Planning Your Trip
(From Beatlefan #126, Sept.-Oct 2000)
Before boarding the plane, it pays to plan ahead.
That way you won't be trying to book tours, transportation and accommodation at
the last minute (see my Hard Day's Net column in this issue for pertinent Web
sites). Purchasing a thorough tour book can be useful. If possible, try to
visit Liverpool first and then London. By happy accident, I did just that, which
enabled me to visualize The Beatles' difficult journey from their home to the
"big city."
Since there is so much to see in Liverpool, I recommend staying overnight. This
way you have ample time to walk around the city, breathe the Mersey air, crawl
the neighborhood pubs, and meet charming Liverpudlians. I took the train and
stayed just for the day, and I saw only the most essential sights of the city.
To save time, book in advance any Beatles guided tours you plan to take. The
most well-known one is the Magical Mystery Tour offered by the Cavern Club.
Visit their Web site and e-mail your reservation. You may also purchase tickets
by phone, but they will not accept faxed orders. Cavern City Tours offers a
variety of packages, but the most economical one is the "combo" tour.
One price includes the tour and admission to the excellent Beatles Story,
located on the Albert Dock. When calling, inquire about making
reservations to see Paul McCartney's boyhood home at 20 Forthlin Road. Because
of the home's small size, only a certain number of tourists are admitted per
hour. Reserving a specific day and time in advance prevents the disappointment
of arriving to find all admission tickets are sold out.
Unlike Liverpool, London requires little advance planning. When you arrive at
the airport or hotel, pick up a London Walks brochure. London Walks, a
popular tour company that offers numerous themed walks and daytrips, features
two Beatles-themed walks: Magical Mystery Tour, guided by Richard Porter,
president of the London Beatles Fan Club; and In My Life, which features homes
of The Beatles and girlfriends, wedding locations and more. Consult the brochure
for days and times of these walks, and then meet at the designated tube station.
Pay the guide, and you're off! You may also view the brochure online at http://www.walks.com.
Now that you've planned your trip and made all required reservations, the
excitement begins. You're finally traveling to the Land of The Beatles, where
all the music began! What follows is a diary of the highlights of the Liverpool
and London tours, plus my additional suggestions on how to get the most out of
your trip.
Kit O' Toole
Liverpool
As we stepped down from the train into the Lime Street Station, the excitement
began to build within me. For about two and a half hours we had observed
different scenery racing past the train's windows: tall buildings in London,
pastoral scenes of green fields and grazing sheep. Approaching Liverpool you
enter a different land of industrial, dark vistas. We arrived at about 10 a.m.
on Saturday morning, but the streets were already full of families out for a day
of shopping. Buses whizzed by as we walked to our first stop, the Queens Square
Tourist Center, located in the Liverpool City Center. There we picked up our
Magical Mystery Tour tickets and perused the Beatles-themed souvenirs. Since we
had about an hour to kill before meeting back at the center for the tour, we
decided to grab brunch at the Rat and Parrot, Liverpool's largest pub, which
appeared to be a cross between a Bennigans and a Dennys. I would highly
recommend stopping here; it's not too far from the center and offers a large
breakfast or lunch for a relatively inexpensive price (and that's hard to find
in England!).
We returned to the center to find that our tour group had gathered around the
front door, waiting for the guide. We seemed to be the only Americans thus
far in the group; I heard a variety of accents as people chatted excitedly about
the upcoming adventure. The tour leader finally arrived in the form of Eddie, an
older Liverpool resident who had played in a rival band in the early '60s. We
all boarded the Magical Mystery Tour bus, a replica of the bus used in the film.
Eddie placed a Beatles tape into the boombox on the bus, hit play and we were
off!
We drove by key sites, including Ringo's home at 10 Admiral Grove and the
Empress Pub, where Ringo's mother used to work. Eddie and the bus driver kept
things rolling along by cheerfully holding up photos of Ringo and the
"Sentimental Journey" album cover. Judging by their vaguely risqué,
jokes they knew a lot more about major and minor players in The Beatles' story
than they were willing to divulge (in front of a family crowd, anyway). Their
tone became more reverent, however, when we reached one of the most important
landmarks in rock: Penny Lane. We stopped by the street sign and Eddie led us
out of the bus so we could stand near the revered spot. As we all marched behind
him, he waved his arm in the direction of the sign and kept repeating,
"Penny Lane. Penny Lane" in a hushed tone. Of course, we all
took turns taking pictures of each other standing by the grafitti-filled sign.
After we reboarded the bus, we continued down the street so we could see the
hallowed places the song mentions, such as the barber shop and the roundabout.
But as we viewed these places, I was struck by how Paul managed to make
the street sound like a quaint, beautiful road in a lovely town. The actual
street is somewhat unremarkable, filled with shops and traffic. Just another
testament to the artistry of The Beatles.
We then exited from the bus to view George's first home at 12 Arnold Grove. We
walked right up to it so we could examine the red brick, lace curtains and small
door up close. Eddie mentioned that the house really had only two rooms (plus a
bathroom). I was struck by the small, slightly dingy street; although the small
home had its charm, it is easy to see why the Harrisons moved in 1950. Sharply
contrasting with George's home was Brian Epstein's, a large house in the more
picturesque area of Childwall. Seeing the two homes enabled me to picture
how Brian entered a different world when he began managing the group.
We then drove down the street to another major landmark: Strawberry Field. The
red gates still shine, but the stone pillars on either side are covered in graffiti
scrawled by well-meaning fans. The trees enclose the entrance so much that
little sun lit up the area. A hush fell over the group as Eddie waved us toward
the famous entrance, and once again we all lined up to have our photos taken. A
Beatles lover's paradise!
The rest of the tour progressed quickly; the only time we exited the bus again
was to walk up to Paul's home at 20 Forthlin Road, a charming suburban home
nicely preserved by the National Trust. Eddie even pointed out the very bus stop
down the street where Paul and George first met. We drove past John's home,
which is located in a surprisingly nice area with neatly manicured lawns and
bushes. We flew past the Philharmonic, the Liverpool College of Art, the
Liverpool Institute, and the very impressive Gambier Terrace, where John and Stu
Sutcliffe once shared an apartment.
Our final stop was, of course, the Cavern Club. We first entered the Cavern Pub,
where we picked up our free T-shirts and viewed the rock memorabilia covering
the walls. But venturing across the street to the Cavern Club is the real
highlight. The actual club was stupidly torn down many years ago, but a faithful
recreation now stands near its original location on Mathew Street. We walked
down the dark steps until we felt as though we were way underground, and we
could hear the thumping of a bass and drum through the walls. Upon entering we
first saw a large bar and silhouettes of customers sitting on stools. It was so
dimly lit in the club that it was difficult to make out distinct shapes. We
wandered toward the stage area, where chairs were lined up in neat rows. The
'60s crowds probably stood in a sweaty mass around this area, watching The
Beatles tear through numbers like "Some Other Guy." We also saw the
recreated "wall of fame," which features the names of all the groups
who played there. Although this was not the original club, it was such an
effective reproduction that I still felt as though history was surrounding me. A
decent rock band played on, and we stood and watched them for a few minutes. But
we had to move on to our final destination in Liverpool: the Albert Dock
After a rather long walk through the downtown area, we finally reached the
shopping and eating complex right along the Mersey. For those of you who are
familiar with the Chicago area, it was like their scaled-down version of Navy
Pier. We walked directly to the Beatles Story, billed as an "interactive
museum." Although it contained little memorabilia unfamiliar to hard-core
Beatles fans, it effectively recreated through sound and pictures each phase of
The Beatles' lives. One room recreated a typical Hamburg street; another room
featured a recreation of Brian's office; another simulated the inside of a plane
to illustrate the Beatles' first trip to the U.S. It is a fun sidetrip for any
Beatles fan, casual or more serious, and should not be missed.
Before we caught a cab back to the Lime Street Station, I took a minute to gaze
at the Mersey. Of course, Gerry and the Pacemakers' hit "Ferry 'Cross the
Mersey" floated through my head, and it was then that I wondered: What is
it about this city that makes its bands want to glorify it in song? I got the
feeling from our bus driver and tour guide that if you do not have extraordinary
talents and drive, you will remain in Liverpool for the rest of your life. The
Beatles obviously wanted to break out of their surroundings to succeed in London
and, ultimately, nationally. Yet music such as "Penny Lane,"
"Strawberry Fields Forever", the "Liverpool Oratorio"
and even Paul's new track "Free Now" extol the city's virtues and
unique beauty. Perhaps only native Liverpudlians can truly understand its value
and charms with their unique sense of humor and wordplay. For me, the trip made
me better understand The Beatles and their special talent for turning the
ordinary into the extraordinary.
Now for some practical advice: Although I recommend that you take a tour to
first discover Liverpool, you will also want to do some exploring on your own.
The Magical Mystery Tour includes the major sites, but does not feature other
important sites such as the Jacaranda or the Grapes. You will also be driven by
such landmarks as John's house on Menlove Avenue and St. Peter's Church, but you
may not exit the bus to walk around them. When you board the bus, be sure to
purchase a map of Beatles sights from the guide. This will aid you in your
personal tour. Another option is to book a private tour, conducted by a
knowledgeable guide. One such guide is Sylvia McMurtry (www.merseyworld.com/mcmurtry),
who chauffeurs passsengers in a private car. If you wish, you may ask her to
stop at any particular site for a longer period of time so you may take all the
pictures you want. Although this costs a bit more than the Magical Mystery Tour,
it serves as a good alternative for those who have more time in Liverpool.
And, again, I highly recommend that you spend the night in the city; that way
you have adequate time to explore its history and its culture.
London
Although there aren't as many Beatles-related sites to see here as in Liverpool,
it is still worth taking at least one themed tour from London Walks. Also
titled the Magical Mystery Tour, this walk featured all the major landmarks in
The Beatles' career. Usually led by Richard Porter, our walk was hosted by
another Beatles scholar and local musician. He knowledgeably led us through
major and little-known sites. We peered through the windows of the upscale MPL
building and stared at the former Trident Studios site. Viewing Carnaby Street
in person is a thrill; although it certainly isn't the center of fashion
anymore, it still offers unusual boutiques that hint at its illustrious past. We
then moved on to the former Bag O' Nails pub, an upscale club where Paul and
Linda met.
One of the most spine-tingling moments on the tour occurred when we stood in
front of Apple's former offices at 3 Savile Row. As the guide regaled us with
the details of the famous rooftop concert, I stared up at the top of the
building. I tried to imagine the reaction of the three-piece-suited businessmen
walking along Savile Row as they heard music emitting from the rooftop. Since
our visit was on a Sunday morning, the street seemed eerily quiet. Reluctantly
we moved on to the former Indica Gallery, which is still all white.
After hopping on the tube, our last spine-tingling stop was Abbey Road Studios.
Our enthusiastic guide pulled out his vinyl copy of Abbey Road and described the
history of the studios and the album itself. Traffic whizzed by busily, which
demonstrated why it was necessary for The Beatles to have the street closed to
take the famous photo. Our guide mentioned that it was OK to sign the white
pillars holding up the front gates, as they are washed down frequently. I bolted
across the street to scrawl my name on one of the pillars, as many other fans
have done, judging from all the writing. The final step was, of course, trying
to restage the famous album cover. With my friend perched on one side of the
road wielding the camera, I stood on the other side, trying to figure out which
cars would stop for me. A couple of drivers finally obliged; probably everyone
driving on the street is used to gawking tourists by now. As we posed by the
Abbey Road street sign, I realized that I had finally made it; I had walked
across the very same road as The Beatles! Everyone in the group felt the
excitement, and as we walked back to the tube station I saw a few people in the
group lingering around the gates, not quite ready to leave.
If you wish, you may also take the In My Life walking tour. You may also
supplement the tour with your own walking tour. I found, though, that the London
Walks version offered all the major sites you would want to see.
Since I traveled to Liverpool first, I was able to visualize what The Beatles'
move must have been like. Although Liverpool is a large city, the residents all
seem to know each other. London, on the other hand, is similar to New York with
pedestrians rushing down the sidewalks, traffic clogging up the streets, and
impressive buildings. The Beatles' road to fame was a long and fascinating one,
and embarking on the journey yourself allows for even greater appreciation of
their evolution from small-town heroes to international stars.
Kit O' Toole
If you've been planning a pilgrimage to Liverpool, these Web sites may help you
do some advance preparation.
Your first visit should be BeatleCity (www
.beatlecity.com), which aims to be Liverpool's premiere tourist Web site.
The well-designed site contains information on the history of the city,
transportation and accommodation listings. It also provides an online guide to
tourist sites of interest in Liverpool (not just Beatles-related sites) to help
you plan your sightseeing. It has a guide to pub-crawling, shopping and listings
of upcoming events. Finally, it provides photos of many relevant
Beatles-related sightseeing stops. Even though the site lacks city maps and
specific addresses for some restaurants and hotels, it is an essential first
stop in your travel planning.
Another Web site that provides more basic but necessary travel information is
Travel Britain's Liverpool site (www.travelbritain.com/england/merseyside/liverpool).
The site lists travel information and provides valuable links to various
travel and tourism services. For example, with their "Global Destination
Guide," which resembles Yahoo in design, you can book train tickets, a car
or hotel rooms. This site also provides more detailed information on the
locations of restaurants, pubs and other attractions, such as the Grapes or the
Cavern. You may even view recommended tours to take while in Liverpool.
If you need further information, such as possible hotel discounts and other
practical information, check out the official Mersey tourism site (www
.visitliverpool.com). In addition to the useful links for booking
hotels and transportation, it offers an even more comprehensive listing of
events in Liverpool, such as the "Art of Paul McCartney"
exhibition running through August. The Beatles history portion of the site
differs little from the aforementioned Liverpool sites, but overall the site
provides the most practical information concerning getting around the city and
links to every possible tourism-related company. Its extensive list of links to
other Liverpool-related sites also proves useful.
Use this site and the Travel Britain site as your practical planning tools, and
the BeatleCity Web site as your guide for planning Beatles sightseeing.
Finally, if you plan on flying to Liverpool, you may want to visit the new
Liverpool John Lennon Airport Web site (www.liverpooljohnlennonairport
.com/html/index2.html). In addition to the usual airport information
(flights, cars, parking, maps), you can view photos of the airport renaming
ceremony, including some pictures not seen in national newspapers, and a press
release. Of course, the site also features a brief biography of John and press
releases on the sculptor who created the Lennon statue and other John artwork on
display in the airport. Not only is this a practical site, it's an
interesting one as well.
Kit O' Toole
Beatling in Britain!
(Originally published in Beatlefan #131, July-August 2001)
Beatling in Britain can be more fun than ever these days, as the King family
found on recent visits to Liverpool and London.
On the Planning Your Trip page, Kit O'Toole provides a good primer on arranging
your trip. Here, then, are some tips on maximizing your enjoyment, and avoiding
some pitfalls.
There are several ways of touring Liverpool, including as part of package tours
of that city and London offered by such operators as Charles Rosenay's Liverpool
Productions (which includes the August fan convention) and Tony Maddalone's
Beatles Pilgrimage Tour (www.beatletour.com),
which visited shortly after we were there. If you get to Liverpool on your own,
as we did, there are customized bus and taxi tours offered by Live@pool Tours,
and a multitude of tours offered by Cavern City Tours.
We opted for Cavern City's traditional Magical Mystery Tour bus tour, conducted
on a lookalike of the bus used in the movie - a big attraction for younger
Beatlefans.
It's advisable to book ahead (check out www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk/MMTbookings.htm),
and you can pick up your tickets at either the Merseyside Tourist Information
Centre at Queen Square, not far from the Lime Street train station where you'll
probably arrive in the city, or at the other tourism office at the Albert Dock.
You catch the tour at either Queen Square or The Beatles Story, located near the
tourism office in the Albert Dock complex (which is what we did). Best bet is
the Beatles Combo ticket (£15 each) which gets you the bus tour, and admission
to both the Cavern Club during the evening and The Beatles Story.
About the latter: I'd visited The Beatles Story before 10 earlier, so I knew
what to expect. But my 16-year-old son was expecting a proper museum with
Beatles rarities - which it isn't - and so was a little let down. The Beatles
Story is essentially an multimedia exhibition of "scenes" from Beatles
history, with very little actual memorabilia. The souvenir store's selection was
a bit disappointing and leaned toward the tacky side (though you can still get
Stu Sutcliffe lithographs, as we did 10 years earlier).
The afternoon bus tour lasts two hours, and while you only get off four times to
take pictures - George Harrison's boyhood home, Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and
outside Paul McCartney's boyhood home at 20 Forthlin Road - you get a quick,
easy overview of most notable Beatles sites in the city, including the outlying
sites not reachable by foot from the city center. A plus for us was that we got
Liverpool's best-known tour guide, Eddie Porter, whose well-honed comedy
routines about local people and places with Les the driver added to the
enjoyment, making up for the steady rain that was falling.
The bus tour winds up at the Cavern Club on Mathew Street, where your ticket
will get you a Beatle freebie (a poster on the day we took it). Unfortunately,
by the time you finish up, it's almost closing time for the stores in downtown
Liverpool (most of which cease operations at 5 p.m.). We wandered through the
Cavern Mecca shopping mall there, stopping to chat with Steve Barnes, the
friendly operator of the From Me to You souvenir shop who offered to show us
where the entrance to the original Cavern was. (The one there now is a
recreation, only half of which is on the original site.) By the time we got to
the other end of the street and the Beatles Shop, they were closing, so we had
to come back the next day. (Don't miss this shop, which has the best selection
of Beatles stuff in the city. Say hello to Stephen Bailey behind the counter.
The Mathew Street Gallery, with Beatles art and photos on display, is just
upstairs.) Nearby is the Eleanor Rigby bench statue and an Ann Summers lingerie
shop where Brian Epstein's NEMS store used to be.
On the Cavern City bus, Les also will sell you Cavern City's handy Discover
Beatle's Liverpool tour guide and pocket map (which includes locations from the
filming of "Free As a Bird" and "Backbeat"). This is nice to
have if you set out later on your own (as you should!) to do a walking tour of
Beatles sites in the city center. We did this early the next morning, starting
at the majestic Anglican Cathedral, where "Liverpool Oratorio"
premiered in 1991. It's a good starting point because there are numerous sites
within easy walking distance, including 3 Gambier Terrace (where John Lennon and
Stu Sutcliffe lived for a while), the former art college and Liverpool Institute
(now LIPA), Ye Cracke pub, John and Cynthia's first home, the former hospital
where John was born (now student housing) and so on. If you tire of walking and
want to take a taxi back to your hotel or to another location, the cost is
reasonable and the taxi drivers generally very chatty and helpful.
You'll need a taxi or bus if you want to go back and visit any sites outside the
city center on your own. We didn't, but Tony Maddalone says that on a recent
visit to Ringo's former home at No. 10 Admiral Grove the current resident, a
charming lady named Margaret, invited the group to come inside (in shifts) to
sign her guest book. His group also visited St. Peter's Church in Woolton (near
Mendips, Lennon's boyhood home) where Lennon and McCartney first met. The
caretaker gave them some leftover posters from a previous fundraiser showing the
plaque outside noting the famous meeting.
If you're looking for a nighttime spot to hear a band (besides the Cavern),
Liverpudlians recommend the Jacaranda, formerly run by The Beatles' first
manager, Allan Williams (and where the disputed Stu Sutcliffe murals, which some
claim Lennon had a hand in, can be seen).
A must in Liverpool now is a visit to the former McCartney home at 20 Forthlin
Road, restored to look much like it did in the 1950s and operated by the
National Trust since July 1998. You have to book this in advance (£5.50 each),
and here's a tip: If you book it directly through the National Trust office at
historic Speke Hall (which is where you catch the tour), you have to get out to
Speke Hall on your own, which means about an £11 taxi ride or trying to figure
out which city bus to catch. If you book through the tourism office at Albert
Dock, you can catch a free shuttle bus there - but only if you book through
them. The problem is that when we called the tourism office in advance of our
trip, they told us to call Speke Hall! I must say that we found the tourism
office folks more than a bit vague about all this, and not very helpful in
offering information on how to get out to Speke Hall. A bit much considering
they were the ones who told us to book at Speke Hall in the first place!
You're supposed to show up at Speke Hall 15 minutes before your tour time, and
while there I'd advise picking up the lovely 20 Forthlin Road guide book the
National Trust has done (only £1.95, a real bargain). The shuttle minibus to
Forthlin Road only takes about a dozen folks at a time (so that it's not too
crowded). Caretaker John Halliday, who now lives there (in the parts of the
house you don't see), is a gracious and informative host, and the nice thing is
that unlike so many house museums, you can sit anywhere and feel free to touch
things. The layout of the home - a classic post-war "council house" -
felt strangely familiar to me until I realized later that it was very much like
the home of my late uncle where we used to stay. It was particularly interesting
to see how tiny Paul's front bedroom was (brother Mike had the bigger room).
Mike's photos of the home during the time the family lived there are on the
walls, and Paul, Mike and others reminisce about the home on the tape headsets
you're provided. (Halliday says Paul still hasn't visited the inside of the
restored home, though he's been outside. "I can't face it," Macca says
in an interview on the "Live at the Cavern Club!" video.) You can't
take pictures inside the home (Mike wants the copyright of his photos
protected), but you can shoot all you want outside.
The National Trust shuttle bus driver advised us that since we weren't being
returned to the tourism office that we'd do better to catch the regular city bus
at the stop where the tour ends around the corner from the home (and where
McCartney first met Harrison). All the buses that stop there go into the city
center, he said, and it was only a 25-minute ride (which gave us another nice
view of Penny Lane's business district with the barbershop, fire station, etc.).
Now, on to London, where the Original London Walks Beatles tours (£4 to £5
each) conducted by longtime Beatles guide Richard Porter are a must. The
"In My Life" tour, starting at 11:20 a.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays from
the Marylebone tube/train station hits some of the more offbeat Beatles sites,
including film locations for "A Hard Day's Night" (the side street
where the film's opening was shot was also where Apple Electronics and, later,
the Apple film library were located!), the registry office where two Beatles
were married, the flat owned by Ringo where John and Yoko were busted (and where
Jimi Hendrix also stayed), Jane Asher's former family home (where McCartney
lived for a while), the restaurant used in "Help!", the Apple boutique
in Baker Street and then, by tube, to St. John's Wood for a short walk to Abbey
Road Studios. (McCartney's home at No. 7 Cavendish Avenue isn't on the tour,
which ends at Abbey Road, but it's a short walk just around the corner - though
only one other tour participant besides us bothered to visit it. When the
Beatles Pilgrimage Tour group was there a couple of weeks later, Macca was
holding a party!)
Porter's "Magical Mystery Tour", starting at Tottenham Court Road
Undeground station (Dominion Theatre exit) at 11 a.m. on Thursdays, 10:55 a.m.
Sundays and 2 p.m. Wednesdays, covers the more traditional London Beatles sites
in the Mayfair and Soho areas: MPL's headquarters in Soho Square (I was
surprised no mention was made of the Radha Krishna Temple, where they were
chanting as we walked by); the former Trident Sound where "Hey Jude"
was recorded (now called the Sound Studio); the London Palladium where the films
premiered; Apple's former headquarters at No. 3 Savile Row (where the rooftop
concert took place); Mason's Yard, site of the former Indica Gallery (where John
and Yoko met) and Scotch of St. James nightclubs, and again by tube out to Abbey
Road.
Richard is full of interesting stories and really brings the Beatle days alive
as you visit these sites. My only disappointment was that Apple's current
headquarters at 27 Ovington Square wasn't on either tour.
A couple of other bits of Beatling we did in London: the HMV store at 360 Oxford
Street, where one of the autographed "Yesterday" scores being
auctioned off by Sir George Martin is on display, and the Hard Rock Cafe, which
has acquired a former bank location across the side street from the restaurant
and moved its souvenir store there. In the basement, in the former vault, the
cafe is celebrating its 30th anniversary with an exhibition of some of its
rarest bits of rock 'n' roll memorabilia, including one of B.B. King's Lucilles,
the guitar Elvis used on his '68 comeback special, the first two guitars given
to the Hard Rock (by Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend), Jimi Hendrix's Flying V,
Duane Allman's Fender Strat, the army jacket Lennon wore at the One to One show,
a brass tea set of Lennon's, some Lennon lyrics and a lot more. A guide takes a
limited number of visitors down at a time (free of charge) and you can
photograph and actually touch the memorabilia!
Needless to say, my son the classic rock fan was thrilled. A nice way to top off
your visit.
William P. King
WHILE IN LIVERPOOL
A dining tip for visitors to the Cavern Club district: Around the corner from
matthew Street at 40 Stanley Street is Casa italia, a wonderful Italian
restaurant that my wife Leslie and I have dinedat on several visits to
Liverpool, and where my son and I enjoyed two delicious meals on our most recent
trip in June 2001. If you go there, try the pollo al forno. They make great
focaccia and pizzas, too. Visitors to the Albert Dock, home of both one of the
city's tourist offices, and the Beatles Story exhibition, might be tempted by
the name to dine at Lucy's coffee shop. We did, and while the food was alright,
the service was rude and indifferent . . . Many Beatles fans are familiar with
the elegant old Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, home of the annual August Beatles
convention there. On our most recent visit, though, we stayed at the Thistle
Hotel on Chapel Street, a very modern facility within short, easy walking
distance of Albert Dock . . . Within walking distance of the Cavern
district is the Secret Western Approaches Underground Headquarters from World
War II. You can tour this in half an hour and it's a must for anyone interested
in the war . . . In the heart of Liverpool near the Adelphi Hotel is
St. John's Market, a pedestrian mall area full of all kinds of shops, including
Virgin Megastore and HMV. --WPK
LIVERPOOL 2002
Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery is running "The Art of Paul McCartney,"
featuring more than 70 works of art by McCartney, through Aug. 4 . . .
Liverpool's airport is now officially known as Liverpool John Lennon Airport and
features a 7-foot bronze statue of Lennon by sculptor Tom Murphy. The statue was
unveiled in March by Yoko Ono. Lennon's boyhood home at 251 Menlove Avenue has
been bought by Ono and donated to the National Trust, which plans to open it as
a house museum under the supervision of John Halliday, caretaker of the
McCartney childhood home, already open to the public . . . A new exhibition
dedicated to Lennon's musical roots has opened at the Albert Dock. "The
Quarrymen and Skiffle: The U.K. Years" depicts the evolution of Lennon's
first band through photographs and souvenirs from the 1950s. The exhibition runs
until November.