Yorkshire's commercial capital, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, LEEDS has undergone a radical transformation in recent years. There's still a true northern grit to its character, and in many of its dilapidated suburbs, but the grime has been removed from the Victorian centre and the city is revelling in its renaissance as a financial, administrative and cultural boomtown. The formerly run-down city quarters have been revitalized and have made Leeds a noted nightlife destination. It's long been the region's cultural centre, home to Opera North, the noted West Yorkshire Playhouse and a triennial international piano competition that ranks among the world's top musical events. The Royal Armouries aside, the City Art Gallery has the best collection of British twentieth-century art outside London; Leeds Industrial Museum takes care of the city's historical legacy; while further out you might try to see the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey and one of the country's great Georgian piles, Harewood House .