Speaking with scouse

*Again, sorry for the large photos!

People in Liverpool speak with a "scouse" accent. It is kind of like the Boston accent of the US. Where it really originated from, I have no idea. Regardless, people here speak with a lot of "scouse." Ha, I cannot tell the difference. Liverpool is like the Chicago of the US. The buildings, although not dark, intimidating, and towering skyscrapers, do have a certain style much like in Chicago. In fact, I went to the Liverpool Museum and sure enough, it had an architecture exhibit that mentioned similar styles to Chicago buildings. I knew it! 

The outside of Lime St Station, Liverpool. Beautiful.

My time in Liverpool felt a bit rushed but I enjoyed it immensely. I arrived at 10p and had the whole hostel room (4 bed, mixed dorm) to myself. I had considered hunting for the source of club music beating right outside my window but decided against it and opted for a good sleep. I was so tired from the long trip from Scotland that I fell immediately crashed... Literally. I fell off the top bunk. Thankfully, I managed to swing myself halfway onto the bottom bunk but still have a bruise on my rump. The show must go on!

HOAX Hostel... Honestly, I half expected the hostel to be fake...! 

Clean-cut and bright rooms

The lobby area ... :D

The hostel I stayed at was amazing. It had recently opened three weeks prior to my arrival. The staff were extra friendly and very helpful. At breakfast, a Liverpool local and HOAX Hostel employee, Emelia, and I talked about politics and views on Americans... More about that in another post. Anyway, once more people discover HOAX Hostel, I have a feeling that the extremely clean and new interior will be faded and dirty within a decade. Why? The hostel is so clean cut and blunt that one does not have to worry about being charged 3 pounds to use a towel and the wi-fi is throughout the building with strong signals. And you cannot beat the location! In Liverpool, apart from exploring the 8+ miles worth of docks, the shopping district is outstanding. Envision the Magnificent Mile and State Street in Chicago combined but without the cars. Yep, the shopping district is off-limits to traffic which makes it very easy for street performers, families, and people stumbling around after having several and cheap pints of great beer from JD Wetherspoon. Don't know what JD Wetherspoon is? Let me explain. 

JD Wetherspoon was explained to me by a gentleman I met at breakfast in the Castle Hotel back in Dublin. This well-traveled high school wood shop teacher from South Bend, IN advised me that when traveling in the UK on a budget, stop by JD Wetherspoon for cheap beer and inexpensive good food. JD Wetherspoon is a British pub chain founded by Tim Martin. Martin named the chain after one of his college business professors who claimed that Tim would never be successful. Now, the chain boasts over 800 locations and almost $2 billion in revenue in 2012. Martin wanted to create a cheap place for travelers (or locals) to have a pint or six and affordable pub food. I tip my hat off to Martin. Cheers, mate.

The picture above is a meal I had at JD Wetherspoon (I love saying the name of this place...). For a huge slab of lasagne, a hefty garden salad, bread, AND a pint of great beer, I only paid 7 pounds (around $11, I think...). This will be my dinner in London, where I hear that everything is expensive. Yep.  Call it McDonald's drunk cousin from Britain. And the food is served until 11p! I do love me some JD Wetherspoon.

Back to Liverpool. Below are some shots of my favorite buildings from the city:

Not sure what these buildings are but they look grand

This was the view from my hostel room

Well, right now I am waiting for the train to take me to London. *smiles broadly at the thought*... In London, I hope to meet my friend, Domenique. I met her in NYC at work about three years ago. We have been besties ever since. She currently resides in her home country, Romania. Originally, she was going to take me all around Eastern European countries such as Italy, Germany, and then hit up France. However, due to her job transitions, plans fell through and we decided on London. I cannot wait to see her! We talked about staying with her friends but I booked a dorm room at the University of London. I decided to do this to have a break from the hostel life and because things with Dom were still up in the air. The single room with a shared bathroom cost about $60 per night. But it comes with a full, hot English breakfast! Most of the hostels only come with a cheap continental breakfast. Until next time, readers. Cheers, luv!