Nicholson Street

I don’t rate this street very highly. This review might make me sound like I’m a negative Nancy today. I’m not. But I’ve walked down Nicholson Street 3 times today and it just reminded me how much this street can frustrate me.
It’s one of the main streets in the Old Town, and quite heavily populated by students. There’s a big Tesco, which is the main reason I walk down it. There are also some nice local businesses — The Wee Boulangerie, The Cholas, Black Medicine. 10-​to-​10-​in-​Delhi But it also has lots of slightly dodgy establishments. Cashino. Poundland. And Lidl, even though it’s a nice supermarket, seems to attract weird folk outside.
There are lots of bus stops which make walking up and down it annoying as there are always crowds of people standing in the way, and they really won’t shift.
The folk themselves can be… interesting. I won’t say more than that, but let’s just say it’s a very mixed bag of folk you’ll pass, bump into and who’ll jostle you at the bus stops.
It also changes it’s name about 3 times from South Bridge, Nicholson Street to South Clerk Street. I don’t actually know where Nicholson Street starts and ends.
Its got lots of great businesses around it. Brew Lab and the Brass Monkey either side near Drummond Street, Kebab Mehal and Palmyra. The aforementioned Wee Boulangerie. Great Indian restaurants. Not forgetting the theatre too, a stunning building in an odd location. But it also has so many weird places, and people. I often find myself frustrated when walking down it.
I think Edinburgh’s charm comes from the smaller side streets, winding cobbled streets, and other areas. Sadly the larger streets, like Nicholson and Lothian Road, have a bit more character — it’s just a questionable one.