Exploring two vibrant cities filled with rich music history and culture...
When traveling to the UK we were fortunate enough to have an extended stay in England for a few months. That left us plenty of time to see the historic sites in England but even better, it gave us plenty of time to make new friends and live within the English people in the UK.
The second largest city in England is Manchester, which was founded around 79 AD by the Romans. This was one of our favorite cities in the UK behind Edinburgh, Scotland. Manchester is a vibrant urban hotspot surrounded by culture, arts, nightlife, and home to Man United and Manchester City, two famous football clubs rich in history and success. The city itself has so much diversity that at times when wandering away from the old center city into a neighborhoods in the outskirts, we thought we were back in New York City Burroughs.
You can spend a good day to maybe a few days exploring the center city historic sights. One of the most popular sights to see is the Manchester Town Hall located in Albert Square, an iconic landmark in Manchester.
For you football fans, you can learn about Englands rich football history by heading over to the National Football Museum located right in the city center. An awesome museum with four levels filled with history and even fun simulator football games for the adults and kids.
When cruising the streets in the center city be sure to check out King street for some shopping, lunch, drinks or just chill on the city benches for some people watching. A spot you do not want to miss is the historic Shambles Square where the famous Sinclair Oyster Bar is located, stop in for a beer and enjoy the cool history that surrounds the square. Just a 10 minute walk away, you can check out the Barton Arcade, known as Manchesters best kept secret, a beautiful victorian shopping arcade. For some music history, head over to Salford Lad's Club which has a pretty historic music past, including The Smiths vinyl album picture, the Queen is Dead was shot at this location, a very popular spot visited by the music culture world.
Manchester is home to one of the coolest communities called The Northern Quarters. This is a neighborhood we can definitely see ourselves living in. A community that is constantly changing and evolving with awesome bars, coffee shops, clothing shops, restaurants, and lots of gigs happening on a weekly basis. There is even a few Mexican taco spots like Luck Lust Liquor & Burn with an awesome Taco Tuesday, with tacos at £1 a taco! If you have ever been to the UK, you know it's definitely one of the most expensive places in the World! So we will take a £1 taco in the UK any day! And they are pretty darn good!
The city is surrounded by a diversity of neighborhoods, even just a few blocks away from the city center. Chinatown is fairly small here but still fun to stroll through and stop for some Chinese cuisine. Just another short walk away is another cool community on Canal street where Gay village is located, definitely the spot to get the best bang for your buck on alcohol. Canal street is loaded with Bars and restaurants with some of the best prices for drinks during happy hour. We can go on forever with things to do in Manchester, but figured we would mention some of the must see's and do's.
Next stop, Liverpool...
A short one hour train ride east of Manchester is the city of Liverpool, famously known for the hometown of The Beatles. Liverpool lies along the River Mersey and the Irish Sea, where you can catch a ferry and cruise the river or walk along the Pier Head and eventually run into a Beatles statue along the way. Walking alongside the river, you have views of the Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building, Port of Liverpool Building, and the Angelican cathedral, four major landmarks in Liverpool.
You can venture deeper into the streets of Liverpool for pubs and eats or head over to the Liverpool Water front for beautiful views and museums. The Beatles fans know, it is here you will find The Beatles Story loaded with memorabilia, imagery, sounds and more! While on our visit to Liverpool we were fortunate to catch the Double Fantasy of John & Yoko , the ground breaking exhibition telling their story that was displayed from May 18th, 2018 thru November 3rd, 2019. It was an incredible exhibition even displaying their personal belongings and personal images explaining their life.
The city has tons of music history on display everywhere you look. Take a walk down the world famous Mathew street which is where The Cavern Club is located, where The Beatles played on numerous occasions in their early career. It is the centre of the Mathew Street Festival, where the music culture from all over the world venture in for the summer festival. Mathew street is filled with bars, Beatle mania shops, more Beatles statues, a John Lennon statue, a Cilla Black statue, and an Eleanor Rigby Statue. There is an Irish pub at the end of the street with £2 pints of beer for Happy hour, which again, anything cheap in the UK is like gold!
Besides the strong music culture in Liverpool, you can catch a premier league football match, which is home to the mighty Liverpool F.C. or take a stroll down Lord street for Liverpool's most famous shopping street. Not too far away is Radio city tower, known as St. Johns Beacon, you can't miss it towering over the center city streets when venturing around Liverpool.
We hope to return to the music city one day for the Mathew Street Festival, until next time Liverpool...
A few Tips..
*The UK can be expensive, the British pound seems to take a toll on the US dollar, but if you want to save a bit on food, all of the locals including us go to Greggs everyday! You can get good quality selections of healthy meals for about $3.50 or $4.50, including a drink! Greggs is the largest bakery chain in the UK.
*Motel One Manchester Royal exchange is a very fairly priced hotel with awesome decor and a 24hr full service bar in the center of Manchester. You will be within walking distance of everything. Ask for Pablo or Hugo at the bar, they will take care of you, the hotel staff at this hotel is superior! Tell them Jorge and Carmen sent ya...
*Manchester has some very cool speak EZ bars, try The Wash House for some incredible cocktails. Be sure to try their Bloody Mary, probably the best we have ever had around the world. The cocktails here are a work of art and always changing, except their Bloody Mary, that always remains on the menu, that says it all!
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