List the things you like/dislike about your country/state/city

downwardspiral · 04-16-2015, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonts

This has been really interesting to read, I definitely appreciate and identify with both your descriptions.

I'm currently situated in Blackpool (which for the benefit of our US buddies is on the northwest coast), but I lived in Liverpool very briefly after I was born and was too young to remember it, but grew up in Birmingham then spent about a decade living in Manchester for uni and afterward. In the process spent a bit of time visiting Liverpool as I met my fiancé while she was temporarily living there.

Interestingly I've lived in both the city centres and suburbs of Birmingham and Manchester so feels like I saw both sides of what each city was like.

I have to say I admire your positive spin on Birmingham - personally I hated everything about it except the only rock clubs at the time which were Snobs and Exells (can't remember how to spell, maybe that's right) but we're talking the early 2000s here. I left pretty much at my first realistic opportunity.

Totally agree with everything said about Liverpool based on my experience, although I'm a bit too biased towards Manchester to say Liverpool is "better."

I'll do a review of Blackpool if I find time later. Oh and for reference I've also lived in Bolton, Salford and Stockport. Let's literally not go there.

Ah, Blackpool. My auntie moved from here to Blackpool (no idea why anyone would ever do that, frankly) years ago so I've spent a fair amount of time there. It's not the worst place, but it's full of the worst stag/hen do's imaginable and a lot of the residents are awful and seem small minded, as you mentioned. Brilliant zoo, though! I absolutely love that Rebellion is still going strong there too, and to be fair, it seems to be getting better as the years go on! This years line up is great.

The thing with Manchester and Liverpool is really, they're not even comparable as cities, the only reason they're ever paired and put up against one another is because they're in the same region. But like they are SO different it's untrue. Liverpool is more like Newcastle and Manchester imho is more like London or even Leeds so I don't know why they don't get compared as much.

I genuinely do believe Liverpool is a much -nicer- city, though, and I don't even think I'm being biased when I say that and it's got nothing to do with the whole Scouse/Manc rivalry either, because that's just pathetic. If I thought Manchester was nicer, I'd just say, but the truth is I really really don't. I reckon in terms of opportunity if you're wanting to progress in certain occupations then Manchester knocks Liverpool out of the park and as I mentioned before their gig scene is second only to London, but I've never ever thought Manchester was even the tiniest bit nice, the only reason their opportunities are more plentiful and they have so many bands touring there is because of its size and that it has more venues, the crowds in MCR at gigs are mostly awful (I spent probably most of my teens in MCR as Liverpool had a serious gig drought and no one came here for AGES so I had to be there all the time, so it's not like I've just been to the odd show there, I've been to ****ing loads). I also just find it far too big without there actually being THAT much there? And the city centre is weird and I don't even know where it begins or ends? There's far too many awful high rise buildings and flats too, sadly Manchester is a prime example of crass gentrification and so far Liverpool has been lucky enough to escape that on the most part and architecturally, Liverpool shames Manchester. I've also ALWAYS said that the people in Manchester are very stand-offish and cold, considering it's a northern city where, mostly, the people are very welcoming. I think that's why I see it as the north's answer to London, because of its size and how much the people are so unlike northerners in most other cities up here.

You've moved around a fair bit, then! I've only ever lived in Liverpool. Never left the place and I don't think I ever will. If I do, the only place I'd move to would be Berlin. There's not a chance I'd leave Liverpool to go and live in another part of this country. I got close last year when a friend and I were gonna move to Newcastle but it never materialised cos when we went there to visit, as I mentioned earlier, we just realised that there was literally no point. Even though its council keeps making questionable choices and our mayor is a ****ing horrible greedy idiot, Liverpool has everything you could possibly want in a city and I absolutely adore the place, through and through.