My Manchester: "I’ve not quite picked up the Manc accent yet but I’m not far off"

In the latest in our My Manchester series, we caught up with Elly, a first year Materials researcher who returned from industry to start her postgraduate research, about the best places to eat and drink, and doing her own sketching whilst visiting our amazing museums.?

You’re no stranger to Manchester. When was it that you first came to the city???

I’m from Oxford originally. I first came to Manchester for my undergraduate degree in 2011 and graduated in 2016, and I’ve lived in Manchester ever since.?

What was it that initially attracted you??

I remember the open day. Normally me and my mum would go up, we'd get the open day done as quickly as possible, and then we'd go and explore whatever city it was. I just really loved Manchester – it was so big and exciting, with lots of shops, lots of interesting restaurants and cafes. It just had a really nice vibe to it. The university was great too!?

Sounds like Manchester really had an impact on you. What it was that stood out???

When I started at the university, one of my favourite places was the Northern Quarter. There's little trendy bars, restaurants, and cafes. There's also loads of interesting little shops and things like Afflecks Palace . I love kind of exploring around that area, it's pretty and quirky.?

You’ve been in Manchester for a while now, and came back to university after being in industry, why was it that you decided Manchester was the university you wanted to return to for your postgraduate research???

I live here, in Manchester, with my boyfriend, who I met in my final year and he’s a local. I love Manchester anyway both as a city and a University, so it made sense, and I was more than happy to stay here for my PhD.?

Spending that much time in Manchester makes you something of a Manchester local now, do you like to find new places or do you have some go to places you always visit??

I’ve not quite picked up the Manc accent yet but I’m not far off! It’s a mixture of both for me. I like places like Mackie Mayor and Society – they’re large food halls and are always good places to go to when you're meeting up with friends. They’re good if you've got a large group and you don't know what they all like, or if they have allergies; there's something for everyone really. But I do like finding new places too.??

If someone was coming to Manchester for the first time, what would be your top food and drink recommendations aside from Mackie Mayor???

For brunch, I'd probably go somewhere like Cottonopolis – they do a really good bottomless brunch. For afternoon tea, there's Richmond Tea Rooms , and Sugar Junction in the Northern Quarter is really good. There are so many other options too, Salvis have the best pizza,? and Bundobust is one of my favourite places - it's an Indian, which does vegetarian and vegan.?

Some great tips there, even as a meat eater I love Bundobust! What other things do you enjoy doing in the city???

I like painting and drawing, and there are lots of places you can go. I used to go to Nexus Art Café but it’s closed now which is really upsetting. They did life drawing and classes like that, so I need to find a new place to do that.??

But we've also got Cass Art, Abakhan and there's a Fred Aldous, so you can get like lots of fairly reasonably priced art supplies in the city centre if that's what you're into.??

We've got Manchester Art Gallery too; I love going there and sketching, as well as the Museum of Science and Industry and the Manchester Museum . If you're into art, it's great to bring a sketchbook and just go and do some little doodles as you walk around.?

How about your favourite quiet spots on campus where you can go to work???

I've got my own office that I share and normally that's quite quiet, people tend to go out for phone calls and to chat, so that's quite good. There are some good spots in the Engineering Building , on the 5th floor outside the lab. It’s a space that any PGRs can use but there’s comfy sofas and a kitchen area.??

Before you leave, what tips would you give new PGRs when they first arrive in Manchester???

Just to explore, that's the main thing really, just have a look around; you’ll walk down a little side street and you'll be surprised what you find. There's always little places hidden around. Chinatown's got some great Chinese supermarkets, there’s some fantastic restaurants and bakeries all over.?

The museums are a must – they’re usually free, so they're great to get to know the city. When you have family or friends visiting, they’re a great way to explore and show off the city.??

If you want something a bit more fancy then you can go to Spinningfields – where there’s lots of nice little bars.??