I went to Liverpool for the 2010 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) conference, which was held at the Echo Arena and Conference Centre on Albert Dock. I stayed at the Ibis hotel just across the street from Albert Dock. The view from my hotel room:
Left of center you can see Liverpool's version of the London Eye, and just behind that, the building that looks a bit like a spaceship, is the Echo Arena. The body of water in the background is, of course, the Mersey River.
Considering that I was traveling alone, that it pissed down rain most of the week I was there, and that I caught a very bad cold on the second day of the conference that lasted for two weeks, I had a fairly good time in Liverpool. My hotel was a 5-10 minute walk from a large pedestrian shopping area (complete with Starbucks--very important), and Albert Dock consists of several posh bars and restaurants, the Beatles Museum, and the Tate Gallery in what once were working warehouses. It reminded me a bit of Portland's Pearl district in that respect.
Between attending conference sessions, eating mediocre food in the hotel restaurant, keeping on top of work emails, and hiding out in my hotel room watching strange British television as an effort to make the nasty cold go away, I managed to:
-walk 5 or 6 miles around the city
-see a McDonald's whose decor is retro 60's à la Barbarella (see photo below)
-eat at a Spanish tapas restaurant and talk to the lovely young Polish waitress about travel, goals, etc.
-buy a British cell phone
-go to the World Museum and the Tate Gallery (both free)
-follow the pounding bass beats to Matthew Street
-find the one block of gay clubs and bars
-notice that the Empire Theatre was simultaneously featuring The Sound of Music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (most excellent)
-spend a couple hours in Starbucks writing and watching all the high school and college students navigate their social lives
-opt NOT to pay the outrageous admission fee for the Beatles museum but merely to buy souvenirs in the adjoining Fab Four Store
-and, last but not least, figure out where to buy cold medicine and bottled water (i.e. Boots)
Liverpool is a mix of upscale bars, beautiful old buildings, not-so-beautiful old buildings, new glass-and-concrete structures, and (a new concept for me) Irish-American bars. I first heard about the Irish-American bars from a gorgeous young Irish bartender at one of the bars on Albert Dock where I'd just eaten lunch. I snorted (charmingly) and said, "Irish-American bar? What the hell is that?" He shrugged and told me was that it was best to steer clear of them at any rate, since they could get rather rough.
By accident I happened to stumble into one of the Irish-American bars, The Slaughterhouse, a day or two later. It looked like a typical Irish pub--dark wood, low beamed ceilings, tiny tables, Murphy's and Guinness on tap--except for the glossy, cartoonish, life-sized "statue" of Elvis in mid-full-arm-strum against one brick wall. Huh. Sadly, no fights broke out while I stood awkwardly alone in the middle of the room, sipping my glass of Murphy's, surrounded by boisterous, multi-generational groups of men. I escaped without even being groped or ogled. Sigh.
On Friday night, after the conference was over, I went back to the bar on Albert Dock, hoping the Irish bartender was working so I could tell him about my Irish-American bar experience. He was working and sympathetic to my full-blown cold and consequent need for a steady supply of hot toddies. Also at the bar were another bartender (very young, blonde, Liverpuddlian) and a man who seemed to be a well-known regular (middle-aged, fit, slightly drunk).
Eventually the latter and I entered into conversation, and he ended up buying my drinks (I do so love this about English men) and going with me to an Irish bar downtown called Pogue Mohone (translation from the Irish: kiss my ass), and then we walked around in the cold and wet until about 2am. Probably not the best for my cold, but hey: how often am I going to be in Liverpool on a Friday night?
Click here to see the rest of my photos from this trip.
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