8 Things I LOVE About Living In Glasgow

 

Glasgow is the city I was born in and for 17 years, I had lived in the suburb of East Renfrewshire, when I was living there, the combination of the abysmal weather and the lack of excitement was what made me want to go to Brazil, however, coming back to Glasgow from Stirling and staying here during lockdown has been rather eye-opening. Before going to uni, I didn't have such a high opinion of Glasgow, even calling it a 'dump' in a previous post, moreover, my opinion on the city has changed completely. When people find out I'm from Glasgow, people will tend to give two remarks, something along the lines of "don't stab me" or "do you support Celtic or Rangers?" I have to say, Glasgow doesn't deserve the reputation it gets and Glasgow is more than sectarian football hatred and brutalist architecture. There is so much more when it comes to the biggest city in Scotland. 

1. Glasgow Has Historial Richness 

Though it's nowhere near as historical as as Edinburgh and lacking in having a castle, Glasgow is known to have been the second city of the British Empire. The Merchant City still has architecture which dates back a few hundred years and the Clyde has its history in the shipbuilding industry. In Glasgow, history is right at your feet. 

 

 

2. Glasgow's Party Scene Is Grand

These days, Glasgow has reinvented itself as a vibrant student city, that can only be good news if you come here as a student and want to party, when T in the Park had been killed off, TRNSMT had took its place in Glasgow Green and it really is something. In 2018, just before leaving for Brazil, I saw the Killers play and it was such an incredible experience. Furthermore, Glasgow is home to countless incredible bars and clubs. The West End is home to Inn Deep, a craft beer pub frequented by students which has some incredible beers on offer.

 

3. Hampden Park

If you have put on a Scotland top and sung the national anthem, then you know what it means. The atmosphere of a Scotland game is something that all Scots have to witness and Hampden Park is a great place for it. Hampden Park is the oldest international football stadium in the world, hosting matches since 1903, it was where Zidane scored his famous volley to win the Champions League final and has hosted a Europa League final. Furthermore, Glasgow is going to be a host city for the Euro next year, meaning that Hampden Park will be welcoming fans from all over Europe. It is certainly a place with a great atmosphere during a Scotland game.

4. Glaswegians Are Some of the Friendliest People You Could Ever Meet

I always talk about how I've had some incredible experiences from friendly people in places all over the world like Japan and Brazil. However, some of the friendliest people are much closer to home, while in big cities like Los Angeles and London, people can have a complete lack of manners and will wish for you to get out of their way, in Glasgow it is the complete opposite. Contrary to popular belief, Glasgow is no-longer a hotbed for knife crime, I have hardly ever felt unsafe at any time here. When I have been walking my dog the past few days I had been talking to complete strangers in the park and have even made good friends at the shop. 

5. It's not Overwhelmingly Crowded and Has Loads of Green Spaces

As much as I like big cities like Tokyo, London and Hong Kong, sometimes it can just exhaust you. Glasgow's laid-back atmosphere is really refreshing, it's fairly compact as well, you can cycle from one end of the city to the other in just less than an hour. Unlike Edinburgh, it's not a huge tourist destination, meaning that crowds of tourists are minimal. There are loads of great parks in the middle of the city which are great places to hang around such as Kelvingrove Park in the university area and Glasgow Green, nearer to the Clyde.

6. It's Easy to get Away From the City

 It's all too known that Scotland's nature is incredible and if you live in the city, it's rather easy to get over to some nature. If you live in a big city like London, it can be incredibly difficult to go out into the countryside in one day. In Glasgow, you can go right into the middle of nature in less than an hour. To get to the legendary Loch Lomond from the centre of Glasgow only takes about 40 minutes and there is even a great cycle route which will only take you about two hours. If you haven't cycled to Loch Lomond, I highly recommend doing it as not only is it such a beautiful place, but there are some stunning views on the way. 

 

 

 

7. There is a Variety of Places for Food

There's a reason why Anthony Bourdain held Glasgow to such a high pedestal when he documented his visit on season 5 episode 3 of Parts Unknown, he was even amazed when he tried deep fried haggis with curry sauce at the University Café on Byres Road, Glasgow, however is more than just deep fried food. Glasgow's food scene has some Indian and Italian roots, you might not believe it, but chicken tikka masala is originally from Glasgow and some amazing curries can be eaten all around the city. Just like London, you can try all sorts of cuisines, from Mexican, to Korean and even Vietnamese eateries can be found around the West End. Glasgow even has some incredible homegrown businesses such as BRGR, Bread Meats Bread and Topolabamba. Even though there may not be some incredible places that serve traditional Scottish food, however there is a wealth of diverse cuisines.

8. The Grand Architecture 

What sets Glasgow apart from the rest of the world is the unique architecture, although many people will point out that the city has a multitude of grim industrial areas, however many of Glasgow's architectural wonders are overlooked. The city chambers standing in George Square is an example and the grandness of the Merchant City really shows that Glasgow had a lot of wealth from being the second city of The Empire. Moreover, in the West End, the Kelvingrove museum is a breathtaking creation and glancing at it makes me think it looks like a cathedral. Adjacent is the main campus of the University of Glasgow which almost looks like Hogwarts and is fascinating to wander around. The city was also the birthplace of the legendary architect and artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, whose creativity has passed into much of Glasgow's buildings. If you take a stroll through Glasgow you will notice the uniqueness and even some of Mackintosh's creations.