曼彻斯特——八面威风的城市

Manchester， or Madchester， is a place where the people are livelier than any boxer before a fight. The place is infused with an undeniable feeling of attitude and pride.

Manchester city can be found in the North West of England. The city has around half a million people living in it， however， including its suburbs and surrounding towns the total number is more like 2.2 million （tiny numbers in comparison to Chinese cities！）

But what is so great about Manchester？ If we are talking about Britain， why not talk about London or Edinburgh. Just what is the big deal？ When I was 22， I lived there for 12 months， but I have been making shopping trips with friends and family twice a week ever since I could walk.

Lets begin with a little bit of dirt and grime. At around the beginning of the 19th century and during the Industrial Revolution， Manchester boomed and as a result became the first industrialised city in the world… basically the first place where factories were manufacturing lots of things. Thats a pretty interesting fact！

From dirt and grime， music must be next. Here are just a few of Mancunians sons you may know： Oasis； The Bee Gees； The Smiths； Joy Division； The Stone Roses； The Happy Mondays… the list just goes on and on and on. It is also home to two of the worlds greatest football teams： Manchester United and Manchester City （Manchester United of course being better！）. It wouldnt be a bad idea to check out a game at Old Trafford （Manchester Uniteds football ground） whilst youre there… it is where superstar David Beckham got started.

The problem is that there is just so much to do in the Rainy City that this short article couldnt possibly fit everything in that one can do！

So Ive decided to tell you about my favourite places； those that I first visited when I realised how great a city Manchester is.

Ready for some action？… Imperial War Museum North

Those who like guns and things that explode usually like war museums， but Daniel Libeskinds amazing Imperial War Museum North is like nothing you will have ever seen before in your life！

The museum covers the main battles of the 20th century through a broad selection of displays， but the really awesome bit comes every half-hour when the entire museum goes dark and one of three 15-minute films（Children and War， The War at Home or Weapons of War） is shown on the walls. Visitors are encouraged to walk around the darkened rooms so as to get the most out of the crazy atmosphere that is created.

Although the displays are very informative， the extraordinary metal building itself is a huge part of the attraction， and the exhibition spaces are absolutely amazing. Libeskind designed three main different areas that represent the three main theatres of war： air， land and sea.

Is there a bookworm inside you？… John Rylands Library

An easy candidate for the best building in town， this marvellous （and scary looking） Victorian Gothic library was a beautiful way for Mr. John Rylands wife to remember her husband after hed died.

Less a library and more a cathedral to books， it is probably the most beautiful library in Britain—although theres not much argument when youre standing in the stunning Gothic “Reading Room，” complete with high ceilings and pretty stained-glass windows.

Its such a breathtaking building that you could easily miss the magnificent collection of old books and rare manuscripts. A real treat for all you bookworms out there！

Speak of the devil.（Another name for the Manchester United team is the Red Devils.）

Home of the worlds most famous club， the Old Trafford stadium is both a theatre and a temple for its millions of fans from all over the world， many of whom come to the ground to pay tribute to the god-like footballers that play there.

Oddly enough， Manchester United are not as popular in Manchester as their cross-town rivals Manchester City， whose fans believe that Manchester Uniteds success only comes from having lots of money behind them！

A visit to the stadium is definitely one of the more memorable things to do in Manchester. I recommend that you take the tour， which includes a seat in the stands， a stop in the changing rooms， a peek at the players lounge （from which the manager is banned unless invited by players） and a walk down the tunnel to the pitch side dugout， which is as close to heaven as many of the clubs fans will ever get. Its pretty cool stuff！

The museum， which is part of the tour but can be visited independently， has a detailed history of the club， and a state-of-the-art call-up system that means you can view your favourite goals—as well as have a “chat”with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Its a shame that I can only talk so briefly about a place I love so much！ Manchester is such an exciting place to visit.

Unlike London， it is always best enjoyed by foot. In fact， I am at my happiest in life when I am walking along one of the many canals that run through the centre. I love looking up at the buildings and the pavements whilst one of my favourite Mancunian bands is blaring in my ears… usually Oasis！

Like what Stone Rosess Ian Brown once said，“Manchester has everything except a beach.”

曼彻斯特（或者叫“Madchester”）人比任何一个比赛前的拳击手都要有冲劲。这个地方洋溢着一种无可争辩的态度感和自豪感。

曼彻斯特城位于英格兰西北部，约有50万人在这个城市生活。不过，如果算上郊区和周边城镇，其人口总数可达220多万（和中国的城市比起来还是小巫见大巫了！）。

曼彻斯特到底好在哪里？如果我们要谈英国，难道不是应该从伦敦或者爱丁堡说起吗？曼彻斯特到底有什么过人之处呢？我22岁的时候在这里住了12个月；但自从会走路开始，我会每周两次与朋友和家人到城里购物。

我们先从它沾满灰尘和油垢的发家史说起吧。曼彻斯特大约从19世纪初和工业革命期间开始蓬勃发展，并由此成为世界上第一个工业化城市……可以说是世界上第一个通过工厂生产各种东西的地方。这是一个非常有趣的事实！

说完了灰尘和油垢，接下来要说的肯定就是音乐了。你可能知道一些来自曼彻斯特的音乐巨星，这里只列举一小部分：绿洲乐队、比吉斯乐队、史密斯乐队、快乐分队、石玫瑰乐队、快乐星期一乐队……还可以继续列举出无数的名字。

曼彻斯特还拥有世界上其中两支最伟大的足球队—曼联队和曼城队（曼联当然更好一些！）。如果你在曼彻斯特，到老特拉福德球场（曼联的足球场）看一场球赛会是不错的主意。足球巨星大卫·贝克汉姆就是从这里走出去的。

问题是，在这座“雨城”可以做的事情如此多，这篇短短的文章不可能统统囊括！

所以，我决定给大家介绍一些我最喜欢的地方；我当年最早去过的地方让我意识到曼彻斯特是一个多好的城市。

准备好行动了吗？—帝国战争博物馆北馆

喜欢枪支和爆炸物的人通常也喜欢战争博物馆，而丹尼尔·利伯斯金（设计）的帝国战争博物馆北馆绝对是你前所未见的！

这座博物馆通过广泛的展品，涵盖了20世纪的主要战役，但真正令人难忘之处在于每半小时，整个博物馆就会熄灯，在墙壁上放映三部各长15分钟的电影（《儿童与战争》、《家庭战争》或《战争武器》）中的一部。博物馆鼓励参观者在黑暗的房间里走动，最大程度地感受馆内营造的疯狂气氛。

虽然展品的信息量很大，不过，博物馆那不同寻常的金属建筑本身就是一大亮点，其内部的展览空间实在令人惊叹。利伯斯金设计了三个不同的区域，代表海、陆、空三个主要战区。

你是一个书虫吗？—约翰·赖兰兹图书馆

这座宏伟（尽管外表有点骇人）的维多利亚时代哥特式图书馆是曼彻斯特最佳建筑的有力候选者。约翰·赖兰兹先生的妻子便以这一美丽的方式缅怀亡夫。

比起图书馆，它更像是一个书籍的大教堂。它也许是英国最美的图书馆—当你站在有着高高的天花板和漂亮彩色玻璃窗的哥特式“阅览室”时，大概没有多少人会提出异议吧。

这座建筑是如此令人惊叹，以至于你可能很容易就错过那些蔚为壮观的古旧藏书和珍贵手稿。这里一定能让身为书虫的你大饱眼福！

说魔魔就到。（曼联队别名叫“红魔”。）

世界上最著名的足球俱乐部—曼联的老家就在老特拉福球场。对世界各地数百万球迷来说，它既是一个剧场，又是一座圣殿。许多球迷亲赴现场，向他们奉为神明的球员致敬。

奇怪的是，曼联队在曼彻斯特本地的人气还比不上它位于同一座城市另一端的对手—曼城队。在曼城的球迷看来，曼联的成功只是因为他们背后有大笔的金钱撑腰！

在曼彻斯特，最难忘的事情之一当然是参观老特拉福球场了。我建议你参加旅游团，当中内容包括在看台上坐一坐，参观更衣室和球员休息室（除非受到球员的邀请，否则经理是禁止进入休息室），还有穿过隧道走到球场边的球员休息席，这对很多红魔球迷而言简直就是最接近天堂的地方。真是太酷了！

足球博物馆是行程的一部分，不过可以单独参观。那里有红魔俱乐部的详细历史，还有最先进的传呼系统——这意味着你可以观看你最喜爱的进球镜头，还能与亚历克斯·弗格森爵士“聊天”。

曼彻斯特是一个如此令人激动的地方。我热爱这个城市，却只能这么简短地稍作介绍，实在可惜。

和伦敦不同，游览曼彻斯特的最佳方式是徒步游览。事实上，当我沿着贯穿市中心的某一条运河散步时，便是我生命中最快乐的时刻。我喜欢一边听着我最爱的曼彻斯特乐队——通常是绿洲乐队——在我耳中嘶吼，一边抬头欣赏那些建筑物和人行道。

就像石玫瑰乐队的伊恩·布朗曾经说过的那样：“除了一片海滩，曼彻斯特拥有一切。”