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See | Stay | Eat | Drink | Buy | Unwind
See
If you want to spend an enlightening afternoon, start on Deansgate at the John Rylands Library (150 Deansgate, 0161-306 0555, library.manchester.ac.uk/deansgate). Built by Enriqueta Rylands as a tribute to her textiles-tycoon husband, Manchester's answer to the Taj Mahal was opened on New Year's Day 1900. The dramatic, monastic building houses an equally impressive collection, including the earliest known fragment of the New Testament in any language and a first edition of Shakespeare's sonnets. Leaving the library, turn left off Deansgate onto Bridge Street towards the People's History Museum (Left Bank, Spinningfields, 0161-838 9190, phm.org.uk), which celebrates the history of working people in Britain and was founded by the Trade Union, Labour and Co-operative History Society. It originally opened in Limehouse, London, in 1975, relocated to Manchester in 1990 and after extensive refurbishment reopened in its current home in 2010.
If you're still in the mood for people's history, you could then walk the five or 10 minutes to the Working Class Movement Library (51 The Crescent, Salford, 0161-736 3601 wcml.org.uk; open Tue-Fri 10am–5pm, the 3rd Saturday of every month and other times by appointment) by heading over the river to the bottom of Bridge Street (you're now officially in Salford) and turning left onto The Crescent. This singular library opened in 1987 and was described by Tony Benn as "one of the greatest educational institutions in Britain".
Stay
Manchester's only five-star hotel remains The Lowry (50 Dearmans Place, 0161-827 4000, thelowryhotel.com, doubles from £166 on late deals), favoured by visiting football teams and pop stars playing the nearby Manchester Arena.
If you're looking for something a bit more intimate and boutique, try the Great John Street Hotel (Great John Street, 0161-831 3211, eclectichotels.co.uk/great-john-street, doubles from £199), in an old school house just off Deansgate, or Velvet Hotel (2 Canal Street, Manchester, 0161-236 7127, velvetmanchester.com, doubles from £120), a plush, boutique hotel five minutes from Piccadilly train station and the hubbub of the Northern Quarter but tucked away from the madness. As the name implies, Velvet goes "large" in the furnishings, giving a louche, warm feel to the bar area – while the rooms feature oversized sleigh beds, chaise longues and mock Louis XIV furniture. It's all very stylish.
Eat
After picking up numerous accolades at its original Heaton Moor restaurant, which opened in 2009, Steve Pilling (formerly of Sam's Chop House and Mr Thomas's Chop House) and Simon Stanley opened their second, Damson, in MediaCity at the start of February. Damson's (Orange Building, MediaCityUK, Salford, 0161-751 7020, damsonrestaurant.co.uk, set two-course menu £15.95) inventive modern British cooking (think warm salad of smoked ham hock with crispy egg, creamed lentils with potato and truffle, and pot au feu of brisket with horseradish mash) has drawn superlatives from critics and fellow chefs. The new Damson also boasts a tremendous view across MediaCity and the Manchester Ship Canal to the Imperial War Museum and Old Trafford.
Annies (5 Old Bank Street, 0161-839 4423, anniesmanchester.co.uk, mains from £10.50) is located in the Royal Exchange building, just off St Ann's Square (hence the name), in the heart of the shopping district and offers an afternoon tea menu (£14.95) for those who need a break from retail therapy. It is owned by Coronation Street actor Jennie McAlphine (who plays Fizz) and her partner Chris Farr, and serves classic British food, such as braised lamb shanks and its own take on Betty's Hotpot, in a cosy space that is all wooden paneling and low-level lighting.
Drink
Bakerie (45 Lever Street, 0161-236 9014, bakerie.co.uk) is a European-style bread and wine bar that opened just over a year ago in the Northern Quarter. It holds "wine school" tasting evenings and is family friendly during the day, offering a toddler menu (of food, not wine).
Cloud 23 (Beetham Tower, Hilton Manchester, 303 Deansgate, 0161-870 1670, cloud23bar.com) is located on floor 23 of the Beetham Tower, with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide the best views of Manchester and the surrounding area. The bar itself has never quite gelled but the view is so stunning at dusk that any minor gripes are soon forgotten.
For a late night drink (open till 4am most nights), head to the Black Dog Ballroom (Corner Tib Street/Church Street, 0161-839 0664, blackdogballroom.co.uk), below Affleck's Palace in the Northern Quarter. The brainchild of Mancunian nocturnal doyen Ross Mackenzie, the Black Dog is a late night New York-style bar with a sunken pool area that serves good cocktails. People may have their own favourite bars in the Northern Quarter but they all find themselves drawn to the Black Dog as the evening draws on. It now has a sister venue on New Wakefield Street on the south side of the city centre, and a bar and bowling alley called Dog Bowl opening soon on Whitworth Street West.
Buy
The Northern Quarter (northernquartermanchester.com) remains Manchester's one-stop destination for creative independent shops. It's one of the few places in the UK where record shops are still thriving – try Piccadilly Records (53 Oldham Street, 0161-839 8008, piccadillyrecords.com) for the best new releases, Vinyl Revival (18 Oldham Street, 0161-661 6393, vinylrevivalmcr.com) for Manchester music and memorabilia or Vinyl Exchange (5 Hilton Street, 0161-228 1122, vinylexchange.co.uk) for secondhand gems.
The Richard Goodall Gallery (59 Thomas Street, 0161-832 3435, richardgoodallgallery.com) offers a fantastic collection of photography, paintings, prints and posters, and Oi Polloi (63 Thomas Street, 0161-831 7870, oipolloi.com) is the best menswear shop in the country but there are plenty of other quirky independents to discover. If you need a breather, stop off for a brew at Mr Scruff's cafe Teacup (55 Thomas Street, 0161-832 3233, teacupandcakes.com).
Unwind
The Rochdale canal winds its way through the centre of Manchester from Piccadilly, through the Gay Village, past the old Haçienda and down to Castlefield.
Despite its cultural interest it is often overlooked, which prompted Marketing Manchester and the city council to launch the Hear Manchester trail (hearmanchester.com), available for free to be played on your computer or smartphone. Hosted by cultural motormouth John Robb with over 30 guests, from city councilors to pop stars, the trail is best taken during the day.
