Take the energy of New York; add the shopping potential of Milan; combine with the cafe society of Budapest; blend in the warmth of the Irish - and you've got Glasgow. A superb city. A city for those who love cities. Nowhere in the United Kingdom has the energy and zest of Glasgow and now is a great time to visit.
Like Dublin, you may come to see the sights, but it's the people you'll remember. Glaswegians have a genius for instant friendship. Their sharp wit is something you can't fail to notice. But it's tempered by a huge dose of Celtic warmth and friendliness. Go into a Glasgow pub and just sit back and listen. Glasgow 'patter' is a delightful combination of Irish 'crack' with dry Scottish irony. It's abrasive, coarse, clever and very, very amusing. When it transpires you're a visitor, settle in and prepare for a session: Glaswegians like an appreciative audience and will play to the crowd all night.
As much as Edinburgh is private, Glasgow is public. You'll see the word throughout the city, carefully carved on the ubiquitous red-sandstone municipal buildings: 'Public Library', 'Public School', 'Public Baths'. The latter were wonderful institutions known as 'steamies', serving until the 1960s as the favoured meeting place for the army of housewives who gathered there daily ostensibly to do the family's laundry, but also, more importantly, to catch up on the latest gossip. And Glasgow still opens her doors to everyone and anyone. No pretensions, just a lot of fun.
Britain's finest Victorian city in the 1990s is the result of the sheer determination of Glaswegians in the 1980s to make the most of their architecture, heritage and culture. Having achieved the accolade Cultural Capital of Europe 1990, Glasgow gained a confidence in herself that little more than a decade before would have been unthinkable. Now there's no stopping her.
The Burrell Collection, one of the finest collections in the world, is reason enough to visit the city. The wonderfully forbidding cathedral is another, but it's more than the sights that draw you here. Anyone with an eye for design and architecture will appreciate that this is one place where new buildings have as much to commend them as the old.
If you think that Glasgow is crawling with Rab C. Nesbitts and characters out of 'Taggart', then take a walk to the Italian Centre in the revamped 'Merchant City', or go down the alleyways of Byres Road in the West End. You'll find boutiques and cafes here that would sit happily in the smartest shopping streets in the world. The beauty of Glasgow is that the smart and the chic live alongside the old and each are proud of the other. It's the contrast that gives the place its special atmosphere. Take the smart Princes Square shopping mall in Buchanan Street where designer labels overwhelm you in an 'Ab Fab' atmosphere of nouveau opulence. Then walk a few blocks east to reach the famous flea-market 'The Barras' (also head her if you want to hear Glasgow patter elevated to an art form). The juxtaposition of the two sums up beautifully the schizophrenic nature of Glasgow.
If it's a bit of highbrow you're after, the city is the home of Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Glasgow also has ten theatres and there's no shortage of traditional entertainment. But if you want an 'ethnic experience' check out the ceilidh scene at 'The Riverside', or go clubbing till the wee sma' hoors.
But it would be a mistake to become totally preoccupied with downtown Glasgow. The Glasgow and Clyde area extends far beyond the grid of streets in the city centre. Down river at Paisley, fore example, you can explore the story of the Paisley pattern, as well as a fine restored 12th-century abbey. This characteristic tear-drop shaped design on shawls was exploited by the local weavers. At the Paisley Museum and Art Gallery you will learn that the design owes its origins to an ancient Kashmiri symbol of life! Drive a little further west and you can lose yourself in the heathery rolling hills of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park - mini-Highlands minutes to the west and a reminder that one of the beauties of Glasgow is the easy access to some of Scotland's most beautiful countryside. Scottish Tourist Board Publication.
Return to NEWSletter - Spring 97 Issue.