Manchester

Manchester Musings

Travel

Manchester is a gloomy city when the sun hides behind the clouds, but let there be light for just 15 minutes and you’ll see the city with new eyes.

I spent a week in the Northern Quarter, which is probably the best place in the city to stay. It’s the throbbing cultural heart of Manchester, a former artist’s quarter, colonized by broke creative type people after the Second World War. With property prices crashed thanks to urban redevelopment by the German Luftwaffe, the Northern Quarter was soon taken over and then adapted by the people who lived there.

Despite all the street art and the music and the clubs and the hipsters, there’s nothing that puts a smile on a Mancunian’s face like the sun. I had exactly three days of rain and four of sunshine (thankfully back to back in each case) so I could form a proper opinion of the city.

The other really cool thing about Manchester is the fact that it’s such a modern, impressive city and yet just a stone’s throw away from the bustling downtown area, you can find quiet residential suburbs, Roman ruins and a  vibrant art community. All peacefully coexisting in harmony.

Basically what all this makes for is a great opportunity for photography!

Manchester
Buildings in Manchester
Manchester
Sitting and drinking some of the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had…
Manchester
Window at a restaurant
Manchester
Outside a pub on a gloomy morning!
Manchester
More street art
Manchester
Lunchtime!
Manchester
Crosswalks are awesome
Manchester
Street scenes in the Northern Quarter
Manchester
Yet another Stevenson Square look.
Manchester
Stevenson Square from a different angle
Manchester
Street Art in Manchester’s Stevenson Square
Manchester
Street Art
Manchester
A rainy street in Manchester
Manchester
Experimenting with light in Matt & Phred’s
Manchester
Matt & Phred’s – the (supposedly) only jazz bar in Manchester
Manchester
Food at Luck Lust Liquor & Burn!
Manchester
Food at Luck Lust Liquor & Burn!
Manchester
Food at Luck Lust Liquor & Burn!
Manchester
Food at Luck Lust Liquor & Burn!
Manchester
Cafe front
Manchester
Down the road
Manchester
My friend Shrimoyee posing against a Shepard Fairey piece
Manchester
A view from street level
Manchester
Manchester’s architecture
Manchester
A simple street scene in Manchester