Northern England and London Dec 2023

I've had many good tips from this forum so thought I'd post these notes of a very recent trip to northern England and London.

Itinerary: Two nights in Manchester, three in Liverpool (with daytrip to Chester) and five in London. I had been to London before (and even lived there as a child), but not for many years, and the NE England destinations were entirely new to me.
Overall impressions: Manchester and Liverpool a bit gritty but have a lot of character, people are friendly, and lots to see. I love museums, especially art and history, so I saw a lot of those. A trip highlighting museums in urban England was a good choice for a December trip, as expectedly, the days were very short (sunrise 8 am, sunset 4 pm) and the weather for the most part cold, gray and wet, although there was an occasional bit of sun. Chester is a beautiful small city, stereotypically English. London big and bustling as always.
Transport: This was a week of British rail strikes but luckily I was not much affected. They announced in advance which lines would strike and on which day. A fair number of cancellations even on non-strike days, but still plenty of trains. For my two longer trips (Manchester-Liverpool and Liverpool-London), I bought advance tickets about a month ahead from the Avanti West website (each line sells tickets for other lines also) which saved me quite a bit (Liverpool-London cost 22 pounds). My Manchester-Liverpool was cancelled, but I got an e-mail about that in advance, and was able to take an earlier train (it is complicated because there are so many lines, and I needed to make sure my replacement train was the right line). Daytrip to Chester was on Merseyrail suburban service, got a day return for about 8 pounds (would have been a bit less if I left after 9:30 but I wanted an earlier start). Local transport on Manchester trams, and London system went well. Contactless cards the way to go. London tube very crowded most times.
Lodging: Stayed with a friend in London. In Manchester, stayed at Leven hotel which I picked from Tripadvisor. Decent neighborhood convenient to Piccadilly station. Room a bit odd (had a small washer-dryer, stove and an unusual selection of books in it), but good and clean. In Liverpool, Premier Inn Centre City right next to Lime Street station. Good location, I know Premier Inns are everywhere, but hadn't used one before; as generally reported, low-frill but clean and comfortable with all one needs. Full English breakfast is good, and a relative bargain at 9.99 pounds.
Food: I think where I ate in London will not be of interest since they were local restaurants in a residential area with few hotels. In Manchester, if you visit Imperial War Museum North (which is very good), cross the footbridge to "Media City" for an array of places to eat. Turtle Bay (Caribbean) is good. In Liverpool, Neapolitan Pizza on Lime Street very near station is excellent.
Sightseeing highlights: Manchester features football and Liverpool the Beatles, but neither of those interest me much. In Manchester, the IWM North. People's Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, and Rylands Library also worthwhile. In Liverpool, Maritime Museum and Museum of Liverpool are both really excellent, and very close to each other at waterfront. The Western Approaches HQ is unique; a lesser-known naval equivalent of the Cabinet War Rooms in London. All of the aforementioned are free admission, except Western Approaches (13.50 pounds, worth it). London: RS is right that Maritime Museum in Greenwich and London Docklands museum are a good combo, although a long day of maritime history. Courtauld Gallery relatively small, but great Impressionists. Did a London Walks tour of Clerkenwell (tour called "London's Hidden Village") that was excellent. Chester: Grosvenor Museum ok, features Roman stuff, don't miss period house at the back. Chester and Manchester cathedrals are fine, but not in England's top tier of those.