Manchester

[KratosBaggie]

Does it really matter.

I happen to like both cities, and always have a good time whenever I'm in either.

[Squid]

Liverpool pisses all over Manchester as a city tbf.

Aesthetically, yes. But as somewhere to live, no. Certain outskirts are some of the grimmest places in the UK.

Coventry isn't a dump really either, whoever said that upthread. The city centre is compact and easy to walk around and there is some development happening there too.

[hudds]

Manchester is a nothing city with no landmarks. Birmingham is hugely underrated, often by those who live closest to it.

There's a real inferiority complex around these parts. Next, some of you will be saying Liverpool is a better city and that's not true either. Nor is Cardiff.

Oh come on, that’s clearly not true.

It is true,  I got nothing out of living there for 10 years except the opera, the dance, the Halle at Bridgewater Hall, the indie cinema/Cornerhouse, the huge public park on me doorstep, the cheap ale, decent pubs, the loffs, the bombings, the attention of local girls who thought I was a yank(!), the nuggets of gold pulled out of the Irwell under Bridge Street, the mushy pea fritters, the refreshing rain.

Brum?  The number 9 to Stourbridge.  Tolkien can do one, BB.

[Squid]

Manchester is a nothing city with no landmarks. Birmingham is hugely underrated, often by those who live closest to it.

There's a real inferiority complex around these parts. Next, some of you will be saying Liverpool is a better city and that's not true either. Nor is Cardiff.

Oh come on, that’s clearly not true.

It is true,  I got nothing out of living there for 10 years except the opera, the dance, the Halle at Bridgewater Hall, the indie cinema/Cornerhouse, the huge public park on me doorstep, the cheap ale, decent pubs, the loffs, the bombings, the attention of local girls who thought I was a yank(!), the nuggets of gold pulled out of the Irwell under Bridge Street, the mushy pea fritters, the refreshing rain.

Brum?  The number 9 to Stourbridge.  Tolkien can do one, BB.

Birmingham has a symphony orchestra, its own ballet company, three busy theatres, concert venues of varying sizes, five Michelin starred restaurants, several large parks and the oldest working cinema in the UK.

And a balti is clearly a far greater culinary invention than the pea fritter.

This is what I mean by Birmingham being underrated.

[Borin' Baggie]

Liverpool pisses all over Manchester as a city tbf.

Aesthetically, yes. But as somewhere to live, no. Certain outskirts are some of the grimmest places in the UK.

Coventry isn't a dump really either, whoever said that upthread. The city centre is compact and easy to walk around and there is some development happening there too.

Coventry absolutely is a dump. There's zero incentive to actually go into the city centre and the city centre itself is artificially constrained by the stupid ring road.

It's the same size as Cardiff, Leicester, and Newcastle but you wouldn't know that visiting it. Zero celebration of the fantastic historic architecture, until recently the landmark of the city that enabled it to be the capital of England was closed to the public for decades.

I would know, I live a 15 minute walk away from the city boundary. Other than a vehicle to go into London, Manchester or Birmingham on the train I do not understand what the city actually offers.

[KratosBaggie]

I do much prefer Brum, mind. But Manchester isn't as bad as some of the comments on this thread would have you suggest.

Both are miles better to visit than London.

[hudds]

Manchester is a nothing city with no landmarks. Birmingham is hugely underrated, often by those who live closest to it.

There's a real inferiority complex around these parts. Next, some of you will be saying Liverpool is a better city and that's not true either. Nor is Cardiff.

Oh come on, that’s clearly not true.

It is true,  I got nothing out of living there for 10 years except the opera, the dance, the Halle at Bridgewater Hall, the indie cinema/Cornerhouse, the huge public park on me doorstep, the cheap ale, decent pubs, the loffs, the bombings, the attention of local girls who thought I was a yank(!), the nuggets of gold pulled out of the Irwell under Bridge Street, the mushy pea fritters, the refreshing rain.

Brum?  The number 9 to Stourbridge.  Tolkien can do one, BB.

Birmingham has a symphony orchestra, its own ballet company, three busy theatres, concert venues of varying sizes, five Michelin starred restaurants, several large parks and the oldest working cinema in the UK.

And a balti is clearly a far greater culinary invention than the pea fritter.

This is what I mean by Birmingham being underrated.

It's mushy pea fritter. Yah!

[Ted Maul]

I do much prefer Brum, mind. But Manchester isn't as bad as some of the comments on this thread would have you suggest.

Both are miles better to visit than London.

London is a brilliant city. If you don't like London you've been doing it wrong.

[Borin' Baggie]

It is true,  I got nothing out of living there for 10 years except the opera, the dance, the Halle at Bridgewater Hall, the indie cinema/Cornerhouse, the huge public park on me doorstep, the cheap ale, decent pubs, the loffs, the bombings, the attention of local girls who thought I was a yank(!), the nuggets of gold pulled out of the Irwell under Bridge Street, the mushy pea fritters, the refreshing rain.

Brum?  The number 9 to Stourbridge.  Tolkien can do one, BB.

Tolkein pretty much inspired the whole modern fantasy genre and Birmingham is a huge inspiration for the world he created to do that. Hundreds of millions of people would disagree with you, that's the point. 

Birmingham also has the largest urban park in Europe within the city boundary so I'm not sure that's a valid point, it's also a cheaper place to drink than Manchester nowadays.

Not a theatre or opera man but for film there's the Electric, which unlike the Cornerhouse actually still exists.

[Cheshire East Baggie]

I do much prefer Brum, mind. But Manchester isn't as bad as some of the comments on this thread would have you suggest.

Both are miles better to visit than London.

Now there I'd disagree. London is a different thing, a capital city, so there's always going to be more history, more attractions, much more diversity. You can't really compare the experience. I saw more of what London had to offer in two years than my cockernee mate Danny had in his whole 25 years, as he never wandered far out of Bow.

Just for balance, I'll admit that my antipathy towards Liverpool is based largely on my experiences with Scousers rather than any knowledge of the place which I have not often visited (I played a gig at The Cavern Club once though). But walking out of Lime Street station on a busy day has a "What the fuck is this?" factor up there with Mumbai and Naples. Really not a place I feel comfortable.