Hi everyone,
I'm going to Manchester, UK, for a job interview.
I have reasonable chances to get the job, but I'd like to get a feeling for how life is in Manchester while i'm there. Never been to the UK before.
I'll have 1 day and 1 night free to tour around. Where should I go to see good neighborhoods to live in? Background: I'm in my early thirties, I'd like to live in a safe but lively area (bars, restaurants, etc.). Hope somebody can give me some pointers.

thanks!

You don't want to be too far from the city centre, where most of the action is. Just to the south and south-east of the centre, past the University district, are Withington, Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Didsbury, which are lively with stylish bars and restaurants, popular with both students and young professionals. There is plenty of accommodation in redeveloped centre, while the aforementioned areas have a variety of accommodation from flats to detached houses. They are, not surprisingly, the most expensive parts to live in, but they are deservedly so. There are cheaper areas in the south such as Hulme and Moss Side, and while they are handy for transport and access to the centre, aren't as desirable because of questionable personal safety.

Wouldn't you want to spend more than a day in a city/country that you have never been to and may be moving to? I suggest that you spend at least a week if not more before you accept the job. What are you going to see in 1 day? What kind of "feeling" you will get about a place in 1 day?

You will see a bunch of buildings, people going about their business, quite possibly pick the wrong restaurant to have dinner, get drunk at some club/pub. Will that really give you a good perspective of the place?

That said, Manchester is still basically a blue collar city. It's emerging from economic slump. After the Commonwealth Games couple of years ago it really started to boom. New construction everywhere, world class restaurants opening, some great nightlife and of course MANCHESTER UNITED!!! There are some very posh suburbs.

By a blue collar town, I suppose you mean that you might brush against the working classes, shock horror!
Actually, Manchester has one of the few branches of Harvey Nichols outside Manchester.
I'd have a look at Didsbury. Students tend to live is the grotty inner city area.
Didsbury is where they go when they have graduated and got jobs.
If you like Indian food, you must go to Rusholme with its famous curry mile. There are also some excellent Chinese restaurants in Manvhester too.

You have a couple of threads running. Here's a link to your other one with the same question:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34615896

It's over 10 years since I have lived around Manchester but I did spend the first 18 years of my life living in the outer suburbs of the city (on the Cheshire borders of Greater Manchester). Since I left, the city of Manchester has come a long way from it's relatively grotty and undesirable past. When I was growing up, the further you lived from the centre the better and there was a definite migration from the central areas to the suburbs. However, that's all changing and there are plenty of new developments right in the city centre that attract young, professionals who want to base themselves near work.

When I read your question, my immediate thought was Didsbury. It's a well-to-do area which has attracted a young population and so is filled with bars and restaurants. There is quite a growing local student population there. However this is probably the most expensive part of Manchester and you may need or want to find somewhere cheaper.

There is a lot going on in Stockport for example which is a large town in its own right but just a few miles south of Manchester city centre. This would be a cheaper option and transport links to the city are excellent. From here, the further out you get, the more expensive it will likely get again.

However, your choice of area may well depend on how much you want to spend (in rent or mortgage) and how close to work you want to live. You say you want somewhere safe - do you want ultra-safe or would you be happy with somewhere more edgy (but still considered safe)? As has already been mentioned, one day is not enough to get a feel for the city as well as checking out potential places to live. Is there no way you can get a bit more time for this trip?

No-one has mentioned the north side of the city. I can't really help here as my knowledge is too out-of-date and more limited.

Thank you very much to all of you who
responded so far for your thoughtful suggestions. Here are some collective replies to some of the points raised, and some more questions.

1. I would be working very near the University, so the areas just south of the centre would be convenient. Definitely I'll check our Didsbury.

2. yes, one day is not nearly enough but it's a start. If I'm offered the job, I would go back for a long weekend to see more of the city.

3. I don't want ultra-safe and boring, just safe enough that I won't live in fear of being mugged.

4. I'm from a blue collar famimly so no problems here!

5. can anyone suggest some bars or places to go see to have a feel of what the city has to offer?

6. Is 35K GBP/year enough to live decently?

thanks again.

You should be able to live well on that sort of salary. In south Manchester, you can find the whole range of accommodations from very cheap living in some of the areas close to the city that haven't experienced the boom other parts of the city have to expensive housing on the outskirts of the city (particularly around Altrincham, out towards Wilmslow and surrounding towns/villages and beyond and the leafy suburbs towards Bramhall). Somewhere like Didsbury (while quite expensive) will be a good compromise.

I don't really know the relevance of the blue-collar comment and I wouldn't pay much attention to that. Like most cosmopolitan cities, you will find concentrations of all types of worker, people, you name it.

Typical rent for a good area in South Manchester like Withington is around £600 a month for a modern two-bedroom flat (part of my family live there so I know). It will be slightly less in Fallowfield and more in Didsbury. If you are going to work in the University area (around Oxford Road), there is a very frequent bus service on the main Wilmslow Rd/Oxford Rd every few minutes, and reduced service through the night. There are plenty of rental agents that cater for both students and non-student professional markets, such as Opal with several branches in the area.
For cafe-bar (a Mancunian institution) recommendations, in the centre try Atlas on 376 Deasgate or Barça in Catalan Sq, Castlefield. Good for people spotting like football players and actors. In the Uni area, I'd say KroBar on Oxford Rd opp student union. In Didsbury there are a cluster of them as you enter the village from city centre, all packed at weekends.

Back from the interview in Manchester, now waiting to hear if I'll get the job. Here are some (necessarily superficial) impressions:

- lots of red brick buildings! and
of former warehouses right in the city center, many of them run down and ugly. I find it slightly oppressive, but I suppose it's something one can get used to with time.

- lots of construction going on. It seems that the city is going to become prettier, some of the new buildings and spaces are pleasing to the eye.

- Didsbury/Withington/Fallofield all seem too suburban for my taste. Overall I felt I'd rather stay in the city center.

- the city center didn't feel to me like that a big city, considering that millions of people live in the area. Many streets are rather quiet, not so many pedestrians outside the main commercial streets.

- I hate the 11pm rule in bars...

- Couldn't understand a word when some locals spoke fast to me!

- overall I have mixed feeling. It seems that the city has many things to offer if I can get used to the bad weather and ugliness of some parts... I still really don't have a sense of how my life could be there, though most people say it's a nice place to live.

Good luck for the outcome of the interview.

I don't really think many parts of Manchester would be considered "nice places to live". You have seen Didsbury (and fair enough, it wasn't for you) but you have to remember this is one of the the smartest parts of the city and many areas are nothing like this at all.

If I ever moved back to that part of the country, I would not live in Manchester itself but then it's not a city I like all that much. I did find growing up outside the city to be a good experience and I enjoy going back there but you are definitely looking for something more central.

The 11 o'clock closing is something that riles most of us here too. Most places have some pubs/bars that have late licences at weekends - you'd just have to find those!

If you get the job, you probably need to make another trip there before deciding whether to accept the offer. It sounds like you have come away with a few negative vibes.

The 11p closing applies to pubs only. The nightclubs are open till very late, 2 or 3 am.