To hate living in Manchester (and North in general)

[ILikeMilk]

Moved here four years ago to be with DH, and I still cannot get used to it. We are in a nicest area of Manchester, and it is still feels very provincial and boring. I dream about living in London, but DH does not want to look for a new job. I feel like there is no point and don?t want to decorate the house, make friends, etc, I just fantasise about being in London every single day. There is not much to do here, no nice streets or galleries, not much to do on the weekends as a family. I went to London this weekend, it was so painful to come back. Does anybody else feel this way?

[bupcakesandcunting]

YABU, Manchester is lovely. Try living in the Midlands THEN come back and moan!

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

no

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

I meant, "no, I don't feel this way".
loved London, love Manchester.
you need to get out more

[ChaoticAngelofAnarchy]

[expatinscotland]

Then leave him, get a job in London and move.

[ILikeMilk]

Charlotte, I try, but there is nowhere to go. We are in Hale, it is just a built up resedential area. No nice walks, hardly any parks, etc.

[valiumredhead]

I thought Manchester was the new London?

[ILikeMilk]

Expat, I was actually thinking about doing it. But not sure I'll be able to afford living in London on my own.

[Lulumaam]

you need to get a grip, in the nicest possible way

manchester is a hive of culture and fun and wonder, if you go and look for it.

try to make friends, try to make it your home and comfort yourself it's probably 50 % cheaper to live and travel in manchester than London

how old are your children?

i cannot believe you say there is not much to do! and if oyu can't find it in manchester, you're 45 minutes away from liverpool for example, where there is a lot of stuff going on...


look around, stop getting bogged down in your can't be arsedness

i don't blame your DH not wanting to move back just because you think it's provincial

.

[expatinscotland]

Then leave him, get a job in London and move.

[AgentZigzag]

I live nearly oop north, and round these parts it's rumoured that they make the roads in Londinium out of solid gold.

But, I dunno, sounds like a shithole to me all them fagin characters and pea soupers...

[ILikeMilk]

Noooo dont say Liverpool! Blah. Awful, just awful

[Lulumaam]

have you been to Dunham Massey park or tatton park or lime park or heaton park in north manchester or the manchester museum on oxford road or the museum of science and industry, ahve you been to chinatown? have you been out to cheshire, styal and beyond?

[SalvadorDalek]

Move over the Pennines to Yorkshire,its smashing.We have the best beer,pies and nice cheeses and the sun shines every day
Also the people are very nice even ths southerners who have gone native

[Lulumaam]

when did you last go to liverpool? liverpool 1 and met quarter are great for shopping, there is the world museum and plantearium

blue planet aquarium

although you seem determined to hate everything, so not sure i am going to bother !

[ILikeMilk]

Lulu, DH agrees that it is a shithole here, but can be arsed to look for a job. He would move if he could get job without going to interviews. He is just lazy.

[ILikeMilk]

I mean cannot be arsed...

[AgentZigzag]

Beer. pies and cheese - there is no more to life than thou.

[cobbledtogether]

You are never going to settle down anywhere if you don't make the effort.

I'm wondering if you're a little depressed. I wound up like that after relocating from the south to Cumbria and got into a real rut. (You want provincial, come and live in the sticks lakes!) Once I'd sorted that out, I was able to make the effort to get out and make new friends and enjoy living here now.

No, London and Manchester aren't the same, but if you don't make any effort, you'll never enjoy yourself. Manchester is our nearest big City and there are lots of things to do for adults and with the family. Are you sure that you're not purposefully blocking them out just so it fits with your world-view that Manc is no good?

As I see it, you have two options. Make the most our of what you have or get used to being miserable.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

well, if you will live in South Manchester....

get into town, to the Quays, the canal, out to Saddleworth....there's loads on. Don't know about public transport from your part of town, but here it's fab, so no need for a car to get out and about.

[ChaoticAngelofAnarchy]

[valiumredhead]

Provincial??!! Blimey, I spent ages looking for somewhere that stocked polenta before xmas, I used to buy it in the corner shop when I lived in London it was so bog standard - it is considered a bit 'exotic' where I live now! Bet you could but polenta in Manchester

[Deliaskis]

This bit "I feel like there is no point and don?t want to decorate the house, make friends, etc, I just fantasise about being in London every single day. There is not much to do here, no nice streets or galleries, not much to do on the weekends as a family." suggests to me that you have been determined not to like it!

I know you've been here 4 years and so probably feel like you've given it a chance, but if you're making no effort to make your house a home, to make friends, and if you really genuinely think that there are no nice streets or galleries, then it sounds a lot like you're just not making the effort.

I am a little biased as I am a Cheshire girl and think there's lots going for this area, although I accept it's not London. I don't feel overly defensive of it though, I just think your post suggests that you haven't really made the effort here.

D

[SalvadorDalek]

AgentZigzag
Not for me there isnt