Yesterday I took some very much needed time off and enjoyed a day in Manchester city centre with my cousin. It was a full on ‘Cousin Day’, with a lot of walking, picture taking, chatting and eating.
It turns out I took over 300 pictures, so I am going to talk you through what we got up to in the best city in the world!
Where we parked in Manchester
We ended up parking at the AO Arena car park (M3 1AR), it really isn’t cheap, but it was handy for us leaving the city on the north Manchester side and Duke Street car park was full. That car park is in the Castlefield area (M3 4RU) and a bargain at £9 for the day.
Brunch in the Corn Exchange
There are some fabulous dining offers on at the Corn Exchange throughout June and we took full advantage of Tampopo’s 50% off the brunch menu deal on food.
We both chose the Bang Bang Steak & Eggs (£16.90) – Fillet steak, poached egg, waffle, sweet chilli mayo, smashed avo & pea shoots. With the deal, this was £8.45 and an absolute bargain.
This was a really nice way to start the day. Tasty, filling yet light and full of goodness. Those pea shoots took me right back to cracking pea pods open as a kid.
A Pepsi Max at £4 was a bit steep, but it was the refreshment I needed at the time. The lighting in Tampopo is not the greatest when trying to take food photography, so I hope you can see how pretty the dish was!
Walking Around Manchester City Centre
The architecture in Manchester never fails to surprise and delight me. Even though I have passed most of the buildings countless times, it’s always nice to stop and admire the buildings.
With so many new skyscrapers being added to the Manchester skyline, the older buildings, that are steeped in history become even more breathtaking.
The Midland Hotel on Peter Street (M60 2DS) is a must-see when visiting Manchester. You can find out more about the history of the Midland Hotel over on Manchester Mummy.
It really does have the most decadent past, from dancing on the rooftop, to where Rolls met Royce, this building is a stalwart in such a history soaked street. I actually think Peter Street might be my favourite street in Manchester!
The Ivy, located in the Spinningfields area of Manchester (M3 3HG) just oozes luxury and is a big draw for tourists and locals alike, especially for Afternoon Tea on special occasions.
Such an odd building when surrounded by modern skyscrapers, but I think it holds its own and it offers a great way to add greenery into such a structurally heavy area.
Trying the viral dot cake at Alex’s Bakery
I had recently seen a social media post highlighting the viral dot cakes from Alex’s Bakery in Manchester (M3 4EN) and knew I had to see what all the fuss was about. Doing my bit for fellow cake-lovers out there!
What an awesome little bakery under the arches on Deansgate, near the Great Northern Warehouse. Check out what I thought of the dot cake over on the Manchester Mummy Facebook page.
Standing just across the road from Alex’s Bakery, I couldn’t resist a picture looking up Peter Street, to showcase how the No. 2 St Michael’s Tower is coming along.
It is going to be an impressive 41-storey high mixed use skyscraper, housing the W Hotel in Manchester and W residences too. That really will be some view from the top, as it is slap-bang in the city centre!
You can see the Albert Hall tower to the right of the image, which was built between 1908 and 1910, highlighting just how much Manchester’s skyline is changing around all the beautiful, historical buildings.
Rounding off my day in Manchester City Centre
As the city centre is mostly flat, aside for a slight incline up Market Street towards Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester is a really pleasant city to walk around and get lost in.
We easily walked over 8km in the blink of an eye and that was classed as a normal day exploring town. If you’re a Manc, the city centre is known as town, because we have our own lingo going on as well!
If you want a more in-depth view of what’s going on in Manchester, check out Manchester Mummy, follow Manchester Explorer as he features awesome reels around the city and keep an eye on Manchester Weather so you dress appropriately for your visit. I’ve also shared a few tips on how to dress for British weather, but honestly, failing that, always carry a brolly!
