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?

anywhere is crap if it isn't where you want to be

the problem here is not Manchester or the nw

You just sound lonely. That's not necessarily because of where you live though. I think London is great when life is good but very lonely when it's not.

The Tate Modern won't give you a hug and open a bottle of wine with you, do you have any friends who would? If they are real friends they won't mind you being a North-basher.

There is more to life than wandering around looking at paintings dear....

Goosey, I also lived in Bristol, Clifton, and I was quite happy over there. People are more relaxed, nice streets to walk around, nice little shops, etc. DH thinks it is just the norhtern thing, he was born here, so it is not as hard for him, but he admits it is not nice over here.

On a more serious note, if you are really and truly and completely refuse to make the best of where you are living, and your longing for London is more than your love for DH, why not leave him oop norf and move to London yourself.

If its his job that's stopping you, you could always make a break, move back to London and support yourself.

I'm a Londoner by birth but now live in a 1950s backwater, having also lived in other cities and parts of the UK and sorry to sound Pollyanna about it, but you need to look for the good in where you live. There's bound to be cafe culture in Manc. and chi chi shops. Do you belong to any local groups or have any hobbies? Make your house a home. Otoh, if you have closed your mind to it totally, then you only have 3 options already outlined.

Totally agree Goosey Loosey - we do MUCH more as a family since moving out of London and I lived there 18 years. Dear God, sometimes just getting on a bus was hard work if it was packed.......... urghhhhhhh the memories of ds in a buggy packed public transport!

No offense but you don't actually live in Manchester? You live in a nice-but-dull suburb about ten miles away from Manchester.

Suggest you get on the train and go to Manchester! Lots of lovely shops in town on King Street or in the Northern Quarter, and good bars there for music and stuff on at night, or south a bit there's Chorlton - Beech Road, the Green -you can go walking on Chorlton Ees and there are festivals in the park in the summer and loads of live music in the pubs and bars, a million little restaurants in Didsbury, and good pub food. There are good galleries within walking distance of me - the Whitworth, the Costume Museum in Platt Fields, Manchester Museum, City Art Gallery, Urbis (ok urbis is rub), or on the tram there's the Lowry and that whole complex.

There are some great theatres -the Dancehouse does some really interesting new things, and the Royal Exchange (in St Anne's) you can get cheap matinee tickets if you queue up in the morning, then go shopping, for lunch, then back to the theatre to make a day of it. Go and see the Wicked Bible in John Rylands Library, or the Hidden Gem round the corner...

I could actually go on all day.

Well yes I can see why Stockport town centre wouldn't exactly rock you boat!

I do like Hale village though I must say. Chorlton is a bit more 'interesting' - you been there? And further afield places in Yorkshire like Hebden Bridge are nice for daytrips.

Have you made any friends locally yet? What ages are your DC's?

This is quite a weird thread

I will quite happily take your Hale house off your hands, OP. I mean, if you're that desperate to move down to London, you'll be wanting a quick sale at a reduced price, non?

Jelly, maybe you are right. But i Loved the anonimity of London, not sure how to explain it.

I undestand where you are coming from but you do need to get a grip. We relocated from herts to rural derbyshire a while back and a few weeks later my then H left me and the kids in an area where we knew no one.

I had no friends at all and really missed the life I had. I remember feeling like crying as we drove round nottingham looking for school uniform for a school the kids didnt even want to go to! BUT as we couldnt sell and were stuck I had to grit my teeth and make a go of it. 2 yrs on we are doing OK. Its not the same but I like the life we have and I'm not sure I could go back to what was before.

Give yourself a six month target. Get out there, explore the area and see what happens.
You might be surprised

Have you actually been to Manchester OP? Or are you just staying in Hale?

Oh get real - Manchester is a thriving cultural city of diversity.
You just don't want to do anything or talk to anyone unless it's in London. YOU are being boring. And a bit obsessive.

Your 'won't even try' attitude comes over as spoiled, and your descriptions of Manchester are very childish and petulant.

Be an adult and make it happen for you where you live, instead of proposing to uproot your life and that of your husband, to accomodate a juvenile bottom lip out whim.

You have annoyed me.

I lived in London for 3 years as a student and hated it. I've loved in Salford for 27 1/2 years and love it!

There's loads to do in Manchester - get the tram in if you are near enough to a a station. Walk round the Cathedral area, visit the Cathedral and go to a free lunchtime concert a Chetham's School of Music (nearly every lunch-time in term time). Visit the ancient library at Chethams. Go to some of the galleries. Explore the quirky shops in the Northern Quarter. Treat yourself to afternoon tea in Harvey Nicks. Visit the European Christmas Market stalls in the run up to Christmas. Check out which weekends they have farmer's markets and go to one of those. Visit Greater Manchester's very own temple to shopping at the Trafford Centre (I kid you not, there are angel statues and everything). Go to one of the exhibitions at the Lowry - they do special stuff for families and children in school holidays. Walk round the Quays. Get a boat trip on the ship canal and hear all the historical stuff about the canal and docks. Visit Imperial War Museum North. Watch or even participate in some of the water sports at the Quays.
Well I could go on and on.

Have you made any good friends - maybe you are just feeling isolated. What about joining some kind of club or society in an a topic you have an interest.

BTW I'm awaiting input into this thread from God's-own-Manc, TheSecondComing.

babyheave I can smell something but its not a wind up. I have had gut ache all day

Salvador, I hope you said pardon. Its very rude to pass wind on a thread don'tcha know?

You sound like a real barrel of fun

Count yourself luckey, i'm from Cumbria, whichever window I look out of I see a big green hill, I am surrounded by fecking hills.....And no shops......

You love anonymity = you hate people, life, community

I live in Chorlton and it's great - lots of good little bars, cafes etc. Similarly Didsbury has a nice bustling atmosphere with some nice local shops, rstaurants and parks.

BluTac, when I just moved, I ised to go to Manchester quite alot, but it is so dull, grey and dirty, I dont feel like going there anymore. We go now once a month to China town and sometimes take kids to Museums, but even they are bored of them now.

God you sound about 12.

The midlands hasn't forgot the 80's.....T'was a crap time thanks to Mrs T.

Are you from the soft south bupcakes?