Things To Know Before You Go to Manchester

Getting There
You can fly direct to Manchester International Airport from at least 10 North American cities. If your local airport lacks a direct connection, you might prefer to transfer to a Manchester-bound flight inside the United States to avoid London's frenetic Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Where To Stay
Slate's correspondent stayed at the excellent Lowry Hotel. Located in a quiet spot, it's just a two-minute walk, via Santiago Calatrava's beautiful Trinity Bridge, to Deansgate, one of the city's major thoroughfares. As the city's only five-star hotel, it attracts a glamorous clientele—one morning the author was woken by screaming fans of the Irish boy band Westlife, who were guests at the Lowry.

Eating and Drinking
Almost every street in the city center is jam-packed with restaurants and cafes. For a taste of traditional Northern English cuisine in a restaurant with lovely 19^th-century trappings, try Sam's Chop House; their warm Lancashire salad includes the world's best black pudding, direct from Bury. For the quintessential contemporary British meal, don't miss Rusholme's "Curry Mile," aka Oxford Road. Despite its Jungle Book name, Shere Khan is most people's Curry Mile standout. To drink like a local, choose Boddingtons, brewed in Manchester.

Books, Music, and Movies
Historically, Manchester has little literary tradition, though the deficit is more than made up for by the area's outstanding musicians and comedians. Elizabeth Gaskell's novels—especially North and South and Mary Barton—are perhaps the best looks at 19^th-century Manchester. Walter Greenwood's Love on the Dole (apparently out-of-print in the United States) is an outstanding account of the 1930s' depression era. Although written by a Southerner, George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier is an essential text. For something a little more contemporary, Jeanette Winterson's first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, is a beautiful evocation of working-class Northern society.

Although London guides eat up entire shelves of bookstores' travel sections, not a single U.S. publisher produces a general guidebook to the North of England. If you're willing to order from Britain, Itchy Manchester is handy and appropriately irreverent (the Itchy folks also have a Web guide to the rainy city). Worshippers at the Church of Moz will need Morrissey's Manchester: The Essential Smiths Tour, by Phill Gatenby. For general historical background, try A History of Manchester, by Stuart Hylton. The city's music scene is well-chronicled: The outstanding books are Manchester, England, by former Haçienda DJ Dave Haslam (the later chapters come complete with a recommended soundtrack); 24 Hour Party People: What the Sleeve Notes Never Tell You, by Factory Records founder Tony Wilson; and From Joy Division to New Order: The True Story of Anthony H. Wilson and Factory Records, by Mike Middles.

The list of great Manchester bands is almost embarrassingly long, but for the perfect trip, compile a playlist from the works of Herman's Hermits, The Hollies, 10cc, The Buzzcocks, punk poet John Cooper Clarke, Joy Division, New Order, The Fall, Simply Red, The Smiths, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, James, M-People, Oasis, and The Charlatans.

There's no more hilarious guide to Lancashire dialect than Lanky Spoken Here.

If you're contemplating a Manchester movie festival, stock up on Prozac; the classics are Love on the Dole, Hobson's Choice, and A Taste of Honey. Don't under any circumstances miss Michael Winterbottom's brilliant take on the Factory Records story, 24 Hour Party People.

Tips
If, upon entering a museum, you're asked, "Are you working?" it's not a personal question; many institutions offer free admission or discounted rates to the unemployed, students, or seniors. Similarly, in a cafe, servers ask if you intend to "eat in or take away" because tax laws mean that take-out food and drink costs less.

Don't forget a raincoat and umbrella. It really does rain a lot in Manchester.