MANCHESTER
ENGLAND’S COOLEST CITY

If you’ve never made your way to Manchester, you’ve been missing a real English treat. For this was once the center of the world’s industrial revolution, producing textiles from cotton back in the early 1800s, which in turn brought wealth and much more to this Northwestern English city. Manchester began to be settled in about the 10th Century, so there’s an abundance of ancient history, architecture and fascinating facts to discover.

About a two-hour train ride north of London, Manchester today prides itself on a lot of different things. A walkable city that loves street art and fine art, dining experiences at all levels, music of every sort and its two Premier League football (soccer to Americans) teams, it truly is a place of endless possibilities.

That’s what we discovered when we visited for the first time recently; and after a few days there, realized we needed to stay longer because there was so much to see, do, learn and eat in this seriously cool, vibrant city. We encountered lots of soccer-loving tourists there with a mapped-out plan for seeing either Manchester United and Manchester City “football,” people fueling the burgeoning travel trend of traveling to see favorite pro teams and living the “Ted Lasso” mantra that “Football is life.”

Others we met were fixated on the food scene, an obsession we quickly shared. Having meals at top-notch restaurants like Peter Street Kitchen, the award-winning restaurant that combines Mexican and Japanese cuisines to create incredible taste sensations was amazing, and located right in the City Centre, next door to the Edwardian Manchester. That’s the ideally situated five-star hotel in the Free Trade Hall constructed in 1856 that’s surrounded by live music venues. With its spa, swimming pool and spacious rooms, it is a comfortable and perfect place to stay. 

From there, just meander down the block to Albert Hall, built in an old Wesleyan chapel and offering a large 1,100-seat hall drawing acts like Sam Smith, Beck and Steve Aoki. A few steps further and the music shifts gears at The Blues Kitchen Manchester, where live Blues acts pair nicely with Cajun barbecue. A few more steps and you’ve made it to the Opera House Manchester, another venue offering concerts, comedy, theater and more (but no opera) in a lovely setting. And there are more music venues in other parts of town, too.

SCRANCHESTER, THE NORTHERN
QUARTER AND ANCOATS
We love both history and food walking tours, so discovering the Scranchester Tours run by Rob Kelly was truly a gem of a Manchester adventure. Kelly has an endless well of historical knowledge of the city, which he shares as he takes his small-group tours on the Eat the City experience, wandering around the Northern Quarter neighborhood. For nearly four hours, he feeds you everything from breakfast donuts from Siop Shop to tacos from the Picos Tacos stall in the gorgeous 1858 Mackie Mayor building, and many more yummy bites, finishing up with a climb downstairs to the vegetarian Indian food hall at Bundobust and finally upstairs at Affleck’s famed offbeat shopping emporium to discover Ginger’s Comfort Emporium Ice Cream Bar, which really lives up to its name.

Along the way, Kelly fills your head with sights and sounds and stories of how wealth came to Manchester via the textile trade, and how those rich men spent their money. Buildings from the time abound, many juxtaposed with modern street art murals, whole streets devoted to pedestrians eating and imbibing on sunny days, and unique galleries and shops. After the Scranchester tour, spend some more time exploring all, especially the street murals that adorn just about every block. The whole Northern Quarter is endlessly fascinating and most likely easily reached from your hotel home base by walking or taking the trams that crisscross Manchester. 

Add on the Ancoats district east of it to discover another vibrant part of the city, as it is known as the original industrial suburb, once filled with steam-powered textile mills and thousands of millworkers. Now it’s got Chef Simon Martin’s one Michelin-starred Mana eatery as well as the more casual and intriguing Erst restaurant in this totally hipster neighborhood; both are sure to satisfy any hunger pangs. Be sure to wander into nearby Cutting Room Square, where it’s easy to discover outdoor cafes, pubs, breweries and lots of greenery.

Be sure to see some of Manchester’s famous historical buildings before you have to move on, including the Town Hall (1877), Victoria Baths (1906), Cathedral (1215), the Pankhurst Centre (1840; the birthplace of the suffragette movement in 1903 and home of Emmeline Pankhurst) and Chetham’s Library (1421) and by the time you say goodbye, you’re likely to agree with us that Manchester is one of England’s truly fascinating cities.

For more information about Manchester go to visitmanchester.com