Art Nouveau buildings, an old cinema turned hotel and 19th-century factory buildings converted into lively pubs and restaurants, these are a few more reasons why I really liked L�dz.
Of course, the drive from Warsawtook longer than we expected (2 � hours), so we were hungry and thirsty by the time we arrived in Poland�s third largest city in mid-August.
We quickly dropped off our bags at Cinema Residence (Stare Kino) Hotel and set out in search of food and drink. By this time, it was way after 5 o�clock. Time for a cocktail!
After reading about OFF Piotrkowska, I knew this complex, made up of old brick, 19th-century factory buildings, would be the perfect place to start. In fact, there were so bars and restaurants here that we saw no need to go elsewhere. These buildings make up the former Ramisch family cotton mill factory that was started in the 1850s in the heart of the city. The mill ended production in 1990, and the buildings fell into disrepair until 2010 when locals breathed new life into them.
We started out with drinks at MITMI Restobar (pronounced �Meat Me�), a casual bar/restaurant that featured exposed, raw brick walls and tons of outdoor seating. We also nibbled on an interesting appetizer of savory waffles with blue cheese and roast beef. Strange, but still tasty! Later, we moved onto another nearby restaurant for dinner. We were lucky to even get a seat anywhere as all the restaurants were hopping on the Friday summer night we visited!
And if you�re craving something sweet, there�s even a retro-style metal camper turned into an ice cream parlor. How�s that for hipster creativity?
Now, turning to the daytime, you�ll find ulica Piotrkowska, which splits L�dz into two. The street, just under 5-kilometers long, ranks as the longest pedestrian street in Europe. It is lined with restaurants, stores, beer gardens, pubs and a mix of beautiful neo-renaissance and art nouveau buildings. Many of these ornate buildings reminded me of the ones we saw in Riga, Latvia, recently.
We enjoyed walking up and down ulica Piotrkowska, and I think we almost covered the entire street on foot while we were searching for street art in L�dz. And if you get tired of walking, there are several bike rickshaws available so you can rest your feet.
Unfortunately, during our holiday weekend visit, ulica Piotrkowska was rather quiet. We even had difficulties trying to find an open caf� for breakfast. From what I�ve read, I�m sure this street is normally as busy as OFF Piotrkowska was.
So have my recent blog posts tempted you to plan a visit to L�dz yet?
 |
| �Turn of the Millennium� walk, from ulica Piotrkowska 98 to 146, is made up of nearly 13,000 paving blocks with engraved names of well-known and not-so-well-known citizens of L�dz . |