exploring greater manchester

Yesterday Stacie and I decided to explore Manchester beyond the City Centre. We went to Salford and Trafford, which are boroughs near Manchester (according to Wikipedia). It was a rather windy in the morning, and probably one of the coldest days we've experienced so far. So we were off to a great start! We also boarded the wrong bus, but thankfully it dropped us off exactly where we wanted to go.

Our first stop was The Lowry, which is a large art and entertainment center located near a beautiful pier. It's architecturally pleasing both inside and out, and I bet it would be lovely to see a show in here. But with no money, time, or prior bookings on our hands, we decided to briefly look at their free exhibits instead. One of the exhibits was about the story of BBC's Children's broadcasting. As I walked into the room, I was startled to find life sized versions of The Teletubbies. I actually loved watching The Teletubbies as a kid, and I even had a toy plush of the red Teletubby (her name was Po, I still remember!). But looking back on it now, you can't help but notice how creepy and weird the show is. And standing near the figures, I could feel their eyes staring deep into my soul.

Part nostalgic, part creepy.

We also looked around the Lowry Outlet nearby. I wouldn't really describe it as an outlet, as there weren't that many stores and sales. Then after having a huge lunch at Harvester (which is basically like a Sizzler), we had to cross a lovely bridge to get to the next bus stop. During this time, the skies had cleared up! The sun was shining, and it felt so good. Look at how lovely it was by the water:

Are you now ready for a longer bus story? Okay, here it goes: Our next stop was The Old Trafford/Manchester United Stadium. The stadium isn't that far away from The Lowry, but since Stacie and I purchased an all-day bus pass and didn't want to walk in the cold, we thought we might as well wait for the bus. The bus was supposed to come every 15 minutes, but we ended up waiting nearly 30 minutes for it. According to Google Maps, we had to get off in the next two stops. When the bus arrived at the first stop, we were already near the stadium and people boarding the bus had Manchester United bags with them. Right then, I had a feeling we should get off, but decided to listen to Google Maps instead. So we stayed onboard, and the bus continued to drive, and drive...and drive. About two miles later, we finally stopped. It was definitely a "I've made a huge mistake" moment. So we ended up staying on the bus until it made a full circle back to the stadium. Thus in total, it took us about an hour to get to the stadium when it could've taken us only 10 minutes. *facepalm*

After that unnecessarily long bus ride, we finally made it Old Trafford! I have to admit I am not a fan of football (or as Americans call it, "soccer"). Not that I hate it or anything, but I just don't watch or play. I barely know anything about Manchester United, besides that they're supposed to be one of the best football teams in the world. But how can you live in Manchester and not visit the Manchester United Stadium? I can't imagine how crazy the place must get on match days. Stacie and I just went into their MEGASTORE, and I bought a few souvenirs for my family and friends who actually care about the team.

Our last stop of the day was the Trafford Centre. Oh my goodness, you won't believe how gorgeous this mall is. It's definitely got a Vegas vibe to it, with the Greek statues, window ceilings, and marble floors. I felt underdressed even shopping here. They also had another food hall! It wasn't as big as Harrod's in London, but it was still amazing. By the way, does anyone know if L.A. or O.C. have any food halls? If they don't, I need to start a petition to implement one A.S.A.P. Who's with me?

Holy meringue!

And I haven't even gotten to the best part of the mall: The food court. But this is not just any old food court. I'm talking about a two-story food court that is designed like a freakin' cruise ship. This food court puts other food courts to shame.

All aboard?

The lower level of the food court contains all of the fast food, and it just reminded me of how long it's been since I've had American fast food. But the upper level is what really made the food court special: it's comprised of different sections dedicated to a specific country or city's cuisine, including New Orleans, Chinatown, and Italy. It reminded me a lot of Disneyland for some reason.

It was such a fun day exploring greater Manchester. I'm will definitely be back to visit these places!