Liverpool: Where it all began!

I had a few days free after Dad left London, so I decided on a few day trips to do, one of which was to visit Liverpool.  If you are reading this, I assume you know me personally, but I'll explain the extent the Beatles have impacted my life.

I have grown up with the Beatles being played everywhere.  During our childhood my brother Marc, a family friends daughter, Christina, and I knew the words to just about every album and would begin to sing the next song on the CD before it even started.  Yes, our fathers, who were the people who introduced us to the Beatles, found some entertainment in skipping to the next track just at the right time, and then hearing us complain how the skipped a song.  Also, during conversations my Dad would ask us trivia questions about the Beatles, the lyrics, the songs.  For example, Martha in the song "Martha My Dear" was Paul McCartney's dog.  One question I can never get right is when we are listening to song from the same time period that is not the Beatles, "Who is playing on this song?"  I can never pick it out but 9 times out of 10 it is one of the Beatles.

Traditions have also grown from the Beatles.  Every time that Ringo Starr comes to the States on tour, Dad and I go to see him.  I believe the count is at 13 times so far, crazy some may say, but it is a father/daughter tradition that I love, which is why I couldn't pass up the opportunity to is Ringo just outside of London 2 days after arriving in June.

And finally, there are stories, about how my Dad was in surgery when John Lennon was shot and pronounced dead.  I've heard about once they knew surgery went fine and he would be home soon, they were more concerned about telling him that John had been shot and the history of the Beatles and the group that he loved had changed forever.  Then there was the time that my Preschool Principal saw me standing alone outside of the ticket office in a casino at 13 years old.  Dad and I were waiting for tickets to a Ringo show and to say the least, Mrs. Guzzi was surprised to see me.

There is it, I love the Beatles, not just for their music and their popularity, but also for what it reminds me of.

So I booked a day trip to Liverpool, starting with a train to Liverpool at 6:30 am, which required me getting up at 5:00 am, then a bus tour around Liverpool city center and its outskirts, and finally a walk through the Beatles Story Museum.

Leaving from Euston Station.

Liverpool Lime Street Station

Magical Mystery Tour Guide bus, owned and operated by a man who played Stuart Sutfliffe in a movie about the Beatles.  Stuart was a childhood friend of Johns that originally played with the Beatles, he met Astrid Kirchherr and left the group.  He later pasted away from a hemorrhage. 

Street that Ringo Starr was born on.

Penny Lane!

"In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs

Of every head he's had the please to know

And all the please that come and go

Stop and say hello."

This is that shop, not the same barber, but the same location.

The house the George Harrison was born in.

Strawberry Field's gate.

John was said to have written about Strawberry Field's because he grew up around the corner with his Aunt.  Strawberry Field's is on the grounds of a Salvation Army house that John spoke fondly of.

Mathew Street sign, along with a statue of John on the "A Hard Day's Night" hotel.

Mathew Street

Wall of Fame.  This wall has a engraved brick for every band that has played in the Cavern Club, many famous names, along with some unknowns are on the wall.

Walking down into the depths of the Cavern Club.

You know, just hanging out with John against the Cavern Club Wall of Fame.

Outside of the Beatles Story

John's first guitar, he was originally taught how to play the banjo by his mother.

Photo of John's first public performance.

They had school photos of the Beatles and other important people in the development of the Beatles through out the years.

Some of their first promotional photos as the Beatles as we know them now.

A recreation of the Cavern Club, although I much rather the actual location that was a 10 minute walk away.

There was a display showing the Beatles first recording session at Abbey Road Studios.  My questions, why do they always make Ringo look so weird?

This one is for you Dad: The Beatles fighting Muhammad Ali.

I was walking through the last bits of the museum and they had a section on the Beatles after the break up.  I stumbled upon this and though, "Hm, this looks familiar."  This is one of 25 artist proofs for Ringo's Retrospect collection, there were also 500 memorabilia prints done.  The reason this looks so familiar, is that I have one of those 500 prints.

Ringo and the names of his many All Starr Band members

John's first set of famous glasses, they were previously associated with older women because they were the National Health care System's standard issue frame which typically only older people wore, but John turned them into fashion.

John and Yoko in Amsterdam

A Beatles themed Starbucks, the architecture is the same design as the Cavern Club.

The John Lennon Peace Monument, unveiled by Cynthia and Julian Lennon on what would have been John's 70th Birthday.

The day in Liverpool was amazing.  Before going, I would have easily admitted that I enjoyed the Beatles music and that they have had a big affect on my life.  However, I wouldn't have been able to say I understood "Beatlemania", the fainting, the screaming, but after that visit, I fully understand.  The museum made sure to present the Beatles not as musical icons, but as men.  They all had their fair share of struggles, and yet they all have been more than willing to give back to the people that made them famous and the city that enabled them to thrive.