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all a twitter… about manchester

 c/o Matt Hamm licensed under Creative Commons Unless you have been living under a rock recently you won’t have fail(whale)ed to have heard of Twitter, that has been redesigning how we communicate. As a bit of a twitt-erer myself and to pay thanks to the folks and spambots that take the time to read my tweets here are my favs all about Manchester: 1 ) sweet_shop off to Manchester to wonder at people with whippets and saying the word chuck! 2 ) qikipedia I would like to live in Manchester. The transition between Manchester and death would be unnoticeable – MARK TWAIN 3 ) chrissyhammond It may be raining in Manchester, but…

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changing the world one face at a time

 c/o benprk licensed under Creative Commons Fed up of squinting at my MacBook, whilst composing my latest musings, I decided that it was time to invest in a new pair of spectacles. The vision was to procure the perfect examples of geek ‘chic’ and I can see clearly now the rain has gone I’ve been to Seen.  The small but perfectly formed Seen opticians are tucked away in St. Ann’s Arcade in Manchester city centre. Their motto is ‘changing the world one face at a time’ and with the funkiest frames (with quirky names like Lost in the Library and Self Preservation Society) in town you can see they are onto a winner.  At Seen the…

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metamorphosis

 The University of Manchester‘s Renold Building 1960’s monstrosity or modernist marvel? Well love it or loathe it this building contains a hidden gem. Lurking in the entrance hall on the lower ground floor is a mural by pioneer on British abstract art, Victor Pasmore. This large tiled piece is titled ‘Metamorphosis’ was commissioned under the Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Trust Fund for Mural Painting in Great Britain 1968 – and dominates the basement of this building. So if you’re passing down Sackville Street pop in and take a peak? * Interested in viewing more of Pasmore‘s work in Manchester? Both Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth Art Gallery have items within their collections. But don’t forget…

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shakermaker

 M1lkshake is now open in Manchester’s Arndale Market. In homage of being able design your own dairy based beverages here are my top three recommended combos: 1) Reeses Cups with Minstrels 2) Foam Bananas with Flake 3) Ginger Nuts and Cadbury Fruit and Nut (blended) N.B. I will no longer be watching my waistline now M1kshake is on my route home… ho hum!

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power to the people’s history museum

 So I was wandering around the the fringes of Spinningfields the other week and decided to go a take a sneaky peak on the progress of the new extension to the People’s History Museum (PHM).   For those of you that don’t know the PHM is Manchester’s only national museum, with a collection that charts the history of working people in Britain. The museum has been closed since October 2007 to undergo a multi-million pound redevelopment which is now nearing completion.  The redevelopment includes an extension to the original Pump House building which will house the collections, cafe – complete with new riverside terrace, corporate facilities, textile conservation studio and…

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walking with designosaurs

 At 11 ‘o’ clock A.B. (after breakfast) today great prehistoric beasts roamed the floor of the M.E.N. Arena in the latest performance of the worldwide phenomena of Walking With Dinosaurs. This £10 million arena spectacular, based on the BBC TV series, has roared into town and has been delighting audiences for the last few days. From rippling skin to the blink of an eye the beasties have been expertly designed to look as realistic as possible. The dinosaurs are animatronic giants especially the Daddy of the dinos Mr T-Rex… who raised gasps from the big kids and the little ‘un’s. The dinosaurs are now extinct once again in Manchester but are touring the UK until…

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fancy dressed to impress

 I can be often be found gazing longingly (and looking like a bit of a dummy myself) at designer gear in the windows of Selfridges or Harvey Nics. However when it comes to my fav bit of window dressing nothing can beat the camp and kitsch displays to be found at American Graffitti on Hilton Street, Manchester. American Graffitti is offers a wide range of vintage clothing, fancy dress, accessories and home-ware. So if you are on the look out for something kooky then pop in and take a peek. You’ll be in good company as the store’s clients include the BBC, ITV and Take That. Speaking of dressing up……

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band on the web

 Manchester institution Band on the Wall is coming back with avengeance and the countdown has begun with the launch of their new inter-web site.  The site includes all the usually gubbins including What’s On guide and latest news. My fav nifty features though are the video vault which will document the history of the venue in all it’s visual splendor and Bandwidth – Band on the Wall’s own social network… Facebook is soooo last year darlings! Now bring on September and opening night! Image c/o Waka Jawaka licensed under Creative Commons.

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that’s not my name

 When I blundered into the blogosphere a few months ago I started by thinking of an identity for moi and my online authorship. From a cobwebbed corner of my mind came rainycitytales, because if there is one thing Manchester is renowned for it’s moisture! Now it has been brought to the attention, of this new kid on the blog, that this may have led to a case or two of mistaken identity in cyberspace. Little did I know at the time that I was just one degree of separation from  Rainy City Stories… spot the difference? Rainy City Stories plots a literary landscape of Manchester (complete with Google Map infused…

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manchester culture vultures and visitors

 Launching this week is creativetourist.com a monthly Manchester-centric online title for the latest in the city’s arts scene and much, much more. The site will include podcasts and vodcasts with some of Manchester’s top creative talents as well as seeking to bring news and views on our finest eateries, watering holes and boutiques. Both Mancs and tourists alike can check it out from this Wednesday the 15th of July. Or for the Twitter inclined amongst you start following right now!

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