as a californian who lived in brighton for the 1st 1/2 of this year, i can say there is some truth to that statement.

the victorian housing, artiness, and multi-cultural nature of the two elicit frequent comparisons.

although similar in many respects, i would still say brighton is well worth a trip, even if you have been to s.f. the vibe there is unmatched!

:)

Brighton is also a very gay city, like San Francisco. That’s the reason why they compare the two. It’s often referred to as the gayest city in Europe. Brighton has great nightlife, a great music scene and is generally a great place to hang out.

I don’t know if Bright is necessarily the “San Francisco” of Britain, but the two places could certainly be sister cities. Both have rich heritage, vibrant nightlife and eccentricities that make them unique. For me, Brighton is like the small-town version of San Fran. It’s a bit more cozy and less like a big city. San Fran harbors no illusions about the fact that it is indeed a large city.

ive never been to sanfrancisco..
but ive seen photos of it.. and ive lived in sydney.. australia’s gay capital, and ive worked for the glbt community for 7yrs so even though ive not been to sanfran.. i seen a lot thru working with the community (newspaper publication)

ive lived/hangout in brighton when i was teen. and was there again recently..this year

i cant say that brighton reminds me of san fran.. but its my fav place in UK – something about the palace hasnt lost its magic.. its a real funky cool place to live. its getting bigger and busier, but there is a sense of earthyness that surrounds it..

here are some of my photos of my recent trip.. that may give u some visual clues :) in a non touristy way :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/webgrrl/sets/72157594166481767/