Yesterday it was Manchester, where we arrived Thurs PM after a morning in London for a 2 day art historians conference. Jase delivered a paper to what turned out to be a fairly sparse
crowd. And then participated in a roundtable. I was off to explore Manchester on my own and was charmed by the city and especially its architecture.
The scale of the central core is welcoming and easy to navigate. Distinct neighborhoods with individual character, from the Gay Village through Chinatown and the upscale shopping districts. Have uploaded some photos here for you to take a look.
Had one memorable meal at Yang Sing, an excellent Cantonese restaurant just down the street from where we stayed.
Virgin Rail trains run an express service from London to Manchester. 2 hours in quiet and comfort and hardly a sway or a bump on the tracks along the way. Why can't we......
Our first day in London, I led us on a wild goose chase to find the Haunch of Venison gallery. Looked up the address on googlemaps, and it pointed to a location in far west London. My mind was lost somewhere on a continuum between jetlag and utter stupidity, so before you could hum the entire chorus of God Save the Queen, we were stepping off the tube in Acton, clearly lost. Jase looked great, though, in his proper British trenchcoat and beret.
We headed back into town, to discover that the gallery was only a 2 minute walk from our hotel. Ugh. Round and round and round we go…..
We made up for lost time, though, and enjoyed an hour at the gallery exhibition, Mythologies. All A list contemporary artists plus selected emerging talent. I especially enjoyed Carlos Morales's work. Here's something cool from artist Jennifer Wen Ma.
After 2 days in Manchester, we arrived back in London late Saturday afternoon and headed to our hotel at Trafalgar Square. Perfect spring afternoon and everyone was out enjoying the weekend. After we settled in, I dragged Jase on a short tourist walk to the river to see Big Ben, the Parliament, etc.
More later…..
I've never been to England, but your discriptions have sealed the deal for me to visit someday. The idea of "strolling" around town is a concept unknown to where I currently find myself.
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