I Taxis Usually plentiful. friendly and quite reasonably priced. Private hire firms are cheaper than black cabs. but their cars cannot be hailed in the street. Be warned that taxis are very scarce between 11pm and 2am on Thurs. Fri and Sat nights. Probably the best places to catch one at these times are Charing Cross and Glasgow Cross. both places where several major roads meet. The only guarantee is to order well in advance.
I Trains Queen Street Station . 204 2844. Trains run on the hour and half-hour (7 days. but no 10.30pm train Suns) to and from Edinburgh at a cost of£3.90 single; £7.80 return; £4.90 off-peak day return. Last train is 11.30pm or midnight. Check with BR for confirmation. Also serves west- and north-bound destinations (including local routes).
Central Station, 204 2844. Trains to London and other south-bound destinations (including local routes) all run from Central Station, whose main entrance is at Gordon Street.
The local rail network has over 30 stations within the city, and can be useful for getting to the southern and eastern parts, which are not covered by the Underground. Trains run until around 11pm, and fares are around 50p—£1. Full details from British Rail.
I Underground Glasgow‘s system is laughably small compared to London's. but is often the quickest and cheapest way of getting around central and west-central Glasgow. There are 15 stops. arranged on a circular route. and trains run in both directions. The circuit takes 25 minutes, so the maximum journey time is roughly 13 minutes. or 2 minutes per stop. The service begins at 6.30am. but unfortunately closes down at 10.30pm. There is a flat fare of40p.
Accommodation
I Greater Glasgow Tourist Board 35 St Vincent Place. 227 4880. can book accommodation to suit your needs, though it may take a while to find you somewhere suitable.
I Youth Hostel 10 Woodlands Terrace, 332 3004. A particularly attractive terrace building with an outstanding view. overlooking Kelvingrove Park.
Help
I Bureaux de Change American Express, 115 Hope Street. 226 3077. Foreign Money Shop, Tourist Information Centre. St Vincent Place. 221 9798. Thomas Cook. 15 Gordon Street, 221 9431. Most travel agents also handle currency changes, and many are open when the banks are closed.
I Citizens Advice Bureau 212 Bath Street. 3312345.
Can help with anxious queries. but expect to queue. I Dental Care Glasgow Dental Hospital. 378 Sauchiehall Street. 332 7020. I Late Chemist Sinclairs. Great Western Road. 339 0012. 9am—9pm. 7 days a week. (For emergency prescriptions. overnight or at the weekend contact the police at any 24-hour station). I Lost Property/Police situated at Strathclyde Police headquarters in 17’ Pitt Street. 204 2626. I Medical Care 24-hour accident and emergency units at the Royal Infirmary, Castle Street. 552 3535 and the Western 1nfirmary.Dumbarton Road 339 8822.
Wine Bars
IAtholl Arms 134 Renfield Street. 332 5265. Open until midnight Mon. Tue. Sat; 1am (flexible) Wed—Fri; 11pm Sun. Elegant. airy. city centre bar with wood panelling and limited but wholesome selection of meals.
I Baby Grand Elmbank Gardens. Charing Cross. 248 4942. Open 8am—midnight Mon-Wed; 8am—lam Thurs. Fri; 10am—lam Sat; 10am—11pm Sun. Tucked away behind the local railway station. the Baby Grand is small but handsome. with a choice of the trendier tipples. some unusual and delicious snacks and meals and regular. live. bluesy jazz. It‘s no‘ cheap though.hke.
I Cul de Sac 44 Ashton Lane (off Byres Road). 334 8899 (bar)/334 4749 (restaurant). Open Ham—11.30pm Mon—Sat; 5—1 1pm Sun (bar); noon—1 1.30pm Mon—Wed; noon-midnight Thurs—Sat; noon—1 1pm Sun (restaurant). Low-ceilinged. atmospheric cafe-bar. with two separate
ObL9M9V
AMSTERDAM IN G LASGOW
116 — 122 BYRES ROAD GLASGOW 041 — 334 2666
personalities: a daytime retreat, with sun streaming through the windows. or an evening gathering point for the arty folk ofthe West End. Downstairs. there is a bright and pleasant if pricey creperie. serving a wrde choice of meals and snacks.
I The Horseshoe 17 Drury Street. 221 3051. Open 11am-midnightMon—Sat; 6.30—11pm Sun. Large. modernised Edwardian pub, with an eponymously shaped bar rumoured to be the longest in Britain. Busy but airy, with food available. Handy for Central Station.
Bars 3 IThe Halt Bar 160
Woodlands Road. 332 1210. Open 11am—l 1pm Mon-Sat; closed Sun. Certainly one of the best bars in town, with three different spaces, live music on a regular basis and customers from all walks of life.
I The Park Bar 1202 Argyle Street.3391715. Friendly and traditional bar. in which Northerners (or teuchters) are known to congregate. bringing with them their bagpipes. impromptu ceilidhs and bonhomie.
I The Pot $0" 154 Hope Street. 333 0980. Open llam—l 1pm Mon—Thurs; Ham—midnight Fri. Sat; closed Sun. A centre for the geinuine whisky lover. with nearly 250 malts and almost 40 blends and de-luxe whiskies.
I V: ..‘ V _‘ :3?“ . , 1 .3 3 x?
Needless to say, you‘ll want to savour the full
he'ahbity Bowster. 18 Blacklri‘ar‘s Stre
. SEX.» fifth-of-a-gill measure , I Change AtJamalca they are served in. ’ (‘lyde Place. 429 4422. IThe Variety 401 ' ()pen noon—midnight Sauchiehall Street. 332 Mon—Wed; noon-2am 4449. Open Thurs; noon—5am Fri. Sat;
llam—midnight Mon—Sat: 12.30—230pm. 6.30—1 1pm Sun. A recently refurbished but down-to-earth establishment. offering reasonably priced drinks and the kind of typically Glaswegian clientele which inhabited the nearby Griffin before it went upmarket.
6.30pm—midnight Sun. An extensive menu in stylish surroundings. and the added advantage of opening hours stretched to their limit on Friday and Saturday nights. when breakfast is served between 2am and 5am.
I The Rogano 11 [Exchange Place. 248 4055. Open noon—4pm. 7—10pm Mon—Sat; closed Sun. Regarded by many as the best restaurant in town, with a stylish art deco interior dating from 1935. and some quite splendid fish and seafood dishes.
I The Triangle 37 Queen Street. 221 8758. Open noon— 10pm (dining room); noon—1 1pm (brasserie) Mon-Sat; 6pm—10pm Sun. A very attractive. brick-red interior with work by local artists includinga delightful mural by Jan Nimmo.
I Blue Note Restaurant The Briggait. Clyde Street. 552 4840. Worth a visit due to the eerie sensation of being in the only open unit of the once bustling. fashionable Briggait shopping centre. which now stands deserted. Either gaze out across the Clyde or sit in the forecourt of a ghostly mall. Good food and music. Open 9am—midnight Sun—Wed; 9am—lam Thurs—Sat.
Restaurants
I The Buttery 652 Argyle Street, 221 8188. Open noon-2.30pm; 7—10pm Mon—Fri; 7—10pm Sat; closed Sun. Quiet and secluded wood-panelled eaterie in the centre of town, which serves a good selection of Scottish produce — including local fish and game — all cooked with flair andimagination.
V
et-one ol the city centre's most popular drinking spots.
Ubiquitou: Chip Wine Shop
Glolgow’t Independent Wine and Spirit merchant
041-554 5001
Sparkling Wine from £1.45 Champagne from £9.35
8 nthton lone,Glmgow 612
Brut de Pécher £7.95
90 The List 18 — 24 August 1989