Glasgow in general

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Coming into Glasgow by train or motorway you are immediately aware of the grim housing schemes that encircle much of the place. It seemed a good idea post-war to knock down all the unheathy tenements and ship people out to prefabricated housing schemes. What a mistake.
Arriving in the city centre, what is apparant is that Glaswegians love to shop. It is always busy. It is said that Glasgow has the best shopping after London and ...
...Key developments are the wonderful Glasgow Science Centre, Planitarium and IMAX, shortly to be joined by a new transport Museuem, BBC and it is rumoured Channel 4. Keep going and you will come to working class Ibrox (Rangers FC), Partick, and the out-of-town Braehead Shopping Mall, which is mostly in Renfrewshire (to Glasgow's disgust when they tried to levy Council Tax). Braehead, which is designed for carborne familes, and features the UK's bigest ... more

This is not just a list of tourist sights but I hope to tell you more about the city and its culture. I am not a native of the city so I think I am unbiased.

Where to start? It is not an easy place to visit as a tourist. In Edinburgh you are force fed tourist sights whilst the locals are fairly ungrateful for you spending all your dosh. But Edinburgh looks nice.

If you haven't a clue about what to see in Glasgow, the first stop is the Tourist Board in George Sq (close to Queen St station) or their web site. This is also where the open-top bus tours start from. Compare deals, some tour tickets are valid for 48 hours not just one day.

Coming into Glasgow by train or motorway you are immediately aware of the grim housing schemes that encircle much of the place. It seemed a good idea post-war to knock down all the unheathy tenements and ship people out to prefabricated housing schemes. What a mistake.
Arriving in the city centre, what is apparant is that Glaswegians love to shop. It is always busy. It is said that Glasgow has the best shopping after London and I would not disagree.

There are three key shopping axis, Argyle St, Buchanan St and Sauchihall St. At opposite ends of Buchanan St are the Buchanan Galleries and St Enochs malls. There are niche shopping centres in arcades off Buchanan St and in the Merchant City. For the beautiful people there is niche shopping in the West End, around Byres Road, and the Italian Centre (Merchant City). There is also a lot of gentrification going on near the Trongate, at the end of Argyll St, where there is an artistic community.

Lets get a little orientation with the areas of the city.

The city centre is, like Chicago, designed on a grid street plan. Basically it borders the River Cylde and rises up a hill. The Clyde waterfront is relatively undeveloped. The old medieval part of the city is around the High Street and Cathedral, but few old buildings remain and there is a lot of dereliction. If you're into industrial archeology it is interesting, maybe.

To the east is the famous Barras market, epicentre of counterfeit goods if the press are to be believed, stretching out to Parkhead (Celtic Park) and grim the hinterland in Lanarkshire, largely destroyed when Thatcher closed down heavy industry. It will be a long time before this area really benefits from Glasgow's rennaisassance, but there are signs.

To the south is the Southside, vast expanse of Victorian development, which largely kept its sandstone tennaments, and home to Students, Proffessionals and a substantial Asian population. There are several large Parks, Pollockshields is home to the Burrell Collection and Pollock House (NTS), where you could easily imagine you are in the countryside. At the edge is comfortable suburbia and one of the largest Jewish communities in the UK.
To the west there is the West End, home of the BBC, Botantic Gardens, University, luvvies and movers and shakers. If you have money this is probably where you will settle. The old docks down along the River Clyde are for the most part fairly derelict but a vast amount of money is going into regenerating this area. Key developments are the wonderful Glasgow Science Centre, Planitarium and IMAX, shortly to be joined by a new transport Museuem, BBC and it is rumoured Channel 4. Keep going and you will come to working class Ibrox (Rangers FC), Partick, and the out-of-town Braehead Shopping Mall, which is mostly in Renfrewshire (to Glasgow's disgust when they tried to levy Council Tax). Braehead, which is designed for carborne familes, and features the UK's bigest IKEA, can be reached by a waterbus from under Central Station, they give a nice commentary and you get a grandstand view of the decimation of the shipyards.

To the north is basically residential and light industry, I will stand corrected but this is mostly a dormitary area. The Campsie Fells beckon in the distance, and countryside that people traditionally associate with Scotland.
The other main escape route is to the south-west and Ayrshire, and the seaside. It is possible to bathe safely and even get sunburnt. Day trips to the Islands are a harmless and pleasant diversion. In the summer the Paddleship Waveley re-creates Victorian memories with trips out this way from Glasgow's Broomielaw. A single to Helensburgh can be had for as little as about £8, great value.

I have not mentioned Glaswegians yet, and this is a serious omission. Glaswegians live up to their reputation of being blunt. However there is often a genuine interest in what visitors think of the city - and why they would want to visit. Glaswegians often tend to know their own part of the city but not other areas very well. Glasgow is also a great melting pot of Highlanders, Lowlanders, Irish, Poles, Jews, Italians, Asians. All of this makes it quite cosmopolitan.

Glasgow has a reputation for crime. All I would say is that it is usually easy to spot potential trouble, or trouble spots. The city is very visably policed. My own experience is that it is easier to get lulled into a false sense of security in somewhere like Edinburgh. By the way, it is illegal to consume alcohol in public and that includes standing outside a pub in summer, with a few exceptions.

Glasgow is family friendly. There are a lot of free things to do, and kids are welcomed in most establishments. All Museums are free, and most have cafes with reasonable prices. The main victorian museum at Kelvingrove is closed for some years for refurbishment but you can check out the Burrell Collection, McLellan Galleries, Transport Museum, Peoples Palace. The last two are best for kids. DiMaggios chain of Pizza restaurants like kids, but there is a vast choice of eating places.

Forgot to mention when I first wrote this the Museum of Modern Art in Royal Exchange Sq, just of Buchannan St. It is beautifully lit up at Xmas and the rest of the year is a hook-up point for Goths and Skateboarders, esp Saturday. The building houses the usual modern stuff like piles of bricks but also a Roy Lichtenstein I seem to recall and a clock sculpture which I cant describe - you must see it. On the ground floor. In the basement a great library, cafe and internet cafe. On the ground floor a nice gift shop. The Glasgow City Council have given their museum shops more autonomy over what they stock, and they have sensibly gone for mid-price designer stuff as well as the usual books, postcards etc. Earnings from £6 by local designers, individual jewelry are some of the nwe ideas. Well worth a look. By the way the Transport Museum in the west end has branched out into more collectors models as well as kids pocket money stuff.

In Glasgow there are definable social and religious groups. As a tourist this may be irrelevent to you, but plays an important part of city life.
Neds should get a mention. These are mostly youths you will come across who wear regulation track suits (usually white) and burberry accessories such as baseball caps. They have nasal accents and are proud of their reputation for unsocial behaviour. Polite Glaswegians would happily ship them of to a distant island and nuke it, however you get the feeling that Glasgow would not be the same without them.
Glaswegians are sociable and have a sharp sense of humour. After initial in-you-face bluntness, locals can become more dour, particularily after a few drinks.

There is a lot of money spent in the bars and restaurants in the Merchant City and West End. Places go in and out of fashion very quickly. The tourist office offers a leaflet on 'where to eat' with an emphasis on places that are a safe choice.

At the budget end, Wetherspoons are well represented and the 'Horseshoe' bar in town does a roast lunch for a song, (don't expect a gourmet experience) and in the downstairs bar there are signed albums by the likes of Texas. It is easy to wander round and see what appeals. Glasgow is often voted Curry Capital of the UK and not without good reason. Portions are bigger and prices cheaper than down south. The web site www.5pm.co.uk which offers deals on restaurants started in Glasgow.
Because of the large student population, there is a serious club scene but at my age it's beyond me.

Getting around is a doddle. The most intensive train system outside London is complemented by a subway and if you must, a comprehensive bus system. An all-day train ticket (after 9am Mon-Fri) is £4 and gives you all the suburban routes and subway. An all-day subway only ticket (after 9.30am Mon-Fri) is £1.70. First Bus do a FirstDay ticket for £2.20 (£2.50 before 9.30am M-F).
A good introduction to glasgow is to get a leaflet on the subway (Discovery Ticket) which has a street map and places of interest near each station.
There has been a frenzy of hotel building over the last few years and prices are normally a lot cheaper than Edinburgh. Most of the national chains are recommended and most are in the city centre. There is a small nucleus in the West End. 1 Devonshire Gardens there is reputed to be the creme de la creme.
If you are on a budget, the IBIS or Holiday Inn Express offers reliable fare.

A few sights that you might want to take in:-
- Glasgow Art School - guided tours by students reveal this Renie MacIntosh masterpiece
- Burrell Collection - out of town collection of art treasures, free of charge
- Peoples Palace - free fun museum
- Science Centre - you will have to pay about £7 admission but this is paradise for young kids with 100's of hands-on exhibitions. Next door is an IMAX, often shows 3-D films
- Tea Rooms - one on Sauchihall St one on Buchannan St, recreating the MacIntosh designed cafes at the turn of the century
- Princes Galleries - niche shopping in this impressive atrium just off Buchannan St
- Transport Museum - great for kids, free
- Tennement House (NTS) close to Art School, an unspoilt period appartment
- Glasgow City Chambers - public tours, Victorian pile, has been used as a film set
- Botanic Gardens in the West End, unlike the one in Edinburgh the hothouses are free and there's a kids play area. Kibble Palace currently closed for repair
- Museum of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Sq, next to vast Borders if you are a bookworm
- Waveley cruise in summer

By the way, if you are expecting to see Kilts you are much more likely to see Armani suits rubbing shoulders with Adidas trackkies

Glasgow is re-launching its tourist initiative with the slogan 'scotland with style' - website at www.seeglasgow.com its OK but I have found a few inaccuracies andis a bit limited on attractions. searching on 'attractions' 'children' comes up with 3 things, none of which are in glasgow anyway!!
 

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