City guides : Liverpool

Whatever your reasons for choosing Liverpool, you will find it to be a young, vibrant city catering for everyone’s needs, no matter how eclectic your taste in shopping, entertainment or eating. The city has undergone much regeneration recently, and you are arriving at a perfect time to see a new Liverpool.

Bars and clubs

Hardman Street and surrounding areas are a good place to explore, especially Bumper, The Pilgrim and Hannah’s. Concert Square, in the heart of the city is an epicentre of nightlife with more mainstream and chain clubs. Pub wise, the Brookhouse (Smithdown Road) and The Cambridge (on Liverpool University’s South Campus) are popular student haunts.

Shopping

Contrary to popular belief, not everybody in Liverpool dresses like it’s Ladies’ Day all year round. Yes, there is the infamous Cricket and Cavern Walks, but that is not the be all and end all. Newly built shopping complex, Liverpool One, houses just about every major store in the country, from entertainment to clothing, budget or designer. On Bold Street you’ll find a lot of smaller shops selling everything from vintage clothes to comic memorabilia.

Eating out

In the city centre, many students like Kimo’s, The Egg (veggie option) and Liverpool University’s Guild at Mountford Hall. After a night out head to Shiraz at the top of Hardman Street, where you are guaranteed to see someone else you know. The student hub that is Smithdown Road has a number of takeaways, chippies and supermarkets to keep you junked up and happy. For a special meal there are some excellent, if expensive, restaurants on Duke Street in the city centre.

 

Entertainment

Following the success of the Capital of Culture year in 2008, Liverpool’s cultural life has gone from strength to strength. For smaller gigs, check the listings of Barfly, Korova and increasingly, Mountford Hall. For acts with bigger reputations, though, the Echo Arena is the place to visit. As well as modern music, there is obviously a lot of attractions about the city’s favourite sons, The Beatles. Check out the Beatles Story (a museum at Albert Dock) and Matthew St, home of the Cavern Club. The city is also blessed with fantastic cinemas, from the huge Odeon in Liverpool One to the independent cinema FACT, on Wood Street, which is a centre of the city’s arts community. Liverpool is home to a thriving theatre scene as well, both student and professional, giving you many opportunities to get involved or simply watch the show. Check out the Everyman, Unity and Playhouse theatres, all located in the city centre.

Accommodation

Smithdown Road, and to a lesser extent Kensington are home to the majority of students in the city. Smithdown, just south of the city centre, is very long with street after street of affordable student accommodation. It is a veritable student city, meaning most of your neighbours will probably be getting the bus to lectures with you in the morning.

Top 3 places to see

• Calderstones Park
• Lark Lane
• FACT cinema

This has hopefully given you an idea of what potential there is in Liverpool, but the measure of the city is in quantity as well as quality. There is more to the city, but these are the tried and tested favourites of students during my time here, and will serve you well hopefully. So use these tips, explore and find your own, and enjoy all that Liverpool has to offer.