20050719

A weekend in Blackpool

So for those of you who don't know, Blackpool is a holiday resort in northern England. It's a working mans resort completely free of pretention and the place feels kind of like a cross between downtown Vegas and Atlantic City. My flatmate from Rome ( see apt pictures) is actually from Blackpool so I decided I'd have to visit the place after hearing all of his stories.

More than you wanted to know about what I did over a 48 hour period in blackpool:
  • Got yelled at and almost hit by a drunken scot for calling the weather cold. This was particularly unnerving because for a good 30 seconds or so I couldn't figure out a damn thing he was saying.
  • Drove along the "Prom" ( promenade) and saw what must be the worlds largest mirrored ball turning slowly beside the road
  • Saw 5 men dressed as cavemen ( definitely a stag party) sprinting down the street chasing one of their group
  • Witnessed part of a drug bust at a quiet pub. So this was the second drug bust I've seen, and it was nothing like the first. 3 cruisers and a paddywagon pulled up to the pub, about 6-7 cops walked in, a few people left, and the cops stayed milling around and talking to people in the back. Unfortunately we left the pub before the siezure and the arrests, but I think they wanted to do it after the place was closed. The drug bust I saw in berkeley involved a bunch of heavily outfitted cops using a battering ram to force open a door at about 11pm on University ave before rushing in with guns drawn
  • Rode the Pepsi Max Big One- the second tallest rollercoaster in the world ( 250 ft or so). It was good, but not fast enough, and it never goes upside down, so I think I still prefer some of the smaller faster ones like batman and riddler's revenge at six flags
  • Ate a very spicy delicious seekh kebab covered with raita, and had a long drawn out conversation with the shop owner about my super secret origins because he could tell I was Indian( I have him the usual story about a promising career in physics, a failed lab experiment, exposure to gamma rays, and the development of my super kebab eating powers)
  • Went for a long walk in stanley park in order to kill the kebab, but I was only vaguely successful ( thanks to the onions those things'll just stick with you for hours)
  • Visited a glass blower's studio run by my flatmate's uncle John, this was definitely worth the trip out there
  • Saw Blackpool's big nightlife attraction - the show at "Funny Girls" ( it's a drag show, so there was definitely something funny about those "girls"), and got invited to go for a drink in Wigam (a town not too close to Blackpool) with a very large woman who was part of a hen party. I politely declined.
  • Got pissed ( drunk) at a members only club for locals called the Devonshire Club. This was definitely a unique experience, there was a mediocre pub band that would play anything you requested ( except for freebird, I tried). The default gin and tonic came with diet tonic, and the crowd was mostly 40 and up locals. The place kicked ass and was open super late because it required membership, or a member to bring you in
  • Craving bodily harm, I had another kebab to soak up the gin, this time I got a donner kebab ( turkish style, think gyro) covered in mint chutney, onions, and garlic mayo (burping galore)
  • Went for a walk along the seaside in Lytham ( apparantly home of the most millionaires per square mile in the UK, kind of an Atherton on the sea with really crappy weather) and saw a Rolls-Royce club show/meeting (there were also several Bentlys)
  • Gorged myself at the local chippy (chip shop) in Lytham. I ate a steak and kidney pudding ( a large chunk of suet filled with beef , kidneys, and brown sauce) covered with chips(fries) , mushy peas, salt, vinegar, and of course... tons of gravy
  • Waited a couple hours then had a traditional northern sunday lunch: roast chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots and turnips, peas, cauliflower, and you guessed it...tons of gravy
  • Then it was back off to London in a train carriage (car) without any air conditioning with an loud arguing couple.
All and all it was a kickass weekend. I think I'm going to have to go back for a real holiday sometime, Blackpool is definitely like no other place I've been.

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