Cameron’s Travels

As I’ve been expanding our Scotland coverage for the upcoming Rick Steves Scotland guidebook, it’s been a pleasure to revisit some places that we now have enough space to cover in more depth. One of the best examples is Glasgow.

Up until now, our Glasgow chapter has focused on the downtown core, with just a bit of “by the way” information on its trendy West End residential zone. But for the new Scotland book, we wanted to dig deeper. I spent a day exploring Glasgow’s West End with an excellent local guide, Colin Mairs, and discovered that the area is even more worthwhile than we’d guessed. It will be prominently featured in the new book, but here’s a sneak preview.

The Royal Botanic Gardens are Glaswegians’ favorite place to enjoy a wee break from the bustling city. And, like so many things in Glasgow, it’s free. When the sun’s out, it’s jammed with people enjoying some rare rays. Young lads wait all winter for the day when they can cry, “Sun’s oot, taps aff!” and pull off their shirts to make the most of it. Glaswegians brag about their many parks, claiming that — despite their industrial reputation — they have more green space per capita than any other city in Europe. And even the city’s name comes from the Gaelic for “the dear green place.”

The little West End pedestrian zone called Ashton Lane is one of Glasgow’s most appealing dining, shopping, and nightlife areas. On this one wee street, you’ll find a staggering array of restaurants: the landmark Ubiquitous Chip pub/restaurant, Ketchup (American-style diner), Brel (Belgian beer bar), Vodka Wódka (Polish vodka bar), The Wee Curry Shop (Indian), and Jinty McGuinty’s (Irish pub and beer garden). There’s even a fine movie house, the Grosvenor Cinema, with cushy leather seats and a full bar…it was almost enough to convince me to abandon my research chores and catch up on some moviegoing.

Speaking of cinema, the Hillhead Bookclub fills a former movie house with rustic tables, cheap food and drink, live music and DJs, and lots of students. While it was sleepy when I visited (and took this picture) at mid-day, in the evenings it’s an ideal place to feel the pulse of Glasgow’s youth.

While Glasgow’s downtown has a variety of good museums, the West End has its own share as well. On the campus of the University of Glasgow (Scotland’s second-oldest, enrollment 24,000) are two excellent branches of The Hunterian, named for a prestigious alum who donated his scientific collections to the university to seed a great museum.

Right up there with Oxford, Cambridge, and St. Andrews, the University of Glasgow has several stately old buildings. This arcade connects the dual quads of the historic U. of G. headquarters.

I’m always on the lookout for the emerging hipster neighborhoods in Europe’s cities. That’s almost invariably where you find the best restaurants, bars, design shops, and nightlife. The West End as a whole has that vibe, but it’s most concentrated in the neighborhood called Finnieston, just down the hill from campus. Here are my new restaurant listings in Finnieston, from the upcoming Rick Steves Scotland guidebook:

Brewdog Glasgow is a great place to sample Scottish microbrews — from their own brewery in Aberdeen, as well as guest brews — in an industrial-mod setting reminiscent of American brewpubs. Also American-style, they serve many their beers cold — unlike the room temp of most British brews (also £8-9 burgers and pub grub, daily 12:00-24:00 except Sun from 12:30, directly across the street from Kelvingrove Museum at 1397 Argyle Street, tel. 0141/334-7175, www.brewdog.com).

Butchershop Bar & Grill is a casual, rustic American-style steak house, but featuring Scottish produce — focusing on dry-aged Scottish steaks (£12-16 main courses and £18-29 steaks, lunch and early-bird deals, daily 12:00-22:00, 1055 Sauchiehall Street, tel. 0141/339-2999, www.butchershopglasgow.com).

Trendy Finnieston Eateries on and near Argyle Street: Crabshakk, specializing in fresh seafood, is a foodie favorite, with a very tight bar-and-mezzanine seating area and tables spilling out onto the sidewalk. It’s casual but still respectable, and well worth reserving ahead (£8-16 meals plus seafood splurges, Tue-Sun 12:00-22:00, closed Mon, 1114 Argyle Street, tel. 0141/334-6127, www.crabshakk.com). Crabshakk anchors a strip of copycat funky/foodie eateries. Survey the choices along here (which change from week to week), but pay special attention to these three: The Gannet has £5-8 small plates and £15-20 meals, emphasizing Scottish ingredients with a modern spin (Tue-Sun 12:00-14:00 & 17:00-21:30, closed Mon, 1155 Argyle Street, tel. 0141/204-2081, www.thegannetgla.com). Kelvingrove Café and Cocktails is an unpretentious, rustic-chic bar serving creative £8-10 cocktails and £10-13 Scottish comfort food (daily 10:00-24:00, 1161 Argyle Street, tel. 0141/221-8988, www.kelvingrovecafe.com). Ox and Finch, a block up toward the main drag, is another good choice serving £5-8 small plates in a more upscale, rustic-wood-meets-industrial atmosphere (daily 12:00-22:00, 920 Sauchiehall Street, tel. 0141/339-8627). Several other fun bars and eateries are in this area — browsing is a delight.

In general, Glasgow’s West End is a great place to home-base for your visit to the city. Here are some accommodations I just scouted to add to our new Rick Steves Scotland guidebook:

The Alamo Guest House, energetically run by Steve and Emma, faces a bowling green and tennis court in an inviting residential area near the Kelvingrove Gallery (not as handy to the subway, but still easy by bus). It has rich, lavishly decorated public spaces and 12 comfortable rooms, half of which have bathrooms on the hall (D-£69-79, Db-£89-109, 46 Gray Street, tel. 0141/339-2395, www.alamoguesthouse.com, email: info@alamoguesthouse.com).

Amadeus Guest House, a classy refuge overlooking the Kelvin River with nine modern rooms and artistic flourishes, is conveniently located near the Kelvinbridge subway stop — just a 10-minute walk or one subway stop from the restaurant zone (Db-£80, includes continental breakfast, 411 North Woodside Road, tel. 0141/339-8257, www.amadeusguesthouse.co.uk, email: reservations@amadeusguesthouse.co.uk, Alexandra).

The Alfred, run by the landmark Òran Mór restaurant/pub in the former church just up the street, brings a contemporary elegance to the neighborhood, with 12 new-feeling, stylish rooms (Db-£70, larger Db-£90, 1 Alfred Terrace, tel. 0141/357-3445, www.thealfredhotelglasgow.co.uk, email: alfred@thealfredhotelglasgow.co.uk).

Argyll Western, with 17 sleek and tartaned Scottish-themed rooms, feels modern, efficient, and a bit impersonal (Db-£70, breakfast-£5, 6 Buckingham Terrace, tel. 0141/339-2339, www.argyllwestern.co.uk, email: info@argyllwestern.co.uk).

The Heritage Hotel is a lesser value — it’s modern but characterless, and the 27 rooms are well-worn. But the location is convenient and the rates are reasonable (Db-£60, 4/5 Alfred Terrace, tel. 0141/339-6955, www.theheritagehotel.net, email: bookings@heritagehotel.fsbusiness.co.uk

Glasgow’s underdog status may be thanks to its lack of conventional “Old World charm.” Europe’s darlings are creaky medieval burgs and sleek Renaissance cities…but late-bloomer Glasgow didn’t really take off until the shipbuilding boom of the 19th century. Downtown Glasgow feels more like Pittsburgh or Cincinnati than any European city I’ve seen: a tight, carefully planned grid of one-way streets connecting office buildings, shopping malls, and parking garages. And there’s not an “old town” in sight. But even if Glasgow lacks the atmosphere of the Royal Mile, it more than makes up for that in other ways — especially with its unique urban architecture.

Much of Glasgow is built from red sandstone, bathing the entire city a warm glow.

The big name in Glasgow architecture is Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who (along with his wife, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law) defined the “Glasgow Style” in the early 20th century. Mackintosh’s masterpiece, the Glasgow School of Art, was damaged in a fire last year, and remains closed to visitors. But while the School of Art is being rebuilt, students still lead tours of the building’s exterior (www.gsa.ac.uk/tours). From the outside, the School of Art may look like any old building. But your guide helps draw your attention to its many unique (and cleverly functional) flourishes, including these huge north-facing windows designed to wash the painting studio in an even light all day long.

The Glasgow School of Art tour also includes a fine collection of Mackintosh furniture. (The artist insisted on designing every minute detail of his commissions, from the foundation and the facade to the chairs and the cutlery.) While the shorthand of “Art Nouveau” is often applied to Mackintosh, he really forged his own style, mixing Art Nouveau, Japanese influences, and the arts-and-crafts movement. With his clean, functional lines, some say he was the spiritual godfather of Art Deco. And his work was practical as well as beautiful: This chair, designed for the Willow Tea Rooms, has a high back that’s designed to provide privacy from eavesdroppers.

Some of my favorite sights in Europe are the homes of artists, preserved to let visitors experience the world that the artist created for himself or herself to live in. What do artists surround themselves with — whether to promote creativity, or just to blow off steam? When Mackintosh and his artist wife, Margaret MacDonald, moved out of their Glasgow home in 1914, the University of Glasgow had the foresight to preserve all of their original furnishings. And, while the home was eventually demolished, in 1981 the university built this replica to house and display the Mackintosh decor and furniture. While concrete and functional on the outside, the interior feels like Charles and Margaret invited you over for tea. You can join a free 30-minute tour to see all of the rooms and get the whole story (2/hour, at the Hunterian Gallery in the West End, for details see www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian).

Glasgow is the Rodney Dangerfield of British towns. Although it’s the biggest city in Scotland, it always seems to fall off the bottom of most people’s wish lists for a Scottish vacation. And that’s a shame, because the city has a lot to offer. Admittedly, if you’re chasing misty daydreams of bagpipes, kilts, mysterious lochs, and sweeping glens, Glasgow will disappoint. But to understand Scotland beyond the cliches, Glasgow is a must.

Maybe the biggest thing Glasgow has going for it are its people. The Glaswegians (rhymes with “Norwegians”) are the friendliest people in this exceptionally friendly country. Although it’s a hardworking city, shop clerks here seem in no hurry to do anything but chat. And their accent is a hoot to listen to. Most caricatures of “colorful Scots” have a thick Glaswegian accent — think Billy Connolly.

Glaswegian is one of the most impenetrable dialects of English (to my ear, only Belfast is harder). A few tips: Don’t worry about understanding every word. Just let the lovely lilting cadence wash over you, and grab onto any passing vocabulary you recognize. And don’t freeze up like a deer in headlights when they ask you a question you don’t understand: Just politely ask them to repeat. And repeat again. And again. And eventually you’ll get it.

Like the centers of many other British (and American) industrial cities, Glasgow’s once-seedy and abandoned downtown has been reclaimed by developers. Buchanan Street is one of three streets (collectively called “The Golden Zed” or “Style Mile”) that have been pedestrianized and graced with big-ticket shops.

Strollers and window-shoppers promenade along Glasgow’s Buchanan Street, soaking in some rare sunshine. (While most of Europe has suffered through record heat, this has been the coldest Scottish summer in 40 years. Or more to the point, as many Scots have told me, “We’re not really getting a summer at all this year.” My Glasgow visit has been one of the rare stretches of sun on my trip.)

It’s fun to see what could be a dreary eyesore become a vibrant people zone. The steps leading up to Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall are jammed with office workers on their lunch break.
Americans struggle with the graffiti that tarnishes European cities. It helps to view at least some of the graffiti not as an eyesore, but as street art. Glasgow has a bold and progressive program to employ graffiti artists by commissioning huge murals on otherwise bare and ugly walls. Exploring the city, you stumble upon these everywhere — and you’ll soon find yourself appreciating the way that graffiti has been repurposed as a tool of urban beautification.