I just got back from Nice

Meowster · Mon 03/03/2008 15:48:06

And not a single chav or obnoxious teenage bastard did I encounter there!

I live in Brighton, which is similar to Nice in terms of layout and atmosphere. They're both seaside towns with shingle beaches, popular tourist destinations due to their good weather and restaurants and shopping areas.

But what a difference.

Nice is clean, for a start. It is full of trees and plants; in fact the entire seafront is lined with gorgeous trees. The amazing weather probably helps a great deal too. I didn't encounter a single obnoxious teenage brat or chav. Several gorgeous parks with beautiful playgrounds, lots of fresh food, fish markets etc... It was awesome.

Brighton on the other hand, oh dear. It's dirty, so so dirty. No trees or plants except for the occasional failed little park that is so dirty that you'd never sit in there unless you were a tramp. We're a seaside town - so where are OUR fresh fish markets? There's one hidden away in some back alleys that is open on Sunday mornings, that's all that I'm aware of. The moment I stepped off the plane I was hit by a wave of screaming chavs... a huge difference from the peaceful nature of the teenagers in Nice.

And despite all this, it's still more expensive to live in/buy a house in Brighton than in Nice.

Why can't we sort ourselves out a bit?

twin-moon · Mon 03/03/2008 16:06:51

I have the same with trains.

I travel by train daily and it's I also get annoyed daily by people who stand right in front of the doors when a train arrives, effectively blocking the way out. Why don't they step aside? I don't know.

But on topic: when I was on holiday in Spain the plaza outside my window seemed like an outdoors cafe: it was full of people until five o'clock in the morning, at which time it was covered in empty bottles and trash.
At seven some cleaners came round an cleaned it all in 20/30 minutes. (Why the hell was I up at seven on a holiday?)

I guess those cleaners make all the difference. And when a place is clean people are more inclined to put something in a trashcan.

Meowster · Mon 03/03/2008 16:09:34

My original post isn't very well constructed or written, but I hope you all know what I'm talking about... I'm too tired and sad to put an awful lot of effort into it

I just wish that we could sort ourselves out over here in the UK and make something more of what we have... and also do something about all these awful loud obnoxious teenagers/chavs that isn't just putting mosquito devices everywhere to make them go cause trouble elsewhere.

Eggie · Mon 03/03/2008 16:10:15

Nice doesn't have a ghost train.
Brighton wins.

SSH · Mon 03/03/2008 17:54:47

Perhaps Brighton should change its name to sometime Nicer, like "Jammy Dodger" or some other name of a biscuit.

LimpingFish · Mon 03/03/2008 20:56:56

I live in a seaside town, and the closest we have to a fresh fish market is an old woman with a baby carriage full of fish that she's bought from local derelicts, who have nothing better to do that sit on the end of a pier with a worm on a string tied to the end of their finger.

Plus she sets up shop over a drain.

On the other hand, we do have a 20ft tall rusted chunk of "Installation Art", for the derelicts to lean their flagons of Scrumpy Jack against.

Our county council is run by a sprig of asparagus.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Tue 04/03/2008 02:00:16

Scrumpy Jack? I love that name! I encourage each and every one of you to personally go out and name your favorite bum Scrumpy Jack today. And give him some change, since all bums are male, obviously.

I feel much as you do about my country, Meowster, but more on an economic/political level. I see special interests and big government gradually syphoning away my personal rights and all I can do is vote against the insanity and hope other people have their eyes open. When you're not paying attention, everything has a tendency toward entropy.

If you feel really strongly about it, do something, act! Organize some of your friends to do a Brighton clean up day where you go around to some of your favorite spots and pick up a little or whatnot. Part of the why places get run down is the sense of apathy and the whole 'well I didn't do it so it's not my problem' mentality. Nothing improves with people like that in the majority! Again, if you feel strongly about it, do something.

Layabout · Tue 04/03/2008 05:22:45

Well, first thing, scrumpy jack is a brand of cider. Not particuarly strong, I'm suprised your bums drink it! Most bums prefer white lightning or special brew! Funny joke I heard the other day cocerning the current state of affairs in England. 'an earthquake in Poland kills 10000. The USA sends money, Australia sends clothes, Northampton sends replacements!'

Glad we only have poles in this area and not many chavs. I think the poles may have killed the chavs.

Phemar · Tue 04/03/2008 13:59:15

I'm a regular at a bar called The Scrumpy Jack around here. It's a pretty awesome place.

Emerald · Tue 04/03/2008 18:00:35

Quote from: LimpingFish on Mon 03/03/2008 20:56:56
Our county council is run by a sprig of asparagus.

Several sprigs.

LimpingFish · Tue 04/03/2008 22:54:07

Quote from: Layabout on Tue 04/03/2008 05:22:45
Well, first thing, scrumpy jack is a brand of cider. Not particuarly strong, I'm suprised your bums drink it! Most bums prefer white lightning or special brew!

Very few places will stock "Tramp Juice", so our bums are limited in what they can buy/steal. Bulmers (Magners) used to be popular, but most bums now choose Tesco Value Cider and such.

I think Special Brew is banned here. Or Tennent's Super. One of those unholy brews.

Tuomas · Tue 04/03/2008 23:45:23

Soo... How highly valued is this observation that you guys seem to be performing towards the so called "bums" around there? Because as far as I know, they do drink here too, but the brand the favour is a mystery to me mostly out of uninterest. Is it kind of common knowledge to know what they street-inhabitants are enjoying?

LimpingFish · Wed 05/03/2008 00:11:44

Yes.

Hard to miss really, since you either see them congregating or the aftermath thereof.

Bums aren't that bad. Better than junkies.

...

Or chavs.

Emerald · Wed 05/03/2008 13:39:54

Quote from: LimpingFish on Wed 05/03/2008 00:11:44
Bums aren't that bad. Better than junkies.

...

Or chavs.

The worst are the junkie-chavs who bum around Grafton Street. They lie down in the middle of the street, with a blanket wrapped around their dirty Nike gear, and shout "Waaaa, gimme sum yerros, roit? Me babby's sick, sure!", and after giving them a tenner, they turn around say "Wah? Ya got sum more? No? How 'bout if I knife ya for the craic."

I'm always surprised by how polite the bums are in, say, New York. They're all like "Please, sir, I would greatly appreciate it if you were to present me with any change you might not want." and after giving them a few pennies they respond with "Thank you kind, gracious, noble gentleman. May God smile upon you."

Tuomas · Wed 05/03/2008 14:47:43

And all this makes me wonder even more why exactly does my girlfriend want to study English culture and spend a year in the GB

Though I bet she hasn't heard what I have... I must warn her of all of this

Emerald · Wed 05/03/2008 15:29:00

Quote from: Tuomas on Wed 05/03/2008 14:47:43
And all this makes me wonder even more why exactly does my girlfriend want to study English culture and spend a year in the GB Though I bet she hasn't heard what I have... I must warn her of all of this

Tell her to study english in Ireland. All the greatest English cultural influences were really from Ireland

Tuomas · Wed 05/03/2008 15:33:38

I thought it was India

Anyway, I shant, I'm only coming along that year for the tea and the football and the black pudding

Emerald · Wed 05/03/2008 15:42:29

Quote from: Tuomas on Wed 05/03/2008 15:33:38
I thought it was India

Are you joking?
Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith, Bram Stoker... all Irishmen who have been unceremoniously stolen by the British, used as human shields by historians to make up for the fact that Great Britain hasn't had a decent writer native to their country in centuries...

Haddas · Wed 05/03/2008 16:18:34

Quote from: Emerald on Wed 05/03/2008 15:42:29
Are you joking?
Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift, Oliver Goldsmith, Bram Stoker... all Irishmen who have been unceremoniously stolen by the British, used as human shields by historians to make up for the fact that Great Britain hasn't had a decent writer native to their country in centuries...

Douglas Adams. There I said it

Jack Sheehan · Wed 05/03/2008 16:48:35

Quote from: Emerald on Wed 05/03/2008 15:29:00
Quote from: Tuomas on Wed 05/03/2008 14:47:43
And all this makes me wonder even more why exactly does my girlfriend want to study English culture and spend a year in the GB Though I bet she hasn't heard what I have... I must warn her of all of this

Tell her to study english in Ireland. All the greatest English cultural influences were really from Ireland

If she does study in Ireland, make sure to mention our awful roads system, the health service of a third world country, our tendency to screwdriver people to deathhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3451678.ece and a government run by chimps with ADHD.