Sunday, 17 January 2016

Genting for Boxing; Manchester Meetup Issues


I watched the short but explosive David Haye match against Mark DeMori last night. I missed the beginning due to parking up, but I dived into Genting Casino and signed up before settling in. I'd been advised this was the go-to place if you want to watch the fights.

It's tidy and smart, with good eye candy, and provides enough seating when there's a big-name fight on. It was surprisingly quiet. I was intent on returning for the Deontay Wilder V Artur Spzilka fight, but we ended up on the other side of town and didn't make it back due to snow.

A few people I know were attending a meetup with Party People in the Northern Quarter, so we joined then at Hold Fast, a nautical-themed bar. Busy with good house music. I love how the NQ offers bars with a particular theme- something that separates it from the mainstream. The group as a whole is good, but I'm not going to bullshit anyone: it's badly ran. One of the organisers has been rude to a few people and complained to me that I didn't credit them in my blog. I'd written up an event and linked the post to the relevant Meetup page. They've also complained about not being invited to a party and accused someone unnecessarily of racism.

One of the downsides to Meetup is that some of the people it attracts are those who don't have the social graces to form normal friendships. This particular organiser is one such person, as a few people have noticed. Hence, we left the meetup event and moved on to Russian-themed Kosmonaut (playing good old RnB from around 2000), on to craft-themed bar Pen and Pencil, pawn-shop-styled Dusk til Pawn (perfect moody ambiance, similar to a jazz club) and ended the night at funk club Mint Lounge, one of the few clubs in the Northern Quarter.

The people I was out with I'd met through meetup, so the meetup scene is still working. You've got to put the effort into your own social life too- it doesn't run itself!

On a separate but related issue, similar meetup group Manchester Posh Bars faced closure after the organiser left the group. A member has stepped up and has saved the group! Respect! More nights out are already planned with the group. Stay tuned for more info.

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