You can take the town out of the boy...

Coming from small-town England, I've long had a fascination with the neon glow of the cosmopolitan city. I can ascribe the dawn of my love for Manchester to a fairly standard event some years ago. My parents and I were about to see the musical Miss Saigon at the Palace Theatre, and in the spirit of boycotting their £20 shot-glasses of ice cream at intervals, we decided to buy some sneaky snacks from Sainsbury's instead. As I wandered the store I took in the hoards of frantic students with baskets full of economy vodka and skittles, presumably to make Skittle Vodka. I romanced the image all out proportion, presuming they were all buying supplies for every kind of glamorous shindig one could imagine - house parties, raves, orgies, LSD banquets, goat sacrifices, etc. My eyes lit up like the printworks at dusk.
X years down the line (I don't do specifics) and here I am in my swanky condominium at the heart of the city. Hmm, perhaps I'm selling it short somewhat. It's actually a student flat on the outskirts of the city centre, situated by the Don of newsagents. Oh, you consider that less glamorous? Well excuse me, miss Hilton.
I arrived in the city with dreams of becoming a playboy city-slicker. I was going to put the Mad in Madchester (even though some doped up swines from the 80's got there before me). Though after a wild opening week to university life and one jaw-dropping look at one's bank balance cascading towards the red zone, it's clear that a student can't paint the town red every night. Sometimes you just have to be tickled pink with a ready meal and a rerun of Top Gear. The city seems like a feast for the rich, and we're the whimpering paupers pressing out noses against the window. Oh, happy days!
Yet despite all of this, it really is a wonderful city. I woke up yesterday at 6am to take some photos for my university course's 'Creative Practice' unit and its hidden cultural gems really do twinkle in the dark. Small towns may have their charm, but it's the buzz of the cosmopolitan city that keeps one's heart racing.
And one final note. Though I told you that one can't always paint the town red, a significant reason is that the town doesn't need it. Because despite what Manchester City fans will tell you, Manchester is red.