Yesterday was a bit of a complete whirlwind for me.
I boarded the National Express to Manchester early morning and arrived late afternoon in Manchester where my lovely cousin took me to her flat where I shall stay for the duration of my trip.
Manchester is a quaint city bustling with students attending universities. During the day, these students somehow have time to be shopping constantly at the Market Street, where stores like H&M, ZARA, Selfridge, American Apparel, Urban Outfitters and Primark can be found. It's basiscally a shopping haven, a cross between the Irvine Spectrum and Fashion Island. All the stores here close by 9 pm. In a way, this city is very similar to Irvine, just with a better bus transporation system, taller buildings and a longer history.
My cousin took me for some drinks at this pretty nice bar called KRO Picadilly. We got a bit tipsy after that. She also showed me the oldest bar in Manchester, called Old Wellington Inn, which was pretty cool. But really, Manchester has barely any must-see sights compared to London.
Still, the city does have some pretty cool museums, a fantastic town hall, a really great university in Manchester University and a pretty famous soccer (excuse me, football) team that you might have heard of: Manchester United.
There's also a small Chinatown here she took me to. We grabbed some dim sum for dinner there and I have to say most of the dishes were quite up to par with the ones in California we go to.
Today though, was all purely shopping. I pretty much spent the most at this amazing store called Primark which reminds me of a cross between Target, Forever 21 and Kohl's. Everything feels like a deal, yet it's fashionable. I can't tell you how many people were in there rummaging through clothes, accessories, handbags or what not girls love to buy.
I got myself a sweater, a military jacket, a ring, a couple belts, a scarf and a green top. It was all for about 30 pounds.
Then I've also been spending like crazy on candy for my brothers. I really don't know how I'm going to be able to take it all back to the US. I think I might need to buy another hand carry bag.
Of the stores that can be found in the US like H&M, Zara, and Urban Outfitters, I think I like the H&M selection the best. While Zara, for some reason has a bigger collection in its European stores, it somehow feels like the selection isn't as good at the US ones. The Urban Outfitters here has a much better collection of the fun section, including candles that say "You're Old" instead of "Happy Birthday." The H&M clothing selection and design is different than the US version, but I think the US pricing is probably slightly better. I have to keep reminding myself that while 5 pounds for a shirt is cheap, it still converts to at least 8 dollars.
For lunch, we had some crazy chicken meal at a place called Lando's. They have these crazily spicy sauces for their broiled chicken pieces and chicken sandwiches. It reminds me of an overpriced combination between Chick-Fil-A, El Pollo Loco and KFC.
I finally had time to upload some pictures. I took time off yesterday just relaxing and taking a much needed break from being a tourist. I've uploaded pictures up to my first official day in Paris. I'll try uploading some more tomorrow.
Until then, thanks again for reading my stories!
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