It isn't (I lived in Boldon - between Sunderland and Newcastle - for nine years, post university, before settling in the southwest). But amid all the Blade Runner cityscape, grim-up-north places like grimy industrial hellholes Middlesborough and Teeside (or "Backside" as I used to call it) there are some pretty places. Much of Yorkshire, for instance. Or north-east coastal towns like Whitby, which is a key location for Dracula enthusiasts (if you ever go there, make sure you visit The Magpie for the best fish and chips in the entire world). Also, there are some atmospheric and beautiful areas off the Northumberland coast (including Holy Island).