_]I:=II T STUDENT TEC-
market' bars and restaurants than any other part of the city outside the centre. The proliferation of health- food shops. delicatessens. and colour-supplement shopping arcades in the Byres Road area show how far the local traders cater to the student market and that of the‘yuppies‘ drawn to this middle class area. For all the above reasons, it is well to remember that Hillhead is not representative of the city as a whole. however desirable it may be from a residential point ofview.
TRANSPORT
There are four modes of transport in the city; bus. underground. low- level train and standard railway. OThe bus service. comprehensive and regular. runs from early morning until 11pm or midnight. depending on the route. It can be pricey and the correct fare is required. Night buses leave from George Sq seven days a week at a flat rate of£l or£l .20.
OThe underground. affectionately nicknamed ‘the clockwork orange‘ is quicker than the bus and, at a flat rate of 30p. often cheaper. But. a far from comprehensive service. serving only the centre and west ofGlasgow; it also stops running about 10.30pm. does not operate on a Sunday and is distressingly noisy.
oLow-level trains run East to West from areas as far apart as Helensburgh and Airdrie and points in between. Frequent electric commuter lines sevice southern suburbs from Central Station. OFrequent travellers should invest in an inner or outer transcard. These allow unlimited travel on Strathclyde transport. British Rail and Scottish Bus Group transport. Available from the Transcentre. 1031/2 St Vincent Street weekly. four weekly or annually. An inner transcard costs £5 weekly. £17 monthly for travel in most of Glasgow. outer transcards to include
‘i more outlying areas are £7 and £23. ‘ Numerous other seasons are
available. For details of these and all other travel information. call at the Transcentre or the travel centre in St Enoch Sq. 041-226-4826.
LANDMARKS
Someone once described Glasgow as a 24 hour cabaret and while this is an exaggeration. there is no shortage of sights and experiences in the city. An interesting fact — Glasgow has more parkland per square mile than any city in Europe. oiteivingrove. much used by students and flashers. teems with determined joggers. constituting a severe hazard to those of a more sedentary disposition. while the Botanic Gardens are as notable for the pallid. anaemic bodies which throng the place at the first hint of sunshine as for the magnificent Kibble Palace. OOverlooking Kelvingrove Park is Glasgow University. The belltower of this much criticized. neo-Gothic
building provides an astonishing
view of such places as Kelvlngrove Art Gallery. The fact that the most elegant and ornate entrance to this building faces the river has led to some unkind accusations that it was, in fact. built back to front. A splendid view is also to be had of the Park Circus area, this acclaimed area is now largely offices and at night rings to the sound of sports cars speeding to and from Park Terrace’s more exclusive eateries and more ominously, the ltalian consulate. ooharing Cross is notable for the intricacies of its mansions and for the absurdity of the unfinished flyover. above the M8. No one knows to what purpose this magnificent edifice was built, since there are high buildings on both sides of it. When the council recently commissioned a feasibility study into its possible demolition, they found, to their chagrin, that it is well nigh indestructable. One far-seeing councillor suggested that ifthis were the case, perhaps a restaurant or similar should be built on top of it, thereby offering a unique view of the city. Sadly. we have heard no more about this. oGlasgow School of Art(Renfrew Street) is regarded as Charles Rennie Mackintosh's finest work and is certainly a superb example of his art-nouveau style. My personal favourite, however, is his Scotland Street School. with its delightfully diminutive infants‘ entrance. OTown centre landmarks include George Square; dominated by the impressive facade of the City Chambers. this is the home of several statues. winos. pigeons and the odd exhibition of Bulgarian clog- dancing, organised by the inhabitants of the Mr Happy bedecked building aforementioned. 0Tl.at part of Argyle St which is covered by the expanse of Central Station is affectionately known as “the Hielan'man’s Umbrella — alluding Ibelieve, to northerners’ meanness in the buying of rainwear. Shopping here is both eerie and extremely noisy. oThe former Templeton’s Carpet Factory on Glasgow Green is the most unusual building in the city. With its mosaic of tiled brickwork and modelled on the Doge’s Palace in Venice, it is recognised as the finest building of its type in the world. Nearby is the magnificent terracotta fountain built for the Empire Exhibition by the famous Doulton and Company and just across the river is the new mosque, its Arabesque minarets giving a new look to Glasgow’s skyline. The suspension bridge across the river was used as a Moscow location by the BBC in An Englishman Abroad and if you are caught by the bitter wind whistling up the Clyde while on it, it is easy to see why. OTtIe Barras, off the Gallowgate at the eastern end of Argyle St, are an institution. Selling anything that can be sold and some things that should not be — a popular part of a Glaswegian Sunday. Much of the above applies equally well to Paddy’s
Market (Bridgegate). The cheapest shopping ‘centre‘ in town but it does not cater for ‘tourists‘ in the same way. oThe Saracen's Head inn on the Gallowgate is an ancient coaching inn immortalised in Billy Conolly‘s ‘Crucifixion‘ sketch; nowadays it is best described as quaintly ethnic. OThe south side of the river contains the notorious Hatchestown ‘E’. Take a trip here and wonder what kind of comic could build Algerian flats in the Gorbals and then have the cheek to have the Queen open them. changers V Celtic is the most famous football fixture in the world. More than adequately written about. it suffices to say that if you are a football fan. attending at least one match is a must. You will never forget it. oThe native Glasgow humour is legendary. Good examples of this can be found at the Barras. football matches (preferably Partick Thistle games). the tops of buses and in the good natured responses to the public speakers in front ofStlrlings Library in Queen Street and to the sombreroed Jim Reeves singalike in Sauchiehall 8t. OTips to remember — people are called ‘Jim’ and not ‘Jimmy‘. the phrase ‘by the way‘ should be appended to every second sentence and do not, under any circumstances. buy your Irn Bru out ofcans.
CULTURE
Although Edinburgh is the festival city. Glasgow is the true cultural centre of Scotland. Both Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera are based in the Theatre Royal. (Hope Street). which also plays host to prestigious touring companies such as the National Theatre. Student standby tickets are generally available. The world renowned Citizen ’s Theatre in the Gorbals can be controversial and/or brilliant. A visit here is a must, with student admission £1. The Mitchell Theatre (Granville St) stages shows by companies like Borderline. Wildcat and 7:84. The Third Eye Centre in Sauchiehall St is more of a workshop theatre. combining concerts, exhibitions and a bookshop. Also worth looking out for are the occasional late night productions in Kelvingrove bandstand.
By now everyone will have heard of the Burrell Collection in Pollok Park. Subject ofjustifiable acclaim and publicity it is one of the world‘s premier art collections. housing exhibits the like of which you will not see outside London. Works by Rodin, Manet and Degas are especially striking. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is arguably Scotland‘s most popular tourist attraction. Combining old masters, newer works and fascinating temporary exhibitions, the rightful pride of place belongs to Dali‘s awesome Christ of St John. The Hunterian Gallery and Mackintosh House (Hillhead St) belong to
Glasgow University. The former is a modern well laid out gallery with an outstanding collection by Whistler and the latter is a faithful recreation of Charles Rennie‘s old home and the best example of his work anywhere. The People '3 Palace on Glasgow Green is devoted to the city and her people. particularly the history of Red Clydeside. A visit here gives a flavour of the real Glasgow. past and present.
OClnemas The two main city centre cinemas are the Odeon and the ABC. Both the 3 screen Odeon (Renfield St) and the giant 5 screen
5 ABC complex (Sauchiehall St) show i the latest blockbusters but are not ‘ cheap. Also in town is the Glasgow
Film Theatre (Rose St) showing a variety ofoldies. classics. foreign/art
j films and frequently major f productions prior to general release. g The Salon in Vinnicombe St is a cosy
little cinema showing recent releases for£1 .25. The best cinema in Glasgow is the two screen Grosvenor (Ashton Lane). A student ticket (£1.25) lets you see a good mixture of re-runs and new releases and up to eight late night movies per week. The suggestion book in the foyer is commendably often acted upon by the astute and caring management.
' As befits a city of Glasgow’s size. it is
a superb shopping centre. Both
5 Argyle and Sauchiehall Streets contain the usual chain stores and * both have pedestrian only areas as
well as covered shopping arcades. Renfield St and Union Street contain the major record shops and a large number of clothes shops. Buchanan St is almost completely closed to traffic, while Candleriggs
i to the east of Argyle St has an
excellent indoor market open Thursday to Sunday. The Barras are a Glasgow tradition (see ‘Landmarks‘).
02nI-Hand Boolts Recommended used book shops are Gilmorehill Books (Bank St) and Voltaire and Rousseau (Otago Lane) for
f textbooks and literature. Extra cash 3 can be gained by selling old books, i required texts are always wanted.
although prices paid are not high.
oBeconls Albums can be bought and sold in Lost chord (Park Rd). Lost in Music (De Courcey‘s Arcade) and The Complex (Woodlands Rd). Prices and quality vary. but bargains are to be had by the persistent visitor.
5 0C|ottle8 Apart from Oxfam and the
like, the trendiest 2nd hand and surplus clothes are to be found in Flip (Queen St) and War and Peace (Bell St and Great Western Rd). Flip has the more wild and varied selection while War & Peace tends more towards the military, but is frequently cheaper. More elegant seconds can be had in De Courcey’s Arcade behind Byres Rd and the cheapest clothes in Glasgow are found in Paddy ’5 Market.
44 The List 4— l 7 October