Written by Chloe Shaw, a current MA Gender, Sexuality and Culture student.

Hi everyone, it’s Chloe here, one of the SALC ambassadors. I moved to Manchester three months ago to begin the Gender, Sexuality and Culture MA programme. Moving alone to a new city was certainly scary but I am absolutely loving it and today I am going to take you through my favourite things about living here.

To begin with, the nightlife and music scene in this city is, of course, one of its big selling points. If jazz and blues is your thing, Blues Kitchen and Matt and Phreds are my personal recommendations. The latter is counted as a world landmark jazz club and has a happy hour that lasts all night! Manchester is also home to a series of renowned large-scale live music venues, with the Albert Hall and Deaf Institute boasting impressive performance schedules. The university actually has its very own venue, The Academy. I watched one of my favourite artists, Holly Humberstone, there last month. If you want to live your best wild student life Manchester also has one of the best clubbing scenes of university cities – the gay village is mine and my friends’ current go-to.

Like many, I am a massive foodie and one of my favourite things about this city is the sheer variety of places to eat. There’s something for everyone both on campus and in the centre of Manchester. So, if you want to push the boat out beyond post-night out chips and gravy, here are my top favourites so far. My meal of choice always must be brunch and I highly recommend Federal café. These are scattered around the city and their poached eggs on toast is to die for. Another spot on the more affordable side is Bundobust; they specialise in Indian street food and craft beers. I visited for my housemate’s birthday, and it was some of the best Indian food we’ve tried, with a great laid-back atmosphere to match. I’d lastly recommend Mackie Mayor, a food hall with nine venues – perfect for a visit from your family who can’t agree on one cuisine.

More generally, I love the feel of the city. It’s no myth that Northerners are really friendly, and Mancunians are no exception. This is coupled with the city being the youngest in the UK – it’s definitely the place to be as a student. Moving to Manchester has already allowed me to meet some amazing, likeminded people. I also love how diverse and queer the city is – it’s a cultural hub, which makes an ideal backdrop for a humanities degree. If you too are a lover of the arts, there is so much going on in Manchester. In October I took myself to the Royal Exchange Theatre to watch a production of ‘The Glass Menagerie’; I loved the fresh, queer take it took on a Tennessee Williams classic.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope that if you are considering moving to Manchester, this blog has helped confirm that it is the place to be. 🙂

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