Cardiff city centre
The city centre in Cardiff is an area riddled with alleys and arcades, as well as a number of small shopping centres, including the Capitol, St. David's Centre and Queen's Arcade. Some of the main streets are:
Queen Street (Heol y Frenhines) - after which a local railway station is named (the staiton is actually on Station Street) - is the main pedestrianised shooping street in the city. The junctions at either end of the street look somewhat distorted, since until 1974 vehicular traffic was permitted along its length. It meets Newport Road at its eastern end, Duke Street at its western, and Park Place approximately half-way along. Further down Park Place is the New Theatre, the civic centre and a number of buildings owned by Cardiff University (most notably, several entire terraces). A local landmark is Principality House, head office of the Principality Building Society.
St. Mary Street (Heol y Santes Fair) and High Street (Stryd Mawr) - this length is the home of a number of bars and restaurants, including the Cardiff Hard Rock Cafe, as well as branches of many major banks. It is usually closed south of the junction with Wood Street at weekends, to allow the efflux from night clubs and pubs located in that part of the street to clear. The Prince Of Wales (a J D Wetherspoon establishment) is a particular problem, both due to its high capacity, and its main frontage onto Wood Street (which stays open).
The Hayes (Yr Aes) - This is where local department stores David Morgan (a local concern) and Howells (part of the House Of Fraser group) can be found, along with the old library (now a pub and wine bar). As well as a statue of an individual whose name I do know, and can't for the life of me remember (but should have found out within a day), a well-known landmark both locally and nationally is St. David's Hall - a large concert hall and exhibition centre, which frequently houses major acts as well as opera productions by the Welsh National Opera company.
| Pontcanna | Cathays | Roath |
| Riverside | City centre | Adamsdown |
| Grangetown | Butetown | Splott |