What to do in Manchester?

[Patrolpatrol]

Going to a comic con type event in Manchester on the 2-3rd of December, what else should I do during that time? (Down for 3/4 days).

PAY:
The new factory (Aviva Studios) has opened, you could sign up to the mailing list to hear about what's on in Dec (eg right now they've got a Yayoi Kusama exhibition) and they do a range of ticket pricing for affordability.
Take a walking tour, think Skyliner does a decent one.
Go to Fred Aldous, an art shop in the NQ.
Eat a lot of things, as what we lack in independent shops we make up for with cafes, restaurants, bars, renovated horse boxes, and food halls.

FREE:
Visit the Portico, or the John Rylands Library
Go to the Whitworth Art Gallery, down the uni area
Visit the many museums, most are free... Exceptions I can think of are The National Football Museum, Manchester Jewish Museum.

There's a TRex at the Manchester University Museum

I like massive Waterstones and afflecks palace.

A visit to Grand Pacific for a drink or lunch. Quite often they have a pianist playing too. It's such a beautiful place and a lovely place to relax for an hour.

Whereabouts in Mcr is your comic con op? Is it city centre or out of town a bit?

If you're going in December the Christmas markets will be on which are huge - nice to visit but choose your time as they get VERY busy. Avoid the huge populated areas which are just full of people drinking and go down some of the side streets for more quirkiness.
And another vote for Afflecks Palace any time of year.

I went for the day at the weekend.

I shopped in Uniqlo, because I like it and it's the only one outside London/SE
I also went to the Whitworth, but didn't stay as long as I'd planned because I was hungry and didn't fancy anything in the cafe. I do want to go back and also wander around the park and the Manchester University museum
I had a lovely meal at the Indian Tiffin Room
Then I went on the National Trust viaduct garden thing.

I dodged a lot of trams and wondered if we'll ever get them in Leeds (largest city in Western Europe without mass transit).

The Peoples History Museum is small but very good