Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
Getting there
There’s really only one way to achieve this: by train. A return costs under £9 and trains run about every half an hour. York to Manchester Piccadilly takes an hour and a half and it’s a rather nice journey on a sunny day as you pass through the charming Pennines and their bustling mill towns.
Daytime
As you might have guessed there’s more than enough to keep you amused during the day. To those of us in the shopping desert that is York, Manchester is a consumer oasis (no Oasis pun intended I promise). For starters the Primark is massive. If you fancy something a little more up market then head to Selfridges or Harvey Nics for a bit of WAG spotting.
If you see yourself as a little more alternative then you’re better off heading for the Northern Quarter. Just two minutes from Piccadilly Gardens, bang in the centre, this is Manchester’s self-confessed capital of cool. You’ll find vintage emporia and vinyl shops galore surrounding the legendary Affleck’s Palace, the top floor of which is a characterful café selling, amongst other things, milkshakes to die for.
If all this shopping sounds a little soulless to you then take a culture break by heading to the Urbis. This museum located right in the city centre is dedicated to the modern urban environment and is almost guaranteed to have a thought provoking exhibition on: right now pop along and learn more about the Hacienda.
Evening
As with the daytime options you won’t be short of evening activities but I’m just going to recommend two different options that have served me well in the past. The first begins with a bar crawl along Canal Street, the hub of Manchester’s gay culture, before popping into The Garett, and finishes jumping up and down to Indie in 5th Avenue.
The focus of the second night out, (it’s extremely good work if you can pull these off on consecutive nights) is Sankeys. It’s an old soap factory converted into a club, a proper club for any of you who’ve been in York that little bit too long. Floral toilet wallpaper aside, this place is an excellent venue in which to spend a hedonistic evening worshiping the Gods of Dance. And its slightly out of the way location is more than made up for by the roof terrace, as well as the atmosphere (which is enhanced by flavoured smoke).
The bottom line…
The final thing not to be missed on a trip to Manchester is Salford. Manchester’s traditionally less glamorous cousin has undergone a high profile makeover in recent years and now boasts The Lowry art gallery and The Imperial War Museum North which encompasses an amazing viewing tower with stunning views over both Manchester and Salford Quays.
Manchester is a city brimming with attitude and culture, with more than enough to entertain anyone for significantly longer than a weekend. However if that’s all you can spare then this is also a city willing to bare its soul to strangers, to welcome you into its gregarious swaggering heart for as long as you have the time or energy to stay.
lol 5th Ave is just a bigger Toffs with cheaper drinks - you could be far more exotic than that!
Try Matt and Phred's jazz club on Tibb Street in the Northern Quarter - great atmosphere, great music, and (so they claim and I have to agree,) the best pizza in Manchester.
I was just going to suggest Matt and Phreds's. Truly a must for anyone who visits Manchester.
Also, the Academy, near oxford road station, plays host to some great music, with tickets starting from around £6 to see lesser-known bands in academy 3, to around £25 for well known bands (Supergrass, the Ramones, Super Fury Animals, Just Jack to name a few).
Or, if your music tastes are perhaps more cultured, the Bridgewater Hall is a good option for Jazz/Classical (or even John Barrowman and Liza Minnelli on their up and coming tours).
Eating out - China town is cheap. Time it right and you can get 3 courses for around £4! A bargain by anybodies standards.
Oh. And the Comedy Store - beats the Other Side Comedy Club to the ground. GO!
The reason Manchester is so great is that it's not just an extension of York, bigger clubs, more shops, but because it offers so much that we just don't get here.
There's loads more, but will stop here, as I think I could go on to write a whole article.
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