Liverpool and other thoughts
It’s been an interesting week. Monday was a bank holiday, and Cat and I took the opportunity to explore the Merseyside coast. We went to Formby (via a garden centre cafe), where we saw two red squirrels, and we walked on the sand dunes. However the wind was too strong, blowing sand everywhere. The next day I was still finding sand in my ears!
We then drove to Crosby to see Anthony Gormley’s Another Place. It’s certainly an interesting use of the beach at Crosby – quite a sight. The installation is moving to New York in November, so I was keen to see it while we still had the chance. I don’t think I could quite justify the trip to New York to see some sculptures stuck in the sand.
My work currently involves a great deal of travel. However this week it has been limited to the North West, which is fine by me. So all my meetings this week were in Manchester and Liverpool – currently my two favourite cities. In particular I’m fascinated by Liverpool, and its architecture and the people. The architecture is the grandest I’ve seen in the UK outside London, and the latter are friendliest I’ve met in England.
The history of Liverpool, in particular the Victorian era, is evident throughout the city, particularly around the waterfront. My work also means that I’m lucky enough to visit a number of the most impressive buildings in Liverpool, including India Buildings, the Cunard Building (one of the Three Graces), and the former headquarters of Martins Bank (which merged with Barclays in the 1960s).
Some of the most impressive buildings can be found at the Albert Dock - apparently the largest set of Grade 1 listed buildings in the UK. In fact this is where Cat and myself stayed on Thursday night – at the Express by Holiday Inn at Albert Dock. The unique setting of the hotel meant that this was probably the most individual Holiday Inn that I’ve stayed in (and I’ve stayed in a fair few). Its certainly a creative and modern use of such an historic building. Far too often historic buildings in the UK have fallen into disrepair and have been knocked down to be replaced by soulless modern buildings.
So why were we staying in Liverpool? A combination of business and Bic Runga! Bic Runga, a singer/songwriter from New Zealand played the Liverpool Academy on Thursday night. I’d previously seen Bic Runga at the Scala (near Kings Cross in London) last month, but Catherine hadn’t had the chance to see her. So we went to see her in Liverpool, and she was fantastic! Plus she was also staying at the same hotel as us, as we discovered at breakfast time!
All in all, a good week. Next week I’ll be spending a good proportion of my time in Croydon, which is (grudgingly) my second home.
We then drove to Crosby to see Anthony Gormley’s Another Place. It’s certainly an interesting use of the beach at Crosby – quite a sight. The installation is moving to New York in November, so I was keen to see it while we still had the chance. I don’t think I could quite justify the trip to New York to see some sculptures stuck in the sand.
My work currently involves a great deal of travel. However this week it has been limited to the North West, which is fine by me. So all my meetings this week were in Manchester and Liverpool – currently my two favourite cities. In particular I’m fascinated by Liverpool, and its architecture and the people. The architecture is the grandest I’ve seen in the UK outside London, and the latter are friendliest I’ve met in England.
The history of Liverpool, in particular the Victorian era, is evident throughout the city, particularly around the waterfront. My work also means that I’m lucky enough to visit a number of the most impressive buildings in Liverpool, including India Buildings, the Cunard Building (one of the Three Graces), and the former headquarters of Martins Bank (which merged with Barclays in the 1960s).
Some of the most impressive buildings can be found at the Albert Dock - apparently the largest set of Grade 1 listed buildings in the UK. In fact this is where Cat and myself stayed on Thursday night – at the Express by Holiday Inn at Albert Dock. The unique setting of the hotel meant that this was probably the most individual Holiday Inn that I’ve stayed in (and I’ve stayed in a fair few). Its certainly a creative and modern use of such an historic building. Far too often historic buildings in the UK have fallen into disrepair and have been knocked down to be replaced by soulless modern buildings.
So why were we staying in Liverpool? A combination of business and Bic Runga! Bic Runga, a singer/songwriter from New Zealand played the Liverpool Academy on Thursday night. I’d previously seen Bic Runga at the Scala (near Kings Cross in London) last month, but Catherine hadn’t had the chance to see her. So we went to see her in Liverpool, and she was fantastic! Plus she was also staying at the same hotel as us, as we discovered at breakfast time!
All in all, a good week. Next week I’ll be spending a good proportion of my time in Croydon, which is (grudgingly) my second home.
posted by Catherine & Jamie | Saturday, June 03, 2006
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