Glasgow was the last of our Scotland destinations, and our primary interest here was the street art. Unlike Edinburgh which had a historical character to it, Glasgow, or at least the parts we visited had a standard city vibe. The only exception was probably the university premises. As usual, we explored the city on foot, but found the First Day pass (bus) pretty useful when the distance was too long.
Stay
We stayed at the Motel One on Oswald Street, which was close to the station, main streets, and had a bus stop right in front. While their entire play seemed to be on design, we found quite a few things off – the check-in rush, the room design in terms of space utilisation, the design of the breakfast area, and the breakfast itself. Thankfully, the time spent here was low enough for this not to be a major irritant.
Our overall reaction to Motel One, Glasgow
See/Do
The Duke of Wellington (right in front of the Gallery of Modern Art) continues to be decorated with a traffic cone, despite every effort by the city authorities. An interesting install at the Gallery of Modern ArtThe Citizen Firefighter statue on Gordon StreetGlasgow was dressed up for Christmas already. There were multiple markets – St.Enoch, George Square, Sauchiehall Street… The Botanical Gardens just made us sigh a lot, just thinking about the quality of life. At the Kibble Palace. A good representation of me on the first working day after the vacation!The University of GlasgowInside the Hungarian Museum. Mild Dracarys feel.A stroll along the Kelvin Walkway will help you finish your quota of sighsThe Glasgow Cathedral. Closed by the time we got here. We were also too late to catch the Necropolis view. Street Art (the first of our favourite dozen) Thomas MuirToday we’re in love, aren’t we?World’s Most Economical TaxiHoney, I Shrunk the Kids (I liked how the car fit right in!)Bubbles (Part 1)Bubbles (Part 2)The MusicianTechnically not street art, but I thought they did a good hat tip to the genre. (The Ubiquitous Chip is also apparently a great place to dine)(part of) Strathclyde UniversitySt.Enoch and childSaint MungoBarras Pirate
Eat/Drink
Garlic & Thyme Chicken Breast @ CranachanCranachan Burger (beef with haggis fritter)The cake version of the traditional dessert named Cranachan (what we came for!)The Spiritualist is a go-to place if you’re in the mood for some genuinely innovative cocktails. D had a Raspberry Beret (which arrived in a white chocolate covered glass!) while I tried their Smoking Old FashionedPork Carnitas TacosThe Duke’s Umbrella became a favourite, for a fantastic mix of old world charm + new age aesthetic and serviceAn Old Fashioned for me, and a Dark Chocolate Negroni for DPotted Beef & BaconCumbrae Oyster‘Winston’ at The Finnieston, another favouriteA fantastic Shetland Mussels in Coconut Broth The Impersonator for DSquid Ink RisottoPork Medallions at Mharsanta, who managed to find us a table despite the weekend rush.
