BACK LIST
Setting the Scene
Glasgow is notoriously diffuse but George Square (U Buchanan Street) is the notional hub ofthe grid of streets running north-south and east-west which contain the main shoppingand business districts. This is bounded by the River Clyde tothe south. the High Street and Cathedral to the east. and the M8 motorway (east to Edinburgh. west to the airport and Greenock) to the north and west. Immediately to the east. around the cathedral. is the oldest part of the city but apart from the People's Palace on Glasgow Green to the south east. the massof featureless housing and light industrial estates beyond don't offer the visitor much. Over the river. the Citizens’ Theatre. ([1 Bridge Street)still standing in glorious isolation where the notorious slums ofthe Gorbals used to be. the Garden Festival site (L‘ Shields Road) on reclaimed dockland and Pollok House and Park which contains the justly celebrated Burrell Collection are important landmarks. To the west beyond the motorway. the trendy West End embraces the University at Ilillhead. (L’) the BBC. (If llillhead) and along the banksof Glasgow‘s other river. the Kelvin. Kelvingrove Park and Kelvingrove Museum and Art Galleryu:
Kcly'ingrove).
Information
ITourist Information Greater Glasgow Tourist Board. 35 St Vincent Place. 227 4880 but with The List by your side. you shouldn‘t need them except for .»\ccommodation (qv).
I Media RadioCIydc. Glasgow's local radio station. broadcasts 24 hours. 7 days. on 261 MW 102.5 VIIF. and isa cut above most II-R stations.
I Organised walks and trips Scottish Tourist Guides Association. 2 Ashton Green. liasl Kilbride (03552) 38094.
Getting Around Strathclyde Passenger Transport Iixecutivc vehiclesare easily recognisable for their orange livery:
I Buses Unbelievably complicated since deregulation — best to ask the driver if he‘s going where you want to go. Fare according to distance. pay the driver. There are several other companies operating limited routes.
I Underground a simple circle through most of the places you will want to visit. Quick and cheap but shuts at about 10.30pm; flat fare 40p.
I Trains Apart from InterCity out ofCentral
: (forsouthandwest directions)andQueen
Street (east and north) there is a good inner urban ‘low-Ievel' network running mostly east—west. It‘s timetabled and much less frequent than the Underground. Buy a ticket in the station oron the train. fare according to distance. Information: on all Strathclyde PTE services from St Enoch Square (L') 226 4826.
I Taxis Glasgow‘s black cabs which can be hired on the street or by phone are among the cheapest in Britain but check there‘s no boundary charge if you‘re going beyond the city limits. TryT.O.A. Radio Taxis — 9-11 1101 or Al Radio Cars (942 1414).
I Car hire all the major companies are in Glasgow. Mitchells is a big local firm situated in the multi-story car park in Mitchell Street by Central Station (L' St Enoch). 221 846].
Accommodation To suit all pockets. Contact the Greater Glasgow Tourist Board. 35 St Vincent Place 227 4880. If you're on a tight budget try the University Accommodation Service. 4 L'niversity Gardens ( [I Ilillhead). 339 8855 during vacations.
Help
I Lost Property/Police Conveniently two in one: the main Strathclyde Police Station at 173 Pitt Street is also the Central Lost Property Office — 204 2626. For legal representation or ady ice (the legal system is very different in Scotland) the I Citizens' Advice Bureau 212 Bath Street. 331 23-15 is invaluable.
I Money Banksopen Mon—Fri 9.30am to
3.30pm (plus Bank of Scotland stays open till 4.45pm each day and all banks are open a bit later on Thursdays; some major branches stay open at lunchtime).
I Healthcare Main 24-hr casualty units are the Royal Infirmary. Castle Street. 352 3535 orthe Western Infirmary. Dumbarton Road. 339 8822. Emergencydental treatment: Glasgow Dental Hospital. 378 Sauchiehall Street. 332 7020. Pregnancy and contraception advice: Glasgow Family Planning Association 2 Claremont Terrace 332 914-1.
I Late nightchemists contact local police for details of which chemist is on that night's rota. Advice despair desperation: The Samaritans 248-1488. Alcoholics Anonymous 48 Dundas Street. 332 3742. \'D Information ~129 5976. Drugs Telephone Information Service (2—10pm) 3320063. Gay Switchboard (personal answer 7—10pm)2218372.
Shopping
City Centre shopping thoroughfares. now mostly pedestrianised. are Argyll Street ( L" St Iinoch) and Buchanan Street ( ti ). which form a T-shape through the city centre. and Sauchiehall Street. parallel to Argyll Street a little further north and west. Arcades off the main streets are worth
L’ODEON
The relaxed, welcoming ambience of L'Odeon is that of a continental cafe. People come and go, meet friends or spend an afternoon reading a book or the daily papers supplied at the bar.
investigating. Smaller and more specialised boutiques can be found in and around Byres Road ([7 llillhetd) and a neighbouring short stretch of the Great Western Road (If Kelvinbridge). For those of you who prefer the market stall. try the Barras in the Gallowgatc. Saturday and Sunday. 9am-5pm. Not what it was some say. but still a lively affair and a good place to checkout the Glasgow patter.
Sights and Landmarks
I Glasgow Zoo 771 1185. Small scale safari park operation. L'sual amenities. ()pen l0am—5pm£2.30 £1.20. I The Tenement House 145 Buccleuch Street (LI Cowcaddens) 331 0183. Lovineg detailed reconstruction by the National Trust for Scotland of how
. Glasgow's poor used to live. ()pen 2—5pm every day April to October. £1 '50p. Free to .\'T N'I‘S members. I The Antonine Wall the Romans' other wall (not a stone one but a ditch and earthworks affair) from Bo'ness on the Forth to Old Kilpatrick. roughly where the new Iirskine Bridge crosses the Clyde downstream. runs through the northern suburbs. especially at Bearsden and Kirkintilloch. I The City Chambers the
entire east side ofGeorge
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.j 3, : :41"? 55:. : ‘ Square (U Buchanan Street). 221 9600. Ifyou think this Victorian version of Italian Renaissance architecture looks impressive. you should try the marbled splendour inside. Guided tours 10.30am and 2.30pm Mon. Tue. Wed and Fri. I Glasgow Cathedral Castle Street. Open April to September 9.30am— 1 pm and 2—7pm Mon to Sat; Sun 2~7pm.
Services 11am and 6.30pm j
on Sun. ()ne ofthe few church buildingsin Scotland to survive the Reformation. Partsofit date from the 12th century. Be sure to see the lower church. downstairs from the choir which includes the oldest part and St Mungo'stomb.
I Glasgow School olArt chfrew Street. 332 9797 ext 21-1. Mon—Fri 9.30am—12. 15pm and 1.15—5pm duringterm time. Most fascinating of all the buildings designed by Glasgow's foremost architect and interior designer and father of what has become known as the Glasgow School. Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Worth a few pence for the internal tour as well. especially the reading room. ()ther unmissable Mackintosh venues are the Willow Tea Room. upstairs at 217 Sauchiehall Street. now fully restored and the teas are good too (Mon to Sat 9.30am—4.30pm 331
0521 ). and the school buildings at 225 Scotland Street (outside only). See also I lunterian Art Gallery.
I Necropolis Castle Street. behind the cathedral. Mon—Sat 7am—8pm; Sun 9am—4pm. Iinjoys fine views ofthe city and is a fascinatineg concentrated reminder of the Victorian way of
Conversations and, as the night wears on, many a debate can be overheard. The background music is just that, not a; t relentless noise to be shouted above. ‘ Food is served all day in varying quantities. Meals are available from noon until 8pm, with a choice trom the fixed menu or from the changing selection on the blackboard. Cotlees and croissants are served all day. Manager, Raymond Barr is pleased with the brasserie’s success and the reputation it has achieved in its short , (ten week) existence. The atmosphere was planned, he says. to create a place for people to while away a few hours or spend an evening in congenial company. Events he intends to make more frequent are the midweek performances by chanteurs and I boulevardiers, such as Jeanette Burke, which give evenings an authentic Parisian air. (Sally Stewart) L'Odeon, 433 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. 041 332 3141.
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death. The stem looking guy on top of the column on top ofthe hill isJohn Knox. key figure in the Presbyterian Reformation in Scotland.
I Templeton's Carpet Factory Glasgow Green. Not a carpet factory any more. this buildingis remarkable for its exterior. an uncanny replica of the Doge‘s Palace in Venice. right down to the coloured bricks. battlements and arched windows.
I Victoriana The City is full of many splendid Victoran buildings. too numerous to mention. The best advice to the visitor is to wander around the central area and look up. for most ofthe elaborate stonework and detail is on the upper storeys.
I The Bridge to Nowhere (CharingCross). I-‘ifteen feet of unconnected motorway. left embarrassingly incomplete when schemes to further develop the MS where abandoned.
I Glasgow Garden Festival (L' Shields Road): See separate section in the magazine for details.
Sports Facilities
Plenty ofthem. mostly run by the District Council. For information on everything from tennis courts to bowling greens 227 5066. I Indoor sports (badminton. weight training. track and field etc) is best catered for at the newly improved Kelvin l lall Sports Arena (1) Kclvingrovc). Bunhouse Road. open Mon to Sun 9am-—l lpm. 357 2525.
I Squash courts, snooker facilities are mostly in private clubs; Marco's in Templeton Street. 554 8651 . open Mon to Sun 9am—l 1 .30pm is one ofthe biggest with temporary memberships.
I Swimming there are twelve municipal pools but the Pollok leisure Pool. 27 (‘owglen Road. offers the real fun. with slides. wave machines and so on. Check slightly idiosyncratic opening times 881 3313.
I Golf \Vitlt two of the best courses in the world just down the Ayrshire coast at Royal 'l‘roon and 'I'urnberry . the eight municipal courses in Glasgow may not cnthral you. though they are cheap and much better looked after than similar operations in I:ngland. Phone 227 5066 for details. ()fthe private clubs in the city. llaggs Castle. Dumbreck Road. 427 (14811 is one of the best.
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