Brussels is mostly dull
Brussels is a funny old place. Have been there a handful of times over the years, and never seen or stayed in the same neighbourhood twice. So it might as well be three or four different cities. First time I went, donkeys' years ago, it looked dull. But on my last visit a year ago, I stayed in a v nice hotel and saw some neighbourhoods that were utterly charming. Changed my view of the place totally.
I like cities with character and that are big enough to have something going on for them, in cultural as well as commercial terms, but small enough that feel they manageable.
Liverpool is such a place. Quite compact centre with some well-preseved 19th cent. civic architecture. Lots of culture too. And good communications and transport via Lime Street and the airport.
Always liked Bristol too.
My fave city of all time is Sydney. Compact but grown-up city centre. Proper business, culture, shopping, restaurants etc. Great beaches nearby. And well-spaced suburbs, many of which are linked to the centre via ferries across and around the harbour. It's a great commute for thousands of people every day. Weather's usually good too. Warm summers, mild winters.
On the other hand, I've always hated Brighton. Nothing good has ever happened to me there. Place is full of socialists, arty types and deviants. Looks scruffy. Horribly expensive. Beach is crap. And a permanent undercurrent of criminality. As Keith Waterhouse once said, 'Brighton always looks like a place that's helping police with their enquiries'.
