Art galleries and music venues are the flesh and bones around which the rest of Glasgow hangs. Anyone who’s ever been here carries this image home in their head. It’s in this city that you can imagine being inspired to paint that picture, write that film, set up that boy band or girl group that you’ve always wanted to. No matter when you visit the city, the following experiences should make it to your to-do list.
It’s easy to spend a number of thoughtful and emotional hours, or even days, at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum negotiating the 22 changing collections of over 8000 artefacts that include elements of natural history, weaponry and art all housed together in this monumental red sandstone building on the banks of the Kelvin. The staff is welcoming, the exhibition halls easy to navigate, and the text accompanying each work, crisp. Nothing takes itself too seriously here and giant suspended blown-up-doll faces loom large in the corridor, just beyond the iconic Dali painting of St. John of the Cross.
Chances are you’ve heard of Rennie Mackintosh, even if you’ve only been to Glasgow by armchair. This architect-designer was hugely influential in the art nouveau movement. Little wonder then that people talk of his clever use of light and space, floral motifs and the sensuous curves in his work - in the same hushed tones usually reserved only for opera. Amid the numerous venues to experience Mackintosh in this city, don’t miss the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, House for an Art Lover and the Glasgow School of Art. Mackintosh’s 1896 design for a new School of Art building, a forerunner to the birth of a new style in 20th century European architecture, remains at the centre of the campus. It is open to visitors who want a guided, in-depth look at the building’s design.
At the Willow Tea Rooms, you discover that afternoon tea hunger is like no other hunger. Satiate it with pots of orange, lemon, jasmine or whatever-you-fancy tea, ribbon sandwiches, scones and cakes of every texture, shape and variety. The waitress and the patrons feel like assembled characters from an old-world novel. The windows and chairs are of Mackintosh design. So even if you’re on diet but just crave an atmospheric treat, you’re in for a jolly good time.
The Burrell Collection is located at the heart of Pollok Country Park. It’s a good idea to take a horse-drawn carriage to bring you to the museum from the park gates. The collection is a cross between a moving scrapbook and an installed encyclopaedia of whimsy. Burrell - an intensely private person, believed that the collection was important and not the collector. And yet the longer you linger over the collection, the deeper the glimpse you get into the psyche of this rather eccentric man. There’s a story in every brick and bump, a thought in every artefact (both ancient and medieval), a spirit of the unusual in every work by both relatively unknown artists and the greats like Rodin and Cezanne.
Riverside Museum may have been voted European Museum of the Year 2013 but, even without this endorsement, it is a stunner. Containing every kind of transportation from Clyde-built trams to South African locomotives, Riverside Museum is housed in an avant-garde piece of architecture by Zaha Hadid. Interactive story displays and reconstructions of streets from the 1900’s — paying utmost attention to detail, elaborate the social histories of individuals working with transport in any capacity — including bicycle makers, tram conductresses, shipyard workers and fire fighters.
The Glasgow Miracle Walking Tour takes poetry out of the structures that confine it, onto the street where it belongs. It takes you past coffee shops, through art galleries, into tattoo parlours and along streets studded with public installations and poems inscribed into pavements, with animated, flamboyantly-dressed guides illuminating the subjects on display.
Once you get past your amusement at the name — Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery — of this regal Scottish restaurant, drink in the oak and mahogany furnishings, stained glass windows, tartan carpet and plate poetry. The fresh coastal fish adds another level of satisfaction to the proceedings.
The state-of-the-art Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome opened in Glasgow in October 2012, as one of the more versatile and innovative structures of its type in Europe. Visit it, not just to see the showcase venue of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, but because it’s not just a space by the elites for the elites. You can get a feel of the cycling track made from Siberian pine. Whatever your level of prowess or expertise, book some cycling time here. The indoor bike and helmet come with it, and there’s nothing you need to carry along really but a supremely game spirit.
Mr. Singh’s India is run by three generations of the Singh clan — Mr Singh senior, his sons, nephew and grandsons —is an institution with its innovative Scottish-Indian fusion cuisine, served by waiters who proudly wear the Scottish kilt with their traditional Sikh turban. Experiment with Mince and Tatties Curry; Haggis Pakoras; Haggis Bhoona, which, for the uninitiated, is haggis cooked in a blend of Indian spices, garlic, fresh ginger and capsicum.
Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music and hosts an average of 130 music events each week. If you’re hard-pressed to choose from the myriad musical offerings, remember King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut and Barrowlands are the cream of the live music venues. Soul Casino is also a musical feast with its soul, funk, jazz and reggae sounds. If you’re lucky enough to visit while a vintage festival is on, expect everyone around you to look like the cast of the popular television serial, Mad Men .
