Is Manchester the new Manhattan?

A city with such a strong cultural identity that thousands of films, songs, TV shows, books have grounded its audiences, listeners, readers in the concrete jungle that dreams are made of. It’s a city that often feels untouchable, a mirage synonymous with success, cultural innovation, art, love, finding yourself. But you don’t need to travel across the pacific to find the things that make New York so recognisable. They can be found just off the M60.

I’m a passionate New-York-a-phile, if such a thing exists. I will always die on the hill that it is the greatest city in the world, no matter how cliched or unoriginal it sounds. The streets, the buildings, the culture, the people, the food. God, the food. It’s exactly how you dream it to be and more, and there is a reason why it’s heralded as a destination of manifestation.

A couple of months ago, a stranger on the street asked me what I loved about Manchester so much. Instinctively, I retorted, ‘It’s the best city in the world’. He laughed and maybe I would have too if I had received this answer. But it just rose out of me uncontrollably, despite my previous declaration that New York cannot be trumped. Had I cheated on my favourite city? Was it northern pride that quashed all rhyme and reason?

But it got me thinking that maybe what I love about New York is also what I love about Manchester and that the two cities are becoming less and less distinguishable in recent years due to an influx of businesses, architecture and attitude so recognisably influenced by New York. So I want to know: is Manchester becoming the new Manhattan?

What is a New York aesthetic?

Officially defined as fast-paced rhythm, understated urban fashion, sleek, sophisticated, chic and edgy, urban romanticism, functional elegance. Think clean and slick deli counters, high heels with baggy jeans, the sharp edge of a martini in the delicate cocktail glass, red neon lights, sloppy sandwiches crafted and packaged like works of art, a cigarette in a perfectly manicured slender hand. And in the past few years, there’s been an influx of businesses, I believe, adopting this New York aesthetic in Manchester.

Why has this vibe and aesthetic become so popular? Is it a reaction to people wanting that American escapism without having to go into Trump’s America? It could be the ‘Roaring Twenties’ theory. Just as the 1918 influenza pandemic was followed by the cultural explosion of the Jazz Age, there is a suggestion people would have reacted to Covid the same way, by going out more, embracing nightlife again and inhabiting consumerism to help the economy flourish again. Whether this is truly the case of what has occurred is debatable, as people are more socially fragmented and financially unstable as ever. But there is something to say that discovering new spots and sharing them online has led to more businesses using their aesthetic to reflect public attitudes and jump on trends. The owners of Kuki in Chorlton shared that there’s “a real appreciation of creativity, individuality and businesses that aren’t afraid to do something different”.

Cultural impact

As you wander the streets of the Northern Quarter, more and more your ear will prick at the sound of an Australian twang or London sensibility. Manchester is now a destination people are flocking in protest of the rising rent prices of London or the similarity to places like Melbourne. Manchester has always been a mutli-cultural hub but is now becoming a destination people seek out rather than find themselves in incidentally. The preference for the cheaper real estate of Manchester compared to London feels like it gives the city a rebellious, defiant edge. A place where the cool kids go. London? How could you be so predictable? “Manchester is where it’s all happening now” has been uttered to me numerous times in the last few years. Could this spawn an anglo rivalry adjacent to LA vs New York in the way that NY is the grungier younger sister who doesn’t like to play it safe?

It’s become commonplace for celebrities to strut around the vintage shops and viral eateries between their arena shows. Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat and Jason Momoa are just a few yankees who’ve swapped New York for Manchester as the background of their paparazzi pictures. If you zoom in close enough, you can spot Picadilly Gardens in the background of HAIM’s single cover, ‘Take Me Back’, a reference to an image of Keira Knightely and Jamie Dornan, walking in the area in 2004.

More and more events are embarking up the M60 such as Chanel’s Metiers D’Art show in 2023 with the likes of Kristen Stewart, Sofia Coppola and Tilda Swinton posing outside Victoria Baths. Rom-coms now have a northern twang with Finding Emily seeing the protagonist chasing after his love interest down the Bridgewater canal. Will audiences notice if a final kiss is exchanged on the top of the cathedral, not the Empire State?

Streets

Brooklyn is no longer the sole inhabiter of trendy lofts, glamourous fire escapes, brownstone buildings. Numerous Hollywood productions have used Manchester streets to mimic that iconic Brooklyn vibe, from Captain America to Morbius. Is it a push to compare Times Square to Exchange Square? The colourful kaleidoscope of advertising billboards, bustling streets and public transport makes it feel like the centre of something. I always used to love walking out from Victoria as a child and seeing the bright lights of the big city, as if I was on Broadway. Owners of Kuki, the Chorlton dessert shop state, “The skyline is changing, the streets are getting busier and there’s a real big-city energy here”. The shop has an unquestionable New York aesthetic with its black and white tiles and afterdark opening hours, not forgetting its insane New York-style cookies. “We’ve taken inspiration from street culture and Manchester has always had a strong street culture”. Jen and Steph, founders of Caesar Club, commented “Manchester is just so energetic. We start most days grabbing a coffee, surrounded by high rises, across little green parks you might not expect. You’re racing to work”.

Bar Culture

The rise of the speakeasy is not Manchester specific. The concept of the ‘hidden gem’ has become inescapable. To know where to go provides that street cred amongst friends and partners that only Social Media can really answer for. These bars feel like the best kept secrets of the city, a place to impress your date as you take them down a dingy dark alleyway to reveal a place that is not intended to be a murder scene. In the dim, sensual lighting of Louis, Sidestreet or Bar Shrimp, you half expect to see Carrie Bradshaw with a Cosmo in hand. There’s no doubt that northerners love to drink but with more shows, events and restaurants popping up, drinking feels like an occasion at these places. If you’re going to spend £15 on a cocktail, at least spend it in a trendy bar with burlesque performers, that you can post on your instagram.

Eateries

So many famous New York institutions have now got their mancunian equivalent. Take the famous Magnolia Bakery heralded for its banana pudding. You can now find queues down Deansgate for scoops of banana cream goodness from Buttercup. You don’t need to travel 600 miles to find Levain bakery cookies, just pop to Gooey or Kuki. The hours spent by New Yorkers and tourists queuing for Joe’s pizza can find crispy slices at Nell’s. Badabing serves up New York style subs with a “Northern attitude”, with its name taking inspiration from the Italian-American phrase “Bada bing bada boom” culturally populated by films like The Godfather and The Sopranos. Jen and Steph from Caesar Club explained, “We wanted Caesar Club to feel relaxed, accessible but with that Manchester/New York glimmer of ambition, pride and the desire to make people feel good”. “The variety of independent food businesses here is incredible. That’s something New York is famous for and Manchester is developing a similar identity in its own way”, the owners of Kuki detailed.

Diversity

Another thing Manchester shares is its rich cultural diversity. You can escape to the suburbs to find the most amazing Carribean, Polish, Persian or Asian cuisine right in the city centre. Supermarkets are now not so western-centric and Manchester has a great list of shops specialising in different cultures. Manchester is second to only London in its scope of representation with over 200 languages being spoken across the city. Manchester holds the UK’s second biggest Chinatown and largest Jewish community outside of the capital.

It’s always been my dream to live in a loft in the West Village, but maybe I don’t need to strive so far to live this dream. I have everything on my doorstep. Tony Wilson once said, “This is Manchester, we do things differently here”. And we do, just perhaps now with a little inspiration from the big apple. Noel Gallagher even said Manchester is “a state of mind.” An Empire State of Mind I might question?