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Bookmark & shareA Top Day in Manchester
Most Manchester mornings start off with a bleary head from the night before, and in the city that sets the standard for partying, it's best to take things gently in the morning. For me this means a visit to at least one of city's incredible museums. Housed in cutting-edge buildings worthy of a visit in their own right, the Lowry and the Imperial War Museum take art and a sombre history and turn them into compelling viewing.
If I'm in town, it'll be the glass triangle of Urbis that gets my attention and brings home the truth about modern city living. Avoiding the chi chi shops and boutiques of the city centre it's time for a wander around Castlefield, one of my favourite parts of town. A vestige of the city's industrial past and a haven of formidable red-brick warehouses, elegant market buildings, cast-iron relics, and criss crossing viaducts, railway lines and canals, it's got the edgy chic of an industrial wasteland gentrified by loft-style living and a clutch of hip restaurants and bars. A few hours spent wandering here are always rewarded with some strange chance encounter and a glimpse of the city's shadowy underbelly.
A few lazy drinks and a mellow meal on the canal bank later and I'm set for a climb up the vertiginous spiral staircase at the Godlee Observatory, a turn of the century classic offering incredible views of the city and the skies. Suitably star-struck and kicked out just when the pubs are beginning to fill up, it seems a shame to go home so soon, so the only real decision to make is where to settle in for the first pint of the evening.
Author: Etain O'Carroll
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