All the weird and wonderful things about living in Smithdown

Smithdown Road, an urban metropolis, and central hub for Liverpool students.  You may love the place, or you may hate it, but we are all united by its wonders. Whether it be a classic Chesters’ chicken burger after a night out, or a sweaty ride on the 86 to your 9am, there is something we can all share a mutual love for.

The Late Night Instagram page

We are extremely lucky that Smithdown Road has a wide variety of offies, from Premier News to Wag 1 Offy, there is something for everyone. But if there was an award for the best off license on Smithdown Road, we would have to crown Late Night the winner. Not only does it do what it says on the tin (staying open until late at night), it will have you covered for any last -minute necessities you need on the way to a house party on Arundel, whether that be a Mango Elf Bar or a crate of Carling.

However, as well as leaving with your hands full of goodies, you and your mates may have also made it onto the famous Instagram account. Last year the Late Night Insta really took off, and if you were one of the lucky ones that made it, you are now a part of Late Night’s legacy, congrats!

The Chesters / Grilled Flavas debate

It’s 3am on a Saturday morning, the house party on Gainsborough is winding down and all you can think about is the walk home, and scran, of course. Your mate wants to go to Grilled Flavas, but you’re after the Fillet o’ Fire burger from Chesters accompanied by a chilled and refreshing Pepsi. You bicker about which take away is better but you both know either will leave you fulfilled and you’ll inevitably wake up with an empty polystyrene box next to your bed in a room that now coincidently reeks of take-away.

Brookie Thursdays: yes, or no?

The Brookhouse is probably Smithdown’s most popular student location for cracking open a cold one with your mates, as well as being a great starting point for pub golf with your uni society. If I do say so myself, the Smithdown community of students is great, and Brookie Thursdays are the place to celebrate that very greatness with £1.70 pints!

However, if you did want to avoid someone; a Hinge date you didn’t want to see again, or maybe that lad from your seminar that you often have heated debates with, there is a chance that they may be stood at the bar… in the Brookhouse… on a Thursday.

(You have been warned!)

The Parks! 

When the weather decides it’s going to be pleasant for once, we have the privilege of making the most out of Smithdown’s greenery. You may enjoy a light ‘jog’ around Sefton on a Sunday morning or take pleasure in a wholesome picnic with your mates in Greenbank Park. If Greenbank is your first year accommodation, you’re let into this secret before the rest of us, (fortunate!) otherwise, it’s up to second year you to figure this one out on your own!

A walk around Sefton Park was the highlight of the day for a lot of us during the pandemic, and who says we can’t make it a habit?  It’s almost impossible to live in Smithdown and not have a wander around its parks, and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?

Niche (or not) party themes

Of course, we have to bring Liverpool’s party spirit with us to Smithdown, and what better way to do this than hold a Hawaiian themed party for your 21^st? Wrong! We all love a themed party from time to time and hats off to those who really make the effort, yes, I’m talking about those that are willing to rock a second skin suit for the entirety of the night. If Halloween is anything to go by, we are all capable of coming up with comical, and by some means, disturbing, costumes, so where is this same effort when coming up with party themes? Dressing up as what you wanted to be when you were younger should be a thing of the past, and please do not ask me to dress up as something that begins with the first letter of your name! We can do better!

The 86/699 bus journey

Finally, whilst we all take joy in the walk to and from uni through Crown Park, Liverpool’s weather often doesn’t allow us this enjoyment, so what better way to start the day (or end it) with a 20 -minute trip on the 86 or 699? One of life’s greatest pleasures is climbing up the stairs to find the front two seats of the top deck are in fact free, and bonus points if the bus is still stationary so you can actually make it to said seats without falling over. One cannot deny the serotonin that comes with sitting on the top floor of an 86 or 699, especially if your bus driver didn’t question your age when you asked for a My Ticket.

But the crème de la crème of bus journeys has to be any 699 into town on AU night. Without giving away any spoilers to students who have yet to experience this phenomenon, I will say this; get practising running down (yes, running) to the back seat of a moving bus, there may be a chant involved too.