Travel

[StrikerCW]

You sound so happy about a vacation, ach. :D

[Achtung]

Yeah I really know how to suck the fun out of it all. :D

Actually, I like vacations, I just hate the planning phase because I'm always worried I'm forgetting something huge. I always think about it in my head while I'm on the plane, whether I forgot something. Once I get there though, I'm fine. A little bothered by the timing, but otherwise excited. :cool:

[StrikerCW]

I love the planning phase, it's my favorite part other than the actual vacation. :D

[MtP07]

Anyone ever been to Skellig Michael Island? What's the best way to get to where the boat docks from Cork?

[Achtung]

Yeah I really know how to suck the fun out of it all. :D

And I'm back. Great times, good people down there. And pretty much every podunk town has two things--a church and a soccer field. :D Even got to watch a couple of our games on Fox Sports, whichever version they have in Central/South America, so it all worked out. :)

[MtP07]

Anyone been to Cork or Galway? I've spending 4 days in Ireland in Dec. and I'm trying to figure out the best itinerary.

[StrikerCW]

Went to Cork, really liked it there. Its a nice little town. Not too much touristy stuff although there are a few things if that is your thing. Plenty of pubs, etc. I recommend it, and am going to go back when I get old.

[MtP07]

I'm looking for a hotel in Manchester, and am thinking about doing the name your own price on Priceline. Here are the area options they give you:

"Salford Quays"
http://travel.priceline.com/hotels/Lang/en-us/images/zonemaps/20312.gif

"City Centre"
http://travel.priceline.com/hotels/Lang/en-us/images/zonemaps/20311.gif

Any recommendations on which area is better/worse?

[MtP07]

Went to Cork, really liked it there. Its a nice little town. Not too much touristy stuff although there are a few things if that is your thing. Plenty of pubs, etc. I recommend it, and am going to go back when I get old.

How did you get around Ireland? Bus? Train?

[prymetyme]

has anyone here ever been to the Olympiastadion in Berlin? If anyone has I will continue the second part of my question

[StrikerCW]

Ireland- bus definatelly. You can buy tickets day of pretty much (generalization of course, I wouldn't recommend that anytime). The only problem is our return leg from Cork to Dublin we had a bus that he NO ********ING AC. That is ridiculous. It was hot hot on there. But that, I'm sure, is just a freak incident that you will run into anywhere.

Re: Manchester

We stayed in a hostel in the City Centre. Its about a 20 minute tram ride to Old Trafford. I dunno about during gametime as we were there in the summer. Its a 'nice' area, as nice as you can get in an industrial city. There are quite a few pubs (also 'other' oriented pubs, although theres nothing wrong with that, so watch out) and good nightlife in the area.

Ask RoM, he is the man. Or RoM, you want me to forward your novel-length pms? ;)

[jayro75]

How did you get around Ireland? Bus? Train?

I've been to Galway and it's a pretty cool town.. Lots of Pubs with a real college type feel..

To get around Ireland you should rent a car.. It'll be weird driving on the opposite side of the car and road for athe first hour or so but you'll get used to it after that.. Just watch out for the 10 million traffic circles...

[StrikerCW]

I've been to Galway and it's a pretty cool town.. Lots of Pubs with a real college type feel..

To get around Ireland you should rent a car.. It'll be weird driving on the opposite side of the car and road for athe first hour or so but you'll get used to it after that.. Just watch out for the 10 million traffic circles...
I met alot of people that did rent cars, although you have to find a parking lot somewhere on the outskirts of town (could be wrong). We would have done that, except we weren't 21 or whatever age to rent.

[jayro75]

I met alot of people that did rent cars, although you have to find a parking lot somewhere on the outskirts of town (could be wrong). We would have done that, except we weren't 21 or whatever age to rent.


We parked in lots either at the hotel or municipal lots in each city..

[Achtung]

I'm looking for a hotel in Manchester, and am thinking about doing the name your own price on Priceline. Here are the area options they give you:

"Salford Quays"


"City Centre"


Any recommendations on which area is better/worse?

Both areas are fine. City Centre will be a little cheaper, you'll just have to take the tram to the stadium, which generally is about 15 mins. Salford Quays is a 10 minute walk from OT, but the hotels there will be a bit more expensive, albeit a bit nicer.

The area near Piccadilly isn't that nice, but closer to St. Peter's Square is good and you'll find whatever you need there.

[MtP07]

Both areas are fine. City Centre will be a little cheaper, you'll just have to take the tram to the stadium, which generally is about 15 mins. Salford Quays is a 10 minute walk from OT, but the hotels there will be a bit more expensive, albeit a bit nicer.

The area near Piccadilly isn't that nice, but closer to St. Peter's Square is good and you'll find whatever you need there.

Is either of the two areas better for touristy type stuff (ie. stuff for non-footy inclined)?

[Republic of Mancunia]

Is either of the two areas better for touristy type stuff (ie. stuff for non-footy inclined)?

From the two maps, definitely "City Centre" but I wouldn't say there's masses of touristy things to do in either.

The quays area has a few things, Lowry Centre and art gallery, War Museum, Designer shopping outlet, cinema and a few restaurants. These are all located close to where it says "Bridgewater Canal" on the map.

That's a very liberal interpretation of Salford Quays by the way. :D I've only ever lived in Stretford and Eccles and they're certainly not part of the quays imo, just plain old suburbs. Oh and Trafford Park is one of Europe's largest industrial estates so not much to do there, although there is a go-karting centre.

In the City Centre you're mainly looking at a few museums including the Museum of Science and Industry, The Peoples History Museum, Manchester Museum and Urbis. There's a couple of art gallerys, one in the city centre and one a little off the map close to the University.

In the town itself you'll also find a couple of cinemas and about 5 theatres. There's also much more in the way of night-life with numerous clubs/ bars/ restaurants / comedy venues / music venues etc. and there's just a much more lively feel to the place.

Within all that there's areas that are distinct with a general style/theme running through them.

Close to the University and Oxford Rd in general (just off St Peter's Square) it's students heaven where the beer is at it's cheapest and there's quite a few pubs/bars with live music.

Castlefield and the locks (near g-mex on the map) is kind of laid back in a trendy sort of way. It's where the ultra-chich used to hang out alot although it's not nearly as snobby as it once was.

The Northern Quarter, close to where StrikerCW stayed is culturally diverse and offers lots of different ethnic food (just north of Piccadilly gardens on the map).

East of Picadilly Gardens is the gay village which is on the whole a friendly, welcoming place. Don't necessarily be put off by the name (just in case you were), as it's relaxed around there with many pavement cafes and stuff like that. Alot of women used to say they enjoyed hanging out in that area as they felt safe, this in turn has attracted more straight men to the area so it's not completely gay, just relaxed and chilled.

Sort of south of Piccadilly gardens on the map is China town. It's not huge but another good choice of restaurants.

There's a big shopping area close to Market Street and that's where you'll find the Arndale Centre, a large mall. Close to that is the triangle which has upmarket shopping and near there is the Printworks which houses a cinema, casino, hard rock cafe and a few bars. The city centre portion of the A56 on the map is Deansgate which is quite a bustling street full of shops/restaurants.

There's a few "squares" in town. St. Peters, St Anns and Albert that are ok just to hang out in and relax with shopping areas nearby. Albert square also houses the town hall which is quite an impressive building I suppose.

There's not masses to do but to cut things short the city centre would be best imo as there's much more life and energy about the place. You'll never go short of somewhere to eat or drink.

If you mark a triangle on the map between Gmex, Victoria and Picadilly metrolink stations you're pretty much incorporating most of the interesting stuff. I don't know what your legs are like but I'd happily cover that whole area on foot.

We've got decent public transport anyway (bus and metrolink) and there's tons of taxis about if you choose to stay outside of the city centre.

That's a shortened version of what I PM'ed Striker with when he came to stay, if you're reading this and still have them then go ahead and forward them to MtP07. I don't mind. :) Actually, now I think of it, they'll still be in my "sent items" folder. If you want them Mtp07, just say so.

Edit: You're getting it whether you like it or not, I'll copy and paste it. :)

This started off as just listing a few differences (as I see them) between the two countries but ended up as a Manchester Tourist guide and will probably have to send it in more than one part , sorry.

Ok, maybe it's best to start with the currency. I think the perception that most people have coming from the states is that everything is so much more expensive over here. I'd say this is true in general terms but mainly with things that are taxable. For example cigarettes, petrol (gas), house prices and to a lesser extent alcohol.

From my experience between the two (I've been to the states a few times and the ex-wife is American) things like food and everyday objects aren't that much different in price. I thought that food was going to be dirt-cheap in comparison when I first went to the states, it was cheaper but not by as much as I thought. Portion size was generally bigger and service was better but I'd say that prices over here for food are only about 20-30% more expensive, then again I didn't eat at anywhere more expensive than Red Lobster and it might change at higher class places. This kind of difference in price will probably apply to most of the things you buy when you're over here.

I see you're going to Cork too. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if irish prices were now more expensive than the UK as Ireland has done very well for itself since adopting the Euro as it's currency, something that would of been unheard of maybe 10-15 years ago. Manchester as whole will be cheaper than London and I suspect Edinburgh will be more expensive than Manchester but whether it's as dear as London I couldn't tell you.

It's general common tourist sense but knowing the exchange rate in your mind is probably a good idea to ensure that you don't get ripped off. I've heard tales of the odd unscrupulous taxi driver who will charge an unsuspecting tourist an extortionate fee for taking them on a short journey. Speaking of taxis, it might also be a good idea to know exactly how far away certain destinations are as the odd driver has taken people on a lap of the city before dropping them off just 5 streets away from where they picked them up to run up the fare.

I once had my own experience of someone not being quite aware of the exchange rate and was about 9 years ago when I went to an NFL Europe american football game in London at Spurs' ground (White Hart Lane) and at half time went downstairs to smoke a cigarette. Anyway an American chappie asked me if I had one spare and gave me £5 for a single cigarette. Now maybe he was just very generous as £5 (about $8) would comfortably buy you a full pack of 20, even at today's expensive prices but I suspect that it was because he didn't know what the exchange rate was or fully understand it. So in conclusion, know the worth of your cash.

Food:

If there's two things I'm guaranteed to hear when American's come over to England it's that the chocolate is much nicer and that the food is greasy. Can't say I noticed much difference with the chocolate myself but I sugest you try it and make your own mind up.

The perception of greasy food probably comes from our traditional fish and chip shop where evreything is fried coupled with our full english breakfast where again everything is fried although these are more often than not grilled these days. The popularity of the donner kebab, I don't know if you guys have them over there but it's basically really greasy lamb meat served in pitta bread with lettuce, tomato, onions, chilli and extra chilli sauce has probably contributed to it too and is something you can find in any late-night take-out place. As I mentioned earlier, service is usually better in the States too. If you're going to try all these dishes and you have a delicate stomache then it might be a good idea to have some pepto-bismol to hand, just in case.

Transport:

As I already said in a previous PM, if you're going to stay at Hatters then you are in a good location for getting around Manchester with most places within walking distance. You're not too far from a major bus terminal for local buses and the Metrolink too located at Piccadilly Gardens.

To take a Metrloink tram to Old Trafford you're going to want to get on the Altrincham tram from Piccadilly Gardens to Old Trafford station. The trams run frequently and just look out for "Altrincham" on the front of the tram as it pulls up to the station. Tickets are purchased from a ticket machine on the platform itself and you're trusted to buy one ahead of travel. There are sometimes inspectors on the tram to make sure everyone has bought a ticket with fines for those who haven't.

Old Trafford station takes you to Old Trafford cricket ground, just walk under the underpass at the end of the platform when you get off the tram and walk down the road with the cricket ground on the left and an office block (Kellog's administrative headquarters) on the other. Just keep going and you'll soon see the theatre of dreams in the distance. Before Old Trafford you'll come accross quite a busy road in the shape of Chester Rd. with the Trafford pub on the right hand-side and across the street another famous united pub called the Bishop's Blaize which might be worth popping into for a quick pint. Other places mentioned by Motterman and others on the boards in the past such as Lou Macari's fish and chip shop, Red Star sports etc. are located in a little line of shops adjacent to the Bishop's. After that it's on to Sir Matt Busby way for a short distance to OT itself.

You can also get a bus to opposite the Bishop's Blaize etc from Picadilly Gardens if you'd prefer and the best ones are the numbers 256, 253 or 255. If you intend on using alot of buses/taking lots of metrolink rides in a day then it might be better to get a "daysaver" on the bus £3-50 for a full day's travel on all buses or £3-20 after 9:30 am. You can get a bus/metrolink combo of this ticket for £4-50 and is valid for 9:30am - midnight. As you can see I take a lot of bus rides (I don't drive) and usually get a weekly pass.

You're also going to be situated near Manchester Piccadilly train station and Chorlton St. bus station which is useful if you want to go anywhere a little further afield. Taxis come in two forms, the traditional balck cabs which you can either hail or pick up at a taxi rank and are usually a little more expensive or private hire taxis which are cheaper but you have to call the company on the phone in advance to pick you up. If there's a pay phone inside the place you're staying at then there'll almost certainly be business cards for private hire taxi firms placed nearby

Things to do:

I'm not really sure what you're into so it's hard to say much here, I'll probably still find a way though

There's the Museum of Science and Industry which is a museum dedicated to the industrial revolution which played a major part in shaping the city. This is located not too far from Deansgate (nearest tram station is G-mex which is itself a former train station turned into a concert arena/exhibition centre). Close to Deansgate there's quite a few decent pubs too with the odd united themed pub along the way and Deansgate locks is nearby too which houses a few slightly more upmarket pubs/eateries.

If you're into museums/exhibitions then Urbis might be worth a visit too which again is all about Manchester but is set in a much more modern location and is in the centre of town, close to the major shopping area and Manchester Arndale Centre, a rather tired, old inner city mall.

Close to Urbis is the Printworks (a former print-works believe it or not ) which houses a cinema, the hard-rock cafe, a few other restaurants and bars etc. and might be worth a visit if you're stuck for something to do. Again, it's a little upmarket or dare I say, pretentious with a fair few wannabe's as customers. It's not too bad though.

The Lowry Centre (names after a famous artist) situated in Salford is easy to get to on the metrolink and has exhibtions, an art gallery, restaurants, bars, a cinema, theatre, concert hall etc. and is siutated near a designer shopping outlet.

The Imperial war museum is also near the Lowry Centre if you're into learning about that kind of thing. Both the Lowry and Imperial war Museum are built around Salford Quays which were in the past a very important part of Manchester/Salford and where the ships used to come in using the Manchester Ship Canal.

I don't know why but maybe you'd fancy a visit to a mall? Quite a few people come from out of Manchester just to visit the Trafford Centre which is probably the biggest mall in north-west England and is probably the closest thing we have to an American-style super mall. Personally I hate the place but that could be something to do with the fact hat I used to go there every day because I once worked there. Near to the Trafford Centre is a golf driving range that might be good for a laugh and big indoor sports club with a few 5-a-side football pitches and maybe you could get a game if you fancied it.

Daytona karting go-kart track might be worth checking out too and is not too far from Old Trafford.

Whitworth art gallery at the top end of Oxford Rd. if it takes your fancy might be worth it too.

If any of those sound remotely interesting then I suggest you "do a google" on them.

Architecture:

As previously mentioned, alot of the buildings around town are rejuvanted old style buldings left over from the industrial revolution and rather than knock them down they have beem converted for modern uses. Manchester was built alot on the cotton trade and many of the buldings are former cotton mills and as previously mentioned there are a fair few canals/waterways that have been brought up to scratch in recent times too that were used to bring in the cotton on ships. This is where some of our rivalry with Liverpool comes from and it goes deeper than just being close geographically and having rival sports teams.

Before the Manchester ship Canal was built and many other canals around the North-west, Liverpool had a big advantage in the cotton industry as it had it's own port. After this particular canal (and a few others like it) were built many ships were able to bring their cotton straight into Manchester and it's surrounding towns and thus take some of the trade away from Liverpool. That's just part of the reason for the rivalry but there are many others.

As well as having modernised buildings left over from the industrial revolution there are quite a few examples of gothic architecture here and there, perhaps the most famous of which being Manchester Town Hall in Albert Square but it is a theme that runs throught certain buildings all over town.

We've also got our fair share of modern buildings too and I'd say it's a fair mix between the old and the new. The one thing I dislike is the amount of new apartment buildings being built all over the place for the office high-flyers in and around the centre of town but that could be down to my jealousy as I know I'll never be able to afford one. They're everywhere, especially as property has been seen as a good investment in recent times and prices just continue to rise. Parts of town look like a building giant site at times.

Nightlife:

Ok, I've already mentioned a few places in passing and here's some more.

Sankey's Soap nightclub if you're into dance/trance music is probably the best club of it's type in Manchester (Jersey street).
Ampersand (longworth street) or Baby Grand (Peter street) is where the "beautiful people" go. Best places to go if you want to go footballer-spotting or you're into shallow women and have a wad of cash in your hand. Strict dress code.
42nd Street (Bootle street) It's hard to explain this place, more of a "indie" style club where they play guitar-based music.
Picadilly 21's (Picadilly) or The Ritz (whitworth st) - Perhaps the tackiest places in town. If you feel like getting cheesy and don't take yourself too seriously then it could be a laugh. Also the easiest clubs to score with the ladies or so I've been told .
One Central Street (Central Street) - Has different club nights on different days but essentially plays a mixture of hip hop and electronica
Jilly's Rockworld (Oxford Rd) - The name says it all - rock nightclub


Alot of the clubs in and around town are quite confusing with them sometimes being reffered to by a particular club night. E.G. One Central Street might be reffered to Bugged Out which is one of their club night's (I think it's a Friday night). I'd also take some of what I've said above with a pich of salt as I'm not really into clubs and prefer a quiet drink in an old-fashioned pub. There are tons of other clubs too and I suggest maybe looking at a club guide to Manchester or googling them before deciding to go to any of those.

The general area of Canal Street is known as "the gay village" which doesn't need much explanation. Now the name might freak you out and make you want to avoid it all costs but to be fair, I've been persuaded to try the odd bar/club in that area with promises of it having a better atmosphere and it was generally true. The clubs around there have become less gay over time if that makes sense but the good atmosphere has stayed.

The area around Oxford Rd. is situated near Manchester University and again is quite laid back and friendly. There's more studenty type places round here, where the beer is cheaper, not much in the way of dress code, quite a few venues have live bands etc and again pretty good atmosphere.

The area around where you were considering staying is in the northern qurater and as I already said, this part of town has quite a big mix of different cultures with various types of restaurants/bars.

For something completely different you could check out the Frog and Bucket (Oldham st) which is a comedy club.

There are also a few concert venues dotted around all over the place and a fair amount of small places that have upcoming bands on.

Like I said, maybe check out a guide or two beforehand?

I'm running out of things to say now which is probably a good thing as I've droned on for long enough. Maybe I should get a job working for the Manchester tourist board or something, anything else you need just give me a shout.

[StrikerCW]

*bows to the master of Manchester, and not Wayne*

[Numquam Moribimur]

Mtp is going to spend all his time on Canal Street ! make of that what you will :D

[jayro75]

Mtp is going to spend all his time on Canal Street ! make of that what you will :D

He does come off as extremely "Happy" .... ;) :p