We're introducing pocket guides.
What are pocket guides, we hear you ask?
Well, they were just a general term to describe a book - often a guide to something - that could fit in your pocket. It could be one on mushrooms. DIY. A country or place.
Anything, really.
But our pocket guides never, have never, will never go anywhere near a pocket. So right now, I'm really starting to wonder why we're calling them that.
Our pocket guides are handy, online, one-page guides to parts of Manchester.
So far, we’ve covered Levenshulme, Withington and West Didsbury.
The idea is to give people all the information they'd need to make a daytrip there: a restaurant or bar recommendation, or some shops worth checking out. Some pictures to get a sense of the place and help getting there in the first place.
At the same time, we want to fulfil our aim of getting people there, greener: by bike, bus, train or tram wherever possible. So we’ll give cyclists an idea of what to expect when they get there. Or point people in the direction of the nearest train or tram stop.
We’re more worried about giving too much information. We don’t want to overwhelm people with choice. Instead, we just want to guarantee a really good day out - offering a few recommendations where you can’t really go wrong.
We started Lev You Lots as a guide to Levenshulme. And it will always be that.
For places, events and news in Levenshulme, we want to be the best, most detailed guide - with listings for any shop, bar or independent that call Levy home.
Pocket guides are less detailed. In part, because we won’t always be the leading authority on other parts of Manchester. But mainly because we would never be able to maintain that much information - and make sure it’s always correct.
So they’re about balance. Offering useful information, without being too big for us to manage.
Pocket guides mean we can help more people, and tap into the popularity of some of the neighbouring areas of Manchester.
If more people know about us, they might visit our site for future trips to Levenshulme - which means more people will see, consider and potentially visit places we big up here on Lev You Lots.
Our hope is that one day, raising Levenshulme’s profile will encourage more people to open new businesses here in M19. Meaning we have more places to brag about on Lev You Lots. And the cycle continues!
We think pocket guides could help us in a couple of ways:
All in all, we think pocket guides are a good for everybody:
Anyway, I’ve just remembered that phones actually do go in your pocket. Which means the entire premise of this article has fallen apart.
But at least the name sticks.
