if you ever happen to take that wonderful journey to the red city, known as liverpool, then i'm sure there will be an agenda of things that you'll just have to do. the purpose of the concise list below is to aid you while making that agenda. the beatles are probably the sole (soul?) reason why liverpool is such a famous city nowadays. the beatles thing is something you've got to do. the whole cheap, tacky, tourist thing. go see the beatles museum, penny lane, the cavern club, cavern walks, strawberry fields (except it's not there anymore, but you can see where it stood). beatlemania is rife in liverpool- it's everywhere- beatle this, beatle that, but if you appreciate it simply for what it is then you'll love it. oh, and don't forget to buy a ticket for the magical mystery tour bus! when i was younger i paid a trip to the vatican city. the vatican is something extraordinary, and if you love buildings that simply take your breathe away then you have to invest some time in visiting our two cathedrals. both of our cathedrals stand at opposite ends of the same street- aptly named hope street. at one end is the monumental anglican cathedral that dominates the skyline with it's gothic looks while the other end is the roman catholic cathedral (also called paddy's wigwam), which resembles an interstellar starship. both cathedrals possess great external beauty but the true panorama's are actually to be found inside where you will find the stained glass windows provide some stirring scenes. during the 16th, 17th and 18th century liverpool was a destination of the slave traders. it flourished as a seaport because of it's river, the mersey, with it's estuary making it an ideal dockland. during the 20th century the docks fell to ruin as new trades routes where established, but the docks still stand and have been recently renovated. the albert dock was voted one of britain's premier structures by the prince of wales. the albert dock now hosts granada television studios and we can witness fred the weatherman strutting his stuff, come rain or shine, on a floating model of the british isles while richard and judy sit comfortably inside the studio drinking cups of earl grey. you will also find located at the docks the tate galleries, the maritime museum and a lovely shopping arcade, but beware- the prices are marked up considerably to compensate for the expensive property value. i don't think i can go anywhere in the world without mentioning i'm a scouser and then being asked which football team do i support. merseyside has two football teams- the reds (liverpool fc) and the blues (everton fc). both teams have different playing styles and different supporters and there's a lot of friendly friction between the two fractions, but they are both premier division teams and inspire the locals every time they play. if you ever get the chance then you have to go and see a local derby match even if it's only to hear 50,000 people singing you'll never walk alone- if that doesn't send shivers down your spine, nothing will. a black ooze pours through merseyside, absorbing anything and destroying everything in it's path. they call it the river mersey. the mersey might be the cess pit of the city but liverpool wouldn't be what it is today if it wasn't for the excellent natural port the river estuary creates. liverpool owes its all to the mersey and we are only just starting to realise this by beginning to clean up the river. the mersey was made internationally famous in the 60s by the musician gerry marsden who wrote a song about the famous ferries that crossed the river back then. some of the ferries that used to operate back then are still working today and any trip to merseyside wouldn't be complete without a famous ferry tour. the tour lasts just under an hour and will take you up and down the river whilst pointing out the various sites along the way. scousers have somehow managed to attain the reputation for being swindlers, i don't particularly like this stereotype and would prefer for us to be generally known as a creative entrepreneurs. anyhow if you'd like to see pure liverpudlian free enterprise in operation then you have to pay a visit to liverpool's most famous flea market- the stanley dock market. this bazaar is held every sunday along the dock road. just ask any scouser for directions to the heritage market and i'm sure they'll be only to glad to point you in the right direction. liverpudlian's are supposedly the friendliest race in britain, always willing to help a friend or stranger if they can. liverpool also has some pretty good hotels. the adelphi is probably the most renowned and is located directly in the city centre at the top of hanover street and then there is the atlantic tower with it's dramatic views over the river towards the wirral peninsular. no stay in the 'pool would be complete without a stay in one the penthouse suites. liverpool isn't exactly well known for it's culinary genius or extravagant cuisine but if your ever feeling hungry then there are a couple of places you cannot afford to miss out. the first is chinatown- when liverpool started thriving as a seaport then it also started attracting people from many different nations (natively known as smoked irishmen). chinatown has many dingy little restaurants but if you don't judge the food by the decor then your tastebuds should be thoroughly satisfied. the second place that you must not miss is the lobster pot. this famous chippy dates back decades and is a popular hangout after all the pubs and clubs have shut on a friday and saturday night. the lobster pot didn't become so popular by chance because the food is tremendous, especially after few dozen pints of the local beer- cains bitter. black's guidebook from the year 1900 said, 'if it be true that the stage of civilization reached by any city is, to a great degree, registered by the number of parks it provides for it's poorer citizens, then indeed does liverpool stand in high place'. of all the parks in liverpool, sefton is the most beautiful, it represents a hidden countryside inside a sprawling metropolis with it's trickling streams, glasslike lakes, shaded woods, picturesque islands and rocky pools. the palm house is an absolute delight and it's recently been granted a sum of money for renovation after falling into dereliction in the late 80s but still requires considerable work. Also worth some inspection are the iron gates with their decorative touches- very art nouveau. so if you need a quiet stroll then you know where to go. every year the biggest horse race in the country is held at aintree race course. it's called the grand national and it's a killer, literally. around 40 horses attempt to complete this hazardous course with its 8ft steeplejumps and 90° turns, only and handful ever make it to the finish. if your into big hats and rich old gits with cigars, or young lads pretending they're rich old gits while they smoke a castella then this could be for you. try your luck at backing the next red rum and if you win then i'll be only to glad to help you spend your winnings.