Packing for Leeds

I touch down in Leeds next Friday to begin my new life. Is anyone living there already? It would be great to meet up with some UKyankee folks.

There are several of us in Leeds!  Besides me there's Mrs.Robinson, mapleleafgirl, magickalcattie, BostonDiner is here now, returns to the US but will eventually come back again.  I think there are a couple others as well....

Oh heck yeah, there's quite a few of us here!  Good luck with your trip over - do you know in which part of the greater Leeds area you will be living?  A lot of us are in the north Leeds 'burbs here.

I will be visiting family in the US when you first get here, but get yourself settled in & keep in touch - sure we can sort out coffee or something! 

that's so good to hear. we should be setting up camp somewhere near kirkstall. i'm dead nervous, but meeting people will help settle into a new place.

Kirkstall is really close to all of us!

beegriffy, bring warm clothes - lol!  I moved here from Tampa Bay (where I last lived in the US, not where I'm originally from) & the weather was a big shock.  Also the long dark hours of mid-December. 

Kirkstall is near a lot of us, like Andee said.

The Leeds German Christmas Market (on Millennium Square) will also be starting up soon after you get here - I think it starts November 9th & runs up to the week before Christmas or so.  That's always a nice time out! 

how exciting! i'm from florida (pensacola), so i don't have many warm clothes. my inlaws suggested just getting all my winter wardrobe from primark. i'm sure going to miss this sunny weather.

I think you should check out the charity shops before you buy anything at Primark!  Primark clothes are cheap and the quality is cheap, too.  A couple washes and you new sweater will be bobbly, stretched out and fades.  You can get fantastic bargains on good make and designer labels at charity shops, I know because I manage one and most of my clothes are from my shop and other charity shops!

I agree with Andee. You can find some amazing stuff at charity shops as well as on Ebay. Every time I am tempted by Primark, I regret. it. 

charity shops sound good too. my fiance told me about a cool vintage shop in leeds. i might check that out.

Hello everyone...I have just joined this forum today! It's brilliant reading up on everyone's opinions of life in the UK! I am British but my husband is from California & i dragged him over here to live in sunny Manchester (ahem!). It would be great to meet fellow expats in the same situation some time 

Welcome sarah2106 - there are a number of expats over Manchester way as well.  Jennie?  Racheee?  And others too?

You might have better luck on their seeing this if you started up a Manchester thread - plus I've heard the Manchester Christmas Market is way bigger & better than ours. 

what is a christmas market? i'm assuming shopping and food?

what is a christmas market? i'm assuming shopping and food?

It's a tradition in Germany, and now there are quite a few 'German Christmas Markets' popping up around the world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_market

And info about the Leeds one: http://www.christmasmarkets.com/UK/Leeds-christmas-market.html

what is a christmas market? i'm assuming shopping and food?

Yeah all kinds of food - crepes, really good donuts, hot pretzels, German sausages, Christmas treats & sweets (things you don't tend to get here normally)...plus a German-style beer hall they put up, there's a carnival & lots of booths selling Christmas-themed crafts & gifts & things like that.