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The rivalry between Scotland's two major cities is as famous as it is long-standing. In a special 12-page feature, we explore the best and worst of Glasgow and Edinburgh to see which one actually is miles better. To kick off, we try to unearth the roots of the age-old one-upmanship.
A tale of two Cities
IT'S ONLY 50 MILES but rt mrght as well be half a galaxy The By contrast, Glasgow wears the pomp and crrcumstance of rnterstellar hrg'nway that rs the M8 connects two Crtres so Vrctorrana on rts sleeve If yOu’re gorng to found an rnstrtutron, radrcally clrfferent they c'Ould be rn separate countrres But thrs those prosperous Emprre-burlders reckoned, found rt brg, wrth rs Scotland, and the crtres are Edrnburgh and Glasgow horses on top Or Irons George Square, the Royal Infrrrnary
Edrnburgh has long been seen as prrm, prudrsh and and the Necropolrs show an arrogance that could
only arrse from Glasgow's anorntrnent as Second Crty Of The Emprre But Glasgow has always acknowledged rts
prcture-postcard pretty The country's most tourrst-frrenclly crty, rt rs also a centre of artrstrc excellence Over 50 years, the Edrnburgh Festrval has become the world’s brggest arts event, and the crty must now boast more
foundatrons as workrng class Everythrng from the People's Palace to the Barras shouts brasnness rn the face of austerrty In our classless socrety, the most obvrorrs drfference
annual festrvals than any other Glasgow has lost or at least mrslarcl r Mayfest, but between Scotland's two major crtres rs the sense of style on the streets In Glasgow, you dress up to go shopprng on a Saturday afternoon Berng clocked by your mates rn anythrng less hrp than Stussy, Armanr or DKNY rs socral surcrde It helps to wear your harr cropped and slrng a chunky bag over your
the crty's revrval throughout the 80s culrnrnatrng rn a hugely successful year as European Crty Of Culture for I990 gave the caprtal pause for thought It was rndrcatrve of both crtres' :dentrtres when the rrrefutable slogan ‘GIasc_.;ow's Mrles Better' was snootrly (Ountered Wrth 'Edrnburgh's Slrghtly Super‘ror’ Glasgow has Taggart, Edrnburgh had groovy gear you buy from exclusrve fashron The Advocates Glasgow has the Old Frrm,‘ Outlets Edrnburgh the young 'pretenders' of Hrbs and Hearts. In Edrnburgh, you're more lrkely to go for second- Edrnburgh srred Sean Connery, Glasgow spawned hand chrc It's not necessarrly cheaper l9SOs Brlly Connolly. Edrnburgh has the Usher Hall, cocktarl dresses are hard to come by but rt Glasgow has the Barrowland —- recently suggests a Iouche glamour that srts easrly voted the UK's best rock venue. Wrth Edrnburgh's bourgeOrs tradrtron. The rrvalry rs often sard to be Check the hugely successful Gorng ancrent, but really rt only dates Places club nrghts for evrdence. back to the 19th century, when And rf yOur budget's trght, you‘ll an rndustrralrsed Glasgow get away wrth slummrng rt a la began explortrng Lanarkshrre's crusty more easrly rn coalmrnes, the rarlways and Edrnburgh the Clyde, and rts pop- At the end of the day, rt's a ulatron rncreasecl tenfold country of two halves, and Both crtres have had boom trrnes Saw through the sturdy oak that rs Edrnburgh, and you'll frnd three marn
shoulder - you'll need rt for all the
you probably already know
whrc‘h srde you’re on If you haven't got famrly tres rn Edrnburgh or Glasgow, It's really Just a matter of taste It took Donald Dewar months prck the Holyrood srte for the Scottrsh Parlrament, but nowhere west of Haymarket was even and the mushroomrng Suburbs, guretly consrdered Edrnburgh's role as a polrtrcal elbowed to the perrphery, but now frndrng a centre rs assured, but then ~ as Glaswegrans grubby glamOur through the works of Irvrne Welsh would be qurck to respond -where's the fun rn that7
23 Jan 75 Feb 1998 THE “ST 11
age-bands the ancrent alleyways and sCurrrlous practrces of the medreval Old Town, the snooty, grrdplanned grandeur of the Georgran New Town,