MY FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT MANCHESTER
Hi everyone and welcome back to our blog Until Wednesday. It's Georgie back again this week with another post and today I wanted to do something that is a bit more personal. Yesterday was sadly the one year anniversary of the devastating Manchester bombing attack at Ariana Grande's concert at the Manchester Arena.
I moved to Manchester in September last year for university and I am so glad I did. I have come to have a huge love for the city and it was the best decision for me to move there. Yesterday, I attended the sing-along held at Albert Square in Manchester as a memorial service for the 22 people who were killed last year.
This event was amazing and the spirit of the city was so uplifting. I think it was great how so many people turned up to the event as a united group to remember the tragedy.
As I said, I have grown a huge love for the city and I feel so lucky to have lived in Manchester for this past year. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post dedicated to some of my favorite things about Manchester including where I like to go out or to have a catch up with friends.
MY FAVOURITE NIGHTCLUBS:
The Venue
At the moment, The Venue is my favorite place to go out in Manchester. It doesn't get too busy however there is still a great atmosphere in the club. The bouncers are all great and look after everyone and I must say that the free bar on Wednesday is great haha. I usually go on a Wednesday as they play music that is so up my street including The Beatles, The Clash, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis and loads more classics.
42nd Street
A close favorite is 42nd Street, or as most people call it 42s. I love the posters that cover the walls of some of the most iconic bands in the world. I love going on a Tuesday as it has a great student based crowd. Similarly to The Venue, it plays great music with some more modern indie tunes as well.
MY FAVOURITE SPOT IN MANCHESTER:
Northern Quarter
If you didn't know, the Northern Quarter is an area of Manchester just around the corner of Picadilly Gardens. I love the northern quarter as it feels like a creative space with vinyl shops, quirky cafes, pubs and plenty of vintage shops. I go here quite a lot just to have a look around as it has a really cool vibe.
MY FAVOURITE CAFES:
My two favorite cafes are in the Northern Quarter and I love going here for a hot drink and a catch up with friends or bring one of my family members if they come to visit.
Just Between Friends
If you follow me on Instagram (@georgiehardyy) you might have seen me post photos of this cafe recently. It is very aesthetically pleasing if you are as sad as me and like to take photos of everything you eat. The staff is really friendly and the cafe feels really chilled out. They also have a really cute outdoor area with fairy lights for when it's a bit warmer outside.
Fig and Sparrow
This is another café where the staff is really helpful and the drinks are really good too. If you are dairy-free like me or Vegan they have some really yummy options for drinks and cakes which I would recommend but they mainly do normal drinks for everyone else too if you don't have dietary requirements. Another great spot to chill with friends with the cool interior.
THE MUSIC SCENE:
I am a huge lover of music (in particular Rock and Roll or Indie) so I feel that Manchester has been a great city for me to move to. I love how passionate people are about music here and how people are really proud of their bands that started in Manchester such as The Stone Roses, Oasis and Happy Mondays for example.
BARS I LIKE:
Soup Kitchen
This is a bar in Manchester which is great for a chilled drink with friends. This is based in the Northern Quarter and also hosts events on certain nights with good music.
Cloud 23
If you are someone who likes to get dressed up, splash the cash on a cocktail and get some good Instagram photos, you will love Cloud 23 based in Deansgate. At one of the highest points in Manchester, it has an amazing view of the city. I went at night time and the lit up city looked amazing!
Font
The font is a great bar if you like a cheap cocktail unlike Cloud 23. I and my friends have been a few times and you can get a cocktail from as little as £2, which is great from when you're a bit skint, which is me most of the time.
FUN THINGS TO DO:
Junkyard Mini Golf
I tried this for the first time with a couple of my friends the other week and it was pretty good fun. They have three indoor golf courses to choose from so we picked the junkyard one and it was so cool. I'm embarrassed to say I accidentally hit one of the golf balls off a member of staff but thankfully he took it well hahaha. It's a good idea for if you and your mates are bored on a night time.
Black Dog Ballroom Bowling
I'm not very good at Bowling however it's a good laugh and it's so cheap with student discount. Once again, it's a good idea if you are bored on a night time and don't fancy going out as it's open until 2 am.
SHOPS I LIKE IN MANCHESTER:
Affleck's
If you haven't been already and visit Manchester, definitely check it out. It is an indoor market in the Northern Quarter with independent stalls, small shops, and boutiques that all operate within one building. I feel like it's going back in time to the 80s with the band posters and arcade games around the building. My favorite shop in Afflecks that I go to a lot is a little shop on the first floor which sells band posters and badges. I have built up quite the badge collection from here and put them all on a vintage denim jacket I have and I have a Beatles, Oasis and The Clash poster from here.
Vinyl Revival
This is a shop in Northern Quarter (shocker) which mainly sells vinyl. One of my favorite things to do is look through records. This shop also has some really cool poster illustrations, band t-shirts and other band merchandise. I do also love Picadilly records.
Overall, I just love Manchester as a city, the music, and the people. I would definitely recommend it to people thinking about moving here and I have loved my first year living here. It has such a great spirit and there is always something to do. I know there are probably loads of places I'm not aware of still and I can't wait for my second year here.
Once again, I just want to say rest in peace and a big love for the victims or the Manchester attack last year.
Thank you so much again for returning to Until Wednesday. If you haven't already, make sure you check out Erin's post on the Met Gala from last week and I will be back in a couple of weeks for another post.
Until Wednesday
Georgie xx
