From Wikitravel

East central Manchester is the area in Manchester bounded by the A57 (M), Oxford Road and the A62. It covers the locales of Picadilly, the Northern Quarter, Chinatown, the Gay Village and Picadilly Gardens.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By bus

As Manchester's main bus station (Piccadilly Gardens) is in Piccadilly Gardens, nearly every bus in central Manchester heading into town terminates here.

[edit] By car

Piccadilly Gardens is bounded on two sides by Portland Street and Piccadilly.

[edit] By tram

Piccadilly Gardens is the penultimate stop on all services heading to Manchester Piccadilly. To the north of the square there is the Market Street station on the line to Bury.

[edit] By train

Manchester Picadilly is the main station in the city, and is served by services from all over the country.

[edit][add listing] See

• As well as being Manchester's central bus station, Piccadilly Gardens is also a recently-renovated landscape garden. It's an interesting choice of design and has not found favour with all of Manchester's residents. The area is dominated by the hideously-ugly Piccadilly Plaza complex, including the Jarvis Hotel and Sunley Tower, an eyesore visible from miles away.

• The Northern Quarter is located just north of the city centre. There are a great number of small shops. Independent retailers are the norm here, and this is the place to get Mancunian music, street wear, vinyl or body art. The area is very lively and has its unique character. It is not the kind of place normally on the list of tourists.

• Chinese Arts Centre, Market Building, Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, ☎ 01618327271, [1]. Small, alternative Chinese art gallery. edit

• The Portico Library and Gallery, Charlotte Street (corner with Mosley Street), ☎ +44 (0)161 236 6785 (librarian@theportico.org.uk), [2]. The Portico has been an exclusive members-only library since the early 19th Century and many of Manchester's luminaries have been patrons of the Portico over the years. Now hosting its own public gallery and providing admission to some parts for non-members, it is a slice of Manchester history that has remained almost unchanged since its inception. Call for latest information. Free entry.  edit

• Chinatown around George Street and Faulkner Street has been a feature of Manchester since the late 1970s. It's a genuine experience - you'll find people on the streets of Chinatown speaking Chinese to each other and most of the signs are bilingual. It's home to the bulk of Manchester's east-Asian restaurants as well as many traders in Chinese food and goods.

• Imperial Chinese Archway, Faulkner Street, Chinatown. The Chinese arch in the central square of Chinatown was a gift to Manchester from the Chinese people in 1987 and is the only one of its kind in Europe. It is a beautiful and elaborate piece of artwork, reflecting the designs of Ming Dynasty China and is not to be missed.

• The Village (also known as the Gay Village) has built up around Canal Street out of the many cotton warehouses in the area. It is home to one of the oldest and most-established gay communities in Europe and is known for its tolerance toward all kinds of people. Many of Manchester's most famous bars and clubs are to be found here, most of which are as popular with heterosexual party-animals as they are with the gay crowd.

• Whitworth Gardens, Sackville Street. This small park in the heart of The Village is notable for its memorial to Alan Turing, the father of modern computer science, whose homosexuality in an age of intolerance led to his suicide. The bronze statue on a park bench bears the legend 'Father of computer science, mathematician, logician, wartime codebreaker, victim of prejudice'. Also in the park is The Beacon of Hope, an illuminated memorial to those who have died of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

• The Village hosts a major Pride festival every year, when the whole region of town is closed to the public for an expensive and exclusive weekend for gay and gay-friendly people from all over the UK.

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Affleck's Palace, Church Street, Northern Quarter, ☎ 0161 834 2039 (theboss@afflecks-palace.co.uk, fax: 0161 839 9541), [3]. weekdays:10:30-6; weekend 10-6. Afflecks Palace is a shopping arcade in a five storey Victorian building, featuring a range of 50+ independent stalls catering to a young alternative crowd. It's lots of fun: strange costumes, lots of goths and punks and hordes of teenagers. edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit][add listing] Drink

In Picadilly Gardens:

• KRO Piccadilly, 1 Piccadilly Gardens, ☎ 0161 244 5765 (piccadilly@kro.co.uk), [4]. Flash Danish bar right in the heart of Piccadilly Gardens. A lot less studenty (and pricier) than the other KRO bars in Manchester, and has a good selection of European premium lagers and great food. edit

• Manna, 1 Piccadilly Gardens, ☎ 0161 236 3230. 7am-8pm Mon to Sat, 10am-5pm Sun. Nice little café with friendly staff located on the edge of the landscaped garden. Serves good coffee, sandwiches, drinks and sweet things. Everything here is both Fairtrade and organic, so feel good when you go there! edit

In the Northern Quarter:

• Copacabana, Sevendale House, 7 Dale St, Manchester, M1 1JA, ☎ 0161 237 3441. Latino bar/club serving up salsa and sangria. edit

• Dry Bar, 28-30 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JN. Situated next door to Night and Day, and also offers good quality music from bands from around the North West and the UK. Larger and less claustrophobic (and cheaper!), but less prestigious than Night and Day. edit

• The Frog and Bucket, Oldham Street.  edit

• Matt and Phred's, 85 Oldham St, Manchester, M4 1LW, ☎ 0161 831 7002, [5]. Open til 2am most nights. Good little tucked away jazz club! Also serves up good pizza. They have jazz bands on every night except Mondays (when it's closed) from 10pm, and there is free entry before 8pm. If you want to enjoy the jazz seated, seats have to be booked at least a few days beforehand. edit

• Night and Day Café, 26 Oldham St, Manchester, M1 1JN, ☎ 0161 236 1822, [6]. The venue to see bands before they make it big! Bands such as Oasis, Badly Drawn Boy have played here. Well worth a visit. Can be a little bit pokey inside as it's not the biggest venue! edit

• Roadhouse, 8 Newton St, Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2AN, [7]. Good, small music venue. edit

• Socio Rehab, Edge Street, Manchester, M4 1HQ, ☎ 01618 324 529. So cool it has no sign. One of the very best bars in Manchester. edit

In the Village:

• Gaia.  edit

• Tribeca.  edit

• Essential, [8].  edit

• Poptastic, [9].  edit

• Retro Bar. Rock Kitchen edit

• Harry's Bar and Paddy's Lounge, University of Manchester Student's Union North Campus.  edit

• Jongleurs, Chorlton St.. Comedy club. edit

• Joshua Brooks - Invest in Property, [10].  edit

• Po Na Na, 42 Charles Street.  edit

• Lass O'Gowrie, Charles Street.  edit

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• The Brittania Hotel, 35 Portland Street, ☎ +44 (0)161 228 2288, [11].  edit

• The Gardens Hotel, 55 Piccadilly, ☎ +44 (0)161 236 5155, [12].  edit

• Malmaison, Gore St (Piccadily), ☎ +44 (0)161 278 1000, [13].  edit

• The Thistle Hotel, 3-5 Portland St, ☎ +44 (0)161 228 3400, [14].  edit

[edit] Contact

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