To think that Manchester is awful?

I think Northern people are wonderful- as does DS {He has friends from Sheffield and Rotherham}

Absolutely not to be mocked, and I'm from SW London {Born and bred}

Manchester is great to live in, but not that great to visit. And I say that as someone who moved here by visiting and then just never leaving 😂

Whats her diagnosis got to do with her accent. Still, she shouldnt stand for being mocked for being northern in a northern university. Is it somewhere stuck up like York or Durham?

Whereabouts are you from, you from, you from. Do they put the keckle on?

Depending on how many years,ago the Manchester of today is very different from 90,s Manchester
After the 1996 bomb the city center was rebuilt, it confuses me these days,when on the rare occasion I go into Manchester I struggle to get my bearings .

It doesn't have a centre as such but has lots of excellent parts so its fabulous to live here but quite hard to suss out on a short visit

@MasterBeth Judi Dench😂 I find many of the cities in the UK to be disappointing and depressing but maybe that’s just me.

If we go into town it's usually to something specific, like the People's History Museum, or the Lowry, or the theatre/concert, or a night out/restaurant. It's not a city I'd personally choose for a mini-break type wandering around weekend. I'd do that in Liverpool though.

I used to live in a naice part of South Manchester and agree that - bar the JR library and a handful of restaurants - the city centre is not worth visiting, and not the most attractive city either. It was also rougher than a badger’s arse last time I went out for supper there - really menacing.

I've lived in Greater Manchester for 20yrs. Previously lived other parts of the UK (including London) and overseas.

Manchester is not a particularly good looking city, nor does it have much 'touristy' stuff. It's not somewhere most people would go for a trip to have a mooch around in the way that one might in Edinburgh, London, York, Bath or even Liverpool. It's similar to Leeds or Birmingham in that sense.

What it does have is a fascinating and proud social and industrial history, brilliant universities, fabulous cocktail bars and eateries, some excellent museums, a deep culture of popular music, sports, creative outlets and projects, some of the finest Victorian architecture in the UK and some of the most exciting urban regeneration in the world. It's a city that brings together people from all over the world and welcomes them as Manc. It's a city for those who live here - or want to live here - rather than for visitors. The Peak District, Bowland, the Lakes, Snowdonia and the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales are all within a couple of hours' drive (parts of Greater Manchester are basically in the Peak District albeit not in the National Park).

It's a brilliant place to live for the reasons above and more and it objectively isn't awful. Certainly not to everyone's taste - but not awful.

Unfortunately you're in an area of the city that's frankly a bit shit. Your experience is a bit like getting off the train at King's Cross in 1995, walking over to Dalston and as a result thinking all of London is awful (I say 1995 as London has changed beyond all recognition in the last 25yrs or so with many of the historically shoddy bits being gentrified so there's not too many contemporaneous examples).

I'm glad you enjoyed Elizabeth Gaskell's house. If you have time, head over to Ancoats or the Northern Quarter or even over to places like Beech Road in Chorlton where you'll see a bit more of the vibrancy of the city

Don’t be a dick.

Mocked! 😡 How dare you!
She has autism and some fuckers like you decided to destroy her for being northern. Ironically, my dd is a northerner, studying in a northern city but some twatty kids from the south decided that she was less than.
Teach your children to be better than you!
You haven't answered my question. WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

🎯😂

Not been to Manchester, but know what you mean by the above.

Bristol is also seriously depressing around Broadmead/Stokes Croft.

So many city centres are run down as shops close.

Elizabeth Gaskell's house is in a weird no-mans-land out of the city centre so no wonder you're not finding much between there and Piccadilly!

I do agree that there are parts of the city centre which seem a bit rum and are often the first things tourists encounter when they arrive so don't give the best first impression, but it's a city which gives more the more you explore. You've got to work for it but it's more than worth it! There's a hell of a lot packed into its compact size.

Sadly Greens has closed down now. A real blow.

You will always get people who love and hate certain places.

I visited Barcelona and hated it.

I visited Naples and Athens (both of which we were told were rough and dangerous) and adored them both (mind you, I am from Manchester so probably helps with not being bothered about the "grittiness" of these cities 😂)

I think a lot comes down to knowing the right places and where to avoid. If you live somewhere or spend a lot of time in a place then you know the best spots and what suits your needs and interests. That's why Mancunians will tell you Manchester is amazing, because we know where to go and where not to go!

If you visit somewhere for a day or two then you might end up completely missing the buzzing, cultural areas and instead, gravitating towards the touristy and commercial areas.

I like it, it’s a really manageable city . Love a coffee in the Royal Exchange, a mooch round Chinatown, proper Sichuan food at Noodle Alley, hunting for vintage in the Northern Quarter. Great stuff for families too with the MOSI etc. Nice albeit fairly sparse galleries, but it’s all doable and perfectly possible to have a fun day. Not mad on the Arndale but it’s great for teens, and the Arndale market has some brilliant food options.

Au contraire.
Came for uni in 1988
Left for 4 years in late 1990s to live in South
Couldn't wait to get back.
Never left since we got back in 1999. Would not.
Many of our friends are ex uni buddies who stayed here too.

I lived living there as a student in 90s and in going back pre kids to live in early 2000s - Science museum, Manchester Museum on Oxford road, Whitworth and central art galleries - town hall - all good never got to The John Rylands Library
but heard good things.

There was a large shopping area - expect some of that's still there. I have to say I do prefer Liverpool and obviously London - even York though that was very busy but it's not terrible and there are things to do.

Everyone gets mocked for something at freshers week.

I enjoyed the Bierkeller in Manchester.

I also visit Manchester periodically.

There are some nice boutiques in the vicinity of St Anne’s Square/King St. There is or was a lovely independent coffee shop with a Viennese vibe and excellent pastries not far from Victoria Station and the Town Hall. Sadly I have forgotten the name. Also many newer independent coffee shops in the Northern Quarter

Op, you really haven't seen any of the good bits yet!
@Starlight1979 has given you a pretty good list to go at. There are some great places to visit, and the weather is gorgeous today.

I've visited Manchester a few times as a tourist....usually as part of seeing a gig. It's not the best place in the world to just wander around. You kind of have to have a plan. Saying that I did do a brilliant free walking tour.

Vast numbers of people come to Manchester as a student and settle here. This article suggests that only London has a greater rate of students choosing to stay.

Manchester is the second most popular city for new graduates | Centre for Cities

If you live in Chorlton or Didsbury, essentially that affluent bit of south Manchester, maybe your viewpoint is different. North/East Manchester not so much.

And you're Judi Fucking Dench, are you?