Today's a pretty big day in Beatles history.

I don't know if many of you know what Savile Row is,

but I think most of you do know what 'the rooftop concert' is.
Or dear god, I hope so.

Today, 46 years ago, was the final live performance The Beatles ever played together,
and of course - it was played on the roof of a building.
I mean, how else did you think they would have their final show? On a stage at a venue?
Psh. Come on.
They're The Beatles.

The show began around midday, which was pretty fortunate for all the business people in London on their lunch breaks.
Some lucky folks were even able to pop out on their roof or balcony and watch them,
but most of the crowds formed below in the streets to simply listen and enjoy.

The set was a little over 40 minutes
but was interrupted by the police before then.
And by interrupted, I mean the police told them to stop and in true Beatles form
they gave no shits, did what they wanted and kept playing.

Imagine walking through Piccadilly and hearing this faint familiar sound from around you,
and later on realizing you are listening to The Beatles performing live right above you.
Could you imagine?

Lucky for us, the entire thing was recorded.
And they even got a few songs on video.
Enjoy!


"I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition."

The world's longest running musical.

The West End, Broadway, and dozens of other countries.

A Hollywood feature film packed full of stars.

Yes - of course we're talking about Les Miserables here.

I was invited to see the show by that lovely little cat you may have seen running around London,
who is also known as Rebecca at Official Theatre.

And you all should know by now, I don't turn down a night at the theatre.
It's just not in my blood.

This was also Les Mis - a show you really can't not go to.
Is that even possible? To say no when someone asks you to see Les Mis?
Really asking - let me know.

For those few of you who haven't gotten into see some version of this show
- and let me ask you real quick, WHY HAVEN'T YOU? -
The story follows Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who's broke his parole.
We follow him through his quest for good,
and along the way we meet plenty of different characters
and about 24,601 sub-plots.
(ha ... ha ha ha...)

But I promise, they are all great.

 
This was actually the first time I had seen Les Miserables outside of sitting in the stalls,
and sitting quite close at that.
I am absolutely mesmerized by the entire production of the show, though,
and have always had an urge to see it from higher up to get a view of the staging in it's entirety.

We sat in Row H of the Dress Circle, and my view was incredible!
(Check out my review & pics from the seat at the greatest website for theatre-going, SeatPlan.com)
No heads I had to peek over, no obstructions to look around - it was clear views all around.

Having this new view, I was able to see things I hadn't noticed before,
from the top of the barricades to the lighting from above,
I loved the new angles.
I was even able to see the stage crew a little more since I got a top-down view,
and I know most people wouldn't want to see that, but as a veteran when it comes to Les Mis,
I'm usually looking around at the entirety of the show rather than the actual scene on the stage.

All in all, it was a fantastic evening of new friends and old music,
all of which I love!

I couldn't recommend this show enough to anyone who hasn't seen it.
I do love the film version of this show, and have heard great things about the new production on Broadway,
but nothing beats seeing it in London at the Queen's.

If I were to explain Liverpool to you,

there would be a lot of 'really' and 'amazing' and 'love' and more 'love.'

It's a place where I absolutely truthfully forget about everything going on in life,

and just enjoy what is happening at the moment.

Which is AMAZING

(told you you'd hear it)

but also hard to come back from.

That explains my terrible hiatus on here.

I've been working on snagging another job and some marketing roles,

but I've got a review of Les Miserable and another area guide coming up next week.

So until then - enjoy this Sunday in photographs!

Today's a special pre-scheduled Fab Four Friday because I'm currently in my holy land that we all know is Liverpool..

There are a few songs that seem like they are on repeat when you're in the Cavern Club.

The band will play a song, then the next solo guy will come on and play the same song,

then you'll grab some dinner and come back only to be walking into another band playing that exact song again.

No no, I'm not complaining.

See - when the music is THAT good,

I could hear the song played 12 times within the hour and be just as excited as the first time I heard it.

So for your sweet little ears, I'm here to share the songs that remind me most of the Cavern.

Because if you haven't listened to them before, you probably should now.

If I can hear them that many times in one weekend,

you'll absolutely love them on your first listen.

A new little section here...



I wanted to start with an area that doesn't get as much talk as the center of the city.

London Bridge is located just south of the river.
With a great view of the City and the Tower of London, it's a great area to go for a stroll along the Thames, or venture into the area.

There is so much going on here that I obviously don't have every recommendation.
But these (in my opinion) are some of the best parts.

**********************

Eat
Borough Market

An amazing food market filled with some of the most delicious snacks, fruits, drinks, etc.
Vapiano

A cool concept where you are given a card at arrival, stock it up with your meals/drinks, and pay at the end. And it's Italian. So, well .. YUM!

Menier Chocolate Factory

Double-threat of eating and doing with this one. This is a little pricey, but great for a nice night out. The burgers are sensational.

Aqua Shard

There are a lot of restaurants in The Shard, but this one is wayyy up on the 31st floor. Amazing views with amazing food. Pricey as well, but a great excuse for that little black dress!

See

Before I Die Wall

Don't lie, you all have wanted to see one of these.

Cross Bones Cemetery

This cemetery goes back to medieval ages. There's a fence filled with poems, ribbons, mementos, etc. to spend some time admiring.

Umbrella Ceiling

I mean .. it's a ceiling of umbrellas. Do I need to give an explanation how cool this is?

Tower Bridge 

 Fun fact for you - that big bridge you see everywhere isn't actually the London Bridge.

It's the Tower Bridge. A nice walk across takes you to the Tower of London.

You can also go inside the bridge for a little exhibition and an amazing view.

The ACTUAL London Bridge

It's literally just a bridge. But who doesn't want to sing Fergie's 'London Bridge' on the ACTUAL London Bridge?

Do

Vinopolis

Wine tasting to the max. I wrote up an entire post about this place you can check out through the link. You learn a lot, and more importantly you get to drink a lot of wine.

Menier Chocolate Factory

This place is not only a restaurant, but it's a theatre! Told you it was a double-threat.

I recently saw their production of Assassins there, and I've already been back to see it again.

The Shard

I will fully admit how ugly I think this building is, BUT it is the tallest building in London, and that's pretty cool.

And you can go up to the viewing platform and see all of London, and miles outside -> The View From The Shard

I'll also add that there are plenty of pubs and bars around the area.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to crawl to them all, but from where I have been,

I recommend The Sheaf for a casual beer or glass of wine,

or Katzenjammers if you're looking for a stein, and some pop polka covers equipped with a crowd of chanting lads.

**********************

Get here using the Jubilee and Northern Lines that run through the London Bridge Tube Station.

Or you can take the Circle and District into Tower Hill which is across the river,

and make your way over the bridge into the area.

If you’ve ever wondered who that mysterious and good looking chick is that makes occasional cameos in Caity’s blog posts, then you’ll want to read on.

 It's me, Heather!

I'm the one you read about, but actually have no idea who I am.

And contrary to the awful pictures that Caity posts of me on here, I'm actually a normal person - I swear.

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."