The Guardian’s Been There guide to Manchester is a good resource for both tourists and locals. But if you’re looking for an even more alternative guide to the city, check out The Knowhere Guide:

It is a compilation of (unedited) information and views supplied by users like yourself. It is not a conventional tourist guide! We make no claims as to the accuracy of the information in the Guide – our only purpose is to provide a forum for users to share their knowledge and opinions. So please keep a large bag of salt handy and be prepared to read between the lines!

So if you fancy going for a meal, for example, you can check their tips:

Dimitri’s on Deansgate – good value, great big platters of mixed food called Mezes, and has a late license so the abr at the front is open till one. Hang out for Badly Drawn Boy and Mike Harding.

I wholeheartedly disagree with that particular review (overpriced and underfilling, I thought) but this is the joy of user-generated websites – I can add my own comment explaining why.