Manchester

England - Manchester

Canal Street (in "Gay Village")

Largely dismissed by many in the south, Manchester is becoming a vibrant and alive city with many attractions. People are very pleasant and the city itself is easy to get around with fantastic public transport including trams, buses and trains.

Town Hall

There are many things to see and do throughout the city. The tourist information office is definately worth a visit offering accomodation services as well as a number of brochures and other information (including an absolutely essential city map). It is located on the south side of the Town Hall around the corner from St. Peter's square.

• URBIS - City life exhibition centre - Showcasing a number of interactive exhibits on various aspects of city life. I found the exhibit on the history of the city of manchester particularly good – where you sat at a bus shelter while a voice-over described various areas on a map painted on the wall.

URBIS

• The Lowry - Arts and entertainment - An interesting building near the Manchester United stadium (a short tram ride then walk from the city centre).

The Lowry

• Manchester Art Gallery - A small but quite pleasant Art Gallery located right in the middle of town near St. Peter's square.

Manchester Cathedral from the Wheel of Manchester

• Manchester Cathedral - A fantastic old cathedral with incredible medieval carved wood choir. Not as large as other cathedrals it is definately worth a visit. Guided tours available.

Wheel of Manchester

• Wheel of Manchester - A great way to see Manchester – From the top of this 60m high ferris wheel. Not quite as tall as the London Eye but it offers great views of the old city including Urbis, the cathedral and the rest of the core area of the city.

A local pass-time seems to be shopping and there are certainly a lot of choices including the truly massive Manchester Arndale shopping centre located near URBIS and the cathedral. Surrounding Arndale are a number of shops including Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. New to the shopping scene is the Lowry Outlet Mall near The Lowry art complex in The Quays.

Ok, I have not visited many places but did manage to hit a few highlights:

Name	Rating	Review Date
Barburrito - Mexican		2006-04-15
Kro2 - American/British		2006-04-14
KroBar - American/British		2006-04-15
Mr. Thomas's Chop House - American/British		2006-04-14
Yang Sing - Chinese		2006-04-14

I did not manage to visit the famous (infamous?) “curry mile” which is located quite some distance to the south in Rusholme on Wilmslow Road. There are evidently more than 50 indian restaurants all lit up like a Manchester equivalent of the strip in Las Vegas all vying for your trade as you walk down the street offering better and better deals…Definately a cultural experience.

Chinatown Gate

It is quite suprising at how large this area is and how good the quality of the food available. Located immediately adjacent to St. Peter's square (a block to the south, basically) this area can get a bit roudy in the evening so take care.

The whole of greater manchester is served by fantastic bus and train service though the tram service provides limited but very efficient transport throughout commonly accessed areas. The core area is also served by a very frequent and free Metroshuttle bus service.

Piccadilly Gardens - Major Transportation Hub

For further information please see:

• Manchester City Council
• VisitManchester - Tourist information for greater manchester
• GMPTE - Public Transport for Greater Manchester