Ah nostalgia, it ain’t what it used to be

Sammy-boy’s birthday was rolling up quickly and since it’d been a good six months or so since I last saw him, I decided to round up my partners in crime whilst at the school of management and business.  Several texts and calls later, Sammy-boy, Andy C, and I agreed to meet up in Manchester for some good old fashioned fun and frolicks.  “Why Manchester?”, I hear you cry.  Well, Andy C now works and lives there and since Sam is from further up North and I generally rather like Manchester, that’s how the decision was reached.

I got to Manchester for about 11:45am where I got slightly lost because Andy C’s place doesn’t have a number for the building and I fell a few blocks short.  He came to my rescue with Sam in tow and we made our way to his apartment complex’s private carpark (ooooh!).  He lives in a really snazzy place, as you can see from my photos of the day.  The rent is decent and the apartment is modern and has a very hotel-ish feel to it, though there are 4 people living there when it’s meant to be for 3…

Now, I’ve been to Manchester many a time to visit my brother and he always takes me to his usual haunts which usually consist of Deansgate, the Arndale, and the Trafford Centre; Andy took us to his stomping grounds and there was a huge contrast!  We went to a funky bookshop which bore more than a similar resemblence to a little boutique in London’s Soho called Playtime.  They had loads of Totoro stuff and the girl behind the counter was awesomely cute.  Andy C took us to a Forbidden Planet which I was quite impressed with because it was one of the more indie ones as opposed to the commercial ones like the one in Birmingham or London; still didn’t buy anything though!

Since I was rocking my SLR camera, Andy C decided to show me the best view in Manchester, and it was free too.  We made our way up to the top floor of a multistorey carpark near the Arndale where we were greeted by what looked like a drug deal between some of Manchester’s finest reprobates.  All three of us genuinely feared for our lives there but they allowed us to pass without concern to see what I can only describe as breathtaking.  I was able to see for miles and it very much reminded me of being on top of Constitution Hill in Aber; it was a moment of tranquility and escape from the hustle and bustle of a major metropolitan centre.  I don’t think there’s anything similar in Brum which is a damn shame.

We were all ravenous after our dose of passive ganja and decided lunch was the order of the day now.  Andy C took us t a funky bar which I can only describe as eclectic; the staff, decor, and menu were all so varied that it seemed like the sort of place that would have thrived in Aber with the right marketing behind it.  Sammy-boy had a highly recommended kedgeree, I had a very rich cornedbeef hash (I also made the joke that I’d not had enough hashish that day…), and Andy C had a massive “doorstop” sandwich.  The good food featured alongside good conversation; I would often loiter at Andy C and Sammy-boy’s house in my third year and we’d regularly just talk about everything and the kitchen sink.  We all agreed unanimously how we missed the spontaneity of student life, how you could decide the outcome of a day in the blink of an eye compared to now where it would take at least a week’s worth of planning and notice.

We had a quick goosey-gander in the Arndale where I bought a few new shirts and ties for work, and as per usual, struggled finding stuff in my size.  We popped into a Waterstones where I left Sammy-boy in the sports books section; he didn’t realise I’d walked off and continued to have a dialogue with himself, much to the puzzlement of a passing woman and my amusement.  We were all quite quenched at this point so after a few quick photos by the townhall, we popped into a very quiet Starbucks for some liquid replenishment.  We sat outside to entertain my path to self-destruction by smoking.  It was a nice way to just while away an hour or so, just kicking back without a whim in the world, and being the quieter part of the city, we were able to get up to our usual shenanigans without much as an eyelid batted at us.

We were struggling for things to do at this point since nobody really had anything particular in mind that they needed to see or do.  We eventually agreed to visit Selfridges where we had a mooch through the foodhall and technology section, which didn’t really set our worlds alight.  We passed through China town next, which seems far more alive at night than in the day, a complete contrast to Birmingham’s own.  Andy C took us down for a walk by the canals which had some lovely photo opportunities and this was also my chance to try out my Michael Jackson jokes on the pair – fresh meat!  We stopped for a few drinks at Rain Bar which was a funky place with a good selection of drinks, especially bitters, on offer.  The conversation was as mixed and varied as before and it was just nice to catch up with two of Denver’s finest.  Sadly, Sammy-boy had to work the next day and I had a fairly long drive ahead of me so we had to call it quits at 8:30pm.  I managed to catch the sunset just before I left Andy C’s apartment which affords a fantastic view from the balcony, which really made my day.

I got to see a very different side to Manchester and I’m now firm in the opinion that it is very much the UK’s second city despite being a Brummie myself.  It feels more like a city should and is very much a smaller version of London, with all of its colourful districts where the transition from one to the next is very clear.  Birmingham needs to step up its game to compete!

Photos of my day can be found here.