outside Bolton (preferably not towards Deane Road or Farnworth/Salford) and there are some very nice areas.

Actually, Farnworth is probably a good town to ponder putting on the list..
(syllopsium, Fri 30 Oct 2009, 13:56, 2 replies)

Farnworth
Amen to that.

My car's been broken into twice amd vandalised once in Farnworth.

The rest of Bolton, safe as houses.
(sigismund, Fri 30 Oct 2009, 14:18, closed)

A few years back..
A colleague of mine was working in 'The Crown and Cushion' pub on the precinct, he joked that it was nicknamed 'The Crown and Flickknife'

It was'nt until I got there, I realised why..

Rough is an understatement. The DJ stand was encased in perspex, there was no moveable furniture and people were drinking out of 'plastic glasses'

I'd heard off one of the barstaff that the main venue was called 'The Temple' - like an idiot, I decided to check the place out with said barstaff, upon my arrival, there was what appeared to be a 20-30 man/woman/girl brawl which even Millwall fans would have been proud of. Did'nt stop long to see the aftermath.

I did the opening night at Barracuda there too, that was alright, but then I was staying in the hotel next door, which was a mere 10 yards away - safe enough for me anyway.

The last time I ventured to Bolton, was to play at 'The Bar' - that was OK, but next to it, there were still the sounds of a major kick-off echoing from one of the alleyways near it as I was pulling out of the car park to return home..
(danniekavanagh did nothing constructive on, Sat 31 Oct 2009, 9:59, closed)