Favourite areas of Manchester

[dannyb]

just looking at this thread makes me realise how many good 'areas' we have in the city; and once all the current developments (spinningfields, picc place etc.) are completed, we should have many more. then the city centre will really be something and "world class"

[Schooner]

Originally Posted by Jongeman

LOL. Yeah, I'm a complete Manc obsessive. Always have been, probably always will be.

I had the misfortune of going to school down south, and I was always told that I came from the biggest shitheap on the planet and that I was working class scum and should fuck off back up north..........................??

(Which didn't help)

It was twenty years ago, though

This is the main reason why I also hate the Manchester v Birmingham v Leeds etc bullshit that goes on on this site. Not necessary.

I am, fairly new to the forum,and I know this post is many years old,but if you are still out there, can you tell me,were you going to school in Mayfair or Westminster, as the vast majority of London is working class,and Manchester compares very favourably with,and in many cases better than most London Boroughs.

[NQ Lee]

Originally Posted by Schooner

I am, fairly new to the forum,and I know this post is many years old,but if you are still out there, can you tell me,were you going to school in Mayfair or Westminster, as the vast majority of London is working class,and Manchester compares very favourably with,and in many cases better than most London Boroughs.

Manchester City Centre compares favourably with SOME London boroughs. It does not compare favourably with Central London. Manchester's surrounding suburbs on the other hand are abysmal and are some of the grottiest crime infested areas I have ever seen anywhere in the country.

[NQ Lee]

My favourite parts of Manchester are Castlefield, Albert Square, Parsonage Gardens, G-Mex area and Great Northern Square.

I loathe Spinningfields, Market St and Piccadilly Gardens. Vile!

[neil081273]

My favourite areas, in no particular order are Castlefield, NQ, Chinatown, Village, Spinningfields. Of the burbs, I like Chorlton, Worsley and Prestwich.

[Aenedor]

Originally Posted by NQ Lee

Manchester City Centre compares favourably with SOME London boroughs. It does not compare favourably with Central London. Manchester's surrounding suburbs on the other hand are abysmal and are some of the grottiest crime infested areas I have ever seen anywhere in the country.

...and for balance, two suburbs are up there with the best education authorities in the country (Stockport and Trafford) ((talking public school results btw, not private)).

My walks in Mcr have been restricted to places near where I work at the bottom of Deansgate, so Spinningfields, Castlefield, Town Hall and surroundings, Manchester Central and Pomona (the land that time forgot).

[Pablo Diablo]

Northern Quarter and Castlefield from the city centre.
I think I'd say my favourite suburb is Chorlton.
And the bit of Salford Quays that's mid-rise 1980s flats... not too fond of the modern glass and plastic residential buildings.

[heatonparkincakes]

I am going to go for the broadest geographically definition of "Manchester" and in different times.

So I would say fir me it's:

Prestwich now - obviously erm.

Bury market on a Saturday after being at the gym.

Albert Square on an early Saturday morning.

Piccadilly station mid day week day

Monton Saturday afternoon (erm unintentionally a theme emerges)

Walking down lower Deansgate at about 8pm in the mid summer.

Frosty nights between the Fribge to the BOTW.

Places though I would avoid.

Most of the plastic wing of the Northern Quarter towards Shude Hill

Rochdale and Chorlton

[future.architect]

My favourites:

Chorlton, especially the ville, beach road, the green and chorlton ees.



Deansgate
Castefield
Whitworth Street
St Annes Square
Exchange Square
Cathedral Gardens
The Village is still a pleasant place to spend time, but it has gone down hill unfortunately
The Northern Quarter/ Piccadilly Basin
Albert Square
St Peters Square area (Man Central, Barbirolli Sqaure, Great Northern Sqaure)
Heaton Park

[retep68]

The walk along King Street from Deansgate to Spring Gardens.

[future.architect]

Originally Posted by retep68

The walk along King Street from Deansgate to Spring Gardens.

How could I forget King Street and Spring Gardens. Absolutely epic streets!

[Aaronj09]

Altrincham and Hale.

[retroscient]

City
+ The Village (meant in a wider sense - Canal Street, Whitworth Street, Princess Street, Sackville Street, etc.)
+ Castlefield
+ St Ann's Square and surrounding streets (especially Cross Street, Police Street, King Street)
+ Petersfield (the area surrounding of Manchester Central)
+ Spinningfields

Suburb
+ West Didsbury (esp. Northern Grove, Old Lansdowne Road, Burton Road)
+ Chorlton (esp. Chorlton Cross, Beech Road, Chorlton Green, Chorlton Ees)
+ Didsbury Village
+ Sale Moor (esp. Trinity Road, Derbyshire Road, Cheltenham Drive etc.)
+ Heaton Chapel
+ Hale
+ Hyde (esp. Godley, Werneth Low)
+ Altrincham (though the town centre is a tad shabby)

[Aenedor]

Walking near / along the canal to get between Piccadilly Station and the bottom of Deansgate / Castlefield. Many different faces of Mcr squashed into a 15 minute walk

[Cherguevara]

Originally Posted by future.architect

My favourites:

Chorlton, especially the ville, beach road, the green and chorlton ees.


The Village is still a pleasant place to spend time, but it has gone down hill unfortunately

I'd agree with Chorlton. Even if you don't like it's trendier than thou/lentil munching community, it's a pleasant varied suburb and tolerant to boot.

From a built environment point of view I also really like Whalley Range and Victoria Park. They're both a bit run down, but the houses are large and interesting and the streets leafy and pleasant. From a more central perspective I'd say Ancoats is the bit of the city centre that I find the most interesting, with the mixture of buildings types and styles.

I actually find the village a bit more pleasant now that I found it when I was younger. There's a bit of a more variety in terms of places to go that means you don't have to be on a bender to spend time there. Having said that most of Canal Street itself is looking very tired.

[retroscient]

Originally Posted by Cherguevara

From a built environment point of view I also really like Whalley Range and Victoria Park. They're both a bit run down, but the houses are large and interesting and the streets leafy and pleasant

I couldn't agree more!

Especially with regards to Whalley Range; some of its streets would be very popular indeed, if they were situated in Chorlton or Didsbury. There's a great stock of large, semi-detached Victorian red-brick in fairly good condition, avenues lined by overhanging trees, and Alexandria Park on your doorstep. It's a pleasant and quite impressive area - but for its dodgy reputation.

In a few decades I can certainly see it moving further up-market and becoming one of Manchester's prime upper-middle-class residential offerings. It only lacks a village centre, and unfortunately there's nothing you can do about that.

[poshbakerloo]

Didsbury is really nice! I like the old villages more than the scary city centre.

[kids]

+ 1 on Victoria Park and Whalley Range. Some gorgeous Edwardian housing there. Didsbury and Chorlton are pleasant and all but I'd rather live closer to the thick of things than that.



'Kensington Avenue' And it does have something of a poor man's Kensington feel to it.

[Cherguevara]

Originally Posted by retroscient

In a few decades I can certainly see it moving further up-market and becoming one of Manchester's prime upper-middle-class residential offerings. It only lacks a village centre, and unfortunately there's nothing you can do about that.

The area around Yarburgh Road and Withington Road serves as centre for Whalley Range, but it's out of the way (only 1 bus every 30 mins to Chorlton and town) and doesn't have much above a basic offer. Maybe if the 85 could be diverted down Withington Road it might make it more accessible and improve the viability of businesses in the area.

Victoria Park is even more problematic, as it was never intended to have a centre, being built as a Victorian executive gated community. The obvious place would be Anson Road, if the University could be persuaded to sell it's halls (or at least the land the modern extensions sit on) for mixed use redevelopment).

[poshbakerloo]

I always like the places on the fringes of Manchester, Woodford is a nice place aswell.