Page 189 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

Nibbles at the Novotel in Paddington Village
The Liverpool One shopping development – a sort of roofless mall – divides opinion. For retail
addicts, it’s posh, stylish and full of big brands. For detractors, it’s all those things, and that’s the
problem. For a city with gritty edges, and lots of hard-up families, it’s just too flash. Neil
McDonald, a Blue Badge guide who just published a book called A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks,
praises the development for “joining the docks and the city centre with billions of pounds of
investment,” he says. “It’s proved to be a genius scheme in terms of its modular, future-proof
design too.

Liverpool, perhaps more than other cities, is really about people. Not everyone loves
Liverpudlians, but most agree they are distinctive.

Joel Jelen, a Londoner who relocated to Liverpool, has worked for almost two decades promoting
the city’s food, drink and entertainment sectors. He maintains Liverpool doesn’t have to try too
hard to seduce non-natives.

“Regardless of the huge strides Liverpool’s made from the blight of the 1980s, it shares a spirit, a
hardiness, and a warmth.

“So much so, that if you could can it, you could sell it to other UK cities as a template for success in
tourism alone. Imagine being a visitor and made to feel so welcome because people go out of their
way to help you. That’s Liverpool. Kindness runs through the hearts of so many people here.”