I'm soooooo excited cos It's a week and two days til I'll be up in my spiritual home for the weekend (No not Grimsby). MANCHESTER!
Yes that city of cities. Home to the Stone Roses, the Early Nineties club scene, Queer as Folk, Coronation Street (best soap ever!), and of course Bridget Madeline Aherne. Who? I hear you ask. Well Old Ma Aherne is one of my very very closest friends, we've seen each other through thick and thin, had huge screaming rows in the street that always end when one of us cracks up after not talking for about 15 minutes, worshipped cheap wine together, lived, laughed (usually at each others questionable shags) and cried with each other since UNI and have a bond that can never be broken.
Ok enough with the gushy stuff, next Friday Manchester Mardi Gras starts, and I'm tying it in with a visit to Ma. she's probably worried cos she hasn't seen me since Feb that I'm not eating properly or something. Am also so looking forward to seeing Chris 'Mophead' Marshall (B's other half and as cunning as me on the old 'Slack around in life but still fall on your feet' Stakes). And Young Philip Leijiten (OZ Phil). Young Philip left London town for the bright lights of Manchester were he was found wandering by Ma and taken under her wing. From what I gather he's survived his first experience of her PMT, so whoring round Canal Street every night should be Knats Piss.
Okay for those not in the know, hear are the top 10 reasons you should revere Manchester as a city among cities;
1) It's the UKs second city - That's pretty damn good!
2) It's only 40 mins from Huddersfield, and less than an hour from Leeds, which made my university years so much more fun than just having Wakefield nearby
3) It has some of the most stunning industrial age architecture in the country. Take a look at some of the Uni buildings to see what I mean, and the G-Mex (Old train station)
4)Madchester - Need I say more?
5)The Hacienda and the whole of rave culture exploded out of this city and refused to die. Pity they're building flats there now to sell to the same people that used to club there.
6)Man Utd - Ok I'm not a football fan, but they did rule the roost throughout the nineties to become the most famous football team in the world! Plus It gave us a lot to ogle at!
7)Canal Street - It's like Soho, only the people are friendly and don't try and screw each other over. The night of soooo many drunken staggerings, mashed up clubbings, karaoke at Churchills, convincing bouncers we are actually a 'gay majority group' and taking over piano bars wherever we can find them.
8) The New Union - Ok it's part of canal street but It ROCKS. Where else in the country can you stand with a can of red stripe wearing sports kit and actually get the attention of the fit guys? Also home to random Irish drunks, people with dogs, and strippers that strip to 'Rock me Amadeus'.
9) Metrolink - It's a tram, but it's so much more! Takes you all the way to the Lowry and Salford quays. And it has crazy named stations like 'Pomona' and 'Shudehill'.
10) Last but by no means least - The Mancunian Way. To some it's just a road. But to the ones that built it it's a symbol of toil and achievement. Pretty much sums Manchester up.
