This was the first weekend I stayed here in Manchester and The Big One came up to explore it with me. We had a terrific time, we went to see the amazing Sufjan Stevens on Thursday night (see well deserved dedicated blog post), then Friday after rehearsals we stayed in to watch The Omen (the original of course). But on Saturday after a sufficiently luxurious lie in we went exploring.
We started with The Manchester Art Gallery which is currently hosting a terrific Anish Kapoor exhibition called Flashback. I had never seen his work before and was quite literally 'mind blown'. It was so intense, so exciting, so challenging in terms of optical illusion that I could barely take in the Victorian collection we saw afterwards.
The gallery was really lovely and entirely free including the exhibition. We liked it so much that we stayed for lunch which was also pretty marvellous.
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| A 'Manchester Brunch' |
After filling ourselves right up we headed to the People's History Museum to swot up on the Cotton Industry during the 1850's (the time the play I am doing is set). Another great and free museum that I would thoroughly recommend. Loads to see and take in and lots of fun interactive bits.
From here we headed to explore The Northern Quarter. A really fun and cool area of Manchester full of independent boutiques and cafes. They have converted the old Fish Market into an Art & Craft centre full of designers whose little studio spaces double as shops to sell their handmade wares. I took some lovely pics but...The Big One has just got on his train back to London, in a hurry, and I forgot to rescue my camera from out of his jacket. As soon as I get the images I shall post them up.
After muchos wandering we felt justified in stopping to have a lickle tea and cake at a lovely little cafe North Tea Power.
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| pretty pretty plates! |
We then headed to Ancoats so I could revisit a fantastic yarn shop I had found the previous week, again I took lots of photos on my camera not my phone so I'll have to write that post another time....
From there we went to the cinema to watch Attack The Block, written and directed by the brilliant Joe Cornish of 'Adam & Joe' fame. It was really really good, I was scared, laughed and was throughly entertained. Ratings!
Now you're probably thinking, gosh it must be time for more food and yes! It was! Don't ask where we put it all cos I genuinely have no idea but somehow we managed to put away a LOT of delicious Chinese food at Red Chilli.
What a full to burst day! On our way back to my digs we decided Manchester is definitely a great city, so much so that I am tempted to pur-chase one of these before I return to London in July...
"Manchester's got everything except a beach."
- Ian Brown
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