Refreshed and feeling slightly better, I was a ton happier that I had gotten through my first full day in Manchester, and England for that matter. I've always said it feels so cosmopolitan to make yourself tea in your hotel room, and I'm thinking, well, *these* Twinings tea bags should taste better here than back home, right? I must have gotten up around 6 in the morning, but it takes me a while to get myself out the door because I have a ton of medication I have to take, and before that, I have to eat something, so I had a breakfast of cornflakes and tea in bed whilst watching BBC4. I really did not have much of a plan for sightseeing and such besides Phill Gatenby's book. Originally, me and 3 friends were supposed to go on a tour of Manchester with Phill on Sunday, but after he had gotten a ticket for the Apollo gig Saturday night, he was hosting a party at his house for some Belgians that were staying with him AND whoever else wanted to come, so canceled on us, trying to reschedule for Friday night. I'm glad I didn't count on that, because I was far too tired and worn out by late afternoon Friday that I would have come across Morrissey's house in a stupor, barely able to raise my camera.
No, instead I planned to do all the "in-city" sites in Morrissey's Manchester myself (at least, the ones I thought were worth seeing) and then walk around and do whatever else I wanted. Paul, another one of my local friends, is originally from Stockport, but he knows the area pretty well, and he offered to make up for the Phill Gatenby cancellation by taking me to the out-of-the-way places himself - very sweet of him, considering he could have spent his Sunday doing something else that a research scientist might have more fun doing.
So I set out relatively early, book in hand. A bit of a chill was in the air, so I had one of my thinner winter coats on, and my camera was at the ready, so here's my day in pictures.
This is an interesting picture; I took it while I was walking over to Whitworth Street because I thought "Tetley" plastered on the front of a building was unusual. That's a pub (whose name you can't make out, sorry). The first thing I thought of was Tetley tea, black tea bags that you get in America that are nasty. I haven't spent a lot of time in pubs so I can't tell you if Tetley was referring to the tea or some other beer I don't know about. (one of our English mates will have to explain...) I'm not sure what a "diversion" is either...I'm guessing a detour?
The Hacienda - or rather the Hacienda Height apartments, located on the site of the original Hacienda. For those of you not in the know, it was owned by Factory Records,
run by Tony Wilson (who was semi-immortalized in the 2002 indie film 24 Hour Party People) but is probably
more famous for his "blunder" in not signing the Smiths. The Smiths played three gigs here in 1983. You can see the train that goes in and out of town
on the far right, heading for the Oxford Street station.
 |  |
Two views of the Ritz by the Whitworth Street sidewalk. This was the first place the Smiths ever performed live in 1982, supporting Blue Rondo A La Turk. The appearance is probably more notable for the interpretative background dancing of Morrissey's friend, James Maker, who wore high heels, go-go danced, and flitted around the stage with maracas and a tambourine.
posted 06/06/06
Manchester photojournal index
