Budget Travel: Liverpool, UK

by Annie Scott on


Summary: Liverpool. It’s not London, and that’s why it’s not nearly as expensive. But with the old-timey glamor of Albert Dock, a history rich with music, maritime lore, and football (soccer) glory, and a proximity to Chester and Port Sunlight Village, Liverpool is no second rate vacation destination. It’s a first rate European city and an exciting place to visit!

Getting in: The John Lennon International Airport is where it’s at. If you can’t get straight there from where you live, find a trip to Amsterdam, then EasyJet it over to Liverpool. It may take you out of your way, but the savings will likely be worth it, and taking a train from London with all your luggage is a major pain after a long flight. Plus, a layover in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport can be a pretty good time! Check out the facilities/amenities here.

Where to stay: Gadling recommends that you stay at the Britannia Adelphi Hotel. This places you just uphill from all the best shopping and dining, near the train station (which you’ll need if you want to take day trips), and walkable to Albert Dock and the city’s cathedrals. The prices are reasonable and the rooms are lovely. There’s also a Marriott nearby if you are looking to cash in points.

What to see: Liverpool’s blue collar roots are well disguised in the trendy City Centre area. We recommend a walk down Bold Street to get you started with shopping, especially the trendy Karen Millen shop. While you’re there, you can eat a very cheap, delicious, healthy vegetarian meal at the exquisitely painted Egg Cafe (and gallery).

Ready for a pint? Head up to the Philharmonic Pub for a classy, relaxed atmosphere, and, if you can, catch whatever’s playing that night at The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall across the street! Note: The locals don’t say the “H” in Phil*H*armonic, and they will make fun of you if you do — that, or have no idea what you are talking about.

Now you’re on Hope Street. You might notice that at either end of the street, there is a giant cathedral. Visit both! The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (Roman Catholic) looks a bit like a spaceship, or like it might impale any falling angels, but is quite lovely inside. The Liverpool Cathedral (Anglican) is even grander, and definitely worth a tour (you can see all of Liverpool from the top), or at least a stroll through the lovely, probably-haunted graveyard. Hope Street also runs into Mount Street at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where you can catch — or pick up fliers for — all kinds of local music, theater, dance, and more. LIPA was started in 1996 by Sir Paul McCartney and has been spitting out West End stars and more ever since!

If you’re a soccer fan, don’t miss a tour of the Liverpool Football Club museum and stadium. Ask at your hotel for transportation arrangements.

And naturally, if you’re a Beatles fan, don’t miss the Magical Mystery Tour! The tour is run by primary school classmates of The Beatles, and is funny, informative, and a great way to see a lot of Liverpool. It ends at the infamous Cavern Club, which is still alive and well.

Another great way to see Liverpool is the Yellow Duck Marine Tour. The guides on the duck boats are hysterical, and they take you around Albert Dock, where you can also visit a lot of Liverpool’s chicest clubs, the Tate Liverpool, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, or just get your caricature drawn for a couple of pounds.

Lastly, if you want to get that posh British feeling, take a day trip to Chester. You can get there by train in about 45 minutes and spend the whole day eating crumpets, perusing parfumeries, and walking the wall that covers the entire perimeter of the city. Better still, stop in Port Sunlight Village on your way down. The village itself looks like something you might see in miniature form in a store-front display around Christmas, and it is home to The Lady Lever Art Gallery — a gallery you can totally do in a couple of hours which happens to be my personal favorite throughout the entire world. Don’t miss the basement full of Masonic artifacts.

A trip to Liverpool is worth your time, and, especially in comparison to London, really easy on your wallet!

The UK’s “environment czar” doesn’t want people to go anywhere

by Annie Scott on

Damn the man who’s saving the empire?

Adair Turner, chairman of the independent Committee on Climate Change, who is cheekily called the “environment czar” of Great Britain, made a proposal on Thursday that nobody’s gonna like.

In an effort to protect the environment from the ravages of the pasty empire lying on beaches (oh all right, and carbon dioxide emissions), Turner wants the Britains to limit their trips abroad to just a few per year. We’re talking making it law.

This just reeks of “rule for the people without enough money to skirt it.” Isn’t Great Britain’s class system already pronounced enough?

[via ATW Daily News]

British tour company offers “redneck free” vacations

by Scott Carmichael on

Activities Abroad, a UK based tour company that offers upscale active vacations in places like Canada and Costa Rica has found itself on the receiving end of a ton of criticism.

The reason? They sent out 24,000 emails to potential customers describing the kind of people you will not see on their trips.

The company actually did research into the names of customers they associated with being “chav”, which is the Brit equivalent of the US redneck or trailer trash.

According to Activities Abroad, if your name is Britney, Kylie-Lianne, Bianca, Tiffany, Dazza, Chardonnay, Chantelle, Candice, Courtney or Shannon, you are probably a “chav”.

If your name is John, Sarah, James, Charles, Rachel, Michael, Alice, Lucy, Joseph or Charlotte then you are probably not trailer trash.

Good to know eh?

The managing director for the company says he feels it is time that the middle class finally stood up for themselves, and asks parents whether they’d want their kids playing at the shopping mall with the kind of people that hang around all day smoking cheap cigarettes.

So far, the campaign has only created 15 negative responses. The concept of advertising vacations where “certain” people won’t be found is of course pretty controversial, but I’m sure there is a market out there for it.

What do you think?

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(Via: Telegraph.co.uk)

Fruitcake: Where does it come from?

by Brenda Yun on

While those chestnuts roast on your open fire, it might be time to open Grandma’s fruitcake that you forgot to eat last year. Maybe it’s on your closet shelf, just waiting to be devoured. You don’t have to worry about it going bad, either. It’s probably even tastier now that you’ve waited year. As you unwrap it and prepare it for your plate, it might be a good idea to understand just where the famous Christmas fruitcake comes from, and just how it landed in your hands this Christmas Day…

This famous Christmas cake is probably made from a combination of chopped and candied fruit, nuts, and spices, and likely soaked in brandy or rum. Fruitcake actually originated in very much the same form we see today way back to ancient Rome (so you could be holding a real historical artifact)!
Hundreds of years ago, Europeans would make these cakes using pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins, and some fruitcakes were traditionally made and saved for the annual harvest the following year.

Germans called their special fruitcake “Dresdner Stollen,” which looks like a bread loaf. It is served with icing at Christmastime. Italians call theirs “panforte.” Theirs was made famous in Siena over 500 years ago, and is baked in a shallow pan. In the UK, they like their fruitcake moist and serve it with marzipan and a thick layer of icing. Finally, we Americans like our fruitcake with lots of colorful fruits and nuts.

Now it’s time to unwrap that final Christmas present and satisfy that sweet tooth. Enjoy your Christmas and that candied fruitcake from your closet!

[information on fruitcake compiled from Wikipedia]

Churchill’s hotel inspires fashion line

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Royal Horseguards is due to officially re-open in February 2009 following a £16m investment and refurbishment program. This landmark, famous for once housing Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s favorite bar-in its basement where secret passages link the building to Westminster and Whitehall-will be the central inspiration behind a haute couture fashion collection designed to bring some of London’s most iconic hotels to life.

Located on the river in Whitehall, The Royal Horseguards hotel is built in the style of a French Chateau and as a Grade 1 listed building has welcomed many Prime Ministers through its doors. It’s believed even the Secret Service used its eighth floor as a secret base during the Second World War and the building also boasts the largest free standing marble staircase in Europe.

As part of this grand unveiling, London-based fashion designer Aimee McWilliams, one of the UK’s leading young designers, will create the “capsule” bespoke clothing collection. McWilliams’ work is intended to convey the style, character and history of London’s most unique hotels: Charing Cross, The Cumberland (Marble Arch), The Tower (at Tower Bridge) and, of course, The Royal Horseguards. The effort will be unveiled in January and displayed at its namesake hotels before being auctioned for charity later in the year.
McWilliams set up her own label after winning the award for the best collection upon graduation and more recently won the Designer of the Year Award at the Scottish Style Awards 2007. She says that she has “been inspired by great interiors for most of my creative life,” and looks forward to “the opportunity to create high end luxury garments that reflected the diverse and stylish interiors of each of the hotels.”

Together, the four hotels will make Guoman Hotels, a new collection of deluxe London-based hotels each with an individual and unique history and character, brought together with a promise of exceptional service and customer experience.