Favourite place in Manchester City Centre

[celeste]

Both Waterstones and WHSmith still do book signings at the Trafford Centre too, but they are usually on a Saturday and it's just too busy and boring to wait in a very long queue

[Carl]

I remember on one occasion making my way home on the bus from Piccadilly after closing up our shop, as we passed through Deansgate, the queue outside Waterstone's stretched all the way round the block towards St. Ann's Square.  This must have been around 6.00pm as we used to close at 5 o'clock.  I've no idea who the author was, but I wouldn't have fancied being right at the back of that queue, that's for sure. 

[celeste]

I know Margaret Thatcher was there as I picked up a signed copy of her first book the following week, I also met the Duchess of York there too and she later sent me an inscribed photo in a frame Ethan Hawke was there but someone saved me a signed copy so didn't see him, can't think who else it could have been, my son has just said there wouldn't have been a queue round the block for Margaret Thatcher, plenty of police security though
 
Last signed book I got was the then Mayor of New York - Guiliani - collected later.

[Carl]

Unfortunately I can't even say for sure the exact year this happened.  I know it was whilst I was still working in town, so it would have been between 1985 to 1989.  I'll bet whoever it was must have had writers cramp by the end of the evening signing all those books.


Now that I remember, Waterstone's only opened in Deansgate around 1987/88 so this signing event must have been around this time.

[celeste]

I've been to Northwich a few times on the 289 from Altrincham Interchange but I always have to leave at 3pm as the next bus is at 6pm.
 
There's a small cafe in the mall which I used to go to, a lady who used to live in Bucklow Hill would probably remember me as she always served me a roast lunch

[Carl]

I've been to Northwich a few times on the 289 from Altrincham Interchange but I always have to leave at 3pm as the next bus is at 6pm.
 

No, we don't have the greatest bus service in the world up here.  From where I am, there's only one bus every hour to Northwich and I think they stop running at 4 o'clock.  You definitely need your own set of wheels.

[celeste]

Do you like Knutsford?
 I believe it is quite lively in the evenings - there really isn't much nightlife around where I live so people usually go into Manchester

[Carl]

Knutsford does have many pubs/wine bars and restaurants for a night out.  I did have a nice meal at an Italian place called Via Via not long ago, but there are quite a lot of others to choose from.  I don't go into Knutsford all that often if I'm out by myself, but if I'm going out with friends, then it's fine.  I doubt it's any better than Manchester though.

[julie]

oh i've only got to think about an out of print book i would like then i go into the oxfam second hand book shop and there it is on the shelf eh voila. i found coleridges auto bio now that sort of bio is interesting from my point of view what did they eat, . How did they occupy them selves how did they keep up with Napoleons antics without any media?

[celeste]

I've been in the Oxfam shops for books, have some Charles Dickens and others of that era, not seen a biography that old though, picked up an Alice in the Looking Glass 1889 and sold it for £80+  and a 'Gone with the Wind' by Margaret Mitchell and sold that for about the same price

[julie]

Yeah celeste sometimes the books illustrations are worth more than the books. I think the political satyrist of the day was Tenniel who got roped into Lewis carrols books now if you have any original ones of his well your book would be worth a fortune. Any way your garden room place where they sell books sounds gorgeous. Think I'll do an Alice or Julie through the computer screen and join you

[celeste]

That would be lovely, do try

[julie]

no apparantly i wouldn't have the right molecules    science aint progressed that far pity but there it is

[celeste]

Never mind there could be a scientific breakthrough hopefully, personally I would opt to be able to teleport

[julie]

well when I his behind a cushion at the side of a coal fire in the winters of 60's and 70's watching DR Who when I was but a child Tthe good doctor seemed optimistic anyway.