I've been visiting Blackpool annually since I was a baby. My dad takes me and my brothers every October to see the illuminations (which are the same every single year) and to go to The Pleasure Beach. Every single year I go nothing changes and it's something I quite enjoy, Blackpool will always be a nostalgic place for me. When I was even younger I remember coming to Blackpool with my grandparents and we would drive the distance just to go to a chippy that we all liked and then we would drive back. I remember the donkey rides, sticks of rock and being forbidden to go into the sea because it was 'dirty'.
This visit was probably the first time I have visited Blackpool when it hasn't been in season and I didn't quite know what to expect. In the 1980s there's images from Martin Parr of hoards of people rushing to Blackpool for a day trip out or even a full blown holiday - it was definitely a big holiday destination in Britain. You only have to look at how many B&B's there are on the strip to see that.
I have to say it was far reached from the Martin Parr days I was half expecting, Blackpool was a no man's land. Most places were boarded up, victims of the recession, but there were few places still open, mostly arcades and fish and chip shops. In terms of people, the streets were dead and there was little signs of life - I was lucky to see middle aged men fingering slot machines and large Asian family's gathering in a chippy but other than that there was no one about.
It made me feel quite sad, the nostalgia of Blackpool I have always had was tarnished by this ghost town experience I've never seen from visiting my favourite Northern seaside. The contrast of the bright lights and garish architecture just did not suit such a subdued environment.
I can't help but think that cheap flights to Benidorm has subsequently meant Blackpool has lost its clientele and it may well have lost it's reputation as 'The Vegas of the North'.
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