"Sometimes It Doesn't Rain!" a Manchester Travel Page by johngayton

I lived here in Manchester in the late 70's in the days that punk was leapfrogging the stagnant rock scene. I still have hazily vivid memories of crazy days, crazy nights and even crazier mornings: the days before the pubs were allowed to open in the afternoons and Reno's on Moss Side was where it all happened; the nights where the clubs never seemed to shut and the morning that me and my mate Eddie got thrown of Debenhams because we were using the garden furniture display as an impromptu beer lounge whilst awaiting the pubs openings.

Yep, in the 70's Manchester was where it all happened, all the new music, the clubs that didn't charge entry and sold beer at pub prices, the pubs themselves and the definitely louche backstreet drinking dens (members only of course ;0), the sometimes outragously "Gay Village" before it became trendy, and the great people.

Unlike many city centres Manchester was the sort of place you could walk into a bar by yourself and stagger out many hours later with a new set of drinking buddies heading for the next one. People were never clique - the drinking company would be a "movable feast" as people joined and departed continually (or sometimes just fell asleep in the corner!).

Even when going out in company there was never any fixed routine, we'd just start off at one our local pubs and go with the flow and almost always end somewhere different, sometimes out of town, sometimes in the city and very rarely in the same company that we started out with. We would always manage to find some sort of late night eaterie, usually pretty scummy and whilst these would usually be unlicensed they'd have a fridge full of beer anyway. One of the regular haunts I vaguely recall was a little place on Upper Brook Street which sold nothing but Biryanis (in various heats up to "suicide"), had a fridge full of Red Stripe and shut sometime around 4 am. I remember the chipped formica tables and the curry pots on a domestic stove liberally dribbled with burnt on spillage. This was the place to be, always busy in the early hours, and of course everyone would be drunk (or stoned or both). There was always a good buzz though and I don't recall there ever being any trouble - I did try and search it out this time round but it doesn't seem to be there any more or maybe its the sort of place which you can only find when slaughtered!!

However it wasn't all pubs, clubs and drunken debauchery, there was always a bit of culture thrown in at odd moments. Manchester's vibrant music scene, its theatres, art galleries and museums and, when the sun occasionally came out, the parks and open squares dotted liberally around the city were there to be enjoyed.

Returning to Manchester after almost 30 years my initial impression was that Manchester had become much more chaotic and even to a certain extent claustrophobic, certainly in the city centre.

The centre has definitely changed since the 70's, partly due to the 1996 IRA bombing, but then the city had always been in constant flux anyway and the process is still continuing with building work everywhere - which definitely contributed towards my impression of chaos and claustrophobia.

The underlying city though hasn't changed, there is still a strong element of hedonism as witnessed by the busy bars and restaurants. Despite all the new building work the magnificent Victorian edifices from the city's heyday still dominate the city's character, serving as a reminder that this was Britain's (if not the world's) most progressive city in the later half of the 19th century. During this period Manchester was at the forefront of the country's main political, social and economic reforms and was the home for the world's first free public library.

The modern Manchester is still progressive with a prime example being the conscious decision to reduce traffic in and out of the city by the building of the Metrolink tram/train system and the integrated free inner city Metroshuttle bus service.

If you're a city person who hates London you'll love Manchester!