Drinker on the roof

One of the (only) things I like about the recently introduced smoking ban in England is the abundance of new beer gardens and rooftop terraces that have been springing up in and around Manchester. Pubs and bars have been busily installing outside-heaters and canopies, as well as building these fantastic seating areas atop their premises when previously they may never have considered it.

I took this picture on friday night from the balcony of Glass in Fallowfield. While it always had this balcony, I have only recently noticed it being used regularly. The result is a brilliant view over the heart of the pubs in Fallowfield. Overlooking the 42/43 route (the busiest bus route in Europe) and student haunt Queen of Hearts, the picture really gives you a feel of a typical busy friday night during Fresher's week.

Similarly, this picture was taken in the rooftop terrace of the Old Nag's Head in Jackson's Row, Deansgate (http://www.old-nags-head.co.uk/). This pub was built in 1880 and is safely tucked behind large buildings and office blocks. The result is that people can enjoy their drinks surrounded by old chimneys, backdropped against modern glass highrises. The photo was taken from my seat in a cozy corner of the terrace. I love being able to socialise in surroundings like this compared to a smoky old pub and I hope more of these seating areas continue to spring up! I'll post more pictures of the best rooftop pubs at a later date. However, by the time it gets to winter who knows if I'll feel the same!

Wonderful:

Festival site

Manchester has been host to quite a few festivals, the most notable of recent years being Dpercussion at Castlefield. However, the one I attended out of curiosity on 1st September 2007 was a little different to say the least! Labelled The New Islington Festival, the event was hosted in Ancoats, soon to be New Islington, presumably to make the rich young Londonites moving to the newly regenerated area feel more at home. The problem is, the area isn't quite regenerated fully and work is still ongoing on some of the sites. This would probably explain why the festival itself was held on an actual building site, complete with cranes, half-built structures and fresh plant tyre marks. The festival was quite out of the way, and as we trudged through a run-down neighbourhood, picking our way through the broken glass, I was relieved I'd picked trainers to wear that day! And while it was well organised and staffed, with toilet facilities and an array of tents offering all kinds of different music from rock to 'rap-offs', it still felt pretty peculiar.

This picture is my favourite from the day. There's nothing quite like a dilapidated building looming over children's carnival rides to really emphasise the strangeness of the site. But this festival offered more than just music tents, temporary toilets and overpriced burger vans. It also boasted pedalos! Now that does make it a little bit different ;-)

Weird:

Hello world!!

We're all drowning in a sea of blogs, so what's the harm in adding another one to the mix? Who'll really care anyway?

This one won't be a 'me me me' creation however. It's merely a collection of the weird and wonderful things that I see and hear in my hometown of Manchester. There must be a reason why they cheesily call it 'Madchester' after all...