We start with a few days in Manchester, followed by a hiking trip in the areas pictured, London for a while, the Queen Mary 2 to NYC and onto RI.
Easy flight.
I rarely watch movies but I wanted to see Marty. Why? I played table tennis against him in NYC. Lost, not close, but a good lesson. The movie: lost, not close.
Plan was as follows: taxi to Euston Station, travel on one of many trains to Manchester.
Euston station closed due to construction.
Eep.
Taxi from Euston to St. Pancras, train to Sheffield, then train to Manchester.
Took quite a few discussions to find a route with minimum changes.
Getting There: The Hope Valley Line is one of the most scenic train journeys in England, connecting Sheffield and Manchester. It makes the valley incredibly accessible for day-trippers.
While this was not our original plan, it was the only route we could take and we got lucky. The scenery was beautiful.
Train full with day hikers. Primarily school age as this is Easter school break.
🏙️ via AI
Manchester
Manchester is a lively, modern city with deep industrial roots, known for its red-brick architecture, music history, and unmistakable energy. Once at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, it has reinvented itself as a cultural and creative hub, with galleries, restaurants, and a strong sense of local pride. Even in a short visit, you will feel the contrast with the quiet countryside — a bustling, urban landscape to start a journey among fells and stone walls.
Dakota Hotel is a nice place with good service. They sent us to the Bay Horse Tavern for dinner.
End of a very, very long day. Now begins jet lag.
Boog's Blog 
Nice piece of fish! Is that gravy for the chips?
I think it was brown sauce Fish was surprisingly good and the beer was outstanding some local IPA.
MOST irritating to have to find a new routing, but love the verdant views of the countryside.
As a side note on travel, while waiting for our flight home from Seattle on Monday we were almost completely surrounded by families with kids. Clearly one of the busiest weeks of the year– perhaps comparable to Thanksgiving weekend.
the Hope Valley train ride is well worth looking up. One town after the other fascinating the finding of new route was probably worth it. Sharon says well…..
Love the Manchester tour and especially the art shot! But enjoyed viewing Manchester where I’ve never been And not one of those places one might think of offhand to go except it looks like a lot of fun And good tapas too! Who would’ve guessed? Thanks, Dee
what little of what we have seen has been nice. Sleeping till noon each day doesn’t help tourism