Mrs Shake and I are considering moving there, so we're heading up on Monday for 10 days. Other than some of the more obvious things to see and do are there any hidden gems/local knowledge treasures you would recommend.
We're also veggie so any places doing good/cheap veggie food would be handy to know too!
Cheers 
(I know, a holiday to Sheffield is a bit weird)
For good food choices look out for
Hulloumi burgers in the Rutland Arms on Brown St
Also Fusion Cafe in the old Butcher Works on Arundel St
Beanies organic shop near Crookes valley park, the blue moon cafe at the cathedral, for veggie stuff. The peak district is the big draw for me living in Sheffield. I never tire if it.
Sharrowvale road for a short mooch is nice, and will take you out towards endcliffe park and the path to the peak.
I didnt like Sheffield when I lived there for 2 years if that helps... North Bradford/North West Leeds is much better for doorstep riding IMO.
great place to live and bring up kids (and ride)
I love Sheffield - great city but it's all about access to the countryside for me.
Riding, climbing and walking galore. Several indoor climbing walls (Foundry, Edge, Climbing Works) to take your gear or try out if you don't climb already.
Head out to the Peak District for a walk and a pub meal - breakfast at the Grindleford Caf.
Watch a band at The Leadmill or The Plug
http://www.leadmill.co.uk/whats-on/gigs
http://www.the-plug.com/nights/live
Comedy at the City Hall
http://www.lastlaughcomedy.com/
Speedway at the Owlerton Stadium in Hillsborough on Thurdays (free after 9).
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Kelhan Island Museum or Magna for industrial museums if it's wet.
Stroll around Sharrow and have a snack at Made by Jonty.
http://www.madebyjonty.co.uk/
Check out the Bike Tree (and if you are feeling flush, pop next door to Morans for a meal)
http://www.thebiketree.co.uk/
http://www.moranssheffield.co.uk/
Loads more to do depending on what you are after - parks, woods and walks within reach of the city centre.
Shopping on Division Street, drink in the Forum and watch the skills at Dev Green skatepark.
Blue Moon vegan cafe is good for lunch (not open in the evenings), it's round the back of the cathedral.
EDIT: Pook said that already, oops.
How could I forget to mention Bolehills? Stroll round the park then pop down to the track - http://www.bolehills.com
If you are feeling active and want to check out the whole city, try the Round Sheffield Walk
http://www.sheffieldroundwalk.co.uk/maps.htm
Home of the (not so) Mighty Blades. And the other lot.
Lots and lots to do. Loads of green space, although the west side of the city is probably best. Excellent schools, live music all over the place, fantastic pubs. I've also heard rumour that a mountain bike park is being built next to the Ski Village.
Things to do on your 10 day stay? I'd probably go for a wander round one of the many nearby villages such as Hathersage, Castleton, Bakewell, Matlock etc. Take in the sights and smells of Meadowhall shopping centre, pub crawl down Ecclesall Road, some biking in the Peaks or round Ladybower, watch The Mighty Blades get humped by some pro-am team of bus drivers and chefs, fishing at Dam Flask with a carvery at the Admiral Rodney afterwards, live bands at the Boardwalk or the Leadmill, gambling at Napoleon's on Ecclesall Road, recovering from hangover in one of the cafe-bars in the Peace Gardens.
But that's just me.
Some of the best Real Ale pubs in the country. A visit to Kelham Island perhaps:
Kelham Island Tavern, Fat Cat, Riverside, Gardners Rest to name but a few. Also, The Milestone worth a visit. Good food if not a little pricey.
The Peak District, Wharncliffe and Greno Woods (lots of DH tracks and a few that are perfectly minceable with a trail bike and / or little talent!)
The west side of Sheffield is definitely better in my opinion - greener, closer to the Peaks and generally fabber. I live on the west side, am 1 mile from the edge of the Peaks and yet have a only a 3.5 mile commute to the city centre. Ace.
Personally I find the city centre pretty boring but then again in some ways that's the appeal as it's nowhere near as busy/built up as say Manchester or Leeds..
I worked in Sheffield, briefly, 11 years ago. The morning traffic into Hillsborough/Owlerton down the A61 through Grenoside was a nightmare, as was the traffic back out again in the evening.
I tried the journey once by public transport, during the fuel strike of 2000. A little over 40
miles but a combination of (1) rammed trains (2) everybody else being on public transport due to a complete lack of petrol on the forecourts and (3) a long wait in Leeds station meant it took over 4 hours door to door. Not recommended, but that's purely because of where I was travelling from.
Leave.
I'm slowly becoming qualified in paddlesport, climbing, hillwalking, mtb etc so moving near the Peak is a no brainer. We're going to see if Mrs Shake can enjoy the area too.
I've been to a few of the places described already and suspected the West to be more suitable.
Thanks for the advice so far, it's much appreciated 
ok so i'm sheffield born and bred, love the place, feels like a big village rather than a city. we're hillsborough side of town, loads of changes to the road system have made getting in to town and round town much easier but then it's always changing.
kelham island museum, weston bank museum, winter gardens are all lovely places for half an hour to an hour visiting the kids (not sure how old they are) should like the first two as they're loads of interactive stuff to do.
blue moon cafe get's my vote for top food and i'm not veggie. loads of places round sheffield do a great mixture of food. east and west is a really small curry house which does a stack of veggie options. there's thai/oriental noodle houses/lebanese/curry houses a plenty/the usual chains.
shopping wise there's plenty of independent stores but there's also meadowhell which i steer well clear of for 360 days of the year but that's me.
bike shops, biketree/jejames/langsetts/butterworths (x2 but both owned by different people (long story)) and justridingalong are on the outskirts for the purveyors of amazing wheels. cotic are designed in sheffield in cy's secret bunker.
it's a weird place really it can be a big city or it can feel like a series of villages linked together depending on what you want.
then there's the peak district........
good luck
Sheffield is a far more bohemian place than any northern post-industrial city has any right to be. It's really not as dour as people might think. We have high student retention rates for a reason. They like it when they get here and don't want to leave when they're done.
The reason I really would miss the place if I left is that I can ride from my door and with no more than 5 minutes spent with wheels on tarmac I can be in the Peak District or Wharncliffe woods.
It's a great place as cities go. It's big without feeling big. Manages to feel more green than grey. Like anywhere, it is what you make it.
But like many a rider, for me the main appeal is where it's situated. Few major cities can compete with it. When you live here it seems rude not to be into outdoor stuff.
Go and see some football. They have a good selection of league 1 teams in the city.
only football related fact i can offer is that sheffield's home to the worlds first football club, see that as good or bad........
If you are down Sharrowvale Road, try a sausage butty from Roneys and/or Fish and Chips from Two Steps.
Plenty of parks to visit - Endcliffe for a barbie and a beer with the remaining students, Botanical and Winter Gardens for a mooch looking at flowers, Peace Gardens for fountains. All the outdoor stuff and biking already mentioned.
Go for a drink in The Lescar - quiz night on Tuesday! All sorts of world cuisine along London Road - spend half an hour walking up and down and then take your choice.
Sheffield has a fantastic music scene, loads of niche underground clubs and nights and lots of up and coming bands. You've just missed Tramlines, unfortunately. There's usually a free gig on in The Forum on a Wednesday night, open mic nights at The Green Room and a new club type thing called DLS (Dirty Little Secret) putting on some good nights.
Lovely independent cinema
Good cycle lanes (really!) and well mapped out
It's a bit quiet at the moment as a lot of students have gone home for the summer.
Have a good time!
The downside is Sam lives here ;o)
You could always nip to the Llama farm at Ringinglow - 1.5 miles from Sheffield - near Houndkirk/Roman road (alpaca farm mainly but it doesn't sound as good).
Graves park is good for a wander round. There's also pitch and putt and a city farm there too.
Heeley city farm - not been, but mean't to be good.
This place is great East & West -plastic tables etc but food is fantastic.
Antiques/ junk shops down near to Heeley baths are worth wandering round.
Netheredge/ Sharrowvale market - need to check dates. Not sure when next ones are.
Forge dam - walk/ bike up the Porter valley from Endcliffe park (follow the blue peak district cycle signs).
One of my favorite places is Graves art gallery (above the library very close to the Crucible/ millenium galleries) Weston park museum is also worth a visit too.
Nickhart,the oldest football club in the world is called Sheffield fc,but is actually in Dronfield.
but that is its curent location, still formed in sheffield, called sheffield fc, ergo from sheffield
not much on at theatres in summer but there's a couple of plays on at the Botanical Gardens
http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatson.production&ProductionID=1141
weekend of 5th-7th theres a Summer festival/fun fair in Graves Park but more kiddie orientated than say Tramlines
not in Sheffield but Bakewell show is on 3rd and 4th August
again not in Sheffield but Yorkshire Sculpture Park is only 30-40minutes away from centre http://www.ysp.co.uk/
THE SHEFFIELD TAP at the train station!
The Botanical Gardens, quite nice in itself, has Pride and Prejudice on next week.
Parks and parks and parks, it's a wonder there's room for people to live.
Transpennine Trail for a coast to coast or Leeds to Chesterfield cycle.
Rother Valley Country park is on the Chesterfield leg.
Showroom Cinema, Star Wars film quiz night at the start of September.
cheers cruz, saved me typing!
It's allegedly the most arboreal city in the uk, or some very similar fact.
All been said, but Endcliffe Park, Peaks, Forum, Division St, Leadmill, Plug, Ale, good food, music scene, two potentially (albeit not peaking at the moment) big footy clubs - obviously the Blades being far superior, surrounding towns - Castleton, Bakewell, Matlock, the list goes on....
Check out Cafe #9 in Nether Edge for a fantastic espresso.
Anyone claiming Leeds/bradford to be better are quite clearly inbred 
Oh, one downside - Barnsley is just over t' hill.
you forgot toytown/rovrun
Yeah, that as well Rob....
Sheff is tops. I lived in West Yorks for 17 years and sheff for 12 and sheff beats bradford and leeds hands down. leeds is too big, mega city and hence crap. bradford is just pants. sheff is fab, its a city but feels like a small town. west and south sheff are the best, west gets you out to rivelin valley and the peaks also easy to go north from there up to greno/wharncliffe woods. walkley and hillsborough seem decent places to live. south has hunters bar, nether edge, nethergreen - all fab to live. bike route straight from hunters bar roundabout will take you straight out into the peaks.
Veggie stuff
Blue Moon Restaurant, 2 St. James Street, Sheffield - great place to eat. The cakes are amazing!!!!! Chocolate cake is the best closely followed by banana and chocolate. The main meals are good though they dont change the menu much. Decent place to find out stuff going on in sheff.
Bohemian Café, The 53 Chesterfield Road Sheffield - they do veg and vegan aswell as meaty things stuff but not been in here - close to lembas and In A nutshell shop.
Two south Indian restaurants in Sheffo. Both are great and definately worth a visit - dosas, iddlys, vadas, great coconut curries. Top stuff at both of them!!! Great veggie selections. The starters are amazing at both places. Manchurian starter at dhanisthas is to die for.
Dhanistha's, Sheffield. South Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant. 74 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield,
East & West Restaurant, Sheffield. South Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant. 227 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield,
Nirmal's Restaurant, 189-193 Glossop Road, Sheffield - great veggie selection though a bit pricey but it is in the city centre. Mrs Nirmal turns up at the Vegan/veggie food annual give away that takes place in sheff in december - usually at the quaker hall v. close to blue moon. She usually does a few food classes and brings some great free food along.
There are a few more other good curry places for veggies, there's one on chesterfied rd near to bohemian, lembas but i cant remember its name. another decent one at 282 Sharrow Vale Road
Hunters Bar - Moghul Rooms. Not the greatest but fair.
Pho68 175 London Road, Sheffield - Viet restaurant with great veggie section - better than all the others on London road. And no sneaky fish sauce in the veggie food.
Noodle Inn 156 London Rd, Sheffield - does great big bowls of soup. Awesome meal - the bowl is as big as your head and only cost a fiver. Get it with udon noodles. yum!!
Two steps Fish and Chippy 249 Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield, - great chippy that has a seperate oil vat for chips so your chips aint contaminated by the fish. You cant take anything to them (tofu, veggie sozzies etc) and they will batter and fry them for you!!! Great place.
Health food shops - All these are great especially Beanies, DTE and New Roots.
Beanies 05-207 Crookes Valley Road, Sheffield, Between uni and walkley
Down To Earth Shrarrowvale Road Hunters Bar
New Roots Glossop Road near sheff uni
Your Nuts Fulwood Road Broomhill
Zeds Netheredge Road Netheredge
One great reason to live in sheff is for Lembas. Check em out on the web they are a wholefood veggie vegan wholesalers and you can go in and open up an account with them. Easy to spend alot of money there!! http://www.lembas.co.uk
These websites lists some alternative things going on - there's lotsa films and gigs on where people do veggie vegan food at and some of these people work at blue moon so the food is tops ... usually pizza!!
http://alt-sheff.co.uk/
http://sheffield.indymedia.org.uk/
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