Liverpool

At Liverpool's John Lennon Airport
see all photos »

Liverpool seems to have got a bad rap.  But it is actually quite a lot of fun, and I keep coming back every couple years to enjoy it anew.  True, I have good friends there, but the city itself just charms me.  There are more pubs per square mile than anywhere I can think of, yet Liverpool boasts a couple fabulous cathedrals and a good number of galleries and museums, including the Tate Modern.  And then, of course, there are The Beatles.  I have visited the Cavern district, and had my photo taken with Paul McCartney's statue there.  This visit, I got my photo taken with John Lennon's statue which stands prominently in the airport named after him.

The Palm House
see all photos »

You expect an 800-year-old city to be pretty much finished, but Liverpool has a lot of building going on; there were a number of big changes just in the two years since I was last there.  Much of the building can be attributed to Liverpool's selection as a 2008 European Capital of Culture.   The "European Capital of Culture" is a title given by the EU to a specific city (or cities) for a period of one year during which the city showcases its cultural development.  A number of

Relaxing in the Capital of Culture

Sitting with friends in "Doctor Duncan's" a popular Liverpool pub
see all photos »

cities have used the Capital of Culture year to transform their cultural base and, in doing so, the way in which they are viewed internationally. I hope this happens with Liverpool.

Having just spent a month walking across Spain, I wanted nothing so much as a couple of days' spent relaxing, with no timetables or places I had to be.  So that's exactly what I did.  We drank beer, ate Indian food, and did a little "sports" tour of the city - I saw Aintree Racecourse, site of the famous Grand National horse race (remember "National Velvet"?); and two football fields - both Goodison Stadium (Everton Football Club)  and Anfield Stadium (Liverpool F.C.), home to England's 2 top (rival!) football clubs.  Each stadium already seats nearly 50000 fans, but increasing popularity dictates that both clubs build new fields in the next few years.  Few American cities have more than one such team and stadium.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Liverpool (Roman Catholic) built in 1967, its main steps completed only in 2007.
see all photos »

I also went to see the huge Palm House conservatory, in Sefton  Park.

There was a wedding going on, but the view of the place is still magnificent.

If you go to Liverpool for a pub crawl, you'll want to start early if you mean to visit even 1 in 5 of the city's wonderful pubs.  I have visited Liverpool three times now, and still have not visited half the pubs.  But maybe that is because there are so many other things to do there.  I have "ferried 'cross the Mersey," visited the city's two magnificent cathedrals, walked through the famous Williamson tunnels, http://www.williamsontunnels.com/

Liverpool Cathedral (Anglican) majestic part of the city skyline. The two cathedrals are at opposite ends of Hope Street.
see all photos »

taken lovely rides in the Merseyside country and eaten ice cream on the Parkgate seawall, and ALMOST visited the magnificient Lady Lever Gallery http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ladylever/

Well, I had to leave something for next time!