[Zim Flyer]

Following Chebougamau's thread about his holiday in the UK and Eden's worst places you have visited thread, I wanted to hear everyone's opinions about Blackpool.

I want to know what you like, what you disliked about Blackpool and what you think could be done to improve it.

The reason I ask is, me and Mrs Zim Flyer are about to (in the next six to seven months) spend some serious money and buy a hotel there, the key to our business plan is to attract more families to stay for the week rather than a weekend. I have lots of ideas on what needs to be done but I want to hear your thoughts as I appreciate I'm very biased.

The information you give me I will present to a small group of people who are also raising Blackpool's game.

 

[SPLewis]

It just seemed like every other grimy northern beach town to me. Rubbish everywhere, ugly buildings, not much to do really, chavs everywhere. Maybe if they replaced that Blackpool tower with something the size of the Eiffel tower there would be something there worth seeing.

Oh and Pleasure Beach amusement park is not that bad if you go on a NOT windy day. Every time the wind picks up a bit health and safety kicks in and they turn off all the rollercoasters.

 

[indiekid]

Needs a bit of an image change and a big lick of paint.:yes:

 

[Noostairz]

it's lost its identity. what is it nowadays - hen night central? amusement arcade world? modern fairground? historic family seaside resort? - it can be some of those things, but not all.

sleaze out - the latter two contrasting elements emphasised and improved: clean it up and give those illuminations class, not trash (see: regent st christmas lights [1] [2] versus illuminated coronation street characters swinging in the wind). eiffel tower style light show for the tower, on the hour, every evening - the kids'll love it...

i can't think of anymore right now.

 

[Republica]

Tacky and a total dump.

But i'd still go there. I've been there many times and i intend to go back. The pleasure beach is a good laugh. And as ive mentioned, after venturing out at night and being shocked at what was going on on the streets, we went looking for food and stumbled upon one of the best restaurants ive ever been in.

I think they only turn the rolloercoasters off at 90mph (at the top of the big one) I think? Im pretty sure i went on one day when it dipped below 90 for a few minutes and they got a few goes in. As we were going up it started to hail, big hail. It hurt like hell but was amazing!

 

[Tony Sebo]

The last time that I went to Blackpool was 17 years ago. It was incredibly downbeat then, and I imagine it has got worse now?

Too much red brick, too many insignificant buildings and really outdated frontages, facias and attachments to what few major buildings there are on teh seafront. Overwhelmingly focused on poor daytrippers and holiday makers it is trapped into the same trap most UK seaside resorts are, i.e trying to do the same things over and over again, when it is these very attributes that nobody is interested in any more. They are trying to recreate their heyday when this is the very thing that has been jibbed by holiday makers.

There are no parks, or even pocket parks, where these adn tree lined streets would help greatly.

Signage, shop and hotel signs etc where incredibly tatty, cheap and outdated. There is way too much of the cheap stuff from the 60s' and 70s' around (nothing wrong with good stuff from this time, but Blackpool hides it and displays the shite) Odd architectural structures (usually painted!) abounds and makes the place look even worse.


Way too many gaudy lights, especially considering the FX stuff kids are used to nowdays. The illuminations need to be upgraded significantly and all those iluminated figure ones need to be binned.


Too much pink in the public relm. You can tell that nobody with the slightest design or aesthetic sense has ever been employed by Blackpool MBC!

A few modern buildigns like the tall appartment blocks in Brighton would not go amiss. It neds to change its mindset that it is a holiday resort, more it should see itself as a popular micro city, on the model and diversity of somewhere like Llandudno.


Right now it is a big pile of shite... and its oop noowerth!

 

[Noostairz]

^ that's another thing (republica): fish and chips. the best fish and chips i've ever had in my life (and i've been to manly) was in blackpool at a dodgy looking caf on a dark, shitty little backstreet. why? get that stuff on-show out front, EMPHASISE BLACKPOOL AS ONE OF THE GREATEST BRITISH FISH AND CHIP MECCAS AROUND, but do it in a tidy, clean, nice non-shitty manner. local produce, etc. ram it home.

 

[Noostairz]

get rid of that laughing clown.

 

[Smarty]

I've only been to Blackpool once, about 10 years ago and I only stayed one night. A group of us went to go on the Pepsi Max Big One. We actually had a brilliant time and I really enjoyed our night there, but maybe not for good reasons. It was funny and enjoyable in a kitsch way - the place was unbelievably tacky and cheap. We hadn't booked a hotel and just approached one off the street as we arrived quite late. it turned out to be awful (dirty & cramped), and I understand that's a common complaint.

I think Blackpool has a real identity problem. It's seen as cheap and cheerful, but cheap and cheerful is fine for a day or a weekend, not for a week - who wants to stay in a rotting B&B for a whole week ? The standard of hotels and B&B's has really got to improve. Same for the restaurants. There are loads of cheap "all you can eat" or "steak meals for £5" type places, but I didn't see any good quality places - there was nowhere I wanted to eat, just lots of places to get food - a big difference. All of the shows and places to visit seemed crap and tacky - not inviting at all.

I think it should look to places like Brighton and Bournemouth to see how they've reinvented themselves over the past 10/20 years. Brighton has tarted itself up, got great restaurants, got city status and become far more than the London on Sea day trip place it always used to be. Bournemouth has developed lots of foreign language schools to give it a more cosmopolitan feel, become very clean and green and sees itself as a base for exploring the New Forest and Dorset coastline.

Blackpool needs to decide what it wants to be and create a new identity for itself - one that can offer a range of places to stay and eat and a range of things to do, not just the downmarket tat that it currently does. It needs to get families back there which it won't do until it controls the hen / stag parties.

good luck ! I hope you succeed in your aims.

 

[Delirium]

It could do with the world's largest enema at the moment but there's lots of... potential

 

[Tony Sebo]

oh, and they paint their most famous icon with fucking red lead... imagine the French doing that?


It should alaso look at the qulaity of life of its residents, as improveing the wellbeing of its people will provide a nicer environment for visitors too.

Actually zim, your group should call me in! :cheers:

 

[Madchester Guy]

It's shite. Been there only once, and I bloody regretted it, it's the place that time forgot. Great place to go for those people in the Depression thread, mind.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

I don't really want to copy and paste what I said in another thread. For me though I think if it got seriouse investment to smarten the place up, it still needs like a shopping mall, or how about all those shops that are behing the strip to be used as shops that people want to go to?

That really is what is lacking (besides of what I said in another thread).

I can't see anything to atrract people though, apart from a piss up, quick shag with some random person and a tattoo with their name on it which you get now.
How about you turn out like Gretna Green?, do weddings on a big scale aswell?

But seriously, how about something like a water park, or an Xscape. Either way, sorry to say it Zim, it's too much for you and Miss's Zim to do it on your own, but I'm sure you will have a successful hotel just because of the amount of people who already go there even if it is not the people who you would really want spending the night in it.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

It's shite. Been there only once, and I bloody regretted it, it's the place that time forgot. Great place to go for those people in the Depression thread, mind.

If you feel depressed go to Blackpool then you will no longer feel depressed because you know you don't live in Blackpool?

 

[Madchester Guy]

If you feel depressed go to Blackpool then you will no longer feel depressed because you know you don't live in Blackpool?

Got it in one!

 

[MacAndrews]

blackpool - complete shithole, full of scrotes. quite a shame really.

demolish the whole place and start again!

 

[tuten]

Apparently Blackpool's pleasure beach is the No 1 tourist destination in the whole of europe! :weird:

 

[SPLewis]

blackpool - complete shithole, full of scrotes. quite a shame really.

demolish the whole place and start again!

That would be great, good location, a fresh canvas to make a beautiful resort town, as long as we get rich oil baron monies to develop it.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

That would be great, good location, a fresh canvas to make a beautiful resort town, as long as we get rich oil baron monies to develop it.

If we didn't go to war in Iraq then we could afford to do it, and on a big scale.

 

[bigchrisfgb]

Got it in one!

Could also be a reason for Captain Jack in Torchwood to come back, I lost my lover, I killed my grandson, I sent 12 children to their death's years ago, oh well, atleast I'm not in Blackpool.:lol: