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City Destinations in detail - Manchester (UK)
Five star hotels, waterside properties,
top restaurants and leading fashion labels, this is not
a description of Milan, Paris or even London but of Manchester.
For our new regular slot- City Destinations in Detail each
issue we will be bringing you all you need to know about
some of the worlds major cities. Jennifer Gaskin
explores the new face of Manchester and all it
has to offer.
Once only synonymous with cobbled streets, coal smudged
faces and Coronation Street, Manchester is now the epitome
of urban style and sophistication. New buildings have sprung
up and old ones have been refurbished to accommodate some
of the cities hippest bars and restaurants. All the major
names in retail have stores in the city and many businesses-
including the BBC- are re-locating ‘up-north’.
There are a plethora of bars, restaurants, hotels and theatres
to rival any major city in the world and Manchester will
soon be home to the UK’s first super casino. Yet,
amidst all these changes Manchester has not lost any of
its quintessential ‘northerness’- the people
remain as friendly as ever and an unexpected chat with a
friendly local remains commonplace.
Overview
Getting to know Manchester is easy. Market Street is home
to the majority of the cities high street stores, it is
the location of the newly renovated Arndale Shopping Centre
and it links the edgy Northern Quarter with the more high
end Millennium Quarter where Selfridges and Harvey Nichols,
amongst others, have set up shop.
Walking further onto Deansgate, a parade of cafes, bars
and restaurants will take you towards the towering structure
of the Hilton, and beyond that into Castlefield. The Manchester
Ship Canal winds through the city, and several new developments
have emerged on its banks.
Castlefield has grown in recent years to become a firm
favourite with urban professionals. On a warm summers day
there is nothing better than sitting outside one of the
areas many bars overlooking the canal, with a glass of wine
in hand and watching the geese meander down the water.
Another water-side area is Deansgate Locks. Walking inside
one of the areas many bars is like walking onto the set
of ITV drama Footballers’ Wives, young girls with
too much make-up and not enough clothes and young men who
have spent far too much time styling their hair. Un-surprisingly
Deansgate Locks is a popular hangout for many of the cast
of Hollyoaks.
However, the biggest canal side development is Salford
Quays. Five minutes away from the city centre, the area
is saturated with several of the most desirable apartments
in the city, it is the base for many top businesses as well
as The Lowry Hotel.
Art and Architecture
Manchester’s architecture encompasses and integrates
the best of two extremes. Regal Victorian buildings stand
as a testament to old Manchester, the industrial mills,
factories and railway buildings convey the working class
ethos that many have come to associate with the city, and
the ultra-modern, glass fronted buildings of new Manchester
stand together to create the face of a city re-invented.
On the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, about two miles
from the city centre is the striking architecture of the
Imperial War Museum. Designed by internationally renowned
architect Daniel Libeskind to reflect a world torn apart
by conflict, The Imperial War Museum North is one of the
most talked about new museums in the country today. The
museum tells the story of how war has affected the lives
of British and Commonwealth citizens since 1914. It is the
fifth branch of the Imperial War Museum and the first outside
the south-east of England.
Manchester City Art Gallery is the premier art exhibition
centre in the city. The gallery underwent a £35million,
four year redevelopment before re-opening its doors in 2002.
The refurbishment project involved linking the two original
buildings with a new development to create a contemporary
art space of international significance and the result is
a fine example of Manchester’s post-bomb transformation.
Urbis, Manchester’s newest exhibition space, hosts
more outlandish and unusual multi-media art exhibitions.
The gallery focuses on city life and explores the culture
and dynamism of cities around the world through photography,
music, design and contemporary art. The glass skin of the
building reflects the surrounding cityscape and the surrounding
Cathedral Gardens are also a popular weekend hang-out for
the cities teenagers.
Details
The Imperial War Museum North
The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester
Open seven days a week from 10am-6pm (Nov to Feb 10am-5pm)
with free admission.
For exhibition information visit http://north.iwm.org.uk
Manchester City Art Gallery
Mosley Street, Manchester
Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm, closed Mondays (except Band
Holidays) with free admission
For exhibition information visit www.manchestergalleries.org
Urbis
Cathedral Gardens, Manchester
Open daily from 10am-6pm
For exhibition information visit www.urbis.org.uk
Getting Around
The free Metro Shuttle buses are the fastest way around
the city centre the but to travel further out of the centre
the Metro Link Tram system connects the city centre with
several surrounding towns as well as Old Trafford football
ground. Black cabs can be flagged down easily anywhere in
the city centre and there are also several local train services
from Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road and Deansgate stations.
Getting There
Virgin Trains operate frequent daily services to Manchester
from London Euston, journey times vary between 2 hours 15
minutes and 3 hours 30 minutes. For discounted fares it
is best to book as far in advance as possible. For timetable
information visit Virgin
Trains or call 08457 222 333.
Several carriers operate flights between Manchester and
London.
Contact your preferred airline for further schedule information;
British Airways
bmi airlines
Jet2 airlines
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