For the more than 550,000 people who are lucky enough to call this city our home, you don’t have to tell us twice about how great it is.
You’ll probably find us shouting about it from the rooftops at any chance we get.
Manchester is global powerhouse that’s instantly-recognisable for its architecture, culture, musical exports, acclaimed food and drink scene, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, world-beating football teams and sports clubs, impressive transport connections, and so much more.
But what is it that makes the city so close to our hearts? What makes the hustle and bustle of city life so appealing to Mancunians and the people who visit?
Here at The Manc, we’re always keen to know where you stand. And in this case, we want to experience the wonders of our great city through your eyes and see what it is you think makes Manchester so special – a different viewpoint.
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So, we took to two of our social media platforms this week – Facebook and Instagram – to ask you, our loyal audience of Mancunians, to finish this sentence – ‘I love Manchester because_____‘.
And here’s what you said:
___
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The People
There’s no denying that a significant part of what makes a city so special is the people that inhabit it. The people you find walking down the streets, lending a hand, entertaining the masses, or working so diligently in all of our shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, office buildings, and beyond.
Our family. Our friends. The people that we love.
Of course, it makes sense that so many Mancunians said that their favourite thing about the city of Manchester is the people who live here.
“It’s full of Mancs.”
“I always loved how diverse it was, full of wonderfully colourful people.”
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“I met my wife here – Best thing to ever happen to me.”
“I love Manchester because of its salt of the earth people – the city has some of the world’s warmest hearts! Manchester made me and you are beautiful.”
From globally-loved bands such as Oasis, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, The Smiths, and too many more that we just don’t have time to list off, to the iconic Madchester music scene and the days of Factory Records and The Haçienda, and right through to the music of all genres that’s being produced here today, there’s bound to be something that the Manchester music scene has created for everyone to tap their toes to along to.
The city is also full of live music venues of all shapes and sizes, which has cemented Manchester as a staple location on the touring schedules for artists all over the world.
Manchester is a city such a rich culture – and you all seem to love it.
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“I’d spend a lot of time in Manchester with my aunt, especially Afflecks and the market, a lot of collectors / album shops, and you’d just see people with all different styles there.”
“There’s always vibe about the place, a uniqueness and surprise around every corner or street and alley. Little cafe or antique shop, or a pub or bar you have never noticed. And the buildings where ten of thousands of people walk passed every day and not the beautiful architecture or a fantastic piece of graffiti art on a wall.”
“I love Manchester because of Afflecks.”
“It’s just a lovely place. Not too fast paced not too dull. I think it’s the right balance of all things – a bit of country side nearby, a bit of modern infrastructure in the expanding city, a bit of history and everything here.”
Just as the famous quote from the iconic Tony ‘Longfella’ Walsh poem This Is The Place goes, “Some are born here, some drawn here – but we all call it home.”
Manchester is a city to call home, and that is something so many of us are proud of.
“It’s home (and a million other reasons).”
“It’s home. I’ve been all over, but I always come back – best city in the world.”
“It’s where I was born and raised.”
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“Because I was born there, and it will always be home no matter where in the world I am.”
“It’s where I came for six months, and stayed 12 years.”
“Because whenever I visit, inside it feels like I’ve come home.”
“No need to finish the sentence… It says all it needs to say.”
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“Everyone from every age, colour and religion come together. It’s the best city on earth.”
“Best city in the world – very cosmopolitan and good mix of Western and Eastern culture, and food places, and all my uni memories are here too.”
“It’s my happy place.”
“There’s nothing else like it. Best city in the UK by a country mile.”
___
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Not found an answer you agree with? Do you have a different view? We received hundreds of replies to our question across all social platforms, so we unfortunately haven’t been able to include every single one in this article.
Instead, we chose to feature a few that seemed to resonate the best with our audience and received the most interactions overall.
Are you keen to have your say?
Well, there’s still time to chip in, so make sure you head on over to The Manc on Facebook and Instagram to take part, leave your thoughts and discuss with other Mancunians in the same position as you.
Heinz teams up with Absolut Vodka to create new ‘pasta alla vodka’ sauce
Georgina Pellant
After hiking the price of its cream of tomato soup by 79% at the start of the year, Heinz was firmly in our bad books – but a new collaboration withAbsolut Vodka might just be about to turn all of that around.
In a partnership we didn’t even know we needed, the two brands have come together to create the ultimate jar of Pasta alla Vodka sauce.
Spicy vodka pasta has long been a favourite with Italian food lovers, but the dish has been experiencing something of a moment in the spotlight ever since supermodel Gigi Hadid shared her own viral recipe on social media.
The dish has since become one of the trendiest recipes on TikTok and Instagram, leading Heinz to pull themselves into gear and create their own version of the popular sauce.
Despite its over 150-year history of creating world-renowned tomato-based products, Heinz has admitted to being ‘ridiculously late’ to the tomato-based pasta sauce game.
Now, though, that is all set to change as the brand releases its own version of the much-loved recipe to the masses, in jar-form, through the creation of Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce.
Calling it ‘a match made in pasta heaven,’ according to a press release the vodka in the sauce ‘unlocks the flavours and intensifies the aroma’ of the rich and creamy tomato, basil and cheese concoction.
During the cooking process, most of the alcohol from the vodka is reduced, boosting the volatile flavour compounds already present in the tomatoes and creating a rich texture that perfectly balances the creamy, cheese notes with the rich tomato and fragrant basil.
Speaking on the new release, Caio Fontenele, Heinz New Ventures Director, said: “While it may have taken over 150 years of tomato expertise to launch our first Heinz pasta sauce, we’re determined to continue innovating and delighting consumers with delicious flavours, at the speed of social media trends.
“We are thrilled with the partnership between these two centenary brands, bringing the first tomato vodka pasta sauce to major UK supermarkets. The iconic combination of Heinz’s high-quality tomato sauces and Absolut’s premium vodka is set to offer fans the ultimate pasta alla vodka experience. And the result is absolutely delicious!”
Of the launch, Leanne Banks, Marketing Director, Pernod Ricard UK, added: “It’s only natural that we’d partner with Heinz on this ultimate collaboration between two iconic brands, with two iconic bottles.
“As the UK’s no.1 premium vodka, Absolut was Born to Mix, whether that’s in delicious drinks or fun food combinations and Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce is a match made in heaven. Now fans of our brand can enjoy Absolut in an entirely new and innovative way, Pasta alla Vodka style.”
A limited number of the Heinz x Absolut Tomato Vodka Pasta sauce jars will be available at Waitrose from mid-April for £2.50 for a 350g jar.
However, if you don’t want to miss out, you can pre-order one of a limited run of the special sauce from Heinz’s direct-to-consumer website, www.heinztohome.co.uk, to get your hands on a jar ahead of its official supermarket launch.
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Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to submit ‘world record’ offers to buy Manchester United as other bidders are expected to join the race
Danny Jones
The deadline for the second round of bidders in the race to takeover Manchester United football club has officially passed, with multiple world record offers reportedly on the verge of being submitted.
Following the first round of bids, which saw a Qatar investment group headed up by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe both put in their initial offers, Manchester United set a second deadline of 9pm on 22 March for them to increase their offers and welcome other offers.
While the opening bids matched each other at £4.5 billion, working with financial advisors Raine Group who are brokering in the deal from the US, neither reached the Glazer family ownership’s estimations, who value the club closer to £6bn.
As a result, both went on to carry out further negotiations — each visiting Old Trafford last Friday and staying for upwards of six hours (more than 10 in the case of the Qataris) — but it is now thought they may no longer be the only parties involved in the bidding war. Whether it will be in time is the issue.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos have not submitted their bid for Manchester United before the 9pm deadline pic.twitter.com/XTc0rVKAn2
Kaveh Solhekol trying to clear up the confusion over Qatar and Jim Ratcliffe’s United bids.
Despite earlier reports that Sheikh Jassim and his associates had submitted a “world record offer” before the Glazers and Raine Group’s 9pm deadline (5pm New York time), Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol has now clarified that the bid was not submitted in time and that they have asked for an extension.
Man United are said to have agreed to the extension and Sheikh Jassim still remains confident that they have the “best bid” of the bunch.
Moreover, as per the likes of Mike Keegan, Jim Ratcliffe was also set to enter his second bid, with both offers said to have increased to around the £5bn mark. However, the INEOS chief exec is also said to have failed to meet the deadline and been granted an extension, according to a senior source.
Kaveh also went on to detail that multiple other offers have in fact been submitted, with the numbers said to be “approaching eight” different bidders.
Many bids have gone in for #mufc this evening, approaching eight [@SkyKaveh]
Any bid of more than £3.75bn would break the world record fee for a sports club set when the Denver Broncos were sold last summer.
As for the frontrunners, both offers are still around a billion short of the Glazer’s asking price and not only have Sheikh Jassim and co. already warned they will ‘walk away’ if the price is too high, but it’s unclear how far Ratcliffe’s wealth can stretch if he is to continue pursuing a deal.
The key difference between the two bids is that Qatar’s bid will apparently make the club debt-free given the sheer mass of state wealth behind them, whereas the Failsworth-born businessman’s financing may be more complex to put together.
Trying to clear up the confusion, The Times‘ Matt Lawton said on Twitter that “both Qatari and INEOS representatives said their bids were in, United sources [are] saying they haven’t yet bid and have asked for an extension”, with offers now set to be made by tomorrow.
As reported by Sky Sports earlier this week, it was thought that “at least five other bidders” and as many as eight in question could join the race along with Ratcliffe and Qatar, who were the only two parties to have submitted an official offer for United during the first round of bidding.
However, a detailed list of the other candidates and precisely how many are still yet to be confirmed; Kaveh did go on to suggest that some could simply be a form of “hot air” designed to hopefully urge the ‘serious bidders’ to edge their offers up even higher.
As for next steps, neither of the parties in the supposed two-horse race expect an immediate decision from the board, especially after the unexpected delay, and those who submitted new offers in the second round of bidding will have to wait at least seven days to hear back from the club and brokers Raine Group regarding their progress.
However, it is worth noting that these subsequent bids may not necessarily be attempts to buy the club outright and not only is there a feeling that a third round of negotiations could take place, but there is also a growing sense that the Glazers could still pull out of a potential buyout altogether.
Emily Sergeant -
7th January 2022 
