By Water Cool

I'd forgotten how much I like Liverpool.

That sentence in no way does justice to anything. I've been a blancmange of nostalgia over the weekend, spending all my time pointing at things that aren't there any more.

So what's changed? First off the whole city centre has moved a couple of blocks south: something called Liverpool 1 has plonked itself on Quiggins and the Superlambanana (Quiggins rest in peace; the Superlambanana appears to have been multiplied like the Borg - which is a good thing. The more Superlambananas the better, I say). Le Bateau and Zanzibar have both moved, The Nation is being demolished and Probe Records has closed. Rapid is no longer on Rapid Road, the trees aren't growing through the church and they've finally sorted out the docks - the waterfront is looking super shiny.

But it's still Liverpool. Concert Square still sounds hellish, there's still vomit outside the Krazyhouse, the Raz is still terrible. Baa bar, Magnet, La Go and the Blob shop are all still there. Smithdown Road still hasn't been gentrified (although the Ten has become Five). Mathew Street is still full of Beatles tat. Albert dock is still full of lost hen dos. Chinatown is still weirdly anticlimatic. And most of all the city's still got more soul than any other city I can think of.

So thank you, so called Pool of Life, I'll try not to leave it so long next time.