Good deals in Manchester

While visiting family in London in March ’06, my wife, Kay, and I took an excursion to Manchester. We booked complete travel, including local train, subway (tube) and long-haul train via Transport for London (Central Customer Services, 23rd Floor, Empress State Bldg., Empress Approach, London, SW6 1TR, U.K.; phone 020 7222 5600 or visit www.tfl.gov.uk), which allowed the selection of schedule and carrier plus online payment by credit card.

For these arrangements, we paid £59.90 each (about $209 for two). Tickets were mailed to arrive at a U.K. address four days prior to our arrival.

Upon arrival in Manchester, we were pleasantly surprised that a free city center shuttle bus service operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (10-6 Sunday), with convenient stops throughout “downtown.” Stops include the Piccadilly and Victoria train terminals.

Additionally, many venues close to the Metroshuttle route, including the Manchester Art Gallery, People’s History Museum, Museum of Science & Industry and the Manchester Museum, offered free admission.

AL STANDISH
Port Ludlow, WA