Ah, again with the middle of the night shenanigans from B-Koog. Starting at 2 am and continuing hourly until approximately 6 am, he woke me up to tell me he was not sleeping. I am not friendly when awakened from a dead sleep. I was less friendly the 3rd time. Homicidal the 4th time. He and E-Koog are swapping beds tonight. I also gave him a dire warning about waking me up. Just don’t! I have not really slept in about 10 days and I’m very ornery and I control many things that make your life amazing. I can make it not amazing, also. E-Koog suggested we try to sell him, I’m not there yet. But I will reevaluate tomorrow.
We were all up and ready by 9 and headed off the ship and into Liverpool. All 3 of us clad in Everton Blue! We received fist bumps and high fives from the port staff who also support the Blues! Apparently there is another team here in Liverpool besides the Blues, but we don’t speak their name.
Our itinerary was touristy and trite, but I’ve waited a half century to do it…the Cavern Club and Mathew Street. We took the short walk from the port to “The Cavern Quarter” on Mathew Street. A nice change from the steep inclines and cliffs from yesterday, our legs thank us. I was happy I had sunglasses on because when I saw the statue leaning against the wall I may have shed a tear or two.
The boys were interested in the bricks that listed the acts that have performed in the area. I was super happy to find Jamie Webster. If you don’t know him, find him, he’s awesome. Unfortunately, he’s a fan of the other Liverpool Football team but he’s an awesome musician nonetheless. His song, “This Place” is an ode to Liverpool and I totally understand why he loves his hometown so much after only a few hours visit.
The Cavern Club doesn’t open until 11, so the boys and I made our way down the street to the Liverpool Beatles Museum. I like to think of myself as a semi-responsible parent and wanting to raise my kids properly. Bringing them up as Everton fans is certainly a priority, but getting them educated on the greatest rock band that ever lived is of equal importance. (For the record, the greatest solo performer is Billy Joel.)
We were very surprised that the museum had 4 levels. They had cool devices for the audio tour and E-Koog was amused by the gadget. As we made our way through the first floor, it was very informative about the Casbah Club/Quarrymen/Pete Best era. It was almost too Pete Best heavy. Super interesting and cool artifacts helped the audio narrative move nicely through the early era.
The second floor was focused on the group gaining regional popularity and the addition of Ringo in place of Pete. Each subsequent floor was dedicated to a specific time period, weaving in the social/political flavor of the times. Obviously ending in 1970 with the breakup of the band.
It’s strange, we all know how it ends, they break up, there is bad blood, John is murdered and getting the band back together is a dream that can never happen. I always find myself hoping for a different ending, though. Same issue when I watch or read anything related to Alexander Hamilton, I really want a different ending to the story!
Anyway, the museum was fun and informative. The boys and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but off to the main event! The Cavern Club was open and the ticket window was staffed by Everton fans! We chatted briefly about the Fulham opener last week and our disappointment and then we were on our way down the 3 flights of stairs to the place British rock was born.
Cavern Club has music starting at 11:15 am everyday. Today’s performer is Nick Robinson. Never heard of him? Me either. He played really good acoustic covers of Beatles songs. I did have tears streaming down my face as he sang “In my Life.” It’s probably the exhaustion that is making me emotional, right? I had planned to eat there but B & E were concerned about the legality of even being in the place.
Picture this, we descend the stairs and enter the club. The performer is playing and the place is filling up. As we walk in, there is a family (Mom, Dad, Kid) trying to take a selfie with the stage behind them…very Insta worthy. I offered to get their photo if they would take ours and we did just that and they moved over to the bar to order their drinks. With their kid that was maybe 8 years old.
I mentioned I wanted to grab us drinks and my teetotalers lost their ever loving minds! “Bringing us down is illegal. Feeding us alcohol is very illegal. Kids are not allowed in bars, it’s the law.” The family that took our picture was just picking up their drinks, with their kid carrying his 1/2 pint of Coke. I had to explain to them I would not be breaking the law by bringing them into the Cavern Club, where there is NO LESS than 15 other kids their age or younger. Secondly, I’m not sure where they got the “feeding” them alcohol idea, but I was thinking they would have a soda or water, not a whisky. Lastly, while I am probably not as responsible as Mrs. Koog, I’m not about to illegally bring them to a bar and “feed” them liquor!
Amused and slightly annoyed, I ordered 2 cokes and a 1/2 ping of Cavern Club Lager for me. The only person being fed alcohol today was me! B-Koog held his bottle because he didn’t want anyone thinking he was drinking beer. Out of a Coke bottle. In a club. At 11am. I just cannot…. We stayed a bit longer at the club and looked at all the memorabilia displayed around the place. B-Koog, secretly sipping his Coke (not beer) and I went to my t-shirt at the counter and off we went across the street to the Cavern Club restaurant.
I assumed the food would be average considering this was a clear tourist trap, but it was really good. E had a double cheeseburger and B had grilled chicken. I had Scouse, apparently a Liverpudlian traditional stew. It was amazing. Actually all the food was really good and the place was not crazy expensive, either.
Our ship was only in port until 3:30. The boys, always watching the time, said we had to go. It was 1:30 and the ship was 10 mins away! These two today! We left and took our time admiring some of the buildings on our walk. I tried to get tickets for the Royal Liver Building tour, but none were conducive to the ship's schedule.
As we were walking, I mentioned to the kids about a tragedy at the new Everton Stadium that is under construction about a mile from where we were walking.
Me: it’s so sad this kid died working at the Bramley Dock Stadium site.
B-Koog: How old was this kid?
Me: 25
B-Koog: That’s a relief! I thought it was one of the child laborers that was killed!
Me: There are no child laborers! Child laborers are illegal!!!
B-Koog: So is taking kids to bars and feeding them alcohol.
Seriously, I just can’t with this kid today!
We made our way down to the dock and one of them requested I play “This Place” by Jamie Webster as we walked over to the ship. Reflecting on all the amazing things Liverpool has given to humanity, B-Koog declared “Liverpool is like the center of the universe! The Beatles, that other group you like (Oasis) and Jamie Webster. Plus the great buildings and the really good grilled chicken. It’s seriously a perfect place…except for LFC, they really bring them down.”
And with that statement, we headed back through security where we were met with more Everton dock working fans.
I really, really love Liverpool and am looking forward to coming back and staying a while.
Until tomorrow…
We were all up and ready by 9 and headed off the ship and into Liverpool. All 3 of us clad in Everton Blue! We received fist bumps and high fives from the port staff who also support the Blues! Apparently there is another team here in Liverpool besides the Blues, but we don’t speak their name.
Our itinerary was touristy and trite, but I’ve waited a half century to do it…the Cavern Club and Mathew Street. We took the short walk from the port to “The Cavern Quarter” on Mathew Street. A nice change from the steep inclines and cliffs from yesterday, our legs thank us. I was happy I had sunglasses on because when I saw the statue leaning against the wall I may have shed a tear or two.
The boys were interested in the bricks that listed the acts that have performed in the area. I was super happy to find Jamie Webster. If you don’t know him, find him, he’s awesome. Unfortunately, he’s a fan of the other Liverpool Football team but he’s an awesome musician nonetheless. His song, “This Place” is an ode to Liverpool and I totally understand why he loves his hometown so much after only a few hours visit.
The Cavern Club doesn’t open until 11, so the boys and I made our way down the street to the Liverpool Beatles Museum. I like to think of myself as a semi-responsible parent and wanting to raise my kids properly. Bringing them up as Everton fans is certainly a priority, but getting them educated on the greatest rock band that ever lived is of equal importance. (For the record, the greatest solo performer is Billy Joel.)
We were very surprised that the museum had 4 levels. They had cool devices for the audio tour and E-Koog was amused by the gadget. As we made our way through the first floor, it was very informative about the Casbah Club/Quarrymen/Pete Best era. It was almost too Pete Best heavy. Super interesting and cool artifacts helped the audio narrative move nicely through the early era.
The second floor was focused on the group gaining regional popularity and the addition of Ringo in place of Pete. Each subsequent floor was dedicated to a specific time period, weaving in the social/political flavor of the times. Obviously ending in 1970 with the breakup of the band.
It’s strange, we all know how it ends, they break up, there is bad blood, John is murdered and getting the band back together is a dream that can never happen. I always find myself hoping for a different ending, though. Same issue when I watch or read anything related to Alexander Hamilton, I really want a different ending to the story!
Anyway, the museum was fun and informative. The boys and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but off to the main event! The Cavern Club was open and the ticket window was staffed by Everton fans! We chatted briefly about the Fulham opener last week and our disappointment and then we were on our way down the 3 flights of stairs to the place British rock was born.
Cavern Club has music starting at 11:15 am everyday. Today’s performer is Nick Robinson. Never heard of him? Me either. He played really good acoustic covers of Beatles songs. I did have tears streaming down my face as he sang “In my Life.” It’s probably the exhaustion that is making me emotional, right? I had planned to eat there but B & E were concerned about the legality of even being in the place.
Picture this, we descend the stairs and enter the club. The performer is playing and the place is filling up. As we walk in, there is a family (Mom, Dad, Kid) trying to take a selfie with the stage behind them…very Insta worthy. I offered to get their photo if they would take ours and we did just that and they moved over to the bar to order their drinks. With their kid that was maybe 8 years old.
I mentioned I wanted to grab us drinks and my teetotalers lost their ever loving minds! “Bringing us down is illegal. Feeding us alcohol is very illegal. Kids are not allowed in bars, it’s the law.” The family that took our picture was just picking up their drinks, with their kid carrying his 1/2 pint of Coke. I had to explain to them I would not be breaking the law by bringing them into the Cavern Club, where there is NO LESS than 15 other kids their age or younger. Secondly, I’m not sure where they got the “feeding” them alcohol idea, but I was thinking they would have a soda or water, not a whisky. Lastly, while I am probably not as responsible as Mrs. Koog, I’m not about to illegally bring them to a bar and “feed” them liquor!
Amused and slightly annoyed, I ordered 2 cokes and a 1/2 ping of Cavern Club Lager for me. The only person being fed alcohol today was me! B-Koog held his bottle because he didn’t want anyone thinking he was drinking beer. Out of a Coke bottle. In a club. At 11am. I just cannot…. We stayed a bit longer at the club and looked at all the memorabilia displayed around the place. B-Koog, secretly sipping his Coke (not beer) and I went to my t-shirt at the counter and off we went across the street to the Cavern Club restaurant.
I assumed the food would be average considering this was a clear tourist trap, but it was really good. E had a double cheeseburger and B had grilled chicken. I had Scouse, apparently a Liverpudlian traditional stew. It was amazing. Actually all the food was really good and the place was not crazy expensive, either.
Our ship was only in port until 3:30. The boys, always watching the time, said we had to go. It was 1:30 and the ship was 10 mins away! These two today! We left and took our time admiring some of the buildings on our walk. I tried to get tickets for the Royal Liver Building tour, but none were conducive to the ship's schedule.
As we were walking, I mentioned to the kids about a tragedy at the new Everton Stadium that is under construction about a mile from where we were walking.
Me: it’s so sad this kid died working at the Bramley Dock Stadium site.
B-Koog: How old was this kid?
Me: 25
B-Koog: That’s a relief! I thought it was one of the child laborers that was killed!
Me: There are no child laborers! Child laborers are illegal!!!
B-Koog: So is taking kids to bars and feeding them alcohol.
Seriously, I just can’t with this kid today!
We made our way down to the dock and one of them requested I play “This Place” by Jamie Webster as we walked over to the ship. Reflecting on all the amazing things Liverpool has given to humanity, B-Koog declared “Liverpool is like the center of the universe! The Beatles, that other group you like (Oasis) and Jamie Webster. Plus the great buildings and the really good grilled chicken. It’s seriously a perfect place…except for LFC, they really bring them down.”
And with that statement, we headed back through security where we were met with more Everton dock working fans.
I really, really love Liverpool and am looking forward to coming back and staying a while.
Until tomorrow…
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