The sun was shining this morning, finally. It was still a little chilly, though, even at eleven-thirty when I finally left my hotel after a good work-out. I lunched at Starbucks, then caught Metrolink, the city's light-rail/streetcar system, to Salford Quays, to visit the Lowry Center.

Sunshine!

L.S.Lowry must, I suppose, be the most famous painter to ever come out of Manchester, since he's the only one to have a major arts center named after him. I haven't seen any of his works since I was a kid; but I did remember that I never liked them since they all seemed to be of industrial scenes, with depressed, simplified brown-clad workers struggling against sood-laden winds, with smoke-stacks in the background.

Apart from that, I didn't know what to expect from the Lowry Center. I'd heard about it through a friend, who'd just suggested it as a place to visit. I'd certainly not have known about it otherwise, since, strangely, for a new arts center that's probably one of the most important in Northern England, there is no hype or tourist information about it visible anywhere in the city. Having no preconceptions, then, I was particularly struck by my first view of it, the climactic feature of a very long redeveloped quay, shining under the blue sky. At first glance, I wondered if Gehry, the architect of the Bilbao Guggenheim, had designed it, since there were some similarities in approach and materials. But as I explored its exteriors, I realized that the front-end is the most exciting part of it, and its backside, which you can walk right around, is undistinguished.

First view of the Lowry Center

Closer up

The interiors are similarly of mixed success: it's very playful, and fun to walk around, with lots of odd shapes and colors; but many of the materials seemed cheap and are already showing signs of dirt and wear. It does, however, have some very welcoming public spaces, including at least three cafes or restaurants, in addition to two theaters and multiple galleries. A few of the galleries were devoted to the works of Lowry himself, and yeah, there were plenty of those bleak industrial landscapes, which probably depress me since they remind me so much of the suburban squalor of much of the North-East where I grew up. But there were also many portraits, showing a more interesting side to his work.

Interior details

I was feeling very, very tired today, but I couldn't leave Manchester without taking a tour of the Museum of Science & Industry, since the Industrial Age was practically born here. It's housed in a large campus of 19th century buildings, mostly Victorian train-sheds, though including the World's first passenger-train station, built in 1809. I started off in the air and space gallery, and it was just me there today, and a few other big kids :) The stars of the show were a couple of World War II British warplanes, including a Spitfire and a very large Avro something (can't read my own notes!)

I started to look round the other buildings, but I didn't realize what I was letting myself in for. This is an enormous museum, with extensive displays on just about any industry you can imagine, which is great, if you're interested in the history of sewerage (you can walk through a Victorian sewer), or you want to see the World's largest collection of mill engines. But despite all the energy, ingenuity and time that has gone into this museum, it was all a bit too much for me today.

Sights from the Museum of Science & Industry, including the front-view of a Spitfire (right).

So I picked up dinner-to-go at Marks & Spencers, and a copy of the Guardian, and retired back to my hotel. It's the simple things that sometimes are the most enjoyable on a trip like this: lying on my bed with my favorite newspaper, the evening sun slanting down onto the cathedral outside through stormy grey clouds (frost is forecast for some parts of the country tonight!), while the voices of the cathedral choir practice filtered through my open window.

A beautiful evening sky over the cathedral, the old city, and the shopping center