The day we arrived in Liverpool was absolutely beautiful. Blue skies, warm temperatures, and lots of sun. It’s like we weren’t in England at all!😉
We went to our hotel/hostel and, well, that’s a post all its own. After the encounter we ended up at a Yates pub to figure out our next move.* I had the fish and chips with a pint of cider and he had the bangers and mash with a pint of beer. Don’t judge us. We were in England, we had to do it!
The good
A pub chain with outdoor seating and table service serving serviceable pub grub. I split my fries with LB- the only thing she consistently eats lately. I had the small portion with mushy peas. Perfect size for me. SM’s bangers, some of which LB actually ate(!) were tasty, as was the gravy.
The best thing, and I don’t know if this standard at Yates or it was just this location, was the two toilet stall in the ladies’ room. It made going to the bathroom with my preschooler much more convenient.
The bad
The mash could best be described as gluey.
The people at the Royal Chambers, our original hotel, and at Yates were indicative of all of the locals we met in the city. Occasionally a bit brusque at first but that quickly gave way to a general warmth. Northern England mannerisms and hospitality have often reminded me of the American South, with slightly less racism. Liverpool was no exception. LB even managed to charm a couple of young blokes out of a billiards game.
We ended up staying at the Jurys Inn during our time in Liverpool. This was my second time at the chain and it’s like the song, second verse is same as the first. It’s a solid three star chain. En suite bathroom with bathtub, which was lovely. Clean and bright with an excellent location by the docks and a lovely view of the water.
The first night we ordered room service. LB and I shared a pepperoni pizza and SM had the superfood salad. A couple of days later we were downstairs in the restaurant. I had the fish and chips (yes, again) and he had the meat pie. All were solid offerings seasoned in the traditional English manner with the exception of the pizza. An “American” dish it was slightly spicy.
The hotel was right by Albert Docks home to cafes, restaurants, bars, the Liverpool branch of the Tate Modern, the International Slavery Museum, and the Liverpool Museum, among other attractions. That morning we ate at Puffle Waffle where my husband had the full English and I had a stuffed waffle.
The good
The portion sizes were larger than we figured from the look of the place. Both breakfasts were quite filling. My waffle was crispy and tender and I shared the bits untainted by egg or cheese with LB. She also stole my bacon. It comes with a side of maple (flavored?) syrup, also shared with LB. I have a particular liking for savory a d sweet, like most everyone else in the world, so this was a nice aside.
The bad
The space, though ‘nice’, isn’t terribly comfortable for eating an actual meal. The plates are paper, the cutlery wood. The whole thing gives one a gentle nudge out the door. Which, at these prices, seemed a bit off-putting. Not that it was expensive. It just wasn’t cheap.
We then walked over to the Tate Modern, Liverpool. Which, like almost all museums in Liverpool, is free though it does accept donations. It being a Tate it was home to lots of big named artists. As a family we all enjoyed this exhibit. To make the experience more interactive for your little ones there are little, shark shaped, backpacks full of goodies that can be checked out. By far the biggest treat for LB was the kid’s room with books, puppets, a green screen, and interactive activities based on the artists on display. Once LB discovered this room there was no moving her. One of us stayed and played while the other toured the museum at leisure before switching off.
I went alone to the International Slavery Museum while SM entertained LB outside in the glorious weather. SM is not ‘into’ rehashing the darker periods of our history and LB was far too young to gain anything from the visit.
*Before we all carried the internet in our pockets SM and I would often show up to a city with no pre-booked lodging. Sometimes we only knew we would be somewhere based on the morning’s train or bus schedule. Rather than the both of us lug our bags from place to place we’d find a nice cafe.
One of us (me) would stay with the bags while the other (SM) would look at rooms. With his good looks, outgoing and charming personality, negotiating skills, and white male privilege, SM was generally the better choice for these jaunts. This gave us more maneuverability and placed us in a better position to negotiate.
In places like SEA or Central America, backpacker spots, I still occasionally see couples and small groups of young people wandering from hotel to hostel en masse with all their bags so I thought I’d share this tip.