While I found Londoners unfriendly (and in most cases, unhelpful), the people of Liverpool were much more open and down-to-earth. I still enjoyed visiting the Beatles sites in London, but I found the overall experience to be occasionally disappointing. Liverpool, however, was everything I'd imagined.
We stayed at a lovely bed & breakfast which was within walking distance of Mathew Street and Albert Dock. Just stepping outside every morning and smelling the sea air was a reminder that we had arrived. To get anywhere we wanted to be, we had to walk past Mathew Street every single day, which never failed to thrill me.
10 Mathew Street As most of you probably know, the actual site of the Cavern was demolished in 1973, so a parking lot actually stands in this spot. The Cavern Club in the photo is immediately next door to the original location (parked cars can be seen on the right). On a personal note, this site is linked to my one disappointment with Liverpool. When we went into the basement, a random rock band was playing some new song. Not being able to jam to a Beatles song in the Cavern basement struck me as being very depressing.
Cavern Walks The area around Mathew Street is designated as "Cavern Walks" and there are Beatles references all over the place. Inside a shopping center is the Abbey Road Cafe, as well as statues of the Beatles performing. (I couldn't resist the chance to pose with Paul) Also, down a side street is a statue of John Lennon in a recreation of his Rock 'N Roll album cover photo (which was actually taken in the early 60s in Hamburg). Incidentally, this was my favourite statue.
251 Menlove Avenue
The Magical Mystery Tour takes off from Albert Dock regularly. One of the many sites is Menlove, which was where John spent most of his childhood living with his Aunt Mimi.
Penny Lane Another stop on the Magical Mystery Tour was the immortalized Penny Lane. They had to resort to this kind of signpost (set in brick) because it kept getting stolen.
Strawberry Fields Yet another Magical Mystery Tour spot, although we visited it on our own as well. The gate is surrounded by beautiful trees, and was just a nice spot to sit and soak in the history.
Hope Street The Liverpool Institute was where Paul and George attended school. The Art College John attended is right next door (they used to be the same institution) and the three future Beatles would often hold jam sessions at lunch. Sitting on the steps of "the Inny" fulfilled a dream of mine.
20 Forthlin Road Out of all the fantastic Beatles sites and England memories, this place has to be my favourite. Pauls' childhood home has been turned into a National Trust historical site. It's been refurbished to look as it did when Paul lived there with his family, and the sense of history you get while standing there is like nothing else. The caretaker/guide, John, is so wonderful you don't even resent the fact that he gets to live in Paul's house and talk about the Beatles for a living.
20 Forthlin Road - Living Room Because Michael McCartney's copyrighted photos are displayed on the walls of the house, no pictures are allowed to be taken inside. However, postcards of the rooms are available, and this is one of them. The armchair is recognizable for anyone who's seen a book of Michael McCartney's early photos of Paul.
20 Forthlin Road - Paul's Bedroom One of my favourite "pictures" from the trip is this postcard of Paul's bedroom. We took the tour 2 days in a row (which John seemed to find surprising, but we just found a necessity) in order to spend as much time as possible in the atmosphere. Most of the 2nd day we spent talking with John, or just sitting in Paul's bedroom and talking excitedly.
10 Mathew Street
Cavern Walks
251 Menlove Avenue
Penny Lane
Strawberry Fields
Hope Street
20 Forthlin Road
20 Forthlin Road - Living Room
20 Forthlin Road - Paul's Bedroom