Manchester Off the Beaten Path

Old Sep 15th, 2009, 02:47 AM
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Manchester Off the Beaten Path

Hi.
Will be attending a conference in Manchester's City Centre in a few weeks. Will have a free day and a couple of free evenings.
I'm interested in architecture, exploring different neighbourhoods, eating, and music. I understand that there is a free bus in the city centre. Are there any free walks, music events, etc? Any places you'd recommend to eat at that are unique to Manchester? Any off the beaten path ideas?
Only thing I'm not really interested in is art and museums.
gtrekker2003 is offline  
Old Sep 15th, 2009, 04:05 AM
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There are a few free night events which I can look up for you but also this website might be of use:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/

Manchester has a few good unique restaurants like Sams Chop House but is best known for its curry mile in Rushholme. Personally, I like El Rincon (not exactly Manchester fayre)but an atmospheric Spanish Tapas Bar.

There are guided walks (about a fiver in price) of the City that take in the architecture and history.

Bury Market (40 minutes by metro) is a pretty unique free gathering to visit and will give you a sense of how friendly a place the Manchester area is.

Good luck
stevelyon is offline  
Old Sep 15th, 2009, 05:32 AM
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I have been to Manchester a few times, most recently in August, and, at least to me, its not one of the UK's most interesting cities. But, there are interesting places within day trip distance, and on my most recent free day I visited Liverpool and Chester (both on the same day -- I traveled by train from Mancheter to Liverpool's Lime Street Station, then to Chester (combo train and bus since there was some track work being done), then back from Chester to Manchester by train).
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Old Sep 16th, 2009, 10:02 AM
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I agree with thit_cho, its not that interesting, but if you are traveling afield, York is as near as Chester and much more interesting (although Chester is interesting) I'm not that keen on Liverpool. The fact that thit_cho did the two in a day speaks volumes - you would need a week to do York justice.
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Old Sep 16th, 2009, 10:30 AM
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I spent a day in Manchester last year - and had a great time. Try to take the canal walks and i loved the museum area opposite Granada Studios (home of a Coronation Street set you can sometimes visit i think) - one part of the museum complex was in the world's oldest train station, they claimed, and involved a look at underground Manchester - its sewage and water system which was revolutionary in the 1800s, a transport museum with lots of vintage locos, machines, all - many in boisterous working order - etc. And from there you can walk back to the town center on the canal towpaths

The port area of Manchester i did not get to but from reports it is amazingly rehabbed and well worth a look.

This is the website of the museum complex i was talking of and i have visited many such museums and i'd rank Manchester's MOSI at the very top of the list - best of all it is FREE

Museum of Science and Industry | MOSI
Visit the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester and view exhibitions and collections. ... England's Northwest Tourism Awards Winner 2008 ...
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www.mosi.org.uk/
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Old Sep 16th, 2009, 10:37 AM
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Also check out the Salford Quays, which i did not have time to get to but will go back just to see - this is the rehabbed port area of Manchester

www.thequays.org.uk/

Salford Quays - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lowry footbridge over the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford Quays from Imperial ... Salford Quays is an area of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, ...
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salford_Quays - Cached - Similar

Salford Quays Manchester
Comprehensive guide to Salford Quays in Manchester.
www.visitnorthwest.com/manchester/quays.htm
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Old Sep 16th, 2009, 11:53 AM
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Manchester's close to useless for "architecture or exploring different neighbourhood", though when it was open (it isn't any more) the Coronation St set was a pretty good Ye Olde Industrial Towne theme park. The tarted-up former docks area is like every other Legoland tarted-up industrial area anywhere (ie horrible).

For architecture, you have to go to Liverpool, which has more conservation-grade listed buildings than anywhere in Britain other than London (far, far more than tedious York: anyone who thinks there's more to see in York than in Liverpool just isn't looking, or is trusting useless foreign guidebooks like Fodors). During the Industrial Revolution and immediately afterwards, Liverpool Gentlemen famously spent money on fripperies: Manchester Men spent it on bigger, smokier, more productive factories

What Manchester does is museums (not as many as Liverpool, which also has more free museums than anywhere in Britain outside London. But Manchester's are still good, and if you include art galleries in your definition of museums, the Lowry Centre is just about the only bit of the tarted-up docklands that doesn't need to be knocked down), music (these days, much as I hate to admit is, it's probably got a more vibrant modern music scene than Liverpool, and its classical music making has really been ahead of Liverpool's for most of the past 150 years. Entirely the result of an influx of German migrants, of course: music was a bit wimpish for Manchester Men) and football.

Eating really isn't an NW England speciality. A Bury black pudding sandwich is a rare treat - but otherwise you'll no longer get poisoned in the area, but are going to struggle to find anywhere memorable.
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Old Sep 17th, 2009, 06:00 AM
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Huddersfield has the most listed buildings outside London not Liverpool - and I certainly wouldnt recomend going there despite its closeness to Manchester.
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Old Sep 17th, 2009, 07:49 AM
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If you really want to experience something really different then hop the train to nearby Blackpool, Britain's hopping-most seaside resort and during your visit you will be able to experience the fantastic IMO Blackpool Lights - a trip the lights fantastic show of Christmas decorations lining the several miles of seaside promenade - Blackpool is known for its trams trundling along the boardwalk and some trams are even decked out in fancy light works - hopping the trams is a favorite with Brits who come from miles around to take in the Blackpool Lights - many more drive their vehicles along the bumper to bumper seaside promenade to see the lights. A very festive atmosphere and extremely popular with English - obviously only at night but Blackpool is a trip anytime of day or year IMO

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1.
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Blackpool Illuminations is an annual Lights Festival, founded in 1879 and first
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Image results for Blackpool Lights
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Video results for Blackpool Lights
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2 min 19 sec
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And trains run constantly from Manchester to Blackpool- taking about 75 minutes each way

and in Blackpool be sure to visit the famous Blackpool Tower, where there is a surprise on every floor of this Eiffel Tower wannabe put up in the late 1800s and a landmark seen for miles around.

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Blackpool Tower - Opening Times & Prices
At Blackpool Tower & Circus your entry ticket allows loads of fun things to do and see including the Aquarium, Tower Ballroom, Tower Top Ride, Walk Of Faith ...
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Blackpool Tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was opened to the public on 14 May 1894. (grid reference SD306360). ...
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool_Tower

And yes guidebooks and Fodorites it seem give Blackpool short shrift since it ain't got no great museums or attractions except for the Tower and Pleasure Beach - but this is people watching at its best IMO - all the tacky souvenir shops hawking Blackpool Rock and plastic copies of the Tower (i have one on my desk) and endless rows of greasy cafes and snack stands is unparalleled in Britain today but once were the rule in numerous seaside resorts, many of which now retain little of the life and grandeur they once had.

And not of interest to all but what is called England's most visited site outside of London i've read is Blackpool's Pleasure Beach, a old-time amusement park with lots of rides, including the Pepsi Max, not long ago the world's highest roller-coaster.
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Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited theme park in the ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleasure_Beach_Blackpool

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Blackpool - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blackpool is heavily dependent on tourism. In what is often regarded as its heyday (1900-1950), Blackpool thrived as the factory workers of northern England ...
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This is second year that the Championships have come to England and for 2009 ... Blackpool Spookfest. A new festival – SpookFest – celebrating seven days of ...
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Old Sep 19th, 2009, 07:57 AM
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gtrekker2003 is awfully quiet - people have gone to a lot of trouble to provide information and we don't know if its even been read.
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Old Sep 19th, 2009, 08:49 AM
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Lived in and around all my life and the problem is that the posh set still live outside the city - even after Urban Spalsh et al built 20,000 posh flats in the city centre (of which 19,997 are empty).

The restaurant at Urbis is good but the prices are not justified, Petit Blanc does a pretty good job but it clearly isn't local and The Yang Sing is always an experience but again pie and pies it ain't. The John Dalton Hotel has a pretty stunning roof terrace which looks onto the above said Corrie street. (sip a Mojito whilst waiting to see Ken Barlow - you can't do that on Ocean Drive. Many visitors famous (and not) frequently comment on the centre as a gastro wasteland and the answer is simple - those that try fail.

Unfortunatly Flanner is correct we had to ship all our art to the Walker to make room for all those Bently car parks. As far as architecture goes - the town hall stands out as a statement of the wealth that was present at the time of its building. The new(ish) northern imperial war museum (by Daniel Libeskind) is well ... a squashed box. The walk down by the science museum does give a very good view of the industry that built the city in the 1800s. You will also recoginise it as the prime area for bodies being dumped in Corrie. One actually stunning insight into how bad architecture can actually get is the Trafford centre - about 5 miles south of the centre - it's neo Las Vagas masquerading
as neo classical/venetian basically its about the worst I have seen in this country.

In short if there is a good film on in the room order room service!
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Old Sep 27th, 2009, 09:29 AM
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Hi Everybody!!!!!!

Thanks so much for these responses. I'm sorry for the delay in writing back. Had some issues arise.

Looks like there's lots to do and I've got some good input you can't find in the guidebooks. Got to decide soon.

Thanks again!
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