Our family of initially 3 arrived in York in September 2022 and if we liked the city we could stay for six months, we set ourselves the following three tasks: Task 1: Find Accommodation - a friend recommended Stays York and Amanda (Manager) listened to our needs and immediately knew we would like this apartment, its ambiance, it’s furnishing & appliances and location. ✅ Task 2: Find School and OBYE (pregnant wife) - Bootham Junior School (1.25 mile walk) accepted our son and we chose to have our second baby in London ✅ Task 3: Settle In & Enjoy York - when you wake up in a comfortable bed with fresh sheets & perfect pillows, have a great shower with fluffy towels and a cup of freshly ground coffee in a new kitchen the day is off to a good start. Walk my son to/from school, cardio work out 50 minutes, pick up Financial Times on way back at Sainsbury (100m from apartment) and walk 20m further to North South Cafe on Bootham Road, read paper have a cappuccino do a few emails all before 10:00am. Next walk into the centre of York (10 minutes) to Shambles Market and go see my friends at Swains Butcher (wonderfully terrific lamb, free range eggs, sausages, chicken, pork chops etc), the fish and cheese mongers next door and fruit veggie stall and decide what to have for dinner, pick up further necessities at M&S (2 minutes further) and return home through the Museum Gardens, home by 11:00am. Sitting at the big table in the open plan living, dining & kitchen area with sunshine coming through the oversized windows and high ceilings overlooking the garden while using the excellent and individual apartment secured/dedicated wifi, it’s very easy to be productive & creative and crank out emails and do a few call. Noonish start thinking about lunch almost always decide to heat up last nights leftovers either in the brand spanking new microwave or oven. Back to work, sometimes walk to Museum Garden to do emails, wifi works well there when in sight line of Apartment and at around 3:00pm walk to pick up my son from school back home by 4:00pm. Circa 5:00pm head to the Establishment on Bootham (150m from Apartment) order a pint from Carla (head barkeep) sit in their huge beer garden log onto their wifi do conference call to Canada/US (I know, very lucky and thank goodness for the mute function, video off). It’s 6:00pm and time to go to Minister Inn at 24 Marygate, conveniently 20m from the Apartment, say hello to Josh & Liam (barkeep/raconteur and best pizza chef in the universe respectively) have another pint and home by 7:00pm. Help with dinner, mash the potatoes, salad preparation and sort the dessert (often from Betty’s Cafe; Yorkshire tea fruit cake or vanilla slice with ice cream). Relax watch some TV, read stories with son and sleep and repeat for next few months.
Time was flying to fast and with the changing seasons; Christmas was on the horizon, my wife almost 8 months pregnant and our family engrained into a terrific daily York routine and being considered an almost “local” at two watering holes, it was time to invited my in-laws from Canada to come and stay in the Museum Apartment below, my sister and niece from London as well as my wife’s uncle. York was to good to keep to our family of 3, we needed to share this oasis of Yorkshire with our loved ones. They as well have fallen for York.
But unfortunately our time in York has come to an end and it’s back to Canada we must go with a newborn son, our family is now 4, great memories and new friends.
It has been an A+ experience in York commencing with Stays York recommendation, the Apartment is top notch, karma is especially good for creative people, location superb and York has so much to offer and if you have the opportunity to stay for awhile give yourself a treat.
If you come to York say hello to my friends at the Minster Inn (best little pub and pizza ever), the Establishment (best beer garden) Stays York (world class service) G’s Barber (on Bootham across from North South Cafe), Raj’s Indian Restaurant (next to the Establishment), Blake’s Fish n Chips (near Shambles Market), North South Cafe, Swains Butchers, Star Inn Restaurant (especially Sunday Roast), Roots Restaurant (romantic night out) and visit the many sites and attractions.
We plan to be back in summer this year and if are plans come to fruition we will be staying here. All the best David