Gorgeous creative space with 20 plus studios bursting at the seams with unique, one off pieces…read moreranging from jewellery to artwork. I LOVE this place, they showcase a lot of local talent. There is a cute coffee shop that sells the usual tea, coffee, cake and small plates so it's perfect for a coffee and a browse. Fun Fact: Back in the day this used to be the local fish market, the original features including the tiles still remain in tact. On some days I swear you can smell residual fishiness but that could just be my mind playing tricks on me!

Angela's absolutely right, this place is so easy to miss. When I first happened upon this place by…read moreaccident, thankfully after I'd hauled Lex G all over the Northern Quarter in an attempt to locate Teacup she still had the energy to spot this gorgeous, adorable building and say, 'What's that?' Me being the investigative yelper that I am said, 'I have no idea. Let's have a look.' Thank goodness we did, because I thought places like this only existed in small towns, at Cedar Farm (a beautiful little crafts-driven farm with shops in Mawdesley that I highly recommend... ahh, my rural homeland radius) or in Brighton. Literally, I felt like I'd stepped into somewhere along the seafront in my brother's resident city, because the last time I saw open studios and handmade jewellery for sale, I was indeed in that picturesque place by the sea. From the outside the building is pretty, but when you walk in it really takes your breath away. Delightful little exhibitions, artists at work... I instantly made a mental note to bring mothers here, mine or in-law, the next time they're in Manchester as they love places like this. The centre has such a lovely quaint feel to it, and goodness me, tranquil? I couldn't have felt more tranquil had you tipped a load of Kalms tablets down my throat and given me a Slanket and a chocolate Horlicks. And whether you're naturally a chilled out person or slightly neurotic and over-organised like myself, no doubt walking in here will instil in you a sense of calm that you'll struggle to find anywhere else in Manchester. The work for sale is exceptional, and I myself was instantly attracted to the wall hangings comprising of collages of iconic Manchester photographs, such as street signs, buildings, bands, restaurants and so forth. I could have stayed in here for hours.You're bound to come home with something special and unique here gifts-wise. Cafe Aromat has its own website and looks absolutely mouthwatering, so I promise that when we pop in again I'll get some munch there and let you know how it is. I know, I suffer for my art don't I. *Winks.*

I have a sore head. It's not good but it's the price you pay for a great night out. Ruby Lounge…read moretotally exceeded expectations. Me, planning, making a decision is a rare thing. My suggestion was actually a hit. I did my indecisive alterego very proud. There are many quality club nights organised by the Lost and Found name and this was no exception. Dance off, being £1 entry, sold it for me. Doubles for £3, a range of sambucas £1.50? Messy. Dance off saw a battle between three major DJs, strangerways, good vibrations and juicy DJs playing a mix of Joy Division, The Temptations and Dr Dre. Amazing combination. Ruby Lounge is renown for it's quality club nights and live music. The venue is perfect, with an adequate dance floor, a stage to match and plenty of seating on a slightly raised level for a chill out. Another great Northern Quarter location that needs to become a regular thing for me.

I think this might be a strip club. In fact I'm pretty sure. Well, it wasn't when I was in the Ruby…read moreLounge last night for a Lost and Found gig which is why I felt comfortable to take my boyf in with me. The gig was billed as The Cribs Aftershow but it was basically just a gig- most of the spectators were either in one of the four bands, looked like they should be or were girl groupies who were way too impressed with themselves that they were getting backstage. The sofas and high backed armchairs in the main bar area were nice touches, there were a few mirror balls around too. Plus velvet curtains - hello, strip club? Then you turn to the grimy stage area with the big grill up between the bands and the crowd. That said, no one went past the pillar anyway. Too cool to stand right at the front. Alright drinks prices - get some of their cheap vodka mixers or flavoured sambucas otherwise you'll run out of money quickly. After the bands they had Gareth Brooks from Xfm DJIng but we didn't end up staying.

How on earth I haven't utilized the facilities here until recently is incredible. Us Mancunians…read morereally don't know how good we have it here. This is the national squash center folks, it was built for the common wealth games over a decade ago. There are 6 state of the art courts and a center court which is out of this world. The court comes equipped with a control centre from which it can be steered like a hover craft. The women's world open was held here in 2008 and numerous national as well as International matches are also housed here. So if you're a squash fan or just want to experience something different, this place is highly recommended. Furthermore residents of certain parts of Manchester can gain access to the world class facilities for free. The incentive is to get local communities to take part in sport and make use of the facilities otherwise not available. Part of the pledge includes the following: Reduced cost cycling and spinning at the National Cycle Centre. Opportunities to watch Team GB Olympians train. Free use of indoor and outdoor tennis courts. Free use of squash courts. Badminton court hire for £1.00. Automatic entry into annual Free Prize Draw and opportunities to win selected MCFC home game tickets. It's very easy to find out if you are eligible, simply visit the Manchester sports and leisure website, or email contact@manchestersportandleisure.org for more details. I did and now I play squash here twice a week free of charge. God I love Manchester!

I spent a few hours here last Saturday to watch the semi-finals of the British National Squash…read moreChampionships with some workmates, so I didn't actually use the facilities for exercise, though on seeing what was there I'd definitely consider coming back again and playing in one of their six squash courts. As for the championships, they've been held here every year in early February since 2003 as the centre was built for the Commonwealth Games in 2002. We watched the over 35s men's, the professional women's and finally the men's semi-finals which were pretty thrilling (especially with all the 'argy bargy' and numerous 'verbal exchanges' the players had with the referees - the men were the worst offenders, quelle surprise). For £12 a ticket it was pretty reasonably priced given the unexpected drama and skills we got to watch. The seating behind the glass show court meant we had uninterrupted views of all the action. There were small intervals between the matches so people could go and get some refreshments from the food stalls. Tip: there's masses of free parking nearby as the centre forms part of Sportcity which is next to Manchester City's Etihad Stadium. Plan you visit to not coincide with a football game!

Cam, Ry, and Olly were great & friendly bartenders. Very respectful and made great drinks!!!…read more Sully, Cal, and Greg, on the other hand, were rude and were incapable of manning the bar. Will not be coming back. (due to the fact that I live in America, not Manchester)

Hallelujah! After…read morefour years of redevelopment, not-for-proft charity Inner City Music finally re-opened the doors of Band on The Wall last September. Aside from redecoration and a spacious chill out area, the main difference to the legendary music venue is the stage. There's a spanking new state of the art PA system installed, new lights, new audio-visual equipment and for the jazz fans amongst you, a concert grand piano. What's more, the venue looks set to make local funk, soul, blues, jazz, hip hop and world music fans extremely happy with a packed programme of live shows and deejays most nights of the week. They've already had gigs from Breakestra, Nitin Sawhney and The Mad Professor and Southern soul legend Candi Staton is set to grace the stage in April. The show you have to reserve a ticket for however, is 27 March when 10 piece band Introducing will be attempting to recreate DJ Shadow's seminal Entroducing album live. Yup, that's note for note, loop for loop, for the very first time, live AND in front of an audience! Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmzHRGoKca0&feature=related

I visited here with my 19 year old daughter for "Beat the Frog" night. We sat right in front of the…read morestage and drank a lot of beer. Also, we are Americans and it was our first trip to Manchester. My Mancunian is not that good, but I am trying (I know what "kecks" are and I regularly use the word "bobbins"). I was worried we would not understand but was delighted to discover that comedy is pretty universal. It helped that the loud table to our right was completely composed of people from Wigan. Even these Americans know that Wigan is funny for so many reasons. (Hint...Wigan is to the North as West Virginia is to the US). The comedians did so well, the girl that won was so funny, kind of like a foul mouthed young Manc Minnie Pearl. Loved the trans comedian too. We made a lot of friends and laughed all night. Only problem was a guy from Liverpool. We don't speak Scouse and have no idea what he was saying. Thankfully, the Mancunians couldn't understand him either and threw the BD off the stage in 1 minute!

I've never actually been inside the Frog and Bucket comedy club. Then why on earth are you…read morereviewing it? I hear you ask. Maybe. Well, I did try and go to the Frog and Bucket once. It was the free Monday night comedy club that me and the girlfriend wanted to go to it. So we got our going out clothes on, got a couple of friends and headed over to the comedy club. Which is where we discovered a big queue, and people walking past the queue who had already booked a table in advance. When it came to it, the place was so busy that we couldn't get in, and were turned away. So my advice would be just to book a table. It costs hardly anything to book and guarantees you a spot which would avoid the annoyance that we experienced. I'm assuming this place is really good if it's this busy!

This is fast becoming my favourite place in the Northern Quarter. What a sensational venue! I have…read morein recent history had the pleasure of going to two events, a stand up/live music gig and a Kino short film event. I've fallen in love with 3MT! The place has so much character with the walls adorning various art and posters of events past/present/future. The acoustics are incredible for music and it's just the perfect size for it to be called an "intimate" venue. I was so impressed with the gig I went to the first time, I recorded three of the songs and the response on Vimeo and Youtube has been incredible. Much of that is down to the incredible lighting and sound the call theatre creates. The Kino shorts event ( http://kinofilm.org.uk/category/kino-shorts/ ) was an altogether different affair. A brilliant networking event for film makers with some great films and some hilarious Q & As. The drinks selection at the bar isn't great but the size and nature of the menu makes up for it. I highly recommend you pay this place a visit and pick up a programme to see what's on. You won't regret it, and feel free to check out the video I posted of the first event I went to :)

Three Minute Theater? The name itself is so interesting that it caught my attention but after…read moreattending one of their events I was bowled! If you are a theater fan and would like to see some brilliant performances from locals in Manchester then this is something you should not give a miss. Run by some wonderful, creative people who have a passion for life, art and everything Manchester. It is a great place for budding actors, writers and directors too because this could you your platform to meet people from the same industry and probably get involved. The plays are short and sweet and so very creative. Its strange how independent bodies like this are not as popular as they should be, same with independent cinema I guess. The environment is so warm and non pretentious that you can go alone and watch a play if you have no one to go with because you will land up coming out of there with a new friend! Verdict: Highly reccommended for all art lovers!

The Manchester Art Gallery isn't massive but has an interesting collection of pieces. It's also…read morefree to enter, so not much to lose by stopping in. My partner and I were in the area and checked it out because they had an exhibition on drinkware and the historical context of its supply and consumption. Lots of cool pieces and good insights on the exploitation involved with coffee, tea, and chocolate. Other than that, it's not unlike most museum visits. Wander around, stop by the gift shop perhaps, and then you're off!

Free to the public during the week! We stopped here because we couldn't check into your Airbnb yet…read more We stopped by and walked around. It's big, pretty and they have clean and nice bathrooms. They also have a cafe, and plenty of chairs so you can rest and sit. The gift shop is also very cute and they have free wifi! Definitely check it out if you need to kill some time!

A fascinating perspective on the contributions by the people of the Manchester area to major…read moreinnovations in science and industry throughout history. Numerous displays and examples of equipment and machinery large and small. Steam engines to electron microscopes on display, with emphasis on Manchester's relationship with the cotton industry, both good and bad. Something for everyone here, young and old. Free to enter, donations appreciated. Reservations will make sure that you don't need to wait for entry. A must-see if you are in the area.

Fantastic place for families with children! Adults can enjoy the many exhibits while young ones can…read moreenjoy the hands on displays. We liked watching the textile demonstration in the Textile area. This place has so much to see and do. And it's free! Contributions are gladly accepted to keep this fabulous museum operational.

I really like the new Home. The cinema rooms are much better than they were at Corner house, and…read morethe food is just fantastic. Home offers a range of discounts, including advance bookings made online, as well as ticket price reduction for members.

So HOME is pretty cool!…read more It kind of feels like the old cornerhouse in general vibe and outlook on life but in a big flashy new skin away from the rest of Manchester. In fact this does seem to be the new way of doing things by the council - let's build things on brown field sites and aim to create a new urban hub around it. With very little passing traffic, it's going to take a while to really become a mainstream destination but it is very easily reached with Deansgate and Oxford Road stations around 5 mins walk. On this occasion I was looking for somewhere to work for a few hours and sat upstairs in their cafe bar grabbing a couple of flat whites and a bacon bap . Not bad all round and pretty quiet on a Monday morning. It did get much busier at lunch time so it's good to see peeps really enjoying this offering! You can sit outside on deck chairs and tables and there's a cafe downstairs just selling drinks and cake.

Hidden away just off Princess Street, Charlies is fairly non discript from the outside and is…read moreeasily missed unless you're looking. Whether its postioning was tactical or not I've idea but what I can tell you is that this little gem has a fantastically fun and friendly atmospere that is helped hugely by the fact that it's not somewhere idiots stumble into accidently on a ramdom crawl. Offering entertainment throughout the week including Karaoke and a 70's, 80's & 90's chart club night, Charlies plays host to the hugely popular 'Heart of Soul' club night on Saturdays, playing R'n'B, funk and Sweet Soul music. Everybody there is a have-a-go hero, X Factor it isn't but Y-not Factor it certainly is! Get your tonsils warmed up and get down there.

Charlies is a guaranteed goodnight. Bit of a mixed crowd , dodgy bar and no card machine at the bar…read moreis only negatives. Good song range, great atmosphere but have a few somewhere else before to get you on your merry singing way. I hate singing but i love it at charlies and even i sing every now n then!!