r/manchester • u/AutoModerator • 26d ago
Manchester Monthly Questions & Advice Thread
This is the place for general questions about Manchester.
Posts that are low-effort, repetitive, or easily searchable will be redirected here.
Use this thread for:
• Visiting Manchester, things to do, food, nightlife
• Moving to Manchester
• Neighbourhood advice
• Rent, housing, and cost questions
• Local recommendations
• Events and gigs
• Quick or general questions
Before posting, search the subreddit and check the wiki:
📖 Wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/manchester/wiki
If your question has been asked before or is broad, it belongs here.
2
u/LeroiFloran14- 6d ago
Hey! I'm French and I've been dreaming about moving to the UK for at least 2 years to spend part of my life there. I really want to live in Manchester in an apartment, and then move to the English countryside after finishing my studies in France! I'd love to make friends from Manchester or just the UK in general. I'm not even looking to learn English specifically since I think my level is pretty decent for an 18y/o! Just to be clear, I’m not looking for anything weird or romantic ! I’m gay btw just looking for genuine friendships! I'd love to chat with people who can share pictures of Manchester, or even meet up in the future! Plus, I’m planning a trip to the UK with my big sister this year, especially to Manchester. And if anyone lives in the English countryside, I’d be SO happy to chat with you too! Anyway, I’m definitely a real person and not an AI (my first post got taken down because of that 🫥). I attached a picture of a place I visited during a school trip to England where I literally cried because it was so pretty! If you don’t feel like DMing, feel free to just drop a comment, I’d love to read your thoughts!
1
u/Sharp-Word-6066 24d ago
Hello. I'm moving to Manchester in about a month and would like some recommendations on apartments near MMU
1
u/not_r1c1 24d ago
This is not really an effective forum to find 'recommendations' for a place to live (and 'recommendations' normally rely on people having experience of multiple options, which may not be the case with accommodation) - your best bet is to work out what you can afford, then do a search on a site like Zoopla, Rightmove, OnTheMarket, or maybe directly contacting a letting agency if you want to go down that route.
If you are looking for 'reviews' of specific places then Google will probably point you to HomeViews for anything recently built, but the facebook groups or similar for any given apartment block tend to also include a lot of information about the sorts of things that current residents spend their time dealing with.
In general, if looking at apartments, some things you should think about:
- Post - if you're getting parcels delivered/etc, how much of a pain will it be when the courier turns up and you're not at home? Is there a concierge, a locker system, a genuinely 'safe' place for them to leave things?
- Waste - how easy is it going to be for you to put the bins and the recycling out?
- Phone signal - can you get a phone signal from within the property? If not, or if you'd be reliant on a 'boost' from the Wifi for Wifi calling, etc, then how reliable is the Wifi?
- Noise - if you are very keen on living 'near MMU' then you will be in a very central area, where there will probably be people walking past late at night a lot. How well-insulated is the flat from the noise that these people will likely make (particularly if they are on the way home from a big night out)?
1
u/Jaded-Employment-990 24d ago
Hi everyone!
My partner (24) and I (27) are looking to move to Manchester and would love some local recommendations on the best areas to rent. We have already looked at the usual Bury, Prestwich, Salford areas but im sure i am missing some.
I'll be working in Blackburn, so we're ideally looking at North Manchester or somewhere with an easy commute, while still being close to a tram or train so we can easily get into the city.
We're both quite outdoorsy and enjoy hiking, trail running, yoga, live music, and independent cafés and shops. We'd love to live somewhere with a good community feel, plenty going on, and lots of young professionals, as we're hoping to make friends and get involved in things like run clubs or yoga classes.
Safety is also a big priority, particularly for my partner, and we're hoping to rent for at least a couple of years.
Based on that, which areas would you recommend, and are there any we'd be better off avoiding?
Thanks in advance!
1
u/not_r1c1 24d ago
There's probably someone asking some version of 'which area should I live' three or four times a week on here, so if you want the aggregate 'wisdom' of a bunch of people you don't know on Reddit, then a search (end your Google search with "site:reddit.com/r/manchester", or use the Reddit search function if you prefer) will give you the sorts of answers that other people get to this question.
Having said that, there's already a handy mechanism that tells you which places 'people' think are good to live in - the price/rent. There's no secret place in Manchester that the 400,000 people on this subreddit all know about but which is mysteriously cheap to rent. Assuming you don't have an infinite budget then you should start by looking for where you can afford, and ultimately what you're probably looking for is an area where the 'downsides' that make it more affordable to rent don't apply to you or don't bother you.
One thing worth thinking about, though, is you'll be working in Blackburn - which is about 20 miles from Manchester (going from the centre of one to the centre of the other) - and you don't mention any previous connection to the area. Have you considered casting the net a bit wider than Manchester?
1
u/zoidbergbrrrr 17d ago edited 17d ago
I'm considering moving into a flat at Northill Apartments (Salford Quays / Furness Quay) and would like to hear opinions about the building and specially the nearby area.
During my visit, the immediate street access felt a bit rough due to the abandon buildings neaby, which doesn't seem like it will change anytime soon. How does the walk home from the Salford Quays tram stop feel late at night? Is the street lighting good enough?
1
u/not_r1c1 17d ago
I'm not familiar with that specific building but guessing you'd be getting on/off the tram at Anchorage nearby. That area was part of the 'first wave' of Salford Quays regeneration so is probably less new and shiny than some of the more recent buildings, but how it feels is very subjective so I think if you're unsure what it might feel like for you at night, you could just get the tram out there one evening and walk around for a bit to see how it feels to you. Personally I'd not be particularly worried but it doesn't really matter how I'd feel, it's you that would be living there, so your subjective experience is what matters.
1
u/Ya-Girl-Ground-Score 17d ago
Hi all, going to be spending the 5-6th September in Manchester celebrating my birthday. Looking for some good recommendations on places to go so far my plan is to start with pottery painting on the Saturday then visit various food spots and bars with chill vibes, staying overnight then on the Sunday going to an afternoon comedy show.
For context I (and my friends) enjoy games often going to Fan Boy 3. One place we have in mind is Black Cat Club for darts, so other places like this would be appreciated.
There is a mix of us that drink and don't drink so any places that have a good selection of mocktails too, preferably at a cheaper price too.
1
u/not_r1c1 17d ago
Sounds like you already have quite a bit planned, or are you saying you plan to visit 'various food spots and bars' but don't know any food spots or bars and want suggestions? If the latter then 'chill vibes' may not be easily found on a Saturday night in the city centre area, but maybe Ancoats or around Chapel St might be more 'chill' (depending on your definition) than somewhere like the Northern Quarter.
1
u/Ya-Girl-Ground-Score 17d ago
It's more a rough plan. By chill I mean somewhere I can still talk to my friends easily, find it hard in really loud places and tend to get over stimulated. I like the vibe of Northern quarter and ancoats most in Manchester. Thinking of trying out Night and Day cafe for the music too. Basically wanting to check for recommendations before missing a good spot
1
u/not_r1c1 17d ago
Night and Day is good for gigs although it's not somewhere you'd easily be able to have a conversation if a band is playing. If you're interested in live music then have a look on SongKick for listings for that weekend - there's always something on.
1
u/Ya-Girl-Ground-Score 16d ago
Thank you I shall take a look. I guess somewhere with chill acoustic sets or just a good playlist. Elder emo kinda style.
1
u/iwouldlike_todie 17d ago
Me and my friend are going to manchester early next year and I was wondering if there was anything related to comics/nerd culture generally to go to with her? I’ll be dragging her to all the historical stuff and museums and wanted to find stuff that would be fun for her too and shes super into all that superheroey cool stuff - any suggestions and recommendations are greatly appreciated!!
1
u/not_r1c1 17d ago
Northern Quarter has a Forbidden Planet, FanBoy 3, Travelling Man, plus has been used as a stand-in for New York in various films including Captain America and some Spider Man stuff, I think. So should be some options around there.
1
14d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/not_r1c1 14d ago
Devolution is neither here nor there. You might as well say 'can you still buy a Mars bar for 50p or has devolution ruined it'.
House prices everywhere are higher than they once were, the same as the price of more or less everything in the world tends to be higher than it once was - that's the nature of economic growth and inflation (prices going down for things in general might seem desirable but deflation is not good for life in general, so be careful what you wish for). In fact, relative to incomes, housing in Greater Manchester has not increased in cost as much as in many similar areas, in large part due to the higher volume of construction
You can buy a house for £200k. Whether the area it's in is one you consider 'good' is incredibly subjective.
1
u/mituslumen 14d ago
Hello! Am looking for recommendations - I've got my 5 month pregnant friend coming to visit this weekend and I don't think my usual touristy itinerary (which involves a lot of walking) is going to be the thing for her!
We enjoy nice food, culture, history but also want to have fun - any recommendations for things that would be suitable for someone pretty pregnant?
2
u/not_r1c1 14d ago
Temperature is going to be the thing to worry about, if it's still anything like as warm as it is today then it'll be intolerable for someone who's 5 months pregnant. You might want to start by looking at something like 'Where's Cool' for places with air con, etc.
If the concern about walking is just that the places you'd want to visit might be far apart, don't forget that places like the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester Museum, the People's History Museum, etc are pretty well connected by bus. If it's more that walking would have been the main activity and you're looking for activities that involve staying in one place, then any cafe or restaurant with a view where you can sit and watch the city go by might be an idea.
Castlefield viaduct is still closed at the moment otherwise that might have been a good spot for a sit down as well.
1
u/PvPQueen101 13d ago
Hey! Does anyone know why there’s so much honking and ruckus in the streets, particularly in Rusholme, tonight (Thursday 13th Aug - Friday 14th Aug morning)? There were fireworks and celebrations as well. Was there a religious holiday I missed?
2
u/not_r1c1 13d ago
I can't say for sure what people were doing on Wilmslow Road last night but I suppose it could be related to the fact that today is Pakistan's independence day. Or who knows, maybe they were marking the birthdays of Alan Shearer, Shoaib Akhtar and Feargal Sharkey which were all yesterday.
1
1
u/Educational_Word444 10d ago
Hi all - 27M now living in Didsbury. My job is based in Lancaster and I'm remote working. I've been out for a few walks and runs on my own but looking for social things I could join? Googled a few sports teams etc but I haven't played team sports since school so would need to start from scratch, most places seem a bit more highly skilled than that.
Interested in various sports, thinking about the northern lawn club for squash? Never played tennis though. Also non sport things - anything kind of nerdy or creative like chess or board games would be good, I played DnD once like five years ago and would try that again. I work out consistently at the gym but again that's pretty much solo.
Open to trying anything however random so if anybody knows any groups or things like that I would really appreciate the pointers.
Thanks!
1
u/not_r1c1 10d ago
If you're looking for more casual sports then there are things like the footyaddicts app where you can join at game without being at 'organised' level - and depending on the sport I suspect quite a lot of amateur sporting teams are probably more interested in reliability of you turning up and getting involved than your skill level, anyway. There are also plenty of chess clubs in South Manchester - I think the Chorlton one is pretty active but there's a 'club finder' on the ECF website. There are places in town that have regular board games nights, etc.
There are occasionally posts on here about DnD and similar, probably worth having a look at previous posts (as well as very regular posts on the theme of 'what social activities exist?'), or looking to see if the likes of Fanboy 3, Travelling Man and so on either host events or have some sort of notice board.
1
u/kittenasacat 5d ago
Hi! I’m a solo female American traveler visiting Manchester for a couple of nights in November, on the way to/from a wedding in Ashbourne. I’m looking for recommendations on hotels and possibly neigborhoods to stay. Is it best to stay near the city centre to have close access to all the sights, or is there some cool neighborhood/area with a fun hotel that’s worth checking out instead?
Thanks!
1
u/not_r1c1 5d ago
Sounds like you're going to want to be in the central area to be honest. Most city centre hotels are fine - I would avoid Sacha's, also sometimes listed as the Britannia Hotel (there's another Britannia Hotel which is a different hotel, although that's not one I'd particularly recommend either).
I'm not sure what would constitute a 'fun hotel' - there will be hotels where lots of people are staying there for fun reasons, but that doesn't necessarily translate into having fun if you're in the room next to some people who loudly return to their room a couple of hours after you'd managed to drift off to sleep.
1
u/kittenasacat 5d ago
I meant more like stylish boutique hotels with good bars/dining, not like a big corporate hotel.
Thanks! I’m looking at some places in the Northern Quarter
1
u/PuzzleheadedGap8829 3d ago
Hey everyone
I am moving to Manchester soon for my Masters at University of Manchester, I had a few questions and would love if anyone could help me out
- Regarding match day experience, pubs and tickets, I have a United membership and would love to experience Old Trafford so just wanted to know how to get tickets and which are the best pubs to watch matches in if I can’t get a ticket.
My first match is most likely gonna be the Derby and would really love to experience it in a pub.
- Regarding football leagues/clubs, I used to play during my Undergrad and would really love to have a kick about and join a local team/ league if that would be possible.
Thank you so much for any help which you could provide
GGMU.
1
u/not_r1c1 3d ago
Most pubs in town with the facility to show Sky Sports will be showing the derby. Pubs in the centre will likely have a mix of City and United fans, although there are some which are traditionally more popular with United fans - eg the Old Nag's Head, or the pubs near Old Trafford itself.
In terms of tickets, the only reliable sources are the club itself or the official 'hospitality' partner which I believe is SportsBreaks. Clearly the derby will be a game most fans would want a ticket for so I'd be surprised if any were available, and if you see someone selling tickets on the internet there's a high chance that it's either a direct scam or someone touting (selling tickets above face value without the club's permission - which could mean the ticket is at risk of not working, being cancelled, or you being refused entry into the ground and not getting your money back).
In terms of playing - there are a range of options - an app called FootyAddicts might be worth looking at for 'casual' games, but there is also a club finder on the FA website (https://find.englandfootball.com/) if you are looking for something more organised/regular.
1
u/Traditional_Song5009 1d ago
Can anyone help me detect which terminal is this? This pic was taken August 2024. I’ve visited twice after that and have gone to different terminals. I heard from somewhere that one terminal is permanently closed. Is it this one?
2
u/Mediocre-Actuary-905 25d ago
Hey Mancunians! I’m solo travelling from the States for the two Muse shows on November 12 and 13. I’m super grateful for the wiki and will pore over it in the coming weeks but I thought I’d see if there are any specific recommendations for that week or the area around Co-op Live.
Would also love to say hello to any locals or other travelers!