Manchester is fast becoming known as the capital of the north and so I’ve decided to take the opportunity on this rather dull day in Manchester, to tell you all about some of its merits. I moved to Manchester just over 2 years ago to live with my partner from the sleepy Shropshire town of Shrewsbury. I’m now considered an ‘honoury manc’ by my boyfriend and his family and I’m very proud to say the least of my new heritage. Manchester today is a big place. While 2.6 million people live within its actual boundaries, over 7 million others live in the wider region, making it second only to London in Great Britain. Now that’s got to be worth writing an op about!--------------------------------- Location and accessibility --------------------------------- Manchester is one of Britain's largest metropolitan conurbations, set in the old county of Lancashire, on the west side of the Pennine Hills. The Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester has the most extensive motorway network in the United Kingdom. It is accessible by road, rail and air. Manchester is 2½ hours from London by Intercity trains, of which there are on average 17 departures every day. The city has the UK's first modern street operating rail system - Metrolink - which other UK cities are eager to emulate and Oxford Road is the busiest bus route in the world. So you won’t have any problems getting around the city. Manchester also offers an excellent base point for further tourism. Within 1 hour's drive are 3 major National Parks (the Lake District, the Peak District, and the Snowdonia National Park). Also within an hour's drive are the seaside towns of the Fylde coast of Lancashire (Blackpool, Lytham St Annes, Southport, Morecambe, Fleetwood), as well as the cities of Lancaster, York, Chester and Liverpool. ----------------- Shopping ---------------- Well what girl doesn’t like to shop? So here’s the low down on a few of the best places to check out:
The Arndale Centre - Located in the heart of the city, the Arndale Centre was the largest covered town shopping centre in Europe, covering some 30 acres in the old city centre. With over 200 shops, major department stores, restaurants and fast food outlets it has become a busy and active shopping arcade. The centre has it’s own bus station – generally for routes coming in from the North of the city centre. It is also close to Piccadilly train and bus stations and the metrolink and is served by a large car park. .The Centre houses many major department stores and famous High Street names, including Dixons, W.H.Smith, BHS, Littlewoods, Mothercare, Marks and Spencers, River Island, Dorothy Perkins etc, as well as a number of smaller concessions.
Affleck’s Palace – located on Church Street, a short walk to the North of Picadilly Gardens, this is a must for strange and unusual gifts and clothes. A revitalised city centre building with five storeys of around 50 stalls and market-type shops, which provides shoppers with a novel buying experience. Prices are generally much lower than you'd expect to pay in more upmarket stores and the decor makes a visit to Affleck’s Palace a quite surreal experience. There’s a café on the top floor with a wide variety of food including vegetarian choices. Unfortunately there isn’t any lift access though so it’s unsuitable for wheelchair users. Be warned it’s busy at weekends – very busy!
The Triangle – located in exchange square which is part of Manchester’s new Millennium Quarter. The area has been extensively redeveloped following the IRA bombing of Manchester in 1996. The Triangle is now a rather trendy shopping centre with all the latest names including Muji, Jigsaw, Jerry’s Home Store etc and various trendy cafes and brasseries.
The Trafford Centre – fondly known by my partner as the ‘traffic’ centre if you like shopping this is the place to go. Located within easy access of Manchester by car along the M602 and the M60 motorways - about 15 minutes drive. This has all shopping facilities as well as a considerable range of leisure activities all under one roof, with free parking for more than 10,000 vehicles. The restaurant area is great with a themed Chinese area and there’s even a bowling alley. The shops are open until 10pm during the week and all the highstreet chains are there along with some designer outlets and loads of smaller boutiques. Of course it gets busy but it’s the ideal place to shop til you drop! --------------------------- Eating and Drinking --------------------------- Your feet will probably be killing you at this point after all that shopping so it’s time to grab a bite to eat. Here’s just a few of my favourites:
The Hanaan Restaurant – Rusholme. No trip to Manchester would be complete without a trip to Rusholme – also known as the curry mile. A mile long stretch of Indian restaurants, Rusholme is a great culinary experience for fans of Indian food. The Hannan is a favourite of mine as the dishes are extensive and the prices low but all the restaurants are good here – competition is so great, no restaurant would last unless the food was good!
The number 1 Chinese Buffet – the name just about says it all. Find it on Whitworth street, conveniently very close to the NCP carpark. There’s an extensive range of dishes. Grab your plate and pile it on. Everything’s clearly labelled so you know exactly what you’re trying and it’s a fixed price for as much as you eat (varying depending on the time and the day of the week) On average, you should expect to pay about £7 for your food though this does go up on a Saturday night and I have to say the food is gorgeous! Alcoholic drinks are likely to burn a hole in your pocket so stick with the soft drinks. Unfortunately this is in a basement level location and unsuitable for wheelchair users.
Bella Pasta – I’m a massive fan of the Marco Polo duck pasta – in fact my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Reasonably priced and a well known chain there are 2 Bella pasta’s in the city centre that I’m aware of – one in Piccadilly and the other one on Deansgate. Which means they’re both close enough to the pubs for you to enjoy a few drinks afterwards! As for drinking – there are so many places to try. There are a few Wetherspoons pubs which are easy on the pocket and Lloyds Bar in the Printworks is part of the chain but actually plays music (far too loud for my liking though) Most of the pubs and bars in Manchester offer snacks and light eats and you may even spot a few celebs. So far me and Chris have bumped into Pete Poslethwaite in the Rat and Parrot, Ashley from Coronation Street in Tiger Tiger and various other coronation street actors in the Peveril of the Peak. Canal Street, also known as the gay village is a great setting for summer drinks by the canal. Me and Chris have never had problems drinking in this predominantly gay area of the city but obviously don’t go if you think you’ll be offended. The best thing to do if you fancy checking out the pubs is t wander, you’ll never be more than a few hundred metres away from the next drinking hole and that way you’ll experience more of what Manchester has to offer.
--------------------- Accommodation --------------------- There’s accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets in the city centre and surrounding areas from 5 star hotels to quaint bed and breakfasts. For more comprehensive information on where to sty you can pick up a free copy of the Manchester accommodation guide from all Visitor Information Centres in the city centre or call Marketing Manchester on +44(0)161 237 1010. Alternatively you can visit the website at www.destinationmanchester.com for more information.--------------------------------------------------- Manchester Visitor Information Centre --------------------------------------------------- Here you can ask staff who will tell you what there is to see an do, transport, accommodation, nightlife and entertainment. You can fine them at Lloyd Street, Manchester. Alternatively call 0161 234 3157 or e-mail mancester_visitor_centre@notes.manchester.gov.uk. They’re open daily Monday to Saturday 10am – 5.30pm and from 10.30am – 4.30pm on Sunday’s and Bank Holidays. Services offered include: Accommodation booking service National Express coach bookings Bookings for city walking tours and sightseeing bus tours Theatre bookings Car hire bookings Agents for ticketmaster
-------------- Conclusion -------------- Manchester is a city which never sleeps and you won’t get bored here. There’s plenty here for everyone from museums to nightclubs and of course, you may be lucky to bump into the infamous me wondering the streets! Now what could possibly e better than that?!
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