Sunday, December 7 was the day I was finally able to move into my temporary apartment with Mona. Housing is in high demand in the northwest, and wanting to have my kitty with me eliminated a lot of potential serviced apartments from consideration. The ONLY place available was in the Salford Quays to the west of Manchester City Centre, and that place was only available beginning on Sunday. Hence, the first four nights in a hotel with Mona's first three nights at the rental house.
I was pleased to discover that the Travelodge had a 12:00 pm check-out time, and I couldn't check in to the Salford Quays apartment until 3:00 pm, so I took my time in the morning. I ate a full, hot breakfast and did some emails and other computer things.
In general, I was really pleased with the Travelodge, and it was a very pleasant surprise. I'd never stayed in one before, and I had no idea what to expect, but for a budget hotel, it was the BEST budget hotel I think I've ever stayed in. The staff were all really friendly and helpful. The room was clean, and the mattress was comfortable. And the food and bar on the lobby level were convenient. All in all, a good stay, and I would definitely recommend that hotel for anyone coming in to town.
Sunday looked like it was shaping up to be a nice day, in terms of the weather. It was cold and clear, and I could see all the way to the Beetham Tower in downtown Manchester (the tallest building in Great Britain outside of London).
After check-out at noon, I headed over to the Oakfield house to load up Mona's things and to kill some time until I could check in at the other place. Since I had time to kill, I decided to walk over to the 24-hour Tesco store to buy some groceries. The Tesco is about a 10 minute walk from my house, so I think I will probably be shopping there often. I picked up some pre-made food and a couple of other staples. I didn't buy that much, but it still took about an hour, just because I was learning the layout of a new store. The other thing is that a lot of the brands are different, so it takes longer to decide what to buy.
Shopping is something you never think about when you do it all the time at your one preferred store and you know your preferred brands. British store layouts are totally different, and some things don't make sense to me at all - like eggs that aren't refrigerated. Finding new brands is difficult, too. For example, I've always used Crest toothpaste. For my entire life, I've used Crest, but Crest doesn't appear to exist over here. So then you stand in the toothpaste aisle, staring at the options for 10 minutes, trying to decide what you want to try for a new toothpaste and feeling like something is wrong when you pick Colgate. I know it sounds like the littlest thing, but it throws you for a loop every step of the way.
Pete B. had told me that I would have to try Vimto, a type of mixed berry squash (predominantly black currant) that is locally made in Warrington, so of course, I picked up a bottle of Vimto. The toad mascot is kind of weird, but when you mix this stuff up with sparkling water, it's actually quite good. And yes, I did try it hot, too.
Okay, so you saw the photos of what the weather was like in the morning, right? Walking home from the Tesco shopping excursion, it started to sleet. SLEET. I was prepared for rain, but I was not ready to deal with being pelted with sleet. Bullshit weather. The sleet stopped and the sun came back out by the time I got home.
It was time to go, so I loaded the Mona Kitty into the car, and we headed up Manchester Road (A56) towards The Quays. The Quays originally were the Salford docks of the mighty Manchester Ship Canal, which allowed ocean ships to travel up the River Mersey from Liverpool to the manufacturing plants and warehouses in Manchester. These docks were the heart of the Port of Manchester and the industry it supported from 1894 until it finally closed down in 1982. After the docks closed, the entire area became derelict. It was finally revitalized as part of a huge live/work/play development plan that today includes BBC studios. My temporary apartment is part of The Heart apartment/condominium building in the MediaCity UK part of The Quays.
I've read that Coronation Street is the world’s longest running continuing drama, and apparently the studios and the set tour are a Big Deal, but I have to admit I don't know anything about it, so it all means nothing to me. I gather it's a soap opera?
The apartment is okay. It's clean and has a nice, modern decor. The layout is weird, though, and thank goodness I insisted upon a 2-bedroom unit, because it's cramped. The 2nd "bedroom" is currently being used as my walk-in wardrobe, because of course, there are no closets or dressers in the main bedroom. The mattress is TERRIBLE, and I actually keep meaning to write to the management to tell them that it should be criminal to advertise such a lumpy rack as a real bed. I'm right next to the elevator, so I can hear elevator noises. The parking is also a 10 minute ordeal involving an outdoor walk and having to pay. People actually own and live here in this building, and I can't imagine why. At least I'm only here through the end of the month.
The most important thing was to be able to be together with Mona after two weeks apart. She settled right in and seemed more comfortable than I. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment