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| Above are five pictures - two of the outside of the Manchester Cathedral, and three inside. I'm not Catholic - heck, I'm not even Christian - but it was a thing of beauty. The
Note the flag of St. George's cross - the flag of England - flying on the top of the cathedral. To the right is a quick snapshot of the MEN Arena in the distance,
I took this when I was waiting for the bus.
I did go to the Printworks, but I was unimpressed. It's just a collection of restaurants. Nothing special. I was really glad that I hadn't stayed in this part of town, as I had originally planned, at the Premier Travel Inn MEN Arena. I might choose to stay there if I was going to the MEN Arena to see a gig, but otherwise, it's not that extraordinary. Do you see that tall red thing in the distance? I'm guessing it used to be part of a factory - dunno. But if you watch the intro section of "Who Put the M in Manchester?" closely, it's on the screen for a couple seconds. Actually, many parts of Manchester I saw were in that slide show, including the walking area around Arndale. | 
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I'm really bad. I don't remember what this was. But it was by the school of music. It had a really peaceful courtyard connected to it, with fountains and places to sit down and just veg. I could see myself there with a bag lunch and a book to read, every lunchtime.
So it was my last night in Manchester, and I decided I would splurge for dinner that night. I went back to Chinatown and decided on Little Yang Sing, a restaurant that had a favorable online review and was listed under the Visit Manchester tourist guide page. Let me say that it was the first time that I had a napkin ever placed in my lap, and certainly the first time that a waiter has served me fried rice IN my rice bowl. Obviously this was a place that non-Chinese people go to eat Chinese; I had a feeling that the 4 people at the next table were going to the Bridgewater gig that night, because they all ordered vegetarian versions of dishes. Despite the expense, the constant refilling of my jasmine tea, with the hot and sour soup (with shrimp! that was new to me too) and shrimp with black bean sauce was really good and authentic. Tummy full and takeaway bag in hand (I ended up eating the leftovers the next morning as breakfast), I headed back to my hotel for a breather and then on to the Bridgewater show.
So that's pretty much it. The bulk of my photographs from Manchester are of Morrissey- or Smiths-related sites - for obvious reasons. I came to Manchester to 1) see Morrissey perform three times in his hometown and 2) to see the place that "gave birth" to the Smiths. Morrissey has said that you can take the man out of the North, but he will always be Northern. Now I know what this means; and yes, it is true. I guess the only comparison to the U.S. is the difference between Yanks and Southerners. But in England, it is much more than just being called "Northern" - it is an identity, and you can only feel that if you are from the North. Mancunians are loyal to their city; you can see it with their support for either Manchester City or (the more famous) Manchester United football clubs. But in the air, it's palpable.
I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to visit this city. I was bowled over by the people of Manchester and their hospitality and wouldn't hesitate to visit again. If you get the chance - especially if you are a Morrissey or Smiths fan - go, and you will be enchanted as I was.
posted 06/07/06
added to 06/21/06
Manchester photojournal index
