by printersdevil78 » Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:28 am
^^Thanks, Larry!
^Chicken burger? Eww.... See, that's why I stuck to the pasty with a side of flirtations!
Moving right along, our second stop of Day 5 was the Blackpool area, which served as our base camp for a few days. There definitely was a feeling of excitement in the air as we explored the area around the park, even though it would be another two days before we actually rode anything there. Unlike the seaside resorts in the U.S., Blackpool was virtually dead after about 6 p.m. Mike said a lot of it (as well as many of the empty storefronts) had to do with the sagging economy. I guess when it comes down to buying bangers and mash or going on vacation, the bangers are going to win.
Anyway, we enjoyed it. Onward!
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- It kind of seemed like Blackpool made it to the 1970s... then stopped. There was a lot of retro signage, and the whole place gave off sort of a vague seediness reminiscent of Coney Island before automatic weapons were easily accessible.
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- It's big... it's blue... it must be our hotel!
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- You'd think the Big Blue Hotel would have a big blue sign. Alas....
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- I love Matt Frewer!
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- Not a bad view at all from our hotel!
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- "Hey! Get off the hotel property and go explore Blackpool before I call the cops!"
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- These lights were everywhere! Mike said they had to do with a special event held in the fall. This particular string sparked an intense "Dr. Who" conversation.
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- It would have been neat to have seen all these lit up. But then, I never thought I'd get to go to Blackpool in my lifetime at all, so "disappointment" really wasn't in the vocabulary!
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- Now that's my kind of restaurant!
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- With a carousel bar to boot!
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- Too bad they were closed :(
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- Oooh, scary!
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- Yuk yuk yuk!
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- These puns were likely scarier than anything inside!
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- This is what happens when the restraint fails on Pepsi Max Big One!
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- Another haunted house!?
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- If there's a theme park in England, there must be a miniature golf course within 20 feet.
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- This one looked nicely maintained (if closed for the evening).
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- Indoor water park! Alton's was better because we got ERT there....
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- Geez, another haunted house? That makes three of them in a two-block stretch... and that doesn't even include what's inside the park!
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- This one looked neat enough that a few of us actually talked about meeting up to check it out on our Blackpool park day. Unfortunately, there was so much to do at the park that we (or at least I) never made it.
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- Lady, it's nothing to lose your head over!
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- Unlike the other haunted houses, Carnesky's went for "old scary" rather than "funny scary" or "terrifying scary." For us, I think that's what gave it its edge. At least on the outside.
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- Another beach resort casino/arcade... and this one had "American pool!" Is American pool different than British pool?
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- Man, this place was like an acid trip come to life!
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- Flava Flav T-Rex says it's time for dinner!
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- I don't remember if I felt this way at the time, but looking back at the trip from the six-month point, the Big Blue Hotel meal was definitely the best of the trip. They even let Elissa serve as hostess!
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- Ladies and gentlemen, this is black pudding, AKA blood sausage. It's exactly what it sounds like. And it was delicious! I was pleasantly surprised.
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- This chicken was amazing! Stuffed with blue cheese, wrapped in bacon, grilled and gravy-fied!
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- But neither of those items had anything on the treacle pudding with custard! This may well be the best dessert I've ever tasted (and I've tasted a LOT of desserts)!
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- They actually have streetcorner stands for rock in the UK? Somehow, I suspect there's a translation issue.... (And there was. Apparently "rock" in the UK isn't slang for cocaine, but is a type of hard/chewy candy sold at seashore locations much in the same way as saltwater taffy in the U.S. And yes, it's pretty darned tasty.)
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- I spy Blackpool Tower!
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- Whale tail!
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- So, this was cool. The waves rushed into these holes...
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- ...making sounds similar to air passing over the mouth of a Coke bottle, which were then amplified by this harmonium, creating the Blackpool High Tide Organ! I'd never seen (or heard) anything like it.
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- You'd think some of these TPRers had never seen an ocean before!
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- In the distance, a closed pleasure pier loomed.
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- Meanwhile, Pepsi Max Big One stood tall, having ceased operation for the evening. It was tough for a bunch of amusement park enthusiasts to see all those closed rides!
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- Oh well. We may not have had theme parks, and the roller coasters were closed for the night, but we still had...
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- There are two very funny things about this sign. Can you spot them?
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- This makes one of those two things even funnier!
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- I can only imagine this is what the Alveys' home looks like on Christmas!
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- Fun fact: By 9 p.m. in Blackpool, the only thing open is McDonald's!
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- Two things McDonald's in the U.S. needs to bring over: Mars milkshakes and whatever those cheese bite things were called. They were awesome, and the sweet red sauce (raspberry?) made them even better!
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- This was where I unleashed my best British impressions. Mike informed me that the only American allowed to use "me" as a pronoun in place of "I" and get away with it is Popeye.
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- Hey, there's always room for dessert! I'll take some ummies, a few do-nuts and a naughty rock novelty, please.
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- That's it for our first night in Blackpool. Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment, when TPR invades Camelot!
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