Opportunities in Glasgow
Glasgow has embraced culture as a way of rejuvenating itself perhaps more than any other city in Britain. Using music, art, sport, and architecture, the city has spent the last 20 years making Glaswegians proud of Scotland’s second city.
Aside from producing Billy Connolly and Sir Alex Ferguson, the high point for this process was in 1990 when Glasgow was made European City of Culture. This was followed in 1999 by being made UK City of Architecture and Design and then in 2003, Glasgow became the European Capital of Sport.
Underlying all these prizes has been a belief by the city fathers that a strong local cultural life is the foundation of a strong city. The years of investment in showcase events has paid off and now Glasgow is one of Europe’s most visited cities, whether it be to enjoy the architecture of Charles Rennie Macintosh or the vast array of bars, clubs and restaurants which have grown up alongside its cultural renaissance.
Although you will still find Celtic and Rangers fans baying for each other’s blood on a Saturday afternoon in some of the rougher parts of town, you are also likely now to stumble across an international film festival or flower show as you wander around the city.
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city with a population of 600,000. It is also the commercial capital of the region and the UK’s largest retail centre outside of London. The city receives more than 2 million visitors a year, although admittedly many of these on the way to the national capital, Edinburgh, just over 40 miles away.
Central to the city’s charm is the Victorian architecture and old tenement buildings which occupy the core of the city, along with landmarks such as George Square, the magnificent Council house known as City Chambers and Glasgow Cathedral.
Nightlife in the city is made more pleasant with wide scale pedestrianisation in the main shopping streets, primarily along Argyle Street and Sauchiehall Street.
And Glasgow has quite a nightlife, mostly based in the centre of the city. Aside from the myriad of traditional Scots boozers lining the streets, the city has a number of top dance and music venues to rival anything down South. Top of the list is Barrowlands which was recently voted as one of the best venues in Europe and has played host to everyone from Blondie and David Bowie to new local heroes Franz Ferdinand. Other famous rock venues include the Cathouse, while you will find no better dance club than the Savoy that for 27 years has been considered the top dance joint in the city.
You will also find more modern places like Tiger Tiger, as well as places for the gay community such as the highly rated Bennets club in the old Merchant City district of town.
However, for those who actually want to sample some of Glasgow’s famed high-brow culture, there is plenty to ogle at too. Glasgow Council has 13 museums and galleries and claims to have ‘one of the richest collections in Europe’.
The top galleries are the Kelvingrove and the Burrel Collection. While in the Gallery of Modern Art (or GoMA) you will find plenty of thought provoking pieces which should kill off any old thoughts about Glasgow’s citizens only caring about beer and their precious football heroes.
However, there are plenty of sporting opportunities in Glasgow too, even if the weather so far North can be a little rainy at times. Facilities include the National Badminton Centre and a 50-metre pool at Tollcross Park Leisure Centre. Major Glasgow sporting events such as the Great Scottish Run and the Women’s 10K in May see more than 20,000 people participating.
Finally, after you have partied and got cultured and fit, Glasgow has plenty of top nosh to keep you comforted. Although haggis is still to be found on the menu, today it is more likely to be vegetarian and the mussels and salmon you eat will have been grown and caught only miles from where you are sitting.
Top restaurants include Gamba, Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or and Rococo, representing a mix of food from around the world as well as all the expected culinary excellence of the best French kitchens.
And, incredibly, Glasgow was also once voted Curry Capital of the UK despite having a relatively small ethnic population. All in all Glasgow is quite a package of cultural treats which should satisfy even the most culturally demanding resident.
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