I imagine a lot of people feel the way I feel about Brighton.
Brighton, UK is one of those places that we think of as being more exciting and alternative than perhaps it really is. The seaside town has always held a certain sense of excitement, mystery, and creative energy, long being a beacon for cultural outsiders.
Queer people, punk rockers, and hippies would converge on destinations such as Brighton to look for likeminded personalities in order to create meaningful community.
In 2025 it now appears impossible to escape capitalism and gentrification, as a visitor to the city finding a Brighton overflowing with expensive tourist trap businesses as the independents get increasingly pushed out. The outsiders who made Brighton an desirable and exciting place are now in turn being rejected by soaring rents and a landscape unfriendly to independent business owners and community groups.