The fact that the Mancunian powers-that-be woke up one day and decided to commemorate Vimto…read more(arguably the king of all 'mixed fruit' cordials) with its very own monument fills me with boundless joy. So much so, I've even got a photograph of myself doing a thumbs up by this statue. Seriously, the only way this monument could be any better is if it actually dispensed Vimto (Hot Vimto for the Winter months, Fizzy Vimto for the Summer months). If the person with the ability to make this happen is reading this, come on then, hop to it!

As an alternative to beer, the 'temperance drink' under the odd name of Vimto was first mixed by…read moreJohn Nichols in Granby Row in 1908. The sculpture by Kerry Morrison (1992) is now popular with students, children, and photographers.

The Alan Turing Building is the location where the School of Mathematics of The University of…read moreManchester is based; it also houses the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics. As everyone can imagine, it's named after the famous British mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing. It's quite a new building, completed only a few years ago, in 2007. Many facilities are provided: spacious and well-lit lecture theatres, a cafe on the ground floor, a small library, computer rooms and even showers. The bridge across the atrium is the common room for mathematics academics and graduate students, where morning coffee is served.

The Alan Turing is the place where I spend most of my mathematical life. It's a great building!!…read moreThe worst thing about the building is that some of the offices (including mine) have no windows. However it's not hard to pop out into the main foyer, which with a glass roof certainly does not lack for natural light. There are plenty of top quality teaching rooms with particularly nice blackboards. My favorite thing about the ATB is the atrium bridge area. It a place where staff and postgrads can relax, chat and get away from maths (although you may struggle to avoid mathematical conversation). It location makes in easy to see from the upper level so you can quickly check who's about from your office (and then decided if you want to sit with them)

Never knew Manchester had a Chinatown but apparently it's the second biggest one outside of London…read more That being said, it encompasses only a few blocks (that we could see) but still it's fun to wander around and window shop - and have some dim sum or other more authentic dishes other than kung pao or general Tso chicken.

Manchester is a beautiful city itself. Having Chinatown adds an extra oomph. I didn't hit any…read morevendors when I was there for my UK trip but I just walked through it since I wasn't staying in Manchester and was waiting to go to Sheffield. 153/2017

What an incredible piece of artwork in Piccadilly Gardens. The monument is large and pays a great…read morehomage to Queen V. It was unveiled in 1901, just after her death. This piece of public art depicts Queen Victoria on a throne, holding an orb and a scepter. Onslow Ford was the sculptor who created the bronze statue, which was initially intended to be created of marble. It is my understanding that Queen V. felt bronze would be more weather-appropriate. Nice piece of history to take in if you find yourself at Piccadilly Gardens.

Now over 100 years old (the statue, not Queen Victoria), this statue of Britain's longest serving…read moremonarch sits right in Piccadilly Gardens. The statue is oversized. Perhaps that is why this statue represents Queen Victoria as plump and grumpy. Or maybe it's just the expression that the sculptor has left on the subject's face. Sure, this is an impressive statue, but it doesn't possess the elegance or pomp of the Wellington statue just down the way.

The great Greek bather-cum-mathematician is commemorated in a peculiar monument that sees…read moreArchimedes jumping up in his bath at the famous "Eureka!" moment. More peculiar yet is the monument's location. It is to be found under one of the arches of the railway bridge that separates Granby Row from Altrincham Street. It is usually seen by students and those who cut through on their way to or from Piccadilly train station. Apart from setting a distinguished man in stone, it also proves the point: nose is the Achilles heel of many sculptures...

Manchester Town Hall is located in Albert Square in the city centre - it is home to the main area…read moreof the city's famous yearly Christmas Markets. It is one of the nicer, older buildings in the city being built in the mid-1800s and in many ways is your typical victorian building. It has been refurbished of late and the town hall now has a small Post Office in the annexe - it is also well located being right next to Manchester Central Library and part of it is also in St Peter's Square, which is one of the main stops on the city's light railway transport, Metrolink. It is still used today for various reasons other than the Post Office, it also is a small base for the police and it can sometimes be used for voting counting in elections, more notably the 2016 EU referendum where the United Kingdom voted by majority to leave the European Union. The guide of finding key areas of the town hall could perhaps be displayed better, especially when approaching it from Albert Square and St Peter's Square, being quite large it does stretch across both. A really nice old building in the city with some use today - as far as town halls go this is pretty cool. 4*

Last night I was lucky enough to attend an event at Manchester Town Hall. It was Grant's True Tales…read more(http://www.grantswhisky.com/uk/truetales/about), and it was absolutely spectacular. I experienced a whisky tasting, some exceptional cocktails and personal, entertaining stories told by some very interesting people, including that lovely Alistair McGowan, one of the country's nicest comedians. But most of all I got to see the Town Hall, full access. We all know it's an incredible building, but ascend the stairs, see the mosaic tiles on the floor and the bees which adorn them, go into the main hall and see what event managers can actually do with the space. We saw logos projected on walls amidst the ornate windows, heard the soft buzz of the live music from the Food and Drink festival outside, drank some beautiful whisky cocktails and got to meet a bunch of like-minded people. Even if you're not someone who falls in love with buildings the way I do so quickly and willingly, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be overwhelmed by the Town Hall. It's staggeringly big, as beautiful as any cathedral, and it's steeped in history that's practically tangible as you walk around. But the cherry on the icing? Even the toilets are stupendous! Adding a lovely lavvy into the mix just finishes it off now, doesn't it...

What a bridge!read more

The impressive terracota building with Corinthian columns in Oxford St, close to Sainsbury's, is…read moreChurchgate House. It was built in 1898 by Gibbon Sankey and was intended as the headquarters of Tootal Broadhurst, a textile empire. Among many other offices, the building now houses Alliance Francaise, the place to learn or hone your skills in langue d'amour.

Anyone who visits Northern Quarter, or walks past Affleck's Palace or down Tib Street, will be…read moreamused by this creation. How would one describe it? To paraphrase the famous surrealist line, it is beautiful like a fortuitous encounter of a caterpillar and a saxophone within the remains of a red brick warehouse. As if this was not enough, there is a Freudian twist to it in the form of something that suggests the sculpture is of hermaphrodite nature, in that it has something female and male to it at the same time. Considering the status of Northern Quarter as the place for all things peculiar, the composition is a perfect fit.

I really like the new Home. The cinema rooms are much better than they were at Corner house, and…read morethe food is just fantastic. Home offers a range of discounts, including advance bookings made online, as well as ticket price reduction for members.

So HOME is pretty cool!…read more It kind of feels like the old cornerhouse in general vibe and outlook on life but in a big flashy new skin away from the rest of Manchester. In fact this does seem to be the new way of doing things by the council - let's build things on brown field sites and aim to create a new urban hub around it. With very little passing traffic, it's going to take a while to really become a mainstream destination but it is very easily reached with Deansgate and Oxford Road stations around 5 mins walk. On this occasion I was looking for somewhere to work for a few hours and sat upstairs in their cafe bar grabbing a couple of flat whites and a bacon bap . Not bad all round and pretty quiet on a Monday morning. It did get much busier at lunch time so it's good to see peeps really enjoying this offering! You can sit outside on deck chairs and tables and there's a cafe downstairs just selling drinks and cake.