Was thinking this earlier actually. I've been going to Lark Lane since 91 and moved around there in 2003. It use to be boss and dead chilled . You had the pubs down the Aigburth Rd end which more arl fella gaffs and towards the park you had Keiths and the Albert which was more to my liking. You had two new places but I cant remember the names which are now Que Pasa and a little bar beneath the place next door which was open to 1am which had a jazz band playing midweek. There was still people snorting but I distanced myself away from them and some of them people I knew pretty well. Since the explosion of coke in this City and shit bars the Lane has been shit and gone a tad too moody of the evening. I don't go anymore. People may think it's boss and it's great and I can see were they are coming from but it aint my thing. The Gansgsters have moved in and one of the Families who owns one of the places knows my family pretty well going back to the 50's. Call it regeneration but it's degeneration of the community and society in my eyes. The Lane has been sold Iam afraid.
I'm from the north of Liverpool but most of my time these days is with my girlfriend who lives just five minutes from Lark Lane. We haven't had a night out down Lark Lane in donkeys years now. Ironically, I used to go out with a girl from Crosby in the 90s and she was always banging on how she'd love to live on Lark Lane and was forever saying how 'cool' and 'boho' it was there. But spending time around there these days I find my experience of the place far different. It seems full of drunks even in daytime. It often has a seedy/moody feel and we simply steer well clear of the road now.
Having said that, another place I used to like was South Road in Waterloo (Sefton, I know
), but that has long since gone the way that Lark Lane has now. There aren't many places untouched by the beak-heads / plastic gangsters these days. I know it's a people thing, not necessarily a Liverpool thing, though. There is something very wrong with society in general these days, so it's not something specific to Liverpool. However, I do agree with WhoHe, who suggests that many of the more pernicious gobshites we have here are well able to afford the expensive places. In fact, going to these places is all part of the 'look at me' narcissistic image these idiots want to project. There is a lot of money to be made from thieving and drugs, and many of those making a fortune doing so are out in the supposedly best places shoving lines of Columbia's finest up their conks. Plenty of others further down the pecking order are not short of a few bob either and are well able to infest the better places and ruin them if they become regulars.
As I said, though, generally speaking it's a countrywide thing. Greed is almost fashionable. Lack of empathy is almost seen as a good thing that gives you an edge. Caring about others is seen as a weakness. Everyone wants respect, but too few are prepared to also give it. Too many people want instant gratification, and if they can't get something they'll either steal if from someone who has it or they'll 'graft' one way or another to 'earn' the necessary cash. In a rather perverse way, Thatcherism has taken off big in our society, and in many ways, in our City too. By that I mean it is now dog eat dog. Everyone for themselves. Do what you want/need to do regardless of the consequences. Demand respect but refuse to give it. It's all about status. This attitude within large sections of our society has its consequences and these consequences play out every day in our towns and Cities. It's not pretty. Of course, these loons are the minority here and the minority across the country and beyond, but they are a big enough minority to cause many problems that ripple out across our society. Their actions can, and do, have far-reaching consequences.
On a more positive note, I also find that this City has an abundance of truly fantastic people too. Just knowing some of them makes me feel glad that I'm alive at times. Sometimes it feels like the good ones are swimming against a tide of utter shite, but I'm glad they keep on swimming. Hats off to those who are strong enough to give a shit. Strong enough to care and strong enough to try to make our City a better place.