Things To Do in Glasgow

Glasgow is a reasonably compact and contiguous city - roughly the size of Amsterdam or San Francisco. As its 19th-century expansion was inspired in part by American cities such as Chicago, Glasgow's city center is laid out U.S.-style on a grid. Not very European, but at least the heart of the city is user-friendly. Most visits begin here, amid the rich Victorian architecture, whether it be 19th-century banks (many of which have been converted to other uses such as restaurants and bars), office buildings, warehouses, and churches.

Culturally, the options in the heart of Glasgow include architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh's School of Art, the city-owned Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), and the Tron Theatre. There is also the Gothic medieval Glasgow Cathedral and the splendid Victorian Theatre Royal. These attractions are all within a fairly short walking distance of each other. Three main boulevards - Argyle, Buchanan, and Sauchiehall streets - form a Z shape and have been made into predominantly car-free pedestrian zones, which offer a wealth of shopping opportunities.

Adjacent to the commercial center is Merchant City, where loft conversions over the past 25 years have created a hip, happening quarter with many lively bars and restaurants. The affluent and urbane West End has the city's top university, its most desirable homes, and plenty of restaurants, bars, and shops. This area is trendy and lively, with some of the city's best nightlife. Leafy and attractive, with the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum fabulously refurbished and now one of the most visited attractions in Britain, the West End is many visitors' favorite place to explore.

A river runs through Glasgow, and the modern city has yet to capitalize fully on the real potential of the Clyde. The shipbuilding industry that made the river famous is long gone. There isn't even an active, attractive marina for leisure boats today. At least, not yet. But bits of the waterfront have been improved and there is a certain urban charm to the riverbank, which has a national cycle path.

On the opposite side of the Clyde from the city center and West End, the Southside spreads out with well-established suburban neighborhoods. Some say this is the "real" Glasgow. While mostly residential, it is home to at least one major, arguably world-class, attraction - the Burrell Collection -- that merits an excursion south of the River Clyde.

City Center & Merchant City

The proverbial heart of Glasgow is George Square, at the doorstep of the seat of local government, the City Chambers, which Queen Victoria opened in 1888. The building's interiors have been used for movie sets (sometimes to represent the Kremlin), and the lavishly decorated Banqueting Hall is occasionally open to the public. Of the several statues in George Square, the most imposing is the 25-m (80-ft.) Doric column with Sir Walter Scott at the top. It was the first such monument built in the author's honor, about 5 years after his death.

You're Steamin'

A common euphemism for having too much to drink is "steamin'," as in the line: "I can't remember what happened last night, I was steamin'." Apparently this expression came from the experience of taking the steamships down the Clyde from Glasgow on a Sunday. These excursion trips were exempt from any restrictions on alcohol sales, a situation of which passengers took full advantage. One paddle steamer, the Waverley (tel. 0845/130-4647; www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk), still plies the Clyde on excursion trips.

After London, the capital of the U.K. and a city at least 10 times its size, Glasgow brags about having the second-most retail space in all of the U.K. (Birmingham begs to differ). Whatever the fact, Glasgow is a true shopping mecca in Scotland and, apparently, a reason for people to visit from northern England, too, as Glasgow's Buchanan Street is closer to them than London's Oxford Street.

The mainstream area for retail therapy in Glasgow is defined by the predominantly pedestrian zones of Argyle, Buchanan, and Sauchiehall streets, which join together and form a Z shape right in the heart of the city. But for more unique shops and fashions, it pays to venture into Merchant City and the West End. And perhaps the city's most unique shopping experience is at the flea-market-like stalls at the weekend Barras market in the East End.

The Shopping Scene

Glaswegians are notorious shoppers and their taste for labels is reflected in the range of shops across the city center. For quirkier finds, go into Merchant City and the West End, which has a growing number of hip and boutique outlets.

In general, retail outlets in the city center are open from 9am until 6pm, though on Thursday evenings, shops in the heart of the city can stay open until 8pm. Most established stores are now open in the afternoon on Sunday.

Best Buys -- Among the retail goods that are high-quality and priced competitively are fine wool knits, particularly cashmere. Goods produced within the country (with the exception of whisky, which is taxed as heavily as all alcoholic products) should be less expensive than outside the U.K.: From smoked salmon and shortbread to tweed and Caithness glass. Finally, given the number of artists in the country, getting an original piece of art to take home might represent the most value for your money.

Bring That Passport! -- Take along your passport when you go shopping in case you make a purchase that entitles you to a VAT (value-added tax) refund.

Shopping Complexes

Princes Square (Buchanan St.; tel. 0141/204-1685; www.princessquare.co.uk) is the city's most stylish and upmarket shopping center. Within a modernized and renovated Victorian building, the mall has many specialty stores, men's and women's fashion outlets, as well as restaurants, cafes, and bars.

If you're after a fancy watch or gold ring, go to the Argyll Arcade, the main entrance to which is at 30 Buchanan St. Even if the year of its construction (1827) wasn't posted above the entrance, you'd still know that this collection of shops beneath a curved glass ceiling is historic. The L-shaped, Parisian-style arcade contains one of the largest concentrations of retail jewelers, both antique and modern, in all of Europe. It's considered lucky by some to purchase a wedding band here.

Nearby, between Argyle Street and the River Clyde is the St. Enoch Shopping Centre (tel. 0141/204-3900; www.stenoch.com), which was being revamped and expanded in 2010. It is a fairly conventional indoor shopping mall with a couple of major department stores and a food court at one end.

The Buchanan Galleries (tel. 0141/333-9898; www.buchanangalleries.co.uk) are at the top of Buchanan Street. Completed in 1999, this mammoth development is hardly ground-breaking but it does include a John Lewis department store.

On the outskirts of town, the Braehead Shopping Centre (tel. 0141/885-1441; www.braehead.co.uk) is between the city and the airport. Its major draw is a sprawling Ikea store. In south Glasgow, the Silverburn shopping center (tel. 0141/880-3200; www.silverburn.com) is a recent addition. These malls appear to be taking shoppers away from the city center, in part because they are consistently open later in the evening.

Trawling the Stalls

The Barras, held Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm, takes place about a kilometer southeast of Glasgow's George Square. This century-old market has traders selling their wares in stalls and shops. You not only can browse for that special treasure, but also get a slice of Glaswegian life. Alas, as the old traders have died off, younger hawkers are not replacing them. And the authorities have had their hands full with the sale of black-market goods, especially tobacco, whose proceeds may help fund organized crime. Still, where else can you see an auction of 4.5kg (10 lb.) of chicken legs, with a pound of bacon thrown in for free?

Some say that it is Glasgow - not Edinburgh - that is the center of contemporary culture in Scotland. It is an arguable, not to say locally controversial, point of view. But there is no doubt that Glasgow has seen the most progress since the middle of the 20th century, when the shipping boom went bust, giving way to an image of profound decline that began to reverse in the 1980s. Its local arts scene was always alive, however.

Although the Scottish capital to the east hosts a world-famous festival and is home to the country's national art galleries and museums, Glasgow is where the respected and accomplished Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet companies - as well as the Scottish National Orchestra - are based. It is also the city where young talent is nurtured at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama. There are several theaters, including two that rank highly in the U.K. for staging ground-breaking drama: The Citizens and the Tron. Even more experimental performances can be seen at the Arches.

But for all this "high art," Glasgow has the reputation for being an unsurpassed spawning ground in Scotland for diverse pop and rock groups, such as Primal Scream, Paolo Nutini, Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, and Belle and Sebastian. Barrowland, a former ballroom, has to be one of the best venues (that is, sweaty and vibrating) in all of Britain for seeing live contemporary music. Additionally, there is the Academy on the city's Southside and in the city center, ABC, a former cinema that was redeveloped into an excellent mid-size music venue in 2005. There are also at least four bars - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut (where the band Oasis was apparently "discovered"), Nice 'n' Sleazy, the 13th Note, and Stereo - that provide Glasgow with smaller dedicated performance spaces. They attract rising bands and acts preferring cozy confines.

Then, of course, there are the city's many other pubs and bars. They are friendly places, and don't be surprised if the locals strike up a conversation. Remember, all indoor public places, including bars, are completely nonsmoking. For a complete rundown of what is happening in Glasgow, pick up a copy of The List, a biweekly magazine available at all major newsstands and bookshops, or go online to www.list.co.uk.

Theater

Although hardly competition for a drama giant such as London, Glasgow's theater scene is equal to, if not a step ahead of, Edinburgh's. Young Scottish playwrights often make their debuts here, and from the established dramatic repertoire you're likely to see anything from Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath to Beckett's Crapp's Last Tape.

Finding Out What's On

For a complete rundown of what is happening in the city, pick up a copy of The List, a biweekly magazine available at all major newsstands and bookshops. It reviews, previews, and gives the details of the arts and events in Glasgow and Edinburgh. For the online version, go to www.list.co.uk.

Dance Clubs

Glasgow has one of the most active dance club scenes in Great Britain. Listed below are just a few selected venues. In local parlance, "venues" are distinct from the actual "clubs" - such as Optimo (techno/post-punk) or Pressure (house and techno) - which are associated with a specific style, DJ, or team of DJs. They can move around to different venues. It all makes perfect sense to those in the know.

Late-Night Eats

Famished at 4 minutes past midnight? Several Indian restaurants are open until 1am, but a couple trump the lot by staying open until 4am. Charcoals is in the city center (26 Renfield St.; tel. 0141/221-9251), while Spice Gardens is on the southern bank of the River Clyde (Clyde Place near Bridge St.; tel. 0141/429-4422).

Gay & Lesbian

Glasgow and its environs are said to have the largest concentration of gays and lesbians in the U.K. outside of London. The Merchant City is the only identifiable district in the city where the gay and lesbian community is particularly concentrated, dubbed the "gay triangle."