Changing Liverpool (2021)
It felt so great to be going back to Liverpool again. We booked a couple of nights at a hotel - our first in eight months - to make it really feel like we were away. The fact that the Malmaison hotel is on our doorstep at home in Birmingham didn’t matter.
The city thrilled with so much, having changed in just a few years since I last saw it. The regeneration is superb and the row of new buildings facing the Mersey just behind the hotel we all the same height. I wish all cities took this much care with their skyline
In fact, the only negative in Liverpool was the hotel. It did have a view overlooking the Mersey and it was located well for getting out quickly for much-needed cool air in a wonderful setting. Much needed as the hotel's heat during a stifling June weekend affected my sleep and then my appetite. In the mornings, we were so keen to get out of the hotel room into some cool all of the breakfasts at the cheery Lucy in the Sky, the popular Moose Coffee and Peaberry on Albert Dock started the day brightly.
We are already feeling exhausted from the heat on our first day but enjoyed the hospitality at Bistro Frank. Sadly I lost my appetite halfway through and while the food is pretty rich, it provided great value on top of excellent service. My appetite was still dented from lack of sleep so the next day we played it safe with tapas at the lovely Lunya. We initially thought we’d booked a table in their location at the docs and slipped into Peaberry for a refreshing long drink before dinner. Only to realise we had booked a different Lunya and raced across the city heat to our table to not to let them down.
We decided to give the hotel bar another chance to redeem themselves (see that story here). After 25 minutes of waiting at the table where we’d been seated so I could watch the football (Italy were playing in the Euros) we decided our money was better spent elsewhere and walked across the car park to the Crown Plaza. It may have been a little beige but staff welcomed us, we got a table at the window and I sipped an Old Fashioned while watching the sunset.
On the last evening, it was just too warm to bother with dinner out (plus it was a noisy Saturday) and we decided on delivery to the hotel followed by a long relaxed walk on the waterfront. I ordered one of my comfort foods, noodles from a highly reviewed place and it was awful. The walk was very welcome and made me feel much less ill.
Freedom is about the absence of fear
The only thing I had on the wish list was visiting the International Slavery Museum which was as good as I expected. Slavery is a subject we can never learn too much about and each experience, be it a documentary, book or museum teaches me more. We need to understand our past to make sense of today.
This trip to Liverpool afforded us time for my first ferry across the Mersey which was more touristy than I expected although, on reflection, I would have been disappointed if they didn’t play that song. There was, however, nothing on the other when we reached Hamilton Square. We popped into the one coffee shop, waited several moments after sitting and then walked out after the lacksadaisy attitude of the staff not wanting to take our order. It wasn’t busy; something commented on by the people who walked in just ahead of us. We promptly got on a train and went to Kirby and saw many dogs to put smiles on our faces, especially while sitting in Love Brownies. Later we dropped by Scandi-esque Lateral Coffee for much more dog spotting.
Liverpool is small enough to walk everywhere. I love the Georgian era so taking a stroll through the Georgian Quarter was lovely, especially being able to take a peek at the (outside of) the old cathedral as we forgot we are living through an era of essential pre-bookings and (inside) the new one - both impressive. The walk ended with a trip back to Bold St coffee first visited so many years ago and now huge and popular.
We did remember to book the Anfield tour well in advance. This football stadium now has the distinction of being the only tour I’ve undertaken in the UK to add to the several visited across Europe.
The trip also introduced us to Babe E Coffee, where we enjoyed a quiet cold drink away from the main bustle. Throughout this long-awaited first trip away from home, we made choices about which places to go into based on how much care establishments took to keep people safe. Sadly a couple were no-go areas as even the staff didn’t have face coverings.
I became obsessed with taking photos of the Liver Building that was on our doorstep. This happens in cities, notably in Nashville where I took many pictures of the 'Batman building'. However, I loved all the cultural references beyond the Beatles. There were nods to several of the bands I’d grown up on with the significant exclusion of Pete Wylie and Wah! How do you mention Julia Cope and Teardrop Explodes and Echo and the Bunnymen but not the third member of the Crucial Three? (It’s not just about The Beatles, as I write about in my book)
The temperatures soared on the last day, so we just managed a walk around the Baltic Triangle, a creative quarter. We bought some bits at an indoor market full of trusting indie sellers - most of whom didn’t even have to be there but still sold their wares. The morning was topped off with a fabulous rest drinking coffee in the shade outside 92 Degrees with a view of (red) Liverpool’s favourite human. This morning alone made us long to go back to this fabulous city.
June 2021
