The nearest shopping area to where I work is Liverpool One, which is quite handy because it means I don't have to come into Liverpool on weekends when it can get quite busy. Liverpool One is, as the name suggests, in the centre of Liverpool, with the postcode being L1.

Liverpool One is a two-storey shopping area where you'll find a variety of high street stores in close proximity to one another. It isn't undercover though so be aware of this if you're hoping to go somewhere on a rainy day where you'll find everything under one roof, if you come here you'll need to bring a brolly!

The main advantage of Liverpool One is that you don't have to walk too far to find everything you need. It has a variety of shops, a cinema, and lots of restaurants, so it's possible to spend a whole day here.

There is an underground car park for Liverpool One which has 3,000 parking spaces. This is very convenient because you can then access everything within Liverpool City centre, but it is chargeable as Liverpool One isn't out of town like The Trafford Centre. There is also a bus stop at the back and train stations nearby so it's very accessible by public transport. The opening hours vary, but according to the Liverpool One website the stores open at 9.30am, and are open until 8pm throughout the week, then 9am - 7pm on a Saturday and 11am - 5pm on a Sunday. I wouldn't say this is necessarily the case though, and it's always worth checking individual stores though because I've been caught out by this going to WH Smith on the way home from work and discovering it closes at 5.30pm. The stores can decide to close when they want and don't have to stay open just because Liverpool One is open.

Liverpool One offer a gift card from £5 to £500, which can be spent in any store in Liverpool One. This is a good idea if you want to get vouchers for someone local to the area but you're not sure where they shop.

The shops in Liverpool One are mainly clothing shops such as Peacocks, Jane Norman, Warehouse, Oasis, La Senza, and Zara. There are lots of designer shops such as Jigsaw, Karen Millen and Ted Baker. There are sports shops to keep the men happy, mainly JD Sports, and for locals there's a Liverpool and Everton gift shop. (The Everton gift shop is called Everton Two, which is a poor pun on the football score Liverpool 1, Everton 2. Hilarious.). My favourite shop is Lakeland which sells all things cooking related. I'm sure they must think I'm planning a robbery because every time I go into town I always pop in here and look round but can rarely afford to buy anything!

There are two major department stores in Liverpool One, which are Debenhams and John Lewis. Here you will find everything under one roof from clothing to homeware, perfume counters, gifts, and they both have in-store cafes. If you're looking for Christmas presents these stores are ideal as they usually have huge displays in the run up to Christmas with festive ideas and decorations. I've often gone into John Lewis not knowing what I'm getting anyone for Christmas and I've come away with a few ideal presents for people.

There are other high street stores in Liverpool One such as WH Smith (this is a lot smaller than the old WH Smith in Liverpool used to be, but bizarrely has a post office upstairs), Waterstones, Mamas and Papas, Superdrug, H Samuel, Ernest Jones, The Entertainer, Disney Store & Bear Factory, Thorntons, and Ann Summers. There's quite a mix of shops as you can see so there should be something to keep every generation in the family happy, and if not, the other shops in Liverpool aren't too far away.

Before I move on to the leisure part of Liverpool One, I would just say that in terms of shopping it offers a great variety of shops, but not that many good shops in terms of affordable clothing. Unless you can afford to spend a decent amount on clothing, the only shops I ever buy clothes from are Peacocks and New Look because the others are far too expensive unless there's a sale on. It's probably better coming here if you're looking for a particular outfit and have a decent budget, for example if you need an outfit for a Christmas party or a wedding. Otherwise you might be better off going to Primark which is round the corner, or to one of the indoor precincts which offer more affordable shops. Liverpool One is seen to be quite 'trendy', and with this comes a price tag so like I say, not the best for buying clothes.

There is a 14-screen Odeon cinema in Liverpool One, although I have to say I've never actually been there so I couldn't really comment on whether it's any good or not. The cinema is on the top of the complex alongside restaurants such as Pizza Hut, Nandos, Red Hot World Buffet and other smoothie bars and sushi bars. The prices in these bars and restaurant aren't particularly cheap so if you're looking for a cheap family meal I'd recommend the Pizza Hut buffet or Nandos for good value for money. There are cafes in Debenhams and John Lewis, and Thorntons also has a café where you can sit outside. There are the usual Starbucks and Pret-A-Manger stores too so plenty of places to stop off for a coffee and recharge your batteries.

Now I've told you about what Liverpool One has to offer, I will just tell you a little more about what you can expect from your shopping experience. As I said before, it's aimed more at people who like designer stores than the likes of Primark, however it can be good for gifts and finding a particular outfit. You might be lucky and find there's something else going on here when you visit, such as Gok Wan's filming of the "How to Look Good Naked" series, or you might walk past someone playing the piano during their "Tickle The Ivories" music festival. Basically, the organisers have set up pianos for people to just hop on and play, or in the evening you can book an hour slot to showcase your talent. Rumour had it that some famous people were going to check out this talent, but if nothing else it offered something different to your shopping experience and put a smile on everyone's faces rather than having people rushing round in a hurry. All in all it's a pleasant experience to look round the shops here, even if you can't afford to buy very much.