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| Manchester City Centre, picture by Daniel Cadden Photography |
It’s the NODA North West conference just around the corner and we are already so excited as we gear up towards it!
Also this year it’s in Manchester- the city that our very
own Marketing and Social Media Co-ordinator Tamsin lives (on weekends!) so
we thought we would put together a list of top things to do whilst you’re in
this wonderful city from the unique perspective of someone who actually lives
there and knows the secret spots that the tourist guides fail to mention!
We know many of you will be staying in the Mercure Hotel and
will be dining and celebrating with us at the conference, however there will no
doubt be one or two of you who have perhaps planned an extended weekend as a
chance to see a bit of the city and the surrounding area.
Manchester is a buzzy, vibrant city with plenty to do for
all ages, but without the jacked up prices of London or the huge distances you
have to travel to get from one end to the other.
With a rich cultural history and a, safe to say, historical
music scene (Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Smiths, The Buzzcocks, The
Courteeners, Elbow, Joy Division, The Happy Mondays, Simply Red and of course
Frank Sidebottom – do we need to drop anymore names?) Manchester undoubtedly
has a fantastic nightlife, offering a huge range of independent quirky bars,
music venues and restaurants – at which you’ll often see many a famous face!
It’s also home to two of the world’s biggest football clubs
– Manchester United and Manchester City, and the city has a multitude of
different theatres, museums and tourist attractions as well as plenty of
opportunities for shopping.
Manchester is considered to be one of the top destinations
for a city break in the UK so if you’re not planning on staying on a bit longer
and taking the opportunity to discover the city – why not?! Call and extend
your booking now!
To help you explore and get the best out of your time here
in the beautiful city we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite places
to go and things to do in the city centre from the best places to eat down to
where you’re most likely to spot a footballer (you might see ex Man United
manager David Moyes partying down Deansgate, P45 in hand!)
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| Artwork on Affleck's Palace |
Have a look through the list and see what you fancy – and if
you know a gem that we’ve not mentioned then don’t hesitate to let us know and
share the knowledge!
We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at the
conference at Manchester, come say hello to us on our stand and if any of
you try anything from our list then do tell us what you think!
Top places to eat:
Mr Thomas’ Chop House
– an old Victorian pub that has maintained its charm and on Sunday's it offers the best roast
dinner in all of Manchester, the infamous 'Chop House Roast'. Enjoy your dinner and a pint in its historical
surroundings and gaze at the portraits of famous Mancunian’s that cover the
walls.
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| Mr Thomas' Chop House |
Koffee Pot – This
place is top dog when it comes to breakfasts and people flock from across town
to this diner to get their full English or stack of American pancakes. With a
retro setting, out of this world food and a purse friendly menu to boot this is
probably the place I eat at the most.
Sugar Junction – Another Northern Quarter favourite Sugar
Junction is an excellent tea room that is also known for its delicious
cocktails. The ‘Twickers Shake’ is a personal favourite.
Almost Famous – This place is absolutely notorious for producing burgers on a
whole new level. If the UK had a version of ‘Man vs Food’ Almost Famous would be
featured. Having gone from a well kept secret to 'place to be' all I'll say is that this burger joint is not for the faint hearted or for those who don't like any mess. With burgers like the 'Baddaboom' (double cheeseburger, garlic butter brioche, bacon, chorizo, onions, marinara, famous sauce, frenches, parmesan and chilli) expect to be covered in sauce as you try and chomp your way through their gravity defying stacks.
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| Koffee Pot, photo c/o innasky |
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| Frank pops up at Koffee Pot! Photo c/o innasky |
Luck, Lust ,Liquor and Burn – linked to Almost Famous
burger, the guys at Luck Lust Liqour and Burn,as well as having a fabulous
name, serve up fantastic burritos, tacos, nachos and general tex-mex.
Dimitri’s – a bit more upmarket, many footballers
frequent Dimitri’s for its fantastic tapas and greek food.
Teacup – Another tearoom that has an astonishingly large
selection of teas. If you are a tea connoisseur and fancy finding and trying
something different then this is the place to go to track down an elusive leaf.
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| Teacup, photo c/o innasky |
Home Sweet Home – Cake makers extraordinaire. We also rate
Hey Little Cupcake but this is a bit closer to the Mercure hotel. Expect wild
theatrical creations with many colours and lots of unusual, yet delicious,
flavours.
Dough – pizzas just like mama used to make. Their pizzas
are works of art but with no compromise on taste. They are also able to meet
lots of dietary requirements with gluten free and even whole-wheat pizzas on
offer.
Bem Brasil – Experience a taste of Brazil with its
exquisitely barbecued meats and well stocked buffet. Ask any Mancunian what a
great place to eat is and this will often be the first place that anybody will
mention.
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| Deansgate Locks - photo by T.J. Blackwell |
Best Places to Drink
Generally, you only need to walk down the street and you’ll
come across a great pub or bar but the best place to go for unique and
independent bars and clubs is the trendy Northern Quarter.
Home to many of Manchester’s best loved nightspots you’d be
mad not to try it – however if you’re looking for something a bit more upmarket
and glam then you’re best bet is to try in Deansgate where you’ll find places
such as Revs de Cuba and The Living Room, or along Deansgate Locks where you’ll
find the clubbing institutions such as Vodka Revolution and Lola Lo.
You can also try along Canal Street for Manchester’s vibrant
gay district which features popular venues G-A-Y, Baa Bar and AXM.
Here’s a few of our favourite places to go for drinks:
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| Night & Day Cafe, photo c/o Holly89 |
Night & Day Café – A truly historical music venue in the
Northern Quarter that has hosted some of the biggest names in the UK music
scene. This much beloved venue has been at the centre of a news storm recently
where it has been met with thousands of messages of support and a series of
fundraising gigs have been announced to help it in it’s upcoming court battle.
Without a doubt this is my favourite nightspot in Manchester as it hosts some
fantastic live music nights and its quirky venue is perfect for enjoying a
drink on a Friday night.
Trof Northern Quarter – Another quirky venue, Trof is a
popular place to go for drinks on Fridays and Saturdays before ‘hitting the
clubs’, they often have DJ’s playing music that can stretch from reggae to the
most recent chart hits and during the week host a popular Open Mic night.
The Liars Club – Devilishly good cocktails and an authentic
tiki bar décor create this 'tropical hideaway'. The tunes and a few Zombie cocktails will soon have
you up on the dancefloor!
Black Dog Ballroom - Black Dog
Ballroom is a fantastic bar that plays fantastic music and also just happens to
serve fantastic food and have its own pool hall. Their latest venture is the new Dog Bowl which, alongside the fab food and drink, also has a bowling alley.
Font bars – A Manchester institution really, a little way
out of the city centre (but only a couple of minutes by taxi and opposite the
Palace Theatre!) the cocktail menu is incredible and won’t break the bank. With
a huge range of £2 and £3 cocktails my recommendation would be to try the ‘Dr
Pepper’.
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| Soup Kitchen, photo c/o trip advisor |
Soup Kitchen – Craft beers in a 'canteen, bar and music venue'. Split across two floors you’ll find DJ’s playing anything from disco
to techno until the early hours, and the venue has hosted everything from art exhibitions to film nights. A recent winner of the 2013 Manchester Evening News City Life 'Best Club'.
Big Hands – Another bar that’s out of the city centre but a
great place for spotting band members. Situated next to Manchester Academy
(where lots of bands play) you’ll find plenty of good drink and a member or two
from whoever is playing at the music venue next door.
Places to Visit
As well as a fantastic
nightlife Manchester is culturally rich with an array of places to go and
things to do suitable for all ages and interests.
With theatres
scattered across the city there’s plenty of opportunity to catch a show, but
Manchester also plays host to two of the biggest football clubs in the world so
why not book a stadium tour?
For people more
interested in history then visit one of the various museums, book a canal walk
or visit the Cathedral or the Roman ruins at Castlefield.
Take a look at what we
recommend to do to really get to know Manchester:
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| Old Trafford at night |
Etihad Stadium – that said, I’m a City supporter myself
and considering how we’re doing in the Premier League so far compared to United it
might be worth going to see the Etihad instead!
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| Hopefully we will be seeing this again soon! Picture c/o Reuters |
Manchester Museum of Science and Industry – Manchester
played a huge part in the Industrial Revolution and the Museum of Science of
Industry was seen recently on ‘Corrie’. Learn more about Manchester’s
industrial past here and enjoy a walk along the canals.
Manchester Museum – A lovely museum in the University that
was recently renovated with a brand new rejuvenated Egyptian department. Having
studied Archaeology at the University of Manchester a lot of my time was spent
in this museum and alongside the exhibits it also has a lovely shop that
perfect for souvenirs, as well as a café. Well worth visiting to see the
fantastic T-Rex they have on display which they have running along the gallery.
Gallery of Costume – this is all the way down in Platt Fields
Park but definitely a must see for us theatrical folk! Featuring beautiful
costumes and fashion through the ages this is just a small museum but always lovely to go to.
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| Royal Exchange Theatre, photo c/o innasky |
Royal Exchange Theatre – in the centre of Manchester is the
lovely Royal Exchange, a beautiful ‘theatre in the round’ that attracts lots of
fantastic productions, both modern and traditional. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is
showing until Saturday the 3rd May – we’ve got our tickets booked
for the Friday performance already!
The Palace Theatre –
when the touring musicals come to town they come into this theatre and on the 3rd
of May a run of ‘Rock of Ages’ will be starting, eventually finishing on the 10th
of May. After three years on the West End Manchester now has a chance to relive
the 80’s with this energetic musical that’s filled with power ballads.
Excellent if you feel like punching the air, unleashing a mullet and doing the
air guitar in the stalls.
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| Take a walk along the canals in Castlefield Photo c/o innasky |
The Lowry – if anyone is planning a long weekend in
Manchester and you’re still around on Monday the 5th May then you’re
in luck as 'Fame the Musical' has its opening night at the Lowry! Dust off your
legwarmers and ‘learn how to fly’ with the students of New York’s High School
of the Performing Arts.
Manchester Cathedral – You’ll find the cathedral near Harvey
Nichols and Selfridges and it offers a peaceful and tranquil area away from the
buzz of the city centre. The Cathedral dates back as far as Saxon times and the
cathedral its famed for its misericords which are considered to be some of the
finest in Europe.
Castlefield – the Castlefield Bowl is a popular visitor
attraction due to its Roman ruins from when the city was first founded. The
site also has a reconstruction of a small fort and if you follow the site
around you can get down to the network of canals which are perfect for a walk
as you can see some of the Industrial buildings and mills. On the way to
Castlefield there is also a small ‘greasy spoon’ that serves up delicious bacon
rolls – perfect for a cold day!
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| John Rylands, photo c/o Manchester Confidential |
Afflecks Palace - Affleck's is a shopping mecca and an absolute must for anyone visiting the city. Located in the Northern Quarter Afflecks features hundreds of different small shops run by independent sellers where you can find anything from records, vintage clothing, an american diner with out of this world milkshakes, a bead shop and several extensive costume shops! If you are putting on a show or need a costume for a themed evening or night out Afflecks is the first place to go and despite having lived in Manchester for 5 years I always discover something new when I go to Afflecks. It really is the pride of the city and is a wonderful place to discover and support independent traders.
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| Afflecks Palace with Black Dog Ballroom tucked underneath it. Photo c/o Murder Mystery Costumes (who can be found inside) |
Of course, these are just our top picks, there really is much more to do and explore in this city.
We will be on our stand all weekend so do make sure you come
say hello and if you want any further recommendations – perhaps artisan cinemas
or karaoke bars, then don’t hesitate to ask!
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the weekend and
we hope you find this guide helpful, or that you’re persuaded to stay a few
extra nights!
Written by Tamsin
Picture Credits:
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