I love Nottingham. I love the restaurants, the pubs, the history, the wealth of independent traders, the music scene and the people, well most of them. It's 40 years since I arrived in the city as a student when it was quite rightly known as the Queen of the Midlands - an attractive, bustling city with two busy shopping centres, the quirky bohemian Hockley, and jam-packed nightclubs.
Restaurants offer an immense variety of global cuisines - from cheap and cheerful to Michelin-starred finesse. And when it's running smoothly, the tram network is a cheaper alternative to parking in the city. Over the years it was a place I headed to buy material, meat, fish, fruit and veg, and visit the print shop to get photos of colleagues put on mugs for leaving gifts and Secret Santa presents. The mushy pea stall was an absolute must - and I rarely left without a bag of chilli cashew nuts.
Living in a Nottingham bubble you might assume indoor markets have had their day. But step outside the city and it's a different story. Souvenirs, vintage clothes, books, jewellery, soap, flowers, it's like exploring an Aladdin's Cave. You can get your shoes repaired at a cobblers or have a hair cut at not one but two barbers. It really is a one-stop shop.