Second City

I've never been to any of the major English cities outside London, so was overdue for a trip to the UK's second-largest city, Manchester. In August we took the train from London's Euston Station (about a two-hour ride) and spent one night at the Hyatt House in downtown Manchester (nice free room courtesy of a Hyatt credit card benefit!). A gourmet breakfast buffet was included - what a deal.

As the summer wanes into late August, normal rainy weather has returned to England. We don't miss the super hot days, but looking back it sure was nice to enjoy so many walks and explorations rain-free. Manchester was rainy, but the weather cleared enough for us to enjoy an open-air bus tour and to walk around quite a bit.

We arrived at Manchester's Piccadilly Station and snapped a few photos before enjoying lunch at a local brewery (the Northern Monk Tap Room). Robin liked the beer. After taking a walk to the supposedly trendy Northern Quarter, we tried out the city's tram system. (Manchester has great public transport, but no subway.) In the evening we rode the elevators to the top of the Beetham Tower (4th tallest in the city) for drinks and the views at the Cloud 23 Bar. Not surprisingly, the drinks were weak but the views were superb. I love finding a high vantage point to survey the territory when visiting a new place.

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  a tribute to injured soldiers

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  colorful sidewalk art

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  historic office building (for my Canadian friends)

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  building with colorful bird

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  tram station

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  view from Cloud 23

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  another view from high up

We began our second day with a 90-minute sightseeing bus, which gave us a fantastic overview of the city. Did you know that while Manchester is 40 miles from the coast, it was England's third-busiest port city in the 19th and 20th centuries? That's because they dug a canal all the way to the Irish Sea! Opened in 1794, the Manchester Ship Canal helped build the city's commerce. But it was not the first canal built there. The earlier Bridgewater Canal (10 miles long) halved the cost of getting coal from the mines to the city's mills, and fueled the Industrial Revolution when it opened in 1761. Today, the docks area is being redeveloped, but continues as a port.

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  our open air tour bus

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  part of the canal

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  we glimpsed this famous stadium

On the bus tour we zoomed passed the People's Museum, which showcases the history of working people and the labor movement. Had I done my advance homework, this would have been a must-see for me. We didn't have time to go back, but I've added it to my list for next time. Once the bus dropped us back in the central city, we enjoyed a visit to the Art Museum, which proudly displays local artists including Laurence Stephen Lowry, whose style helped capture "Manchurian" city life in the early 20th century. Then we were on to the public library and the private Ryland Library (an incredible building in its own right, with a Harry Potter vibe and and never have I seen so many old books!). I'd happily return there as well.

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  Manchester Public Library

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  the reading room inside library

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  the color is yellow!

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  City Hall tower

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  Lowry painting of Piccadilly Gardens

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  Another Lowry Manchester scene

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  Rylands majestic interior

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  math classics

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  Rylands Library exterior

My quest to sample local fine chocolates almost ended in disappointment when I arrived at the Dormouse Chocolate shop at 2:01 PM, hardly imagining they closed at 2:00 on Thursdays. The place was all locked up, but to my surprise, the door suddenly opened. A kind proprietor invited me inside, gave me a description of their various chocolate bars, and cheerily sold me a couple. Then I was off to rejoin Robin for a late but excellent tapas-and-sangria lunch before catching our evening train back to London.

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In case you're wondering, lunch (clockwise from left) was salad with walnuts & toasted goat cheese; roasted potatoes in spicy sauce, mushroom pastry parcels with butternut puree, and chicken in a smoked paprika sauce. OH - and a huge class of red sangria.

Well dear Readers, today is August 30th and we'll be returning home to the US in a couple of days. It's hard to see such a great summer end, but no regrets for wasted days here -- there were none! I'll be back with another post sharing some of the fun times we've had visiting London these past few weeks, and then a final installment letting you know we made it home. I wish you, too, some fantastic final days of summer.

🚌 🌨️ 🖼️ 🍷