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JoJo's So-Called Life: I heart Manchester

Back in the 90's, I fell in love with Manchester. I had never been before but I'd heard about it; I'd heard it was the place to be with bands like Oasis hitting the Brit-pop scene propelling Manchester to far off places like Newcastle and making young girls like me get excited. It was uber cool to be British, to be Northern and to mostly be from Manchester. I would watch the Gallagher brothers... moreBack in the 90's, I fell in love with Manchester. I had never been before but I'd heard about it; I'd heard it was the place to be with bands like Oasis hitting the Brit-pop scene propelling Manchester to far off places like Newcastle and making young girls like me get excited. It was uber cool to be British, to be Northern and to mostly be from Manchester. I would watch the Gallagher brothers on Top of the Pops and think "wow" especially when Liam Gallagher mooched on stage with his moody persona; back then, he could have swaggered up to Newcastle and swept me off my feet. When I was 21, I eventually moved to Manchester, to Longsight to be precise. I often lamented about missing the sea air and complained that Greggs in Manchester doesn't sell stottie bread (what is that all about?) but honestly, I couldn't have chosen a better city to have partied away my 20's. I've since lived all over Manchester and have settled, for now, in Mostonia: land of the free. (Well, it's called Moston but I prefer Mostonia: land of the free.) I just love Manchester. I can't get enough of it. I love the beautiful parks, the vast choice of things to do, the opportunities for great nights out and the feeling that Manchester is a city pieced together by hard work. I love the gorgeous dialect , "alright r kid?" it just makes me smile. The range of music that floods the city, the concerts and football stadiums, the buildings, the entire buzz and the feeling of sheer excitement that a big, bold city like Manchester can offer someone just adds to it's appeal. Manchester is just lush. It has a fabulous vibe that transcends across the city and makes me feel right at home in my favourite pub like Sinclairs or even shopping in the Arndale. It's a city with mega history from the Irish slums to St Peter's Square, to Heaton Park, Canal Street, Belle Vue, Gorton and beyond. Dubbed Gunchester and laced with gang crime, it has had it's fair share of hurt and destruction. I too, watched in sheer disgrace as the riots reached the city centre this summer. Since then, and some how there has been a sense of determination to correct such disaffection. view page