Liverpool Exceeded My Expectactions
Jun 27th, 2008, 12:37 AM
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Liverpool Exceeded My Expectactions
I would like to share with you my experience of the University City of Liverpool. I went last week with a friend and this is adapted from a presentation I gave for my course.
Famously the home of The Beatles, Liverpool is now the 2008 European City of Culture and its waterfront is a World Heritage Site.
I talked to another friend before setting off who hates cities, often believing them to be crowded, dirty and full of crime. The purpose of my message today is to explain how Liverpool far exceeded my expectations - I found it a clean, friendly and vibrant city.
We had planned our trip to make good use of our time - I surfed the Web to research places of interest. We also had a map from the Tourist Information Centre. The coach journey from Ulverston in Cumbria was just over two hours and we arrived in plenty of time to catch, no, not the Yellow Submarine, but the 12 noon Ferry Across The Mersey - from the Pier Head area near Albert Dock.
The highlight of the 50 minute guided tour of The Mersey was the view of the Royal Liver Building - 295 feet tall, 13 floors and was completed in 1911. We were told the story about the two famous Liverbird statues on top of the building. If the statues disappear, then that means Liverpool will cease to exist. The female faces out to sea to watch out for the men returning home, while the male faces inland waiting for the pubs to open - this made everyone on the boat chuckle! The fare was £5.30 each return, and well worth it - and we had glorious sunshine too. The school children weren’t disruptive and noisy; they were simply part of the background noise of people having fun. In the distance we saw the location of the two famous football grounds - for Liverpool and Everton.
My friend asked a crew member where we could find the best fish and chips and we were directed to The Lobster Pot, opposite Central station which was about a 15 minute walk. It was honestly the best fish and chips I have ever had, and only £3.50 each. We sat and ate them on a bench in the city centre, watching the world go by. We noticed how clean the streets are and how people were walking with a sense of purpose and a smile on their face. On our travels we saw several versions of the “Super LambBanana” sculptures - they are a showcase of creativity in Liverpool. We also saw mobile, yellow, - no, not yellow submarines, but telephone kiosks, an interesting advertising promotion.
We headed for the Liverpool One shopping centre, which although isn’t finished, is impressive - it opens fully in September. We had a quick visit to BBC Radio Merseyside for some souvenirs, and then on to John Lewis and Debenhams. My friend brought a watch and a teapot to take back to The States so she reminded me of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. All the shop assistants were pleasant and nothing was too much trouble. We saw a shop called “The Office” which in fact sold shoes!
After about an hour we headed back to the lively Albert Dock. We saw tall ships, yachts and canal boats. We went into The Tate Liverpool Art Gallery* – we hadn’t much money or time left so we just visited floor one and two which are free to enter. It was great to see some Modern Art for a change, including some Picasso – I never realised that he only died in 1973 – I always thought he lived a long time ago and not in my lifetime. We also saw work by Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol and some rather exciting cheese graters and similar kitchen items, which were wired up and buzzing and flashing - not at all what we expected.
Our last port of call was “The Beatles Story” shop where my friend bought some T-Shirts for family and I treated myself to some Yellow Submarine Socks and broach which I just couldn’t resist. On another visit I would like to learn more about The Beatles, their lives and homes and I would also like to visit the Maritime Museum where maybe I’ll find the Yellow Submarine, who knows. We made it back to the coach with five minutes to spare, having seen and learnt a great deal in just over five hours. We passed Aintree Racecourse, home of the Grand National, on the way out of the city,
To summarise, we had a great day, found Liverpool clean, vibrant and full of friendly, lively people proud to be a part of this city. My friend describes it as “diverse, happy and integrated”. I hope that those of you who haven’t been will give it a try.
* I hope you all find this interesting - I wanted to share my first impressions of Liverpool with you
*
Famously the home of The Beatles, Liverpool is now the 2008 European City of Culture and its waterfront is a World Heritage Site.
I talked to another friend before setting off who hates cities, often believing them to be crowded, dirty and full of crime. The purpose of my message today is to explain how Liverpool far exceeded my expectations - I found it a clean, friendly and vibrant city.
We had planned our trip to make good use of our time - I surfed the Web to research places of interest. We also had a map from the Tourist Information Centre. The coach journey from Ulverston in Cumbria was just over two hours and we arrived in plenty of time to catch, no, not the Yellow Submarine, but the 12 noon Ferry Across The Mersey - from the Pier Head area near Albert Dock.
The highlight of the 50 minute guided tour of The Mersey was the view of the Royal Liver Building - 295 feet tall, 13 floors and was completed in 1911. We were told the story about the two famous Liverbird statues on top of the building. If the statues disappear, then that means Liverpool will cease to exist. The female faces out to sea to watch out for the men returning home, while the male faces inland waiting for the pubs to open - this made everyone on the boat chuckle! The fare was £5.30 each return, and well worth it - and we had glorious sunshine too. The school children weren’t disruptive and noisy; they were simply part of the background noise of people having fun. In the distance we saw the location of the two famous football grounds - for Liverpool and Everton.
My friend asked a crew member where we could find the best fish and chips and we were directed to The Lobster Pot, opposite Central station which was about a 15 minute walk. It was honestly the best fish and chips I have ever had, and only £3.50 each. We sat and ate them on a bench in the city centre, watching the world go by. We noticed how clean the streets are and how people were walking with a sense of purpose and a smile on their face. On our travels we saw several versions of the “Super LambBanana” sculptures - they are a showcase of creativity in Liverpool. We also saw mobile, yellow, - no, not yellow submarines, but telephone kiosks, an interesting advertising promotion.
We headed for the Liverpool One shopping centre, which although isn’t finished, is impressive - it opens fully in September. We had a quick visit to BBC Radio Merseyside for some souvenirs, and then on to John Lewis and Debenhams. My friend brought a watch and a teapot to take back to The States so she reminded me of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. All the shop assistants were pleasant and nothing was too much trouble. We saw a shop called “The Office” which in fact sold shoes!
After about an hour we headed back to the lively Albert Dock. We saw tall ships, yachts and canal boats. We went into The Tate Liverpool Art Gallery* – we hadn’t much money or time left so we just visited floor one and two which are free to enter. It was great to see some Modern Art for a change, including some Picasso – I never realised that he only died in 1973 – I always thought he lived a long time ago and not in my lifetime. We also saw work by Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol and some rather exciting cheese graters and similar kitchen items, which were wired up and buzzing and flashing - not at all what we expected.
Our last port of call was “The Beatles Story” shop where my friend bought some T-Shirts for family and I treated myself to some Yellow Submarine Socks and broach which I just couldn’t resist. On another visit I would like to learn more about The Beatles, their lives and homes and I would also like to visit the Maritime Museum where maybe I’ll find the Yellow Submarine, who knows. We made it back to the coach with five minutes to spare, having seen and learnt a great deal in just over five hours. We passed Aintree Racecourse, home of the Grand National, on the way out of the city,
To summarise, we had a great day, found Liverpool clean, vibrant and full of friendly, lively people proud to be a part of this city. My friend describes it as “diverse, happy and integrated”. I hope that those of you who haven’t been will give it a try.
* I hope you all find this interesting - I wanted to share my first impressions of Liverpool with you
*
Jun 27th, 2008, 01:22 AM
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And you know the best thing of all?
You haven't even begun to scratch the surface.
Apart from the current Klimt exhibition (the kind of thing that nowhere in Britain outside London ever puts on), and the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' first record in 1958, that is.
The Greatest City In The World (TM) has more listed buildings than anywhere outside London. More museums than anywhere outside London. The world's greatest horserace and a greater concentration of Open Chamionship quality golf courses than anywhere Scotland can boast. 20-odd miles of duney beaches around to blow away the cobwebs fron a night out in the world's greatest concentration of spectacular pubs. Or in Europe's oldest Chinatown.
The birthplace of practically everything that's formed the modern world, from trains to intercontinental steamships to jerrybuilding. And the port through which almost half Europe's migrants to the New World passed in the nineteenth century.
Indeed, if you're American and white, one of your ancestors almost certainly took their transatlantic journey from the city.
You haven't even begun to scratch the surface.
Apart from the current Klimt exhibition (the kind of thing that nowhere in Britain outside London ever puts on), and the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' first record in 1958, that is.
The Greatest City In The World (TM) has more listed buildings than anywhere outside London. More museums than anywhere outside London. The world's greatest horserace and a greater concentration of Open Chamionship quality golf courses than anywhere Scotland can boast. 20-odd miles of duney beaches around to blow away the cobwebs fron a night out in the world's greatest concentration of spectacular pubs. Or in Europe's oldest Chinatown.
The birthplace of practically everything that's formed the modern world, from trains to intercontinental steamships to jerrybuilding. And the port through which almost half Europe's migrants to the New World passed in the nineteenth century.
Indeed, if you're American and white, one of your ancestors almost certainly took their transatlantic journey from the city.
Jun 27th, 2008, 04:44 AM
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Flanner, I'm with you on Liverpool's place in the history of shipping. One of my childhood memories is driving with my Dad (a Liverpudlian) down a cobbled road, and stopping to peer in through the dock gates and seeing the funnels of all the ships that still sailed out of the Mersey then. And those names - Port Line, White Star, Elder Demster, P&O, etc.
But I question your claim for the city being the birth of the railways- because it isn't.
Best not to overegg the pudding.
But I question your claim for the city being the birth of the railways- because it isn't.
Best not to overegg the pudding.
