Manchester, UK
By Andrew Collins

A couple of decades ago, even the most intrepid travelers wouldn't have given the Northern England metropolis of Manchester much consideration as a vacation destination. But this onetime factory and cotton-mill town founded by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. has enjoyed one of the most stunning resurgences of any city in Europe in recent years. Britain's third-largest city (with a population of about 2.7 million) has become a chic shopping mecca, a hub of intriguing postmodern architecture, and a dynamic Gay Village neighborhood, with numerous gay bars, shops, and restaurants. There's now much to see and do in Manchester, and compared with exorbitantly pricey London, the city is much less expensive.

As in many industrial cities in both Europe and North America, developers, urban pioneers, and gays and lesbians have moved into once faltering neighborhoods, restoring old homes and converting factory buildings into working and living spaces. The city now has an air of excitement about it, tempered only by the fact that it's one of Great Britain's rainiest places. Still, the positives far outweigh the negatives. And the city's tourism office, Marketing Manchester, is extremely keen on welcoming gay and lesbian visitors - it produces a useful free gay guide to the city, which you can also peruse online at www.visitgaymanchester.com. The city's Manchester Gay Pride event, held during 10 days in mid- to late August, is one of world's largest such gatherings.

Two Manchester passions that have held up over the years are a love of football (i.e., soccer to Americans) and a dedication to live music. The city's Manchester United football team plays in the adjacent community of Trafford, and catching a match is de rigueur for any visitor hoping to get a genuine sense of the city's heart and soul. It can be challenging to get a ticket, but a good hotel concierge can usually set you up, albeit at a steep price. The season runs from mid-August through mid-May. The city's music scene gave the world such lauded pop acts as Joy Division, Oasis, and the ambiguously gay Morrissey, and this is still a great town to watch live bands perform at the many clubs around town.

Culturally, Manchester has a number of worthwhile attractions. You can learn about the city's rich Roman history at the 7-acre Castlefield Urban Heritage Park, which contains a rebuilt partial Roman fortification as well as an acclaimed Museum of Science and Industry. Fans of contemporary art should check out The Lowry, an arts center that presents provocative installations and also shows top-notch touring theater performances. There's also the Manchester Art Gallery, which is rife with high-quality British paintings, most of them from the 19th century to the present.

Other notable stops include the Royal Exchange building, a dramatic 1870s structure that once held the city's cotton market and now has shops and restaurants; the ornate Town Hall, with its nearly 300-foot-tall clock tower and rooms filled with elaborate murals (guided tours are available); and the University of Manchester's impressive Whitworth Art Gallery. Also, within an easy train ride are such pleasing day-trip options as Liverpool, with its own festive Gay Village and a number of excellent museums, and Peak District National Park, with its outstanding recreational opportunities, from hiking to cycling.
Continue to page 2>>>

Page 1 of 3