Lau On Tour Day 14: Brighton

Part 14 of my new series, Lau On Tour. Catch up with my previous destination and find out what the series is all about before you join me in my final destination, Brighton.

The itinerary

Today's my final half day of my annual leave, so I'm keeping it local and heading to Brighton for a few hours of fun. A quick glance at the live webcam focused on Brighton Pier tells me it might not be bathing weather, and as there doesn't seem to be a way to virtually explore the pier itself, I'm heading for the city's other big attraction, the i360.

Image: Gunnar Ridderström/Unsplash

This viewing tower on the seafront is by the same people behind the London Eye, but goes up and down instead of round and round. Again, there doesn't seem to be a way to visit virtually on the official website (understandable - why would they give the views away for free?) but this YouTube video is the best alternative I've found. I can't get enough of those views all the way along the coastline.

Back on solid ground, I'm heading to another of Brighton's icons, the Royal Pavilion (that's the one that looks a bit like the Taj Mahal, set a few streets back from the seafront). Despite passing it many, many times, I've never been in, and I'm even more embarrassed to admit that I had no idea about its history, or how such an Indian-inspired building came to be on the south coast of England. Consider me all caught up thanks to this video introduction. If that's whetted your appetite for some glitz and glamour, take a virtual tour of some of the rooms, or ogle photos of each one accompanied by some more information about it. Personally, I love the opulence of the Saloon, and plan to visit it in real life one day.

Image: Qmin

I'm finishing off my morning of sightseeting in Brighton with a virtual visit to somewhere I go every time I'm in the city - JB's Diner. The Americana overdose lures me in every time - think chequerboard floors, red leather booths, neon signs and Coca Cola merch. There's a virtual tour of the venue online, which drew my attention to several details I've never noticed on my many trips in person, including the Mountain Dew wrappers on the ceiling, the shark's head sticking out of the wall, and the bar stool seating at the window.

Where I'm staying

Technically, as I've only got half a day of annual leave to play with, I probably don't need accommodation for this final leg of the trip. But as my budget and timescale for this whole blog series is a thing entirely of whimsy and imagination, I'll splash on a night at the luxurious Grand Brighton, with its seaview rooms and afternoon tea. 

In pop culture

Brighton-based author Dorothy Koomson bases most of her books in the city. She's one of my favourite authors, but I haven't yet got round to reading her latest book, The Brighton Mermaid. Given that the book has today's destination in its title, I'll be sinking into my deckchair armchair for the rest of the afternoon and giving it a read.

On the menu

If you've been following this series the whole way through, you've probably clocked by now that my eating habits are somewhat at odds to most people's ('fussy' is a word that has been used). So when I'm heading to Brighton, I'm not thinking of fish and chips, or seaside doughnuts on the pier, as most people would be. My foodie highlight is a pitstop at JB's Diner on the seafront, and is more of a liquid highlight - the Lucky Charms milkshakes. Tall, thick, cool, and made with creamy ice cream laced with the American cereal, topped with a mountain of whipped cream and a cherry, the drink usually comes with a separate cocktail shaker full of the overflow liquid that didn't fit in the glass. So long has it been a favourite of mine, that it can be seen in the photo on the 'About Me' section of this site.

Short of physically travelling to Brighton, my next best option is to hit up the milkshake shop in my local town. Alas, they don't stock cereal fillings, so I'm sucking down a Galaxy milkshake, pretending each lump of chocolate is a Lucky Charms marshmallow.

Souvenir shopping

Stick of rock. Lovely.

Pssst... you can see photos my previous trip to (real) Brighton, and find some unusual things to do in Brighton when the city's fully reopen.