Tootling in Manchester

So, what do you do when you have a Saturday overnight in Manchester, NH? Well, you tootle to old-town scouting for restaurants, shops and anything else you could discover for the first time.

The van driver dropped my c-worker, Jeff, and I off along Elm street and we walked the streets from there. I was in awe of the massive brick cotton and wool mills along the Merrimack River. If you walk up the hill you will encounter brick row houses used to board the immigrants working in the mills. The Amoskeag Mill companies were instrumental to the growth of Manchester, not only acting as a magnet to its growth, but also providing the early services, such as stores, fire and police to the early city. It is reasonable to state that without the mills, Manchester would not have grown to be as large and prominent as it is today. There’s a lot of history and stories in those buildings.

For the evening meal we settled on a restaurant called Jillian’s, found here. They had a nice patio area along the river and the day was gorgeous. As soon as we walked in we discovered things were a bit different. The waiters and waitresses were dressed in costumes and outfits from another time. Our lovely waitress, Victoria, informed us they were to dress in a disco theme. Well, some did and some didn’t but it was sure fun. I took a few images, met some really neat people, had a good meal and would most likely go back. When I asked Victoria if I could take her photo she hesitated then agreed when one of her co-worker joined in on the fun. I immediately noticed Laura had a professional presence and after talking with her discovered she is a wife, mother of four, and professional model. She works hard to stay in good shape and health.

Nadine was eye candy. There was no way you were going to miss Nadine as she had on some eye catching high heels. First of all they were orange. I mean orange!  And, she had a tatoo. Once you refocused your eyes and started working your way up those legs you discovered a very beautiful woman in those orange high heels. So, in between serving beers and burgers to customers, I asked if I could to take a few images of the shoes. Luckily, I got both the shoes and a quick portrait. Did I mention the shoes were orange and matched her top? Sorry if I missed that part.

Brian was the first one we met when arriving at the restaurant. The hat says it all! I really had fun with the shots I took of him and he really got into the role. In fact he was into the his role even as a waiter, strutting around with his cane, playing the role!

Speaking of playing,they had some live music with a guitarist name Chris Gardiner. Not bad! He played some oldies and brought back a few memories of past days. He played some nice toe tapping music, at least for a man my age but not for this young lady. She bouncing to the music while eating in her high chair next to us. After satisfying mom and dad that she had eaten enough, she hit the dance floor. So I hit the floor also and grabbed a few quick shots. She was having fun and people were sure enjoying the entertainment she provided.

It was definitely a beautiful day for motorcycles, you could hear them rumbling in the distance, so it was no surprise to have a few bikers show up? These two ladies came in and joined in on the fun and I was able to get this image just before they left. Heck we all fun! Just tootling in Manchester on a Saturday night.