From Whippets to Waku Waku: Manchester in Ink & Pride

We said goodbye to Milton Keynes (Newport Pagnell) today and caught a bus to Manchester—and honestly? It was shockingly smooth. The seats were roomy, the ride was comfortable, and the whole trip was way more painless than we expected. A rare win in the world of public transit.

But the real win? Arriving in Manchester and realizing we had unknowingly booked our hotel right in the heart of the Gay Village. Picture this: rainbow flags fluttering, cute cafés spilling onto the street, and queer joy baked right into the sidewalks. We dropped our bags at the hotel and headed straight out to explore.

First stop: the Alan Turing Memorial—a moment of quiet respect for the queer icon and visionary whose legacy runs deep through this city. Just nearby, we stumbled upon a rainbow-painted bumblebee (only in Manchester!) and spent the afternoon wandering through streets lined with bold murals, cathedrals, and industrial-chic architecture that gives the city its gritty, gorgeous charm.

And then... the real surprise: Waku Waku, Manchester’s first 2D hand-drawn ramen restaurant. The second we stepped inside, we felt like we were in a comic book. Every inch of the space was hand-drawn in black and white—from the walls to the furniture—like a living sketch. It was wild, creative, and totally Instagram-worthy, and the ramen itself? Savory, slurpy heaven.

Manchester made a hell of a first impression. More to come—this city’s just getting started.