When we were kids in the 80s we visited Blackpool several times for day trips and had one week long holiday there. We stayed in one of the Guesthouses, which was well kept, and I have really good memories of how amazing the town seemed (to a kid).
I also visited as an adult for a work-related event in 2002, stayed for a couple of days and from what I remember it all seemed the same - a bit faded but great fish and chips, nice people. Less impressive as an adult but that’s inevitable.
I visited again recently on a bit of a whim and I was speechless. There’s clearly been some money spent on the promenade and that looks good but go one street back and I’ve honestly never seen anything like it - every house looks like the apocalypse just happened, literally falling to bits, rubbish and mess everywhere. All the Guesthouses seem to have gone, taken over by what look like horrible, run down HMOs. The walk from the car park to the front was unnerving, to put it mildly. Saw a fairly blatant drug deal en route too. The worst deprivation I’ve seen in the UK.
I’m assuming it hasn’t always been like this and I’ve just been oblivious - the last two decades must have hit really hard.
Anyone had the same experience?