Manchester Travel Guide

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Mile High Club or Not, You Could Have Valentine's Dinner on the Concorde

February 8, 2012 at 1:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

The Concorde may technically be dead, but airline romance isn’t, if British Airways’ Valentine’s deal is anything to go by.

A couple of years ago, the UK airline did a neat Valentine’s Day party kinda thing on flights between London and New York; this year, the celebration is on a more personal scale, though still rather spectacular: dinner for two on the Concorde.

The bad news? You’ll have to pay for it. The good? It’s for charity! Just bid for it in a blind email auction, and you’ll win dinner for two on board BA’s flagship Concorde G-BOAC at Manchester Airport, in the Runway Visitor Park.

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Neighborhoods to Know and Go: Manchester's Northern Quarter

July 21, 2011 at 1:18 PM | by | Comments (0)

In contrast to the U.K.'s expanse of verdant countryside, Manchester is urban, industrial, and strikingly cold (in ambiance, that is, though this applies to weather as well). Yet, it's this hardened quality that makes up its personality and, for some, its appeal. Casual visitors hoping to immerse themselves in slick, cosmopolitan environs may walk away from a visit to Manchester feeling disheartened. It certainly isn't London-lite, even if there is a Harvey Nichols located in its city centre.

This isn't to say that Manchester is impossibly somber, however. There are areas of the city which exude friendliness and vibrancy, most notably the arts-friendly Northern Quarter, where we found ourselves most of Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

A hotbed of nouveau bohemianism (read: bourgeois bohemianism), the neighborhood is populated by intimate cafes, indie music-friendly bars, vintage boutiques galore, and attractive denizens with a love of organic cuisine and secondhand record shopping.

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The Manchester International Festival: Where Industry and Art (and Bjork) Collide

July 19, 2011 at 2:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

Manchester is a city of industry, art, and, if you ask certain diehard ManU fans, football. However, it's the juxtaposition between the first two that most vividly colors its landscape. This is the city that birthed both a significant textile boom and Joy Division, each playing a significant role in the development of its social fabric.

Last weekend marked the final days of the Manchester International Festival, a nearly month-long celebration of performing, visual, and pop culture arts set against the city's hardened urban environs. Jaunted took a train northward from London to take in the last of MIF's programming, the highlight being Icelandic songstress Bjork's much-lauded Biophilia show on Saturday evening.

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How To Get Tickets To Bonnaroo 2011

May 24, 2011 at 3:10 PM | by | Comments (0)

If you planned on checking out Bonnaroo this year, which will take place between June 9th and June 12th in Manchester, TN, you better hurry because tickets are going fast!

The annual music and arts fest has an awesome line-up for 2011, including Eminem, Arcade Fire, Widespread Panic, The Black Keys, Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, Lil Wayne, and The Strokes. The bad news is general admission tickets are already sold out. The only tickets left right now are the VIP packages which include two 4-day festival passes, camping fees, VIP parking, special shower and restroom facilities, access to VIP lounge areas, exclusive viewing areas, t-shirts and more for $1,349.50. There is also a payment plan available and an upgrade which includes meals. Tickets can be purchased at Bonnaroo.com.

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Björk, Snoop Dogg, and Wagner Share the Bill at Manchester International Festival

March 30, 2011 at 11:16 AM | by | Comments (0)



Arts and culture-o-philes: dig up your Wellies. U.K. festival season is upon us, bringing with it myriad opportunities to traipse through muddy countrysides a la her Mossness.

For true culture connoisseurs, however, the focus is less on the probability of a celebrity sighting than the chance to see some of the best artists, DJs, filmmakers and other top creatives converge in one place over a short period of time. The goliath that is Glastonbury tends to attract the most press attention, but several worthy festivals are being put on this summer, including artist-led Manchester International.

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Arcade Fire, Eminem, the Strokes and Lil Wayne to Bring It to Bonnaroo

February 15, 2011 at 2:11 PM | by | Comments (0)

Fresh off their Grammy wins, Eminem and Arcade Fire will make plans to head to a Tennessee farm, but not to celebrate their award with a rustic vacation. The guys, along with the Strokes, My Morning Jacket and Lil Wayne, will headline the 10th annual Bonnaroo Festival.

The music and arts fest runs from June 9 to 12 at a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It'll feature the only fest appearance of Buffalo Springfield with original members Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay.

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Manchester Airport Now Using Holograms to Explain Liquids Ban to Travelers

January 31, 2011 at 11:52 AM | by | Comments (0)

There's an old joke about Old English Sheepdogs, an endlessly affectionate but hopelessly stupid breed, which says that the reason they're like that is because they were bred to communicate with sheep. The closer they were to thinking like sheep, the joke goes, the better they would be at interacting with the animals. We're beginning to think that something similar might be going on with UK airport security officials, who we mocked last Friday for being incredibly stupid. Turns out, that might be more of a feature than a bug.

Apparently the people walking through British airports are having problems remembering that country's equivalent of our 3-1-1 law. They're going through lines with their drinks and their makeup, grinding things to a halt. British authorities have tried posting signs, they've tried hanging up posters, and they've even tried putting people inside giant deodorant cans and having them walk around. Nothing works. So now Manchester airport officials have resorted to trying to get people's attention by showing them something shiny. It's the security equivalent of moving a reflection around the carpet so your stupid kitten will chase it.

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Manchester Airport Spent $15 Million to Get Ready for the Airbus A380

August 26, 2010 at 9:11 AM | by | Comments (0)

Not too much new in the world of the Boeing 787 this week, so we though we’d take a look at what’s going on with one of our other favorites planes—the Airbus A380. We mentioned last week that the big bird is heading to Manchester, England next month, but we didn’t realize how much work was necessary to get the airport ready for its arrival.

Starting September 1, Emirates will start bringing the A380 to the airport on a regular basis, and it’s the first time a super jumbo has ventured outside the usual landing spots of major world cities. Since the plane is so heavy and huge, Manchester Airport had to throw down roughly $15 million to get the airport A380-ready.

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Are You Still Searching For Travel Deals Online?

January 9, 2009 at 3:00 PM | by | Comments (2)

No room to dream: Online vendors are freaking out after a Times Online report revealed internet searches for travel were down 42 percent after Christmas, when holiday-fattened bank accounts are traditionally emptied out for spring vacations.

Searches for travel to the US were one of the hardest hit segments of the British travel biz, as the pound falls against the dollar and Brits tighten their belts. The only segment that showed any improvement were searches for package holidays, but the interest didn't lead to a corresponding lift in bookings.

Online bookings were taking a hit back in October already, but the gap between booking a trip and not even looking for one is pretty enormous. So dear readers, are you still looking for travel online, even if you can't afford to go now?

Related Stories:
· Internet Travel Searches Drop 42 Percent [Times Online, via]
· Financial Fallout Travel: Online Booking Hurting, Too [Jaunted]
· Budget Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of an empty terminal at MAN: Jett Loe]

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Le Blue Line Keeps Santa For Themselves

December 23, 2008 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (6)

Ho ho no! Blue 1--a Finnish budget airline affiliated to SAS Airlines and not to be confused with Romania's Blue Air French-based Blue Line--has made a bunch of British kids really blue this Christmas.

The airline should have carried 160 people in two small planes from Manchester to Santa's home in Finnish Lapland early on Saturday morning, but the passengers were then told there'd be a delay while Blue found a new aircraft. The bigger one they got was then deemed too big to land at Finland's Enontekio airport in bad weather and the whole trip was canceled.

Police had to be called to calm down the screaming children, and angry parents had to explain to their kids that they hadn't been good enough to meet Santa this year after all.

Related Stories:
· Police called after angry parents protest at cancellation of flight to see Santa in Lapland [Daily Mail UK]
· Fury as Santa Trip is Sleighed [SMH]
· Will the Real Santa Please Stand Up? [Jaunted]

[Photo: (stephan)]

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Fall Bailout Travel: Americans Own a Soccer Team Now; Why Not See It?

Where: Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester, United Kingdom, M16 0RA
October 6, 2008 at 11:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

Hey, remember a few weeks ago when you bought a British football team? No, you weren't drunk at the time, but when the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve board voted to bail out insurance giant AIG, it effectively bought a piece of Manchester United, the popular club AIG paid £56.5 million ($99 million) to sponsor in 2006. Finally, a reason for Americans to care about soccer!

But seriously: If you're in a footie-playing country, a game is a great way to experience life as a local. You may not recognize all the songs whistling past your ears towards the players (nor the colorful language) but you're in for a great game.

This month, Man U takes on West Brom and West Ham United at home and Everton away; British readers, any tips for Americans enjoying their first game ever?

Related Stories:
· US Government Announces AIG Bailout [CBC.ca]
· AIG Still Sponsoring Manchester United [Yorkblog]
· Manchester Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: tunis marsh]

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Yeehaw! Bonnaroo '08 Promises Acts Never Seen at the Grand Ole Opry

June 12, 2008 at 4:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

If you long for the glory days of festivals like Woodstock, where the mud seeps into your Converse sneakers and there are no VIP accommodations, Bonnaroo '08 is your bag: The tent-camping-centric, off-the-beaten-path concert weekend draws ever increasing star wattage this weekend in Manchester, Tennessee while still being its sweet hippie self.

We're definitely catching MGMT and Lez Zeppelin tonight, Chris Rock and The Swell Season (the musicians from "Once") tomorrow, Kanye "Almost Mr. M.I.A." West on Saturday and, if we haven't died from heat stroke by then, Aimee Mann on Sunday. Drink your water and wear sunscreen, people.

And remember, if you absolutely must live-blog your concert experience, check out the Fuse TV barn. They'll have cell phone charging stations and computers with web access so you can make your friends jealous without even leaving the fest!

Related Links
· Bonnaroo [Official Site]
· Summer Music Festivals: We Heart Bonnaroo [Jaunted]
· Bonnaroo coverage [Jaunted]
· A Travelpod for Bonnaroo? [HC]

[Photo from Bonnaroo '07: batesvillebreeze]

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