"In the town where I was born, Lived a man who sailed to…read moresea, And he told us of his life, In the land of submarines, So we sailed on to the sun, Till we found the sea green, And we lived beneath the waves, In our yellow submarine...." Inspired by The Beatles film and song, Yellow Submarine is probably Liverpool's most psychedelic statue. Designed by Graham Burgess, it was painstakingly built by a team of 80 apprentices at Cammell Laird in the mid eighties. Measuring 15 feet high and 51 feet long, it weighs 18 ton and consists of plate metal spray-painted a striking yellow. Incase anyone misses the reference to the band, there's a plaque inscribed with the chorus of 'Yellow Submarine'. Years ago, visitors could see the sculpture as they drove or walked past Albert Dock. Gradual wear and tear however, means Yellow Submarine has been relocated to outside Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01HuGrlD7fA&feature=related Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRnAcVLBIyY&feature=fvw

The thing that always used to perturb me about this sculpture was the fact it didn't look like the…read moremore iconic submarine used in the animated 1968 loonfest of a film. Instead, it resembles some rubbish fish with a wonky eye. Bringing some quirky brightness to the monotone drabness of the airport, the sculpture is mostly there for the benefit of starstruck tourists who will see this nugget of interest about to submerge into the grass and hopefully feel optimistic about a city that, until that point, looks like Chernobyl.

I have to strongly agree with a former post on here that was written by a skype user..this was…read morewritten in 2009 and it is shocking to feel the same way five years later ...he writes ''Having recently visited the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port with a friend, I can certainly report that the various levels of advertising about the Museum are utterly false, which I have formally written to complain about. Importantly the Museum falsely advertises what a great place to visit, and continues to utilise a lot of extreme artistic licence in photos and text to promote the Museum. The 21st Century displays are mostly out of order. There were no volunteers in period costumes as promoted. On exhibit (the Stables) is empty and pointless. Other exhibits like the steam engines weren't working, with signs saying out of order. The Archive Centre was completely closed to the public. There are only few boats to be seen, and these are very rusty, dilapidated old barges that are water logged, mostly filled with debris and green slime.'' This place did feel like a ship graveyard and would make a good movie set for a ghost ship themed scene.. There were so many boats rotting on the sides, no actors in period costumes,,,half the buildings were closed off to public..and those that were open were just like walking in yours nans living room...which I can do that for free..The blacksmith was not even there,,but had left a catalogue with some of his works you could buy..which were great looking I have to say..so if you a fancy a lord of the rings themed gate,you know where to go.. The only redeeming feature that this place had was a 1000+ year old boat found from an archaeological dig (although the other boats looked like this) and the cafe..which sold cheap and cheerful homemade basics such as pies and jacket potatoes.. We paid £6.50 to get in...which didn't seem bad at the time...but I would save that money and go for a pint instead with Titanic playing in the background

The National Waterways Museum (once known as the Boat Museum) hosts a lovely waterside setting…read more The museum nestles on the banks of the Manchester ship canal and the Mersey in Ellsmere Port's fine Victorian canal docks. It's home to a remarkable collection of boats from inland waterways which include narrowboats, barges, ice breakers and much more. A memorable canal trip takes you through an industrial waterscape, which is rich in stories and wildlife. The tour allows you to look into the lives of boat people who travelled the canals and the families who lived and worked on the docks. There's plenty of space to let off steam, quiet corners for picnics and trails to follow which makes it a warm welcome for families. Visitor prices are reasonable, costing just £6 for an adult and £4 for a child (aged 5 to 16). Concessions are £5 and under 5's are free. As a whole, I would recommend this trip if you are interested in soaking up some local flavour as there is lots to see and do. With flotillas of historic boats and fascinating indoor displays, the National Waterways Museum is a great day whatever the weather.

If I had biceps like steamship pistons, the Gregson Memorial Institute, known locally as the…read moreGregson's, would be a stone's throw from my house. And yet, I still have no clue what purpose it seems to serve. Built in 1897 by Isabella Gregson in memory of her parents, it was constructed to accommodate lectures, an art gallery and a museum, things I doubt anybody would travel to Garmoyle Road to witness. The artifacts, all of which I doubt were life-changing, were moved to various locations across the city centre and the building was left to host whatever hotchpotch of activities the neighbourhood needed an open space for. Threats of demotion were dropped on the weary building's shoulders but following an enormous local outcry, it was upgraded to Grade II status and is now safe to continue doing whatever the hell it does. Saying that, this was the first place I voted in an election so, you know, get ready for that blue plaque to be nailed up here.

Of the places we stayed on our family vacation to England, the Crowne Plaza Liverpool airport was…read moreone of my favorites. The room felt "fancier" than the Crown Plaza we lodged at in London. We had 4 in our party, and they gave us a complimentary upgrade to a larger room. The bathroom was very nice. The toiletry amenity items were good too. We didn't eat breakfast there, but heard from several guests that it was delicious. The listing for the hotel we saw said that there was free wifi. But alas, like every other hotel in the UK, you only get a limited amount of free wifi time. But we got free parking instead (which was supposed to be 8 quid per day) so I can't complain too much. I didn't get a chance to shop, but there is a large shopping center directly across the road from the hotel (South Mersey Shops). It's always a plus when a hotel near the airport has shopping and dining options nearby.

It's always good when a business moving in somewhere has a respect for the site they now occupy…read more This hotel is a fantastic Grade II-listed art deco building in the former terminal building that catered for the city. The rooms are spicker than span and the breakfast buffet is one of the few hangover cures I've tried that actually worked. As for the building, it's famous for appearing in certain grainy 1960s TV footage. You know those balconies pouring with shrieking, dewy-knickered Beatles fans watching the fab four return from the States? They're here. Even manlier, it's the site of the quickest air-to-air combat kill of the Battle of Britain, perhaps even of all time. In October 1940, Flight Lieutenant Denys Gillam took off in his Hurricane from Speke to be confronted by a Junkers 88 passing across him. Even before his landing gear had folded away, he shot the German down, in my mind with a wry one-liner uttered from beneath a glorious moustache. I feel particularly pathetic for being hungover here now.

this is a large working mans club now know as The Eccies. It has a medium sized function room which…read moreholds host to some live entertainment. The customers all seem to be locals. The atmosphere and the beer is what you would normally find in your own local community pub.