Trip to Manchester and Liverpool

We’ve had a busy past few days this week. On Monday evening, the group went to “One Man, Two Guvnors” at Theatre Royal Haymarket. The play was about one man (Francis Henshall), and his entertaining misadventures as he tries to work for two bosses whose respective tasks end up conflicting and cause Francis a great deal of trouble. We only have three more shows to attend while in London – The Phantom of The Opera, Sweeney Todd, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

On Tuesday, our History of British Pop Music instructor gave us the final assignment to be turned in before we leave London. In 1,000 words, we’ll be writing a review of one influential album out of a selection of ten albums. The selection Rob gave us is as follows –

Dark Side of The Moon – Pink Floyd

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club – The Beatles

Who’s Next – The Who

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – David Bowie

Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin

Never Mind the Bollocks – The Sex Pistols

The Fat of the Land – The Prodigy

London Calling – The Clash

Beggars Banquet – The Rolling Stones

(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis

While I’d enjoy writing about any of these albums, the first two albums that popped in my head were “Fat of the Land” and “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory”. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m leaning strongly towards “Fat of the Land” by The Prodigy.

On Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM, the group boarded the coach bus towards Manchester. Our first stop was the football pitch of the Manchester United F.C. – Old Trafford.

We received a brief tour of the stadium, and were able to see inside the locker room of the football club.

Inside the locker room.

Following our tour, we got back on the coach and proceeded on to downtown Manchester, where we spent a few hours.

A mailbox that survived the WWII bombings in Manchester

Manchester City Hall.

We departed from Manchester around 4:00 PM and continued on to Liverpool. Upon arriving at the hostel in Liverpool, we dropped out bags and proceeded out to explore the city. Our first stop was a pub called the Philharmonic, where our British Life & Culture professor was already imbibing the libations. We stayed there for just one or two drinks and headed out to the Cavern Club, where The Beatles were first noticed and began to pick up popularity. We saw some live music and had a great time. We were out with the majority of the group, which made the night even more fun.

The Phil

Inside the Cavern Club.

On Thursday morning, we began exploring the rest of Liverpool. Liverpool is a very walkable city, and we were fortunate to have better weather than previous groups. Apparently, Liverpool gets rain 360 days of the year, and we were in Liverpool for one of the days where the weather is blue skies and sunshine. We started off the day at the Liverpool Cathedral, which is this absolutely massive building that you can see in the distance from nearly anywhere in the city.

Outside the Liverpool Cathedral.

After leaving the Liverpool Cathedral, Chad, Andy, AJ, and I headed to the World Museum at the opposite end of the city. Although the museum turned out to be more of a children’s museum, we all still got a huge kick out of the exhibits. We didn’t spend too long at the World Museum, so we headed down to Albert Dock, passing through Chinatown on our way there. Albert Dock was mostly populated with restaurants and a few museums.

The Chinatown arch. Constructed in 2000.

Albert Dock

After Albert Dock, we headed towards Radio City Tower, also known as St. John’s Beacon. The Radio City Tower was awesome. We were up some 400 feet above the city, and were able to see inside the facilities of 96.7 Radio City.

Radio City Tower

The view from Radio City Tower

Radio City "On Air" studio.

And perhaps the best parts of the Radio City Tower experience were these little gems…

Will Smith's "Big Willie Style"

Eric Prydz - "Call on Me"

No Doubt's "Don't Speak"

And my personal favorite…

A signed poster of the covers of New Order singles.

After the Radio City Tower tour, we headed back down to Albert Dock to walk along the River Mersey. I preferred Liverpool over Manchester, and really enjoyed the brief stay there. It was considerably more laid-back than London – No where near as loud and bustling, yet there was still plenty to do.

Along the Mersey

I’m currently at City of Westminster College as I write this, so I’m not entirely sure what the plans are for this weekend. The girls of flat #2 have had guests all week, seeing as it’s Ball State’s spring break. Beth’s friend Riz has been hanging with the group a lot, and tonight is her last night here before she heads back to Indiana. We actually won’t be living too far from each other in Muncie next year, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of her.

Riz and I at the Cavern Club

Thanks for reading, everyone!