Things to do in Manchester the first time you're there

It was rubbish.

My only firm plan is that I am going to see the Undertones! Yay!

All the places named are within 5 mins from where you are staying.

There are also museums and galleries around that area.

It will be raining so bring a coat...

manchester is like anywhere else in the world, friendly parts & unfriendly parts.

where did you go?

A few suggestions from this friendly Mancunian:

1. If you have spare time during the days and want some cultural action, then M/cr has plenty of good galleries and museums. The City Art Gallery and Whitworth Gallery are particularly good. The Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry Gallery in Salford Quays (10 mins on tram) are well worth a look too. If you want somewhere nice to go for eats, drinks and "arthouse" cinema then the Cornerhouse on Oxford Road is still good.

2. For evening bar action there is pretty much everything from student nights, to scally punch-ups, to hipster dives. The Northern Quarter is a safe bet (Cord, Centro, The Bay Horse) and also home to Matt & Phred's jazz club (on Tib Street) which has a great vibe and great music most nights.

The city centre is pretty compact and the above (apart from Salford Quarys) are easy walking distance from Deansgate Locks.

Hope you have a good time - it's, in parts, a beautiful city and now that autumn is here again there's teeming rain and slate grey skies aplenty.

where did you go?

i dunno. few pubs and bars, on buses, few gigs, round the city centre and studenty areas mostly i guess. round the shops a bit. in every record shop i saw. affleck's palace. i just found all the people there really hard, the whole place and the people in it felt cold and aggressive/defensive. manchest-oh seems totally up itself as well, snobbish in a way that london just isn't, although common perception seems to be that the norf is warm and friendly and down to earth where the souf is up itself and got its nose in the air. actually london just gets on with being london and it always budges up to let one more in.

it's not a north/south thing: liverpool, sheffield, bradford and hull i have a lot of love for and leeds is good too.

I’d argue for Manchester anytime but my boss has just come over and given me a little job to do so you'll have to wait.

located on great bridgewater st., near the lovely cornerhouse, resides this little off kilter gem. first time it appeared to me - all welcoming and weird - at the end of a wet lazy walk I EXPLODED.

http://www.jacksoncommasteve.com/pics/england_2003/104_0410.jpg

I adore the Peverill of the Peak.

I don't think I've ever been to a place where people are universally snotty enough to dismiss the place as "unfriendly". Well, maybe Skelmersdale.

I like the Bay Horse too.

Isn't this normally the time when someone wades in pouring class-war scorn on Chorlton? That's always entertaining.

heh, call me snotty as much as you like, it is unfriendly... it's not like i only went there once (been a few times a year over the last 8 or 9 years) OR expected it to be unpleasant (on the contrary - all that music history stuff! i was excited...), but pretty much everyone i've randomly spoken to there has been cold, hard, aggressive or unhelpful. i'd thought about going to university there but when i finally went i was SO pleased i didn't.

thinking about it, i think every city i've ever been to (except perhaps beijing) has been a zillion times more welcoming.

I also agree with him. There are no areas of Grtr M/cr where it feels universally unfriendly or "hard" or up itself or whatever. It's a big urban area; you get your friendly people, your unfriendly types and everything in between. I personally find it a warm city overall, but that's probably all of my family/friend associations with the place.

I went out in Levenshulme last night for the first time in ten years. It's supposed to be "up and coming" apparently. It's got a fair way to go.

But then again, I also saw casual racism and racist abuse in Manchester that shocked me, even as a Londoner.

But any city is going to have good and bad bits like that. I'd love to go back, especially for a gig.

I dunno, it's an odd thing to say that an entire city of thousands and thousands of people are all unfriendly. It's a city. There're good people, there're bad people. Maybe you were just really unlucky or maybe there's something inherent in you that Mancunians find repulsive. Emsk, come again and I'll set up an X Factor style audition of exemplary Mancs and we'll give a critique of your personality to work out what exactly about you rankles us.

Anyway MarkH, I recommend Invest In Property at Joshua Brooks on Friday. Good busy night of 20somethings and dressed-up types, usual electro-indie-punk-rock stuff, nothing mind blowing DJwise, but nice and busy and friendly and fun. Smile on Saturdays would have been good but you're not here then. Not sure what's on on Thursdays but www.manchesteronline.co.uk might be worth a look. Myself and ILX's own Piscesboy should be around at Invest so if you see us, definitely say hi. We look like this: http://www.stevie-wilson.fotopic.net/p19271563.html (I'm the one looking gobsmacked and my name is Ian, hi).

obviously i LOVE this idea!

Also MarkH, Tramp on the Weds night is a v good night. Studenty but superb DJing and atmosphere, they usually have great acts on (Ignition live set coming up and Justice DJ set just gone). Well recommended. Plus, a new gay electro-indie-rock night at Legends on Thursdays. Not been yet but meant to be good.

Manchester's all right.

When is next Clique, seeing as how its conspiring to be when I'm ill or in London/Munich? I'm planning to be in Paris or New York for the next couple so I can complete the set.

Espionage is hibernating, I think.

Actually, one of the bestest nights ever is coming soon - Homoelectric back at Legends. They had Richard X on last year and he wants to return, Phil Oakey is also lined up but this month it's Mark Moore (S'Express). I think it's the 21st Oct. It's uh, another sleazy electro night but it's gay and one of the best in town.

You or Pisces coming to Goldfrapp on Saturday? Wanted to see the Go! Team but it's sold out, shite.

yeah Tag i'm going to goldfrapp, i'll have to haggle outside with a scally in the now traditional way.

it's at the academy right? jeepers, talk about your unsuitable venues.

Got Go! Team ticket now, just need to find two more for assorted Scandinavian friends.

Goldfrapp were very slick and professional and put on a good show but somehow didn't move me. Go! Team were ace though.