August in Manchester
Well...From what I can say Manchester is a little bit Philadelphia (former industrial hub turned university town), a little bit Pittsburgh (funky little city with a refreshing blue collar attitude) and maybe even a little bit Baltimore (they talk kinda funny...). The city center has been recognized for it's modern architecture, the Northern Quarter is full of new loft style apartment buildings that mingle quite nicely with the former warehouses, factories, and mills. Efforts seem to have been made when possible to preserve some architectural elements of the old city (see Wholesale Fish Market facade above).
I was graciously hosted by Craig and his housemates in Chorlton, a little town-turned-suburb southwest of the city center. For those of you familiar with the DC area think Takoma Park or Mount Ranier. Complete with whole food co-op, trendy bars and cafes(including the Idaho which specializes in such fantastic American beers as Sierra Nevada!), and the obligatory Wetherspoons. Even the Wetherspoons was cute in Chorlton- Situated between the funeral home and the public library. For more photos of Chorlton visit http://www.sociology.mmu.ac.uk/chorlton/chorlpic.htm.
Presumably built to house mill workers the row houses in Chorlton all look pretty much the same but the young families inhabiting them are turning them into very cute little homes. Unfortunately much like many neighborhoods going through the same transitions most young families are now priced out of the local housing market.
I also had the opportunity to have lunch with Julian Ashworth from the GMPTE (the local transit authority) to discuss cycling programs and facilities in the area. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Manchester understands the importance of both public transport and liveable, walkable, bikeable communities.
Now on to the really fun stuff- bike racing and drinking beer... With the help of local bicycle messenger company owner Jon Chang we set up an alleycat for the handfull of local bike messengers.
Jon devised a fast and tricky course through the streets of downtown Manchester. The race amazingly began promptly at 7:00 at the sound of the buzzer rang by the master of ceremonies 3-year-old Levi Chang (to the racers who false started- you made him cry!!).
The race was over and done with within the course of an hour with the first finishers arriving back at the Sandbar at around 7:40. Chris finished first (also winning both preims) but forgot to pick up a burger king placemat. While he was sprinting to Piccadilly for this final item he was beat by 18 year old Clodge (about a week shy of his 19th). Fueled by Haribo gummy bears Clodge vomited at the finish line as any good winner s
hould. Final top three placements were Clodge, followed by Chris in 2nd place, and Craig in 3rd.Special thanks to Craig, Levi, Jon, Zero, the DCBCA, the SandBar, the kind staff of Burger King, Paul and Paul's Bicycle Boutique, Shlurp, and everyone else who manned a checkpoint, donated a prize, or just showed up to cheer on the racers.
Sadly i had to return state-side to get back to work at WABA, but I will return to Manchester soon enough. This time knowing that tea means dinner and brew means tea. weirdos....
posted by Maggie at 11:29 AM
1 comments
