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joemanock
13th September 2019

Making the Most of Manchester

Writer Joe Manock shares his essential places to visit in Manchester to ensure you make the most out of your time here
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Making the Most of Manchester
Manchester Skyline photo: Ignacio Palomo Duarte @flickr

The most exciting thing about starting university in Manchester is the extraordinary range of places to explore in the city. There are many avenues to discover and each one promises its own joyful experience. To get the most out of your time in Manchester get out and be bold in how you explore and get to know the city.

Here are some places I’d recommend you start with, but there are many others besides these.

A night spent at the world-famous Frog and Bucket comedy club is a night well spent. If you attend on a Monday night for ‘Beat the Frog’, have a laugh for free with your student card and watch in awe as comedians go up against the crowd in a hysterical and unpredictable open mic night.

Bowling is the crown jewel of a wholesome and nostalgic afternoon of entertainment and involves plenty of friendly competition. Venture down to Didsbury on the 142 bus and go to Tenpin Bowling which holds Tenpin Tuesdays where you can enjoy half-price bowling and drinks. Alternatively, there is the Dog Bowl near Oxford Road train station where you can enjoy half-price bowling during the week.

Manchester is bursting with an ever-expanding array of pubs and bars and a fun, yet efficient way to explore these is through planning a bar crawl. A bar crawl along Portland Street will take you through a staggeringly eclectic range of places including The Grey Horse Inn, Bar Wave and Fab Café – a movie-themed bar which holds regular events – which all feel like entirely different worlds.

Located within the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, lies plenty of vintage shops sprawled across Oldham Street. Be sure to visit any one of these for a cheap way to upgrade your wardrobe. Take a look around Affleck’s whilst you’re there and plunge into what is known as the ’emporium of eclecticism’. When you’ve finished browsing, wander down the surrounding side streets where you’ll be sure to stumble across the finest street art, alongside a host of impossibly chic cafés and bars.

Finally, a quintessential part of any Mancunian student experience is a meal on the Curry Mile. In particular, Mughli’s Charcoal Pit offers remarkably delicious Indian dishes. Or try Jerk Shack located on Church Street which showcases exquisite Jamaican cuisine in a street food environment, offering unrivalled and ever-changing curries that I implore you to check out.

Exploring Manchester thoroughly will make the city feel less like a sprawling conglomerate and more like home. Discovering the city leads to you being more settled and as an added bonus, these environments are perfect for forging meaningful friendships.

 


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