CityLife

Manchester - sightseeing bus

OUR journey begins in St Peter's Square as driver Paul Jeffries, a dead-ringer for comic actor John Thomson, reveals how people from across the globe have handed over £6 for CitySightseeing Manchester's 24-hour, hop-on hop-off ticket.

He waves farewell to a gang of Australians as they tell him, unprompted, that the open-top tour was "absolutely brilliant".

Similar tours might be operating in much more cosmopolitan places like Sydney, Dublin, London and Munich, backdrops for magnificent opera houses, cool Guinness, Buckingham Palace and world class beer, but it doesn't seem to matter.

And besides, we've got Boddingtons and Old Trafford.

"I'm originally from London and hadn't been to Manchester before I started working here," explains driver Paul. "It's a great way of getting your bearings in a new city."

Apologetically, he explains that the reason I am boarding the open top double-decker is likely to be that it is lunchtime. "Most of the tourists are probably eating in the restaurants at the museums," he suggests. "It'll be much busier later on in the afternoon."

Further apologies are offered for the recorded commentary, which will play throughout the 60-minute tour.

"It might jump a bit because of the heat," says Paul. "Oh, and it was made before the Commonwealth Games, so it might be out of date."

He's not wrong. But to be honest, it adds a certain element of humour and charm to the proceedings.

"On the left is the North West Visitor Centre," the faltering recorded voice tells us helpfully, referring to an empty glass edifice in Princess Street. Eyes swivel left. But there's no Visitor Centre. It closed late last year.

"This is where you will see BLEEP paintings by BLEEP L S Lowry," it reveals later, as if reading from a script written by Bernard Manning.

There is, however, plenty of entirely useful information dished out as well.

For instance, did you know that the Britannia Hotel was designed, floor-by-floor, to reflect Flemish, Italian and Elizabethan architecture? Or that the first moving film show in Manchester was held at the former Picture House in Oxford Street, which now houses a McDonald's restaurant?

Or that the colourful bars and restaurants lining Canal Street were originally pubs opened to entertain the navvies who carved out the waterways through Manchester city centre?

And in a way, seeing how Manchester is changing makes the tour worthwhile. The road from the city centre to Manchester United's Theatre Of Dreams displays perfectly the renaissance of St George's Church and the neighbouring raft of developments by companies like Bellway and Urban Splash.

Cranes

The impressive air shard of the Imperial War Museum North pinpoints the glass and steel district which has grown up around Salford Quays. And heading back into the city centre through Cheetham Hill, it is possible to fully appreciate the vast number of cranes and building sites which are rapidly turning old buildings into desirable locations to live. Just as interesting to a local is the fact that the vast new Big W store has now replaced the crumbling MFI store in Cheetham Hill Road.

And, looking skyward as we pass Number One, Deansgate, which must surely be included on the amended commentary tape, I swear I can see one of its millionaire inhabitants. United's French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, maybe?

There are 15 stops in all, arranged to take in a string of attractions ranging from the Manchester Jewish Museum to G-Mex and the Opera House - another building which takes on a whole new mystique when viewed from above street level, revealing a splendid exterior similar to a Roman temple.

Negotiations are continuing to include the City of Manchester Stadium which is currently out of bounds because of overhead tram cables.

Urbis

"Among the biggest attractions is Urbis," Paul, the driver, adds. "A lot of people mistake Number One, Deansgate, for Urbis because they are similar in size and shape. A lot of tourists tell me they want to see it when they get on board. Well, that and Old Trafford."

Mum and daughter Jane and Nancy McIntosh originally joined the tour in St Peter's Square and get back on to the bus having had a stroll at Salford Quays. They used to live in leafy Worsley but haven't visited Manchester for seven years.

Their departure coincided with the IRA bomb which ripped a hole in the centre of the city before providing a surprise catalyst for its rebirth.

It's almost an understatement to say that they are impressed by what they see from their upper deck seat. Jane, 37, now a teacher in Brighton, says: "We wanted to see The Lowry and the Imperial War Museum. It's also the first time I've ever seen Old Trafford.

"But I was just as excited to see Manchester's red brick heritage from a different perspective. We're going to go and have a look at the pink village next," she says, referring to the Gay Village. "I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing because it's a bit touristy, but I have been impressed."

"It makes me feel like I have come home," adds Nancy, "although the vibe is very different now. I'm really so impressed and it's a beautiful day to be doing it. It's a lovely city to visit as a tourist.

"If you take time to look at the old sights and the new sights, it's wonderful. I think there's a real wow factor." Jane and Nancy head off towards Canal Street with smiles on their faces. But not everyone is happy.

Two grumpy looking women shuffle up the stairs of the gaudy open-top vehicle as it makes its way through the sweltering sunlight which is baking the pavements in Deansgate. They've been waiting at a stop in the blistering heat for 45 minutes and it's done nothing to warm them to a city which was way down their list of places to visit.

Travellers

It turns out that these world- weary travellers are the type who like to collect cities, and that Manchester is fulfilling all their low expectations. "We came here because we've never been and we've pretty much been everywhere else," Moira Sinclair confesses wearily. "But I've got to say that Manchester was a long way down our list."

A few minutes later - perhaps a five-minute walk from where they got on - and they alight with more of a frown than a fond farewell.

Speaking as a proud (Greater) Mancunian who enjoyed an eye-popping view of just how great this city is becoming, I think that maybe the balmy weather had clouded their judgement. If your mind is as open as the roof of the bus, then you're in for a magnificent journey.

THE CitySightseeing Manchester service departs from St Peter's Square, Manchester, every half hour between 10am and 5pm until September 7. Information is available on 01253 473003. Tickets are £6.