Great Britain > Manchester
By Jessica Lloyd

Football
Home to one of the greatest football teams on the planet, Manchester United, this place is a very much alive and happening. With around four million residents, it is the UK's second largest city after London.

A city of all sorts
North England is quite different to the South, with Northerners thinking Southerners are stuck up (i.e. Londoners). Southerners tend to think Northerners are a bit on the rough side. They are both probably right in their own ways. What makes Manchester a modern city is its attempts to bring all kinds of cultures and religions together to live in harmony. This method of council is based on the research and proof that cities which are culturally diverse, and encouraging of celebrating this fact, are more economically stable and prosperous. As usual, it’s about the money. There are lots of festivals held at the town hall, which is the symbol of Manchester.

As far as things to look at goes, a trip to Manchester isn’t complete until you have stopped by at the Manchester United football stadium. It is certainly impressive. Manchester was also the home of the Commonwealth Games in 2002, making it very a popular little hot spot, and the upgrading of facilities has done no harm. It has done nothing but grow since, with a war museum, an art gallery, two train stations, two racquet sports centres, two public gardens, a visitors centre and a stadium, all constructed in a six-month period in 2002.

There is nothing particularly stand-outish about Manchester, probably its most famous feature is the football club. It is a very accommodating city, with top notch entertainment facilities and all the mod cons. They must be doing something right because it is a very popular city to live and work in – nobody would be horrified to be sent there on a work trip or on holiday. It has a nice feel to it, but at times can be a bit rough around the edges. There is nothing that you ‘must see’ or do here, if you visit it is all yours to mooch around and just explore.

How to get a date
There are lots of speed dating events, so if you’re dateless, a good place to be! With a city as large as this, there are always things to do at night, though it takes a while to trek around if you are on public transport. Double decker buses and trains are the way to go, but after midnight costs a lot more.

Going out
Nightclubs with names like Gutworm & Slit, or Smother, are not so common and that seems to be a good thing.  England seems to close its doors to party goers after midnight, with liquor licensing laws only just changing to accommodate late openers. Pubs are normally done by 11 or 12, with clubs open later.

There is a large live music scene here, with plenty of international and national acts playing. There are so many places to go and see a band, and with a good atmosphere, nights out in Manchester are normally a hoot. The crowds are enthusiastic and mostly a happy bunch. There can be a fair bit of fighting going on in the streets though, depending when you visit and who just lost the football.

A walk downtown takes you through busy streets full of people going about their business, day or night. The people here are reasonably relaxed, and their accents differ a lot from surrounding cities, like Liverpool (Scousers).

Dodgy kids
You will find large groups of young teenagers/kids – 12-14 year olds – hanging out on street corners or in car parks, drinking, smoking and looking staunch. They are a serious social problem, and are very threatening to look at and walk past, because there are so many of them. They don’t seem to be afraid even of the police, and there are signs on shop doors “Only two kids in at a time” because they are intimidating and could easily overthrow anybody who tried to take them on, or tell them what to do.

They cause trouble, vandalise property and harass people, though they are probably having a good time getting drunk with their mates. There is nothing much anyone can do about it, but avoid them. Kids seem to rule the roost in many ways in some parts of Manchester, including public transport. Seemingly unrelated, there are more guns in Manchester than any other English city. The seedy underbelly and black market is fully developed here.

Manchester on film
Manchester has a busy film industry, as well as being the home of the well-loved English soap Coronation Street. This show topped 18 million viewers recently and is definitely England’s favourite.

Back in the days
There is some desperate poverty here due to high unemployment. Back in the days, there used to be a lot of cotton mills around here. The bottom fell out of the cotton industry and the mills were closed, leaving Manchester with a high unemployment rate. Despite its growing greatness, there is a cold and dark history left in its wake.

Overall
A fun and interesting place to visit, with a lot of history and plenty of entertaining things to do and see. Not a bad place to land, just watch your step.