BlueMoonUGA wrote:I am an American planning on traveling to Manchester to finally see my sky blues in action for the first time. While it is still a ways away until I will be making my trip, I am trying to iron out some details. Any advice you guys may have who are living in and around Manchester is greatly appreciated. Good hotels/bad hotels. Areas to visit/avoid. is it best to rent a car/subway. Any advice is welcome, cheers!
Hiya,
I come over to Manchester once or twice a season. I usually go from Friday to Monday afternoon/evening in order not to get screwed over by fixture changes. However, taking Monday nights into account as well, you might want to book Saturday morning to Tuesday ... But also keep an eye on cup fixtures, etc
I usually prefer not to spend too much on hotels. It needs to be clean and fairly central for me, but in the end it's just a place to crash. I don't spend a lot of time in my hotel room. I think the Premier Inn is decent standard and good value (I have only stayed in the one at Potland Street). If you want scruffier, but cheaper, there are several Travelodge hotels in central locations. If you book plenty in advance, you can get some great deals on their website. The standard is quite poor, but good enough for me if I travel alone.
There's no need to rent a car. You'll just be a traffic hazard anyway with the English insisting on driving on the wrong side of the road.
Manchester isn't all too big, and you can get around most of it (the central parts) on foot. Cabs are cheap and there're plenty of buses.
In regards to areas and things to see, I really enjoy the Museum of Science and Industry and the Castlefield area. You're really walking around in the cradle of industrialism. NQ is overrated in my humble opinion, but still worth a stroll through. The John Rylands Library is well worth a visit, as is the Whitworth Art Gallery. if you're there anyway, you might as well walk a few more minutes to the curry mile and have a proper curry there (do some research - some of the places are quite dodgy).
The atmosphere in the stadium depends a lot on who we play and how we're playing. I prefer south stand tier 1 for atmosphere. Tier 2 gives you a better view, but still quite a lot of noise, so it's a good spot as well.
On match day, take a bus or a cab to the stadium, and get drunk in the Townley or Mary D's (not my cup of tea, but an experience). After the game, just follow the crowd and walk back to town. Find a pub with a lot of sky blue in it!
