With international travel still somewhat off the cards this year amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many seem keen to explore everything the British Isles has to offer, so the team of editors at the travel arm of the renowned media company have joined forces to give their opinions on the best UK cities to hit up in 2021.
Ten of the country’s cities have been singled out for praise in the list, with Manchester proudly taking the fifth spot.
Each of the cities have been given a tagline that encapsulates the best they have to offer, and Manchester has been named “the foodie city” after being said to have upped its culinary game over the past few years.
Explaining why Manchester has been awarded fifth place on the list, Rick Jordan from the team of editors at Condé Nast Traveller, said: “Recent openings include Dishoom, the four-storey Ivy Spinningfields, with a rare rooftop bar and separate Asian restaurant, and Mana, from ex-Noma chef Simon Martin, with reindeer moss and bark on the menu.
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“And one of the region’s most switched-on vegan restaurants, Allotment, recently moved here from nearby Stockport – a town that has just unveiled The Produce Hall in its Victorian market (and remains a foodie destination for the wonderful, tasting-menu-only When The Light Gets In)”.
The Ivy ManchesterMana
As well as shouting out the region’s extensive selection of eateries, a number of the city centre’s finest hotels and accommodation options have also been highlighted.
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“The city’s recent biggest openings include the Dakota Manchester hotel, dressed in designer black near Piccadilly, with a seriously grown-up bar and restaurant and terrace views of the canal, and Ducie Street Warehouse, on the edge of the Northern Quarter – a former goods warehouse that’s also home to Native Manchester hotel,” Rick Jordan added.
While it’s always great to hear that people love Manchester as much as we do, where should Mancunians be heading for their city staycations this year?
— Condé Nast Traveller (@cntraveller) May 18, 2021
Taking the top spot on Condé Nast Traveller’s city break list for 2021 is “the wide-awake city” of Glasgow, with its wide-open outdoor spaces, architecture and full-throttle nightlife singled out to “steal your heart” this year.
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The “screen-favourite city” of Belfast takes the second spot, while “the independent city” of Bristol and “the architectural city” of Cambridge take the third and fourth spots to round out the top five.
Fellow northern cities Newcastle and Liverpool also proudly feature in the top 10.
You can read the list in full via the Condé Nast Traveller website here.
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
19th May 2021 
