We’ve had the london one so…what do non-Mancunians think of Manchester?

[RishisPA]

Interested to see how it compares? Any insights into Manchester? I hate how so many visitors end up getting off at Piccadilly and going straight to Piccadilly gardens when (imo) that’s the worst bit of the city centre!!

No offence to Mancunians but I'm not keen. I've never really felt entirely relaxed on the few occasions I've been.

It's interesting how everyone is bemoaning the absence of green space in Manchester when I'm currently on the tram home, looking out of the window at loads of green space around the Sale Water Park . Yes, I know, you all meant the city centre.

Granted, the centre can be a bit grotty and grey. It does have a certain edgy charm though.

And Greater Manchester has many nice areas to live, although I understand visitors do just see the centre most of the time.

@TheTurn0fTheScrew - - & I do agree anyone coming into Kings Cross or Euston - or Victoria or Waterloo - you do have to step away to find - "proper " London - so why not it be the case in Manchester

But @TheTurn0fTheScrew - I'd disagree that lots of places in London are Croessus' playground i.e. v v rich people and many people are nice and friendly - It's just bigger so everyone can just probably find what they want or what they like to criticise

But nice post - My brother loves Manchester.

@Ifailed

Health visiting as a profession was conceived in Salford.

Completely different city, as I've been repeatedly been told by someone from Salford.

I think insisting that Salford and Manchester are "completely different" cities is a bit like insisting that the Cities of London and Westminster are completely different, or indeed that "the city of London" starts at Fleet Street and ends at Mansell Street ie correct legally and constitutionally but not really reflective of people's everyday experiences.

Although by that reckoning, "Manchester" would only have one football team, so perhaps we should stick to the legal definition after all .

I live about an hour away, so do visit Manchester. I have been going there a long time, 30 plus years, definitely seen some changes. On the whole, like it, i find it exciting and vibrant although admittedly not particularly friendly. The shops, restaurants and nightlife are good and I have been to many concerts there and stayed over cheaply.

I love Manchester
Oxford road is my favourite bit, lots of places to eat and have a drink and a real mix of ethnicities and it leads to the curry mile
I love the architecture too and how buzzing it is with new builds etc

Parts of Salford merge into MCR city centre and Salford is actually just behind deansgate I don't think that makes it a "completely different city"

There's a bridge over the Irwell where you can have one foot in MCR and one in Salford... The scenery doesn't suddenly change!

Lots of cities are grim outside their main station, Amsterdam centraal station is scary and the area outside Euston is minging.

My uni city! I had a blast there. Great people, great pubs, great music venues, all the bands played there. Cheap, great gay scene and alt music scene. I went back to visit a couple of years ago and barely recognised the place. Glad to find afflex palace was still there (and my kids loved it). Didn't get chance to see if corn exchange was still the place to get joss sticks and dodgy dvds.

I know it's colder and rainier than 'the south' but Manchester is vibrant and culturally rich. Trafford on the doorstep, we used to go to the boat race each year at salford quays (they've changed!!), Lowry museum.

In do think visitors need to be encouraged to divert from the hill down to picadilly towards either the northern quarter or the gay village/Oxford road! Then they would have a completely different impression

Yes, Manchester itself is a very oddly shaped city. About twelve miles long; barely a couple of miles wide in places. The boundaries of the City of Salford, and the borough of Trafford, are very close to M/c city centre in places. Manchester United's ground is actually in Trafford. When people talk of Manchester, they're often doing so in this wider sense.

I was born and brought up 3.5 miles from the city centre. I moved to South Manchester in my early twenties, Stockport was my nearest town centre then. Awful.
Twenty years later I've just moved to Ramsbottom near Bury. Loads are ditching pricey south Manchester for north.

Manchester is my home, grew up in the city. Very fond memories over the years but where I live now means I don't really venture in very often. Not because I dislike it, I just can't be arsed.

Don't know it well but very fond memories of the bits I've visited. DC loved Afflecks when they were tweens and bought loads of stuff there. And there's a beautiful small art & craft shopping centre near there where I buy hand painted tiles.

Grew up there, now live in London. We used to think of going up there again to live, but the rain put us off. That continuous grey drizzle - we couldn’t bear it now. But I do like the Trafford Centre, and people generally are friendlier I think.

Always rainy, full of druggies, arrogant people.

@veronicagoldberg " Always rainy, full of druggies, arrogant people." - an opinion - it isn't mine not my city of choice for other reasons but there are some lovely places in and around Manchester. If one lives in a large city then there will be good bits and bad bits.

@MindPalace

Grew up there, now live in London. We used to think of going up there again to live, but the rain put us off. That continuous grey drizzle - we couldn’t bear it now. But I do like the Trafford Centre, and people generally are friendlier I think.

Until this week had a few weeks of sunshine with just a few showers! Went "down south" for a weekend and it was colder there!

@veronicagoldberg

Always rainy, full of druggies, arrogant people.

"full of druggies"

Well with that kind of attitude I'm glad you don't like it and won't come! What a weird backward thing to say

Might sound strange but I prefer Sheffield and Birmingham to Manchester!

As a Mancunian who doesn’t live there anymore the being proud about being from Manchester is because the rest of the country thinks it’s grim up north, or they did when I was kid in the 80s. It’s a reaction to that…

And the fact the it was the hub of the Industrial Revolution, it has two world class football teams, a history of cutting edge music, loads of universities, and a distinct sense of humour.

My DS is currently in his second year at uni up there, when we go back I find it grim, depressing, absolutely filithy and dangerous but I am proud of my heritage.

I love Manchester it's bigger and the night life alone is vast it's not comparable to Leeds.

It does piss it down a lot but its to be expected and even in other cities the weather isn't that great either.

it was the hub of the Industrial Revolution

Debatable, what about Iron Bridge?

@NewYorker80

A genuine thought is that I have no idea of any iconic images / views or buildings in Manchester. Eg London has the skyline with the Eye / Shard / St Pauls etc, plus Westminster / Big Ben etc, Newcastle has the Angel and the bridge, Liverpool has the Liver Building, but what does Manchester have?

Manchester is cheaper though. No where is going to beat the capital. But it still has lots of lovely places. I was very impressed by The Ivy in Manchester its huge inside. 20 stories is very popular.

Menagerie do one of the best Sunday Roasts I've had in my life. There's loads of choice food wise.

To be fair, Newcastle does not have the angel of the north. It’s in Gateshead (and the people of Gateshead feel strongly that it is not Newcastle). 🤣

Newcastle always strikes me as a more vibrant city than Manchester though.