The first industrialised city in the world, the capital of the North, and my home for the last four and a half years, Manchester really is a great city. The Manchester day parade 2013 is taking place on Sunday 2nd June, and in celebration, here are just a few reasons I love my adopted hometown.
Itās not grim up North
The North has undergone a massive transformation in the last few years. Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool in particular have received a lot of investment and are undergoing redevelopment on a massive scale. In Greater Manchester, you only have to look to Salford Quays, MediaCityUK and the Beetham Tower (the Hilton hotel) to see how the skyline is changing. In fact, Beetham Tower is the tallest residential building in the UK, and the fourth tallest in Europe.
To do: Head up to Cloud23 on the 23rd floor of Beetham Tower for views that reach to the Pennines on a clear day.
Manchester’s changing skyline
Multi-culturalism
A recent study by Manchester University found that Manchester was the most multi-lingual city in Europe, and suggested it was second only to New York in the world.Ā The study confirmed that 153 different languages are spoken daily in the city. This ethnic diversity has had a huge effect on Manchester and can be seen in Chinatown, in the heart of the city, along the infamous Curry Mile in Rusholme, the self-proclaimed Italian Quarter, or in any of the cityās great world food restaurants ā the Armenian Taverna on St. Albertās Square being a personal favourite.
To do: Get the Magic Bus from Piccadilly to the Curry Mile and walk around to find the best deal. Most restaurants are BYOB ā another plus.
Sport
Now, I might not be the biggest sporting fan ā something that definitely hasnāt improved since moving to within a stoneās throw of Old Trafford ā but thereās no denying Manchester has a lot to offer: both Old Trafford and the Etihad stadium host a lot of sporting events aside from their own matches, and Manchester is now home to the National Football Museum in the URBIS.
To do: Go see the match ā just donāt try and use any form of public transport before or after.
Manchester town hall
Museums
Having already covered Manchesterās industrial heritage, itās time to look to the cityās other museums. One of my personal favourites is the John Rylands Library on Deansgate ā the building is pretty impressive from the outside, but absolute stunning on the inside. Thereās a small permanent exhibit on the history of the library, which is mainly aimed at kids on school trips, as well as a few others, but the main draw is simply walking around and admiring the architecture. Another Manchester landmark is the Imperial War Museum, housed in Manchesterās arguably most interesting building. The temporary exhibitions are always worth a look, though the view from the top is not one for the faint-hearted, i.e. me.
To do: The John Rylands Library on Deansgate is still a functioning library, so take your pencil case and get some work done. Or not.
Hidden gems
Manchester is full of hidden gems ā cool bars are always popping up in the Northern Quarter and Chorlton is the place for pop-up gourmet burger vans ā but my favourite by far is St. Maryās Catholic Church, also known as the Hidden Gem. Found right in the centre of town, itās not a particularly impressive building, save for the fact youād never have guessed it was there, but itās definitely worth seeking out.
To do: Check out VisitManchesterās list of the top 5 hidden gems in Manchester.
I love MCR
This list is by no means conclusive ā what are your top reasons to love the capital of the North?
The Town Hall, for many years the place where TV and Film have gone to pretend they’re inside the Palace of Westminster. Walk in, have a look around and stop for a cafetierre of coffee and a cake, reasonably priced too,
Some of my mates went to uni in Manchester in the ’90s and I used to love visiting. There was a cool little bar in a former city centre public toilets we liked going to. Pop up gourmet burger vans sound like my kind of thing, too.
The bar that the person above is talking about must surely be The Temple on Oxford Road, one of my most favourite Manchester haunts! The People’s History Museum is my favourite Manc museum. It’s really interesting and not at all dry and dusty. Have you been inside The Hidden Gem? The building itself might not be that interesting, but it has got pretty cool modern art Stations of the Cross inside that are worth a look. Have to say I’ve never seen a gourmet burger van in Chorlton but would highly recommend the Polish breads, sausages and fantastic cheesecake at Barbakan.
I can’t pick just one reason! I love to visit. The people are friendly, the city has a buzz, there are great hotels and restaurants, good shopping, architecture, canals, beer, gin, …….
I love the Exchange.
The theatre? Have to confess I’ve never been!
Yeah, I saw A View from a Bridge there and it’s my favourite play therefore securing a special place in my heart.
I wanted to see To Kill a Mockingbird there earlier in the year, but it sold out too quickly š
Oh that’s a shame. I saw an adaptation in Cardiff couple of years ago and it suits the stage well. I’m teaching it this year in fact. The only other cool kid kind of place I know in Manchester is like an indie book store/bar/caff which has huge glass panels. Maybe from that altogether vague description, you know the place I mean!