I bet you have never
thought of having a holiday in Manchester?
Well, you would be missing something
- it's an extraordinary city. Of all the cities in Britain that have pulled
themselves up by their bootstraps (and thats going against much-applauded
renaissances in Glasgow, Leeds, and Cardiff)- Manchester has to be the most
successful. It makes a fantastic base for touring Liverpool, north Wales,
Chester, the Peak and Lake District and even the Yorkshire moors. And you can
come back after all that quaint scenery and hit some of the best nightlife in
Europe. It's where the groundbreaking drama "Queer as Folk" was set
and the "gay village" is now massive and is based around Canal Street
and its trendy bars. Rather then giving it a miss - you will be cursing
yourself why didn't you discover it sooner.
Of
course I am biased, its where I went to university, and that institution gives
it a youthful feel and much more tolerance than other cities of its size.
Accommodation is cheap and cheerful and as it doesn't get many tourists you
will be more of a novelty then in jaded London or York. Train connections with
the capital are fast and frequent and direct flights from America and the
continent means it is now very easy to get there. But you are asking yourself
what is there to do? All I have seen are pictures of back-to-back terraces and
smoky chimneys. Well, I shall tell you...
Manchester,
there is no denying it, is a child of the industrial revoloution. It did not
evolve naturally like Oxford or Salisbury and so it has thousands of tiny
back-to-back narrow streets and a cityscape of chimneys. If you have ever seen
the longrunning soap 'Coronation Street' you will know what to expect. But it
is a very wealthy city and the designer shopping down St Anns Square is worth a
look. A colossal IRA bomb ripped the guts out of the city centre and allowed
them to redesign it with a huge plaza, major shopping centre and wide vistas -
Manchester town centre now looks rather modernist and attractive. But the city
is probably best used as a base to visit the surrounding area, buses from
Chorlton Street bus station head in every direction
Apart
from the Science museum I would make for the Granada Studios tour and theme
park. Its rather small by American standards but is wonderfully inventive and
friendly. Grenada makes some very popular dramas including 'Coronation Street'
where you can wander the set and poke your nose into the 'Rovers Return' inn,
but also Sherlock Holmes, The Jewel in The Crown and the like. But most
enjoyably is a recreation of the House of Commons where you take up the seats of
the MP's. You are involved in a mock debate where you are either the government
or the opposition - and the result can be hysterically funny.
But
most importantly it is a massive gay centre especially around Canal Street. Due
to the success of the television series the area has become very trendy amongst
straights as well as gays. And summer nights sees crowds of hundreds of people
moving between the bars. There are countless bars and clubs; below are some of
the most popular.
'Mantos',
46 Canal Street, Sat-Sun 4.00pm-6.00am
The
bar which started it all. Very stylish multi-level bar with bottled beer and
up-to-the-minute music. Patrons look down on others from a balcony and the food
is very good including Cajun chicken breast and speghetti al pesto.
'Velvet',
2 Canal Street,12.00pm - 11.30pm
Velvet
out trends the trendiest. The place has had a fortune spent on it. The staircase
has a fishtank embedded in it and in the toilets are the QVC shopping channel.
The rest of the bar is full of red curtains and pink and blue chairs. It's
surprisingly friendly and that Manchester speciality, Boddingtons is on tap -
what more could you want?
'Via
Fossa', 28-30 Canal Street, 11.00am to 2.00am
My
favourite bar in Manchester. Its decked out on many levels like a German gothic
cathedral with lots of nooks and crannies. The place does tremendous business
and several scenes form 'Queer as Folk' were filmed here as the evening warms
up the crowd gets friendlier and local office workers are often here to join in
the fun.
'Paradise
Factory',112 Princess Street, 10.00pm-6.00am.
In
the fickle world of Manchester clubland 'Paradise' may have gone already. But
if is still there then you are in for a good night. Housed in an old warehouse
and on five levels each with a different type of music - house, techno,
handbag, rave etc - the place is amazing! It gets very packed and sweaty and if
you aren't into drugs maybe not worth a look. This place was one of the
instigators of the Madchester craze in the early nineities - and after a visit
you can see why the city is so well loved...
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