11: Manchester

“This is one of our favorite old songs and it is about a marriage that took place on the top deck of the 1-3-5 in Manchester. A marriage so secret that to this day, the bride has no idea it took place…” - Guy Garvey

And if it rains all day
Call on you, I'll call on you
Like I used to
Slide down beside and wrap you in stories
Tailored entirely for you
I'll remind you
We exchanged a vow
I love you, I always will

A call girl with yesterday eyes was our witness and priest
Stockport Supporters' Club kindly supplied us a choir
Your vow was your smile as we move down the aisle of the last bus home
And this is where I go
Just when it rains

Spitfire thin and strung like a violin, I was
Yours was the face with a grace from a different age
But you were the sun in my Sunday morning
You were the sun in my Sunday morning telling me never to go
So I'll live on the smile and move down the aisle of the last bus home
And if you're running late
This is where I'll go
Know I'll always wait
— “Great Expectations” by Elbow, Songwriters: Guy Edward John Garvey / Craig Lee Potter / Mark Potter / Peter James Turner

I took the train into Manchester with lots of excitement for the days ahead. The gray day and the problems with the train ticket and tram transfer across town dampened my mood, as well as having to deal with the elephants and rain during all of it. The Manchester Marriott was a mess of construction and building noise, an overworked staff, and confusion. I did finally get it all sorted and into my (second) room, took a short walk out for dinner and bearings-gathering, and tucked myself in, determined to start fresh for my Big Day.

My tour guide (a really close, old friend I haven’t seen in way too long) showed up at my hotel about 11am and had planned out our day together. We walked through a big part of City Centre and he took me for a quick tea and snack at an off-the-tourist-map cafe on our way to what he called my birthday destination, which remained a surprise. He showed me the part of the city that got blown up in 1996 and how they rebuilt. He showed me where the John Rylands Library was, where I would be going tomorrow, and then across to the Manchester Hilton (the “birthday destination”), up to “Cloud 23,” for high tea. Very swank and excellent company. We had cocktails and a wonderful meal and caught up on the several years since we’d talked.

Back across the city as rush hour was beginning, a long walk after cocktails was fun but challenging. I’m happy to say all the walking and dealing with elephants had me in good shape after just a few weeks. We got back in time for him to catch his train and for me to get ready for my big concert (the one that started the wheels turning for this whole trip). I’ll write about the Elbow concerts in their own entry, later — they were certainly worth the effort I put into getting to them. My heavens.

On the last day in Manchester I got back over to the John Rylands Centre to do some research on my great-grandfather and great uncle, who were both Methodist ministers in the early-to-mid 1900’s. I met a lovely fellow named Mark who patiently explained to me that, although their library holds the Methodist records, they have only recently acquired them and they are still mostly uncatalogued (there are two databases that have not been merged, and most things are still in boxes). He loaded me up with names, URLs, email addresses, and a little bit of hope that I could request information and make an appointment for a video meeting with the curator once I got home. We had a nice chat and he then sent me on my way to the Manchester Central Library, whose lovely librarians helped me get an Government Registry Account and we found some missing family information before I had to go get the elephants and make my train. I’m really excited to be able to use that account from the states and continue the search. That was all a LOT of fun and I could have stayed all day. As I was leaving, I crossed through Lincoln Square — Abraham Lincoln. He had written to the City of Manchester acknowledging the impact of the American Civil War and embargos on trade with the industrial English city. It was nice to see his words and face in the peaceful little park. I also passed a silent, vivid protest to save people in Gaza right now, just across from the library. This city is a surprise to me, with depths to plumb.

Thanks, Manchester. Even though you tested me at first to see if I could handle you, I came to feel your warm heart, your compassion, and generous spirit.