Manchester/East Central Attractions & Activities - The Best Holiday Destinations for 2020
East central Manchester is the area in Manchester bounded by the A57 (M), Oxford Road, and the A62. It lies within The Historic County Boundaries of Lancashire. It contains amongst others, the following neighbourhoods:
- The Northern Quarter: located just north of the city centre. There are a great number of small shops. Independent retailers are the norm here, and this is the place to get Mancunian music, street wear, vinyl or body art. The area is very lively and has its unique character. It is not the kind of place normally on the list of tourists.
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Chinatown: Manchester's Chinatown around George Street and Faulkner Street has been a feature of Manchester since the late 1970s. It's a genuine experience - you'll find people on the streets of Chinatown speaking Chinese to each other and most of the signs are bilingual. It's home to the bulk of Manchester's east-Asian restaurants as well as many traders in Chinese food and goods.
- The Gay Village: around Canal Street out of the many cotton warehouses in the area. It is home to one of the oldest and most-established gay communities in Europe and is known for its tolerance toward all kinds of people. Many of Manchester's most famous bars and clubs are to be found here, most of which are as popular with heterosexual party-animals as they are with the gay crowd. The Village hosts a major Pride festival every year, when the whole region of town is closed to the public for an expensive and exclusive weekend for gay and gay-friendly people from all over the UK.
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Picadilly Gardens: As well as being Manchester's central bus station, Piccadilly Gardens is also a recently-renovated landscape garden. It's an interesting choice of design and has not found favour with all of Manchester's residents. The area is dominated by the hideously-ugly Piccadilly Plaza complex, including the Jarvis Hotel and Sunley Tower, an eyesore visible from miles away.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Manchester/East Central
