Info on Liverpool

[duncan]

Hi

Going to Liverpool in october for three days or so...it's my birthday present!!!!! Just want to know a few things about the city. We've got unlimited amount of money (but no infinite...)


1.) Places to stay/Areas to stay: Just want a good hotel in a good area...
2.) Good records shops, both classical and rock (I'm not thinking about something special, just a general store like Tower Records or Virgin Megastore in London...)
3.) Bookshops
4.) A good pub: don't like dance clubs, myself, I'm getting old. I prefer ye olde pint in a "quiet" pub, with live music...
5.) Don't like going to musems just to tell everyone at home I have been in THAT one, but...places to see???
6.) I love The Beatles but don't want to ride on one of those Magical Mistery Bus full of tourist. Is the Cavern worth to visit?

Thanks to everyone. See you in autumn!!!!!

[ste]

If you have msn add me I lived there for 2 years I can answer any questions you may have


Hotels in the City Center:

Marriot Hotel:
Very good location, right in the city center, includes a gym, swimming pool. Near a few restraunts and bars.

Travel Inn:
Just off the fly-over, not quite a good area (in terms of both local ammenities and also the surrouding area)

The Docks:
There are numerous hotels on the docks, but they tend to be both gradeous and expensive. However, if you've got unlimited money then check these out. There are also some very nice restruants and bars, as well as docks and the ferry across the mersey (and yes they do play that song on the boats as you cross -- or at least they used to).


Records Shops:
In the city center, the 3 main record shops are HMV (2 stories, lots of DVDs and Videos, good rock/metal section, but not a huge classical selection). Virign Megastore, (2 stores, good rock/metal and specific OST/Classical/Jazz room, which is isolated from the rest on the top floor, a tad more expensive than HMV in most cases, but you can get some great offers in there at times) and MusicZone (this is the cheapest of the lot, but selection is limited, and you have to be prepared to hunt around for what you may want). There are alot of independant specialist record stores, like Probe, etc. But I'll let you discover these as I had to.

In the way of Bookshops, your talking Waterstones, WH Smiths, and a few independant stores. The Waterstones is quite big (3 stories) and has a Costa Coffee in there, so you can go in read a book in the coffee shop and but the book back ahem, I never actually did that for the record. WH Smith is just like any other WHSmith, 2 stories, alot of local books by local authors in there, that you perhaps wouldn't find in other book stores. There are also independant book sellers in St. John's Shopping Center (the stand out destinctly for the inordinate number of shoe shops ).

A Good Pub:
The Ship & Mitre is a favorite of myself and a friend of mine, its quite has a selection of "uncommon" lagers/bitters/ciders, and is generally quite nice inside. Its a little way out, if you head for the Wallasey Tunnel its right around there. The Swan (on Wood St.) is another quite, rock type place, be repared however for the odd funny look from bikers that sit near the door. For live music, there are quite a few bars that put on local bands, but if your after something more well known, checks out the Carling Academy and the Barfly, these are located near Lime St. station, and on Seal St. respectively. For local bands, your going to want to check out Zanzibars on Seal St. And Hev n' Hell, these all have local bands on most nites, not sure on prices of lager. The Cavern also has live bands on, check before you so. If your going in October the students will all be back, and hence the student bars will be open, the Student Guild (AKA Liverpool Academy, but note NOT the Carling Academy) is ??1.20 for Carling, which is reasonble, it also has pool tables and is generally quite quiet during the day. Even at nite there is no loud music in there.

Places To See:
1. The Albert Docks.
2. The Lamb Banana.
3. Liverpool Museum
4. Beatles Exeperience
5. Matthew St. (Home to tons of bars + Cavern)
6. The Cavern (if your a fan check it out, even tho its not the original Cavern, which got knocked down).
7. Quiggans (Indoor shops, all independant traders, selling all sorts of stuff, its DEFINATELY worth a visit).

I hope this has been helpful, and to summarise here's a list of streets you should ask for if you get lost (they all have good stuff to do)

Matthew St.
Slater St.
Wood St.
Seal St.
The Cavern
Quiggans

[duncan]

Wow, Ste, Thank you very much...lots of info there...have printed it !!!!


No msn, sorry , but you helped me a lot already. if you ever come to northern spain, please contact me

[ste]

lol... s'ok all part of the service If you need any more info, post on here or whatever, or email me. Glad to be of assistance.

[Redpossum]

hey, Duncan.

What part of northern Spain do you live in, Catalonia or Castile?

[ste]

isn't basque in northern spain too?

[Redpossum]

ste, let me get this straight...

You're asking an American about european geography?

[bodidley]

Not all Americans don't know European geography It's easy enough to remember anyways, everywhere in Europe can be remembered by times when Europeans killed each other there.

[efthimios]

Not all Americans don't know European geography It's easy enough to remember anyways, everywhere in Europe can be remembered by times when Europeans killed each other there.

that would be funny if it wasn't that true....nah, it still is funny.

[ste]

nah, i was just adding to it, but then again I think basque is partly in france to (on the spanish/french border). Its full of crazy sepratists, etc.

[Redpossum]

The basques are an interesting people.

For one thing, nobody knows where they came from. They don't belong to any recognised ethnic group, and their language is totally unique.

Years ago, I was reading up on the Punic wars. I had a translation of one of the ancient authors, (don't recall which one), and he was talking about the early stages of the 2nd punic war, before Hannibal entered Italy. Those early stages of the war were fought at sea and in the Iberian peninsula. The author was describing the relations of the Romans and Carthaginians to the local iberian tribes, their diplomatic successes and failures, etc.

He talked at length about this one tribe that was especially difficult and warlike....

...and I realised he was talking about the basques! I kid you not, everything matched up perfectly - location, customs, appearances.

I honestly think they've been there since at least the 4th century BC. The basques may in fact be the last remaining survivors of the aboriginal inhabitants of the iberian peninsula.

Oh, and here's the Wikipedia entry for Basque Country.

You're right, it straddles the border.

[bodidley]

There isn't much suggesting the Basques ever migrated to the continent within the past several thousand years, and their language is unrelated to the Indo-European language group (the only languages related to Basque are spoken in the Caucases, the only languages native to Europe besides Basque which are not Indo-European are Hungarian and Finnish, which are Urglalic) which arrived in Europe from asia, so the answer to the question of where the Basques came from is probably...Europe.

[duncan]

Hi

I'm basque, but I don't know where I come from

I'm from Bilbao, a Liverpool-like city near the french border...we used to work in factories, now they're closed... If anyone's coming to Bilbao (which is full of crazy separatist and unionist too ), I will gladly give you some directions, even to Guggenheim museum...

Now I live in Vitoria-Gasteiz, 60 km or so south of Bilbao...