In Praise of Manchester - Centre Of My Universe!

I've got this image of you in a 'homestead' huddled round gaslamps under patchwork quilts, with twangy country music in the background...something like 'I lost my heart at the rodeo' (powered by it's own generator of course). Which is probaby a squillion miles from the reality of your life. But to me it seems enchanting.

I heart coffee shops big time...we need 'proper' ones in the UK. I used to live in Vancouver, and I loved a particular coffee shop there called The Bread Garden (do you have them there?). We used to sit outside under gas lamps (in the winter) it seemed so decadent to us 'Little Englanders' at the time...but some places/pubs have them here now.

Are you comfortable with divulging the name of your new premises? I wish you luck and lots of customers though...bet it's hard work!

Yeah, SM. We need proper coffee shops. Not bloody Tarbrush and Costa Packet.

LOL. Not too far off. We were huddled around candles and propane lamps the first night. No quilts, and absolutely no country music. <shudder> My neighbor had a generator running next door, though. I could hear it whining.

My last coffee house was awesome. We had open mic nights, poetry slams, retro (60's) furniture. I can make a mean latte. We ended up closing it after the City bought the property from our landlord and kicked us out because they were going to rennovate the property. It was actually a very historic hotel. Ever hear of Carry Nation? She was a somewhat famous militant crusader against illegal saloons in Kansas, and is particularly famous for breaking a mirror in this hotel (Eaton Hotel) with a hatchet in the year 1900.

Yes, strangely enough, I have heard of Carrie Nation - where's your new shop at? The other one sounded funky. Is it going to be along the same lines?

I'll be off line for a while. As you probably know, my daughter and brother have gone to NY today. I got a txt from her at the check-in this morning to say they had been upgraded to CLUB CLASS, I'm soo jealous.

I'm off to my sisters in Bath (south west england) a very historic Roman City. I shall be visiting the Roman Baths, gallery of English costume and the Pump Rooms for 'high tea'. That's where royalty and the upper classes went to 'take the waters' the (natural spring) water tastes awful and smells of farts (because of the sulpher), but is supposed to be effecatious. You can have Teas, scones and little cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off. All to sound of a live chamber orchestra - very posh. Very 'touristy' though, lots of Americans and Japanese with digicams.

I'm flying! New charter Airline (South West Air). Forty minutes from Manchester to Bristol and only £30.00 (incl. tax)...saves a four hour drive!

Laters!

There's a very good American Museum at Bath, started by Winston Churchill or his mother who was American.
It has Shaker furniture and stuff. Recommended.

I'm back...killing time 'till Ruth's flight comes in at 6.30am.

Didn't make it to the American Museum this time, but I have been before. It WAS interesting, and I had a great lunch there...oh, and the views - fantastic!

Went to the Roman Baths - £9.50 to get in!

My sister gets into things free if she produces a utility bill and ID. Chunnered to the woman that we had 'roman things' in the North and they were all free (probably not true, but my heckles were up at the PRICE of everything). She said admission to attractions kept the Council Tax down! Only rich people (like Jane Seymour, Van Morrison and my sister) can afford to live there! Therefore they can afford their Council Tax.

Then I said "how come I have to pay to see MY heritage"?

Then my sister said "leave it, Sarah" in a very 'stop showing me up' way!

Waiting for my sister to finish shopping (it was bloody freezing this weekend) I went into Bath Abbey...there was a 'suggested' donation of £2.50, but there is a desk/kiosk thing as you go in...and a woman with half moon glasses, who 'suggests' in a very strong way. I told her that I didn't have £2.50 on me, but she could have all the change in my purse...she didn't look pleased. I told her that I needed to go to the cash machine, then got that I was actually justifying why I hadn't got £2.50!

She didn't even offer me a brochure, like she did to the woman in front of me who gave her a fiver and she asked "do you want change"?

It'll all change come the glorious day!

But I did have a great time though...it was fab seeing my sister and her family, we are very close and had lots of laughs. She says she always gets extra Northern for the first few days after a visit from me. Then she reverts to Southern snooty poshness.

She was bemoaning the lack of a decent chippy! :wink:

Was that in Gas Town in VAncouver?

No???...but I do know Gas Town in Vancouver, the clock, Dick on Dicks, why do you ask?

smorgs is back !!! WAHEY !!!

Hiya gorgeous!

Back - but 'shagged out'...you?

X

On the subject of paying for our heritage, the current "suggested donation" for York Minster is £4.50, but (like in Bath it seems) local residents can get in free with our YorkCards, which you get from the council offices/library upon proof of local residency. A cool idea, IMO.

For Chester Cathedral, you pay £4.00 per person (adults) - but get a free 'guidePORT' audio tour of the Cathedral.

Machester was quite famous for ... you know it: cotton ... in the 18th/19th century.

This 'Manchester myth' led to the fact that a couple of towns and cities worldwide got (or took) the sobriquet 'Machester', too.

Only in case, you forget the one or the other, here's a list:


Australia:
Melbourne (" Manchester of Australia")

Belgium:
Gent ("Continental Manchester")
Roeselare ("Manchester of Flanders")
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / Sint-Jans-Molenbeek ("the little Belgian Manchester")

Brasilia:
Juiz de Fora ("Manchester of Minas Gerais")

Bulgaria:
Gabrovo ("Manchester of Balkan"); Sliven ("Manchester of Bulgaria")

Canada:
Cambridge, Ontario [ex Galt] ("Manchester of Canada")

Czech Republic:
Liberec [ex Reichenberg] ("Manchester of Bohemia")

Germany:
Apolda ("Manchester of Thüringia")
Chemnitz [ex 'Karl-Marx-Stadt'] ("Manchester of Saxonia")
Mönchengladbach [ex München Gladbach]("Manchester of the Lower Rhine" / "Rhenish Manchester")

Finland:
Tampere ("Finish Manchester" / "Manchester of the North")

France: Lille ("French Manchester")
Mulhouse ([Mühlhausen]"Alsascian Manchester" ("French Manchster")
Roubaix ("Manchester of Francs")

Greece:
Athen ("Manchester of the South")

India:
Ahmedabad ("Manchester of the East")

Japan:
Osaka ("Manchester of the Orient")

Mexico:
Orizaba (" Manchester of Mexico")

Poland:
Bielsko-Biala [Bielitz-Biala] ("Silesian Manchester "); Lodz ("Manchester of the East" / "Manchester of Poland")

Russia:
Ivanovo ("Manchester of Russia" (after 1918 as well: "the red
Manchester"!)

Slovacia:
Brno [ex Brünn]: ("Manchester of Moravia")

Sweden:
Norrköping ("Manchester of Sweden")


Just in case that I forgot one - do you know of some more? (The only known online list is on the Dutch

I had no idea!...Walter, your posts are so informative!

A pro pos the "Morawian Manchester":

one of the most "secret" places in Manchester seems to be the Fairfield Moravian Settlement in Droylsden



Fairfield Moravian Settlement

And whilst looking through my photos, this shows a kind of "living history", too :wink:

http://www.billnkaz.demon.co.uk/moravian.htm

A most interesting site...

Walter, where's that signpost?

In Stockport.

Did you know that Frankie Vaughn (Give me the Moonlight) once recorded a song about Stockport?

Needless to say it wasn't a hit. :wink: