A Liverpool City Guide

Travelodge Liverpool Central

Like I mentioned in my photo diary, we were kindly put up by Travelodge. The Liverpool Central hotel was in a prime location. It was far enough away from the centre of the city to be quiet yet only a 20 minute walk to all the action. It wasn’t too far from the Cavern quarter which is fantastic if you’re a fan of the Fab Four! Our rooms were clean, tidy and spacious enough for two girls getting ready with all their belongings flung over the place. I can’t praise the staff enough. They were kind enough to book us a taxi and let us store our suitcases in reception so we didn’t have to lug them around on the last day. Hospitality at it’s finest!

Seal Street

I was recommended this strip of bars and clubs by a relative who used to live in the city. She said it was a student part of town and mostly free from the notorious stag and hen parties that frequent the city. On a side note- I have never seen so many stag and hens in one place! It’s the perfect place to have a bar crawl - so many locals which always means it’s going to be a corker! There’s bars if you fancy a quiet drink with your partner, a few cocktails with your best friend or clubs for a wild night out dancing before you come staggering home at 5am. We went back to the strip both nights for a night of dancing. 

Albert Dock

This part of town looks so beautiful in the sunshine! It’s such a lovely to place to wander around and soak up the city. There’s restaurants, bars, museums, galleries and shops all within this quarter. If you’re a Beatles’ fan, make sure you check out The Beatles Story. Feeling cultural? Check out the Tate art gallery, the International Slavery museum and the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The list is endless!

Moose Coffee

Someone recommended we sample the breakfast at Moose Coffee so who were we to argue! It turned out that Sarah knew her stuff! We had to queue for 15 minutes but before we knew it we were sitting down and inspecting the menu. My hangover self demanded the biggest thing I could find so I settled on Mano Pollo. The classic Huevos Rancheros was topped with strips of chicken. With a generous helping of fresh sour cream, spicy salsa and grated cheddar cheese, it did just the trick. The service was great and we never felt rushed.

Free State Kitchen

I've already reviewed this burger joint on the blog but it definitely belongs in this city guide. It's right by the university and has a wonderful outside garden if the sun is shining. I opted for the BBQ burger which got a massive thumbs up!

Heebie Jeebies

This multiple floored club is one of the best nights out I have had for a very long time. The music is on bang on point. A real mix of old school and modern music with lots of indie, RnB and pop thrown in. They have a fab courtyard - you'll find some right characters! It's open till 4am - if you can handle it!

The Cavern Club

I never expected to love this as much as I did. I'm not too big a fan of the Beatles but you can't help but get swept up in the history as you wander down the dingy steps. We chilled out with a couple of ciders and watched a fab 1960's cover band and a solo man who did rock covers. Before we knew it we'd be perched on a bench for over two hours and our bellies were rumbling. It's a £2.50 entry fee during the day but it's so worth it.

Do you have any Liverpool institutions to add to the list?

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A Luxembourg City Guide

Bock Casemates
Way back in 963, a fort was built around Luxembourg. Within this was a 23km long network of casemates housed a community underneath. Soldiers, horses, bakeries, kitchens, workshops and slaughter houses were all buried underground. 17kg of the tunnels still remain this very day. It's an amazing, unique experience to walk around deep underground and imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago. Make sure you stop and peer out of the gaps for amazing views of the city. Be prepared for the tunnels to be very narrow and for lots of stairs to be climbed.

Philharmonie Luxembourg 
This stunning modern building hosts various musical events throughout the year - it's home to the incredible Philharmonic Orchestra of Luxembourg. We luckily managed to catch them in a free open air concert so make sure you try and grab tickets to see them at the concert hall. They give you goosebumps!

Chocolate House
If you have a sweet tooth, you'll be in your element here. Word of warning, when you choose you cake, make sure you share - it's the size of your head! The delicious cafe is situated right outside the impressive Grand Ducel Palace. You can opt for lunch upstairs or sit outside and soak up the views. They have so many flavours of hot chocolate to choose from and lots of sweet treats to nibble on. It's a lovely place to rest your weary feet after a few hours exploring the city.

Hotel Le Chatelet
At only a 15 minute walk from the city centre, this family-run hotel is in the perfect location. It's far enough to be in a quiet area yet close enough should you want something a little more lively. Buffet breakfast is also included which is great to help get you started for the day. Pastries galore! The airport is only ten minutes away by car - perfect!

Brasserie Neumunster

This restaurant is situated in a remodelled ex prison and church near the old town of the city. At lunch time they offer a lovely free jazz concert in the courtyard of the abbey. Afterwards there's a buffet on offer where you can eat until your hearts content! I obviously treated myself to a fair few plates. It's a lovely place to just sit back, relax and enjoy some superb music. It gets extremely busy so get there early before the music starts at 11am.

If you're planning a trip, make sure you visit www.visitluxembourg.com for some great tips! 

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Chicago City Guide

MileNorth Hotel
Whilst in Chicago I stayed in this boutique hotel. Located Downtown, it's just off the famous shopping street Magnificent Mile. The staff were really friendly and my room was insane. I was very kindly put up in a suite and it has to be one of the biggest rooms I've ever stayed in. It's even the proud owner of a rooftop bar - sadly it wasn't open for the season when I was there. The bed was massive and I slept like a baby all three nights. I'd really recommend this if you're ever in the city.

Wicker Park
If you've got a soft spot for second hand shopping, this is your neighbourhood to visit. It's got an abundance of vintage shops - some are quite pricey - alongside the famous consignment stores Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange. It's around $13-14 for a cab journey each way. Make sure you grab a bite to eat at Dove Luncheonette - well worth the queue!

The Signature Lounge at the 96th
The views from the top of this bar will blow your mind. I'm a sucker for a good view and this one is gorgeous. It's well worth the price of the cocktail to be greeted with that sight. Go at night and the city is absolutely stunning. It was one of my favourite parts of the trip. Try to go during the week and fairly early to avoid the queues. Keep in mind they don't take reservations.

Skydeck Ledge
The unique selling point of the Willis Tower is it has an impressive glass ledge that extends out 4.3 feet. It's such an odd experience to step out and peer down such a staggering drop. My legs felt like jelly as I tentatively stepped out but it was such an amazing feeling. It's the tallest building in the western hemisphere at 1, 353 feet. Definitely something not to be missed!

Boystown
This strip is full to the brim of LGBT bars and clubs. We only went out to one bar and stayed a little while because we had a band to catch. But it looked like it would be such fun and I have from a source that it was so much fun. If I ever come back I'll definitely schedule in a night out here! It's not too far from Wrigleyville which is also a fun place to have a boogie.

Firecakes Donuts
Oh Americans know how to do doughnuts right? These were incredible. So sugary and sickly sweet which is the only way a doughnut should be. Pick up a cup of their freshly squeezed orange juice too. I personally had a soft spot for the Old Fashioned Buttermilk and the Butterscotch Praline. Grab a couple to go and wander around the city enjoying the hustle and bustle.

Lou Mitchell's Diner
Lou Mitchell's is the starting point of the original Route 66 in Chicago. The portions are huge and the service is quick and to the point. It sets you up fantastically for the day! Have the scrambled eggs - they're so fluffy and dreamy. It's not the most fanciest of food but it's very good food. Nice comfort food which is always the ticket. They've been feeding the hungry mouths of road trippers since 1923 so there's lots of history steeped in the place.

Millennium Park
If the sun is shining, make sure you head to the park. Here you'll find the infamous 'Bean' aka Cloud Gate sculpture. You'll be able to see the beautiful skyline of the city reflected - take a walk underneath it. The park is a great place to wander around and gaze at the different sculptures, fountain and outdoor galleries. Grab a takeaway and sit down for a spot of people watching.

Odyssey Dinner Cruise
Lake Michigan is absolutely huge and the best way to appreciate it is with this dinner cruise. Setting off from Navy Pier, you'll be able to enjoy a three course dinner as the sun sets. It circles the river, offering you stunning views of the city behind you - I'm overusing the word stunning right? I just can't think of any other word! You'll get a free glass of champagne and a disco thrown in too for the price. Make sure you hop up to the observation desk for some great picture opportunities.

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Oxford City Guide

Christchurch College
If you're a Harry Potter fan, no trip is complete without a wander around this college's grounds. The building is absolutely beautiful! You'll certainly recognise some things! It's a £4.50 entrance fee and you can stroll around to your hearts content.

The Randolph
Like I mentioned in my pervious post, my boyfriend surprised me with afternoon tea. The Randolph is a gorgeous old-fashioned five star hotel in the heart of the city. It's very charming! It's a lovely place to go if you're celebrating a special occasion. We opted for the yummy full afternoon tea which consisted of a selection of sandwiches, fruit scones with clotted cream and jam alongside afternoon pastries. The bakewell tart was my favourite!

Malmasion Oxford
I love a quirky place to rest my head and this hotel ticked all the boxes. It's set in a converted prison in a medieval castle. It's so luxurious and definitely somewhere to book if you fancy a little treat. I won't say too much as I'm going to write a separate post on it later this week.

The Vaults and Garden Cafe
I found this on Trip Adviser when I was researching some places to stop for breakfast. It's set in the Church by All Souls College, not too far from the high street. You join a canteen style queue as you place your order on what homemade food you'd like to sample - get your partner to grab a table as it gets very busy! We opted for the full breakfast which consisted of organic eggs, air-cured bacon, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and giant butter beans in a tomato sauce. It was pricey at £7.95 but it tasted delicious. Sometimes it's worth splashing out!

St Johns College
Lily mentioned this was her favourite college so we set off to hunt it down. This college was free to enter and it has gorgeous grounds. If it was a little warmer, we would have spent a lot longer exploring.  It's so cool to think that people actually study and live here and the incredible history that the walls could talk about.

Cafe Loco Oxford
This was a recommendation from Hannah - when she mentioned it was Alice In Wonderland themed I was sold. It's again quite pricy - sense a theme? - but the portions were a good size. It's a great place to go for lunch after you've visited Christchurch. It offers table service which is great after you've been on your feet all day. I opted for a tasty pesto, mozzarella and roasted vegetable panini to help refuel before we headed off home. Make sure you get a cake from the takeaway section!

 

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin
I'm a sucker for a good view so I was very excited when I found out you could climb up the church tower for £4. After quite a lot of huffing and puffing, we finally reached the top and were rewarded with some stunning views. It was such a bright day and we could see for miles. It was well worth the dollar and provided some gorgeous pictures. Try not to lean on the wall as my boyfriend got pooped up on the cooing pigeons nesting there!

Oxford University Museum of Natural History
After spending a small fortune, we decided to venture to the museum after reading it was free. It's not too big but you can still whittle around an hour in there taking in all in. They had a good selection of dinosaurs - always a winner in my book - and some cool stuffed animals. There's a cafe upstairs too if you fancy some cake! It's set in a beautiful building.

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Bruges City Guide

I had such a lovely few days in Bruges that I thought i'd put together a little city guide. I love finding out about places people went during their travels. I've got a photo dairy coming later this week.

I'm going to put my hands up and say many of these suggestions were given to me by the wonderful Hannah. There's hardly anywhere in the world that girl hasn't been. If you're ever jetting away, be sure to drop her an email!

Soup
This is a lovely little place just off the main square that only sells soup. Hence the name. For around 7 euros you get a hearty bowl of soup, half a panini, a small tub of grated cheese, a small tub of croutons and a piece of fruit. Absolute bargain! This was the perfect meal to help warm our cockles after wandering around in the cold. We left with very full bellies!

The Windmills
Bruges is very small and after a while you run out of things to do. Hannah had informed me the Windmills had a somewhat romantic air about them so I dragged my boyfriend on a walk. Armed with a map, we navigated the cobbled streets and finally ended up in the location. Despite the drizzle, it was a lovely way to see the city and i'd fully recommend seeking them out. There's a cracking quaint pub next to them too which is worth a visit.

Contrast B&B
I found our B&B on the Guardian's website after being determined to seek out somewhere a little quirkier than the bog standard hotel. This was a complete gem! We were immediately welcomed in by one of the enthusiastic owners Cathy and it really set the standard for the rest of our stay. They were so helpful and the breakfast spread they put on each morning was amazing. I gorged my face on homemade bread, croissants, freshly squeezed orange juice, scrambled egg with lashings of ham and cheese. I would wholly recommend anyone visiting the city to seek out this place! Opt for a garden room as they're so cool!

The Habit
We were in search for some delicious local food and came across this on Trip Adviser. They've never let us down before so we took the plunge. It was worth the risk! The portions were absolutely massive and in hindsight we really didn't need the starter. I chose 'Old Fashion Meatballs' and picked a winner. They came out the size of my fist with oodles of chips and a thick gravy. I struggled to finish it all much to my dismay. It did get fairly busy so i'd recommend you get there earlier or book a table.

't Poatersgat
Hannah had previously described this pub as her favourite in Bruges so I knew we had to check it out.  It's so easy to miss so make sure you keep your eyes out for small wooden monk doors - they lead to an basement. Once inside it's very cosy and has such a good atmosphere filled with locals and tourists. They have a darts board and table football if you fancy getting competitive! The beer is reasonably priced and they have a good selection. The cherry beer gets a thumbs up from me!

Belfry of Bruges
No trip to the city is complete without a trip up to the famous bell tower. Be prepared for over 300 steps! It's worth it as the view is incredible. It's only around 6 euros to get in and you can stop on different floors to read all about the history. We went during the week at around 11am and it was absolutely fine but I should imagine it gets rammed at the weekends so go as early as possible.

't Brugs Beertje
This place sells over 400 different types of beer - amazing! It's like sitting in someone's living room and it does get fairly busy but it has a fast turnaround. Stick it out and you'll get a table in no time. They do table service which is fab and have various bar snacks on offer if you get a bit peckish. It's next door to The Habit so kill two birds with one stone!

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