Positives/Negatives of moving to Glasgow?

Aye, the estate agents definition of the merchant city is about as vague as the west end!.

Well just to add an isolated disagreement with most of the previous posts…. I moved to Glasgow when I graduated from Uni and signed a years lease on a flat which I almost immediately regretted. Despite being in the Merchant City (which I’d been told wasn’t a bad area ), it is a year of my life that I’ve been quite happy to totally forget about. Found it an awful place. Regularly had to step over drunken bodies/urine/faeces on the doorstep of the block of flats on my way out to work, nearby stabbings were common. Most people I worked with were utterly, utterly miserable and it really tested my “half full” mentality. Two of my neighbours beat up their wives when Rangers lost. One of the two times in my life when I’ve been in urgent need of medical help and I was just laughed at as I was obviously drunk on my way to work at 7am.

Merchant city is somewhere I’d never live, despite there being a few decent bars and restaurants. Too close to town (and the wrong end of it at that!)

Did you buy a flat in the Herald Building? It’s reputation in Glasgow is now infamous.

I was much nicer on the South Side, so long as you stayed out of the bushes in Queens park, there was only 1 shooting and a kid getting beaten in the street but thats big cities really. Nicer than Liverpool and bits of Manchester.

Couple of mates drove up on a Friday night and ended up driving round the proper rough bits at about 9pm some interesting phone calls to navigate them back in.

Is the beer hall still under the station?

Letting and estate agents can be a joke… I saw farm steadings right beside possil being advertised as Milngavie!

bencooper – Member

And it’s got the only framebuilding and recumbent specialist in the West of Scotland

related to Alan Cooper by anychance?

thegeneralist – MemberMy missus would frequently get asked why she moved away from Germany and lived in Glasgow… “Didn’t you like it in Germany” was the standard response. They couldn’t fathom out the notion that some people wanted to broaden their horizons and live somewhere different and experience a different culture.

I’d agree that’s probably a common question, but you are probably picking it up wrong.

I’d suggest it’d be more a case of people being a wee bit confused as to why they choose to broaden their horizons in Glasgow out of all the places in the world they could have chosen! 😆

Merchant city is somewhere I’d never live, despite there being a few decent bars and restaurants. Too close to town (and the wrong end of it at that!)

Did you buy a flat in the Herald Building? It’s reputation in Glasgow is now infamous.The City centre is somewhere I wouldn’t live, in any city, who could be arsed with weekends in the city centre.

I’d suggest it’d be more a case of people being a wee bit confused as to why they choose to broaden their horizons in Glasgow out of all the places in the world they could have chosen!

I’d agree with this. Scots (particularly Weegies) are pretty self deprecating. You’re more likely to be met with surprise that you chose Glasgow, than surprise that you left home.

Also, I’d imagine that the percentage of Glaswegians who want to “broaden their horizons” is the same as in every other UK city. To suggest otherwise is a little offensive.

related to Alan Cooper by anychance?

What’s he done now?

and in terms of sport, Glasgow is great in winter and shit in summer

Although the good news is that summer only comes once every four or five years.

last 2 summers have been good, so that rules out another good one for atleast 8 years! 😆

I’m up there occasionally with work which means a wander across the town centre and then train out towards Cumbernauld where I normally stay a few nights (not in Cumbernauld – I’m not daft).

Despite my pre-conceptions about Glasgow being a dump, from what I’ve seen of it, it seems an ace place to be. A fantastic looking town centre for food/drink (I’ve sampled a fair bit of that on my way back from work trips)/shopping and some of the suburbs I pass through on the train like Lenzie look really nice. Plus theres the riding.

I loved living in Glasgow.

I lived in Dennistoun for 7 years with a fairly English accent. I have worked along side some of these neds as they are delightfully referred to they like to take the piss but the closest I have come to trouble has always been from people who are far far removed from that social bracket!

It’s a lovely place with lot’s to do and see. The people are friendly and as above “where are you from” has never been anything other than friendly curiosity.

And the weather is nowhere near as bad as people make out.

As an Englishman living in glasgow I must admit being about skeptical at first but I’ve warmed to the place massively to the point where I can see myself living here for the foreseeable future. Glasgow had so much going for it, and all the activities are so accessible.

The only downside for me is the lack of ‘cosy’ pubs. I do like my real ale, log fire etc but it’s one thing glasgow/Scotland do badly. Plus cos the weather is mostly shite there’s nothing like the number of beer gardens available so when the sun does come out they’re all packed.

Edit: actually the weather is no worse than in the NW of England. The last 2 summers have been fantastic up here

Some great flats.

cheese – you tried the Ben Nevis in Finnieston? Sounds like exactly where you need to visit! The Goblet on Park Drive (by Kelvinbridge underground) is another good place, not got a fire but is very friendly. I’d have more suggestions but sadly a lot of the old places with character got ruined by “progress” (Uisge Beatha, Brunswick Cellars and more I’ve forgotten). Finnieston is a good bet in general though, a considered walk from Yorkhill to the SECC along Argyle Street should net you a few decent places.

I live in Edinburgh. The main thing I know about Glasgow is that I go to way more gigs in Glasgow than I do in Edinburgh. Glasgow seems to be very good for live music.

It also feels like the road system in Glasgow is designed purely to make outsiders (particularly those from Edinburgh) suffer.

Are you kidding?

Glasgows roads are no effort at all unlike Edinburgh where, from North Bridge I was in Straiton before I found a sign directing me to Glasgow! (and don’t get me started on trying to do a simple journey across town from haymoarket to said North Bridge).

bencooper – Member

What’s he done now?

ha ha ha – I know Alan from work and I remember him mentioning a relation that built bikes.

Edinburgh roads/traffic are bonkers! Glasgow is just squares – how hard can that be? We don’t have a mini M25 going round our city that does nothing but cause havoc. I don’t recall the last time I got stuck in traffic more than 3-4 mins up here.

Comment above calling Lenzie a suburb! I don’t think many Lenzonians would agree with that. It’s a separate village in a separate county.

There are cosy friendly pubs all around but you have to look for them or know them. Some even have fires!

Bike Kinetics – I popped in one day years ago with a rusted GT Bravado frame with a crack, got it sorted and it’s still running strong now, appreciate it! Selfishly it’s a shame you moved from Milngavie.

joshvegas – unless your’re in the prison service or police I doubt you worked along side any neds!

ha ha ha – I know Alan from work and I remember him mentioning a relation that built bikes.

Yes, he’s my father 😉

Bike Kinetics – I popped in one day years ago with a rusted GT Bravado frame with a crack, got it sorted and it’s still running strong now, appreciate it! Selfishly it’s a shame you moved from Milngavie.

Good stuff – yeah, the old landlord was a real PITA, I was glad to get out of that lease. The new place is owned by a charity who are fantastic.

Ben, just noticed the new address…you must be able to walk to work now?!

Huh, never realised you were pretty much next door to Bikelove. Well that makes things handy, have a job needing done…

Ben, just noticed the new address…you must be able to walk to work now?!

It’s actually about the same distance, just in the opposite direction 😉

Yup, 6 doors along from Bikelove – so I can pinch normal bike bits off him and he can get stuff welded back together. Works well.

Comment above calling Lenzie a suburb! I don’t think many Lenzonians would agree with that. It’s a separate village in a separate county.

Nah, it’s a commuter suburb.

Legend of Lenzie

P.S. I’m borrowing ‘Lenzonian’ for future use!

tomd – Member
joshvegas – unless your’re in the prison service or police I doubt you worked along side any neds!
POSTED 5 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

When you are the only one to rurn up on a monday morning to cut grass because rangers were playing and they haven’t been let out the cells yet and half of them have to take a half day to sign on… You work with neds.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/glasgow-is-amazing-aplm?s=mobile

The Goblet on Park Drive (by Kelvinbridge underground)

The Doublet on Park Rd?

haha, bob I just saw that a few minutes ago on FB and was about to link it here 🙂

Glasgow’s a great city, it probably takes a while to figure out mind

glasgowdan – Member

Edinburgh roads/traffic are bonkers! Glasgow is just squares – how hard can that be?

Squares work well til you introduce a non-euclidian one way system. Glasgow uses its grid to make you feel like you’re really close to where you want to be, til the exact moment it makes you turn through 90 degrees and go off in the wrong direction, and for the next 5 minutes absolutely no roads go the way you want.

Edinburgh city centre is terrible too, but it doesn’t sprawl the same way.

Squares work well til you introduce a non-euclidian one way system. Glasgow uses its grid to make you feel like you’re really close to where you want to be, til the exact moment it makes you turn through 90 degrees and go off in the wrong direction, and for the next 5 minutes absolutely no roads go the way you want.

There’s a trick to driving in Glasgow. You need to have the vague location of where you’re heading in your head all the time and then also think “So to get there, I currently need to be heading [right]”. Then every time you get thrown off track, just update the “I need to be heading” bit and you’ll get there eventually. I know what you mean though, there’s been plenty of times when I think “I need to be heading right” and you get to a “Left Turn Only” junction 🙂

For me, the biggest issue with traffic is in the West End, and it’s not cars. For some reason, pedestrians think that cars give way to people. No one even looks when crossing the road, they just expect you’ll stop. I’ve never noticed anywhere else in Glasgow.

The Doublet on Park Rd?

Oh cock. Yes, that one. You’d think I was never a regular over a period of around 7 years or so wouldn’t you?

No one even looks when crossing the road, they just expect you’ll stop. I’ve never noticed anywhere else in Glasgow.

Well there is the famous city-wide saunter – “if I don’t look at the car, it won’t hit me”.