Glasgow

[Cheery Thistle]

Thought I would spread some end of year cheer by sharing this article. I am always saying how depressing I find Glasgow on my regular commutes to the city. The place has fared really badly since Covid. It’s so sad to see. Edinburgh is certainly not what it was, but there seem to be just enough resources to insulate it from a major downward spiral.

 https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24015008.glasgows-sauchiehall-street-went-wrong/?ref=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR3K_qpKJVmLlkhiilRL4VH8qEprlmK5JbAGRfDpfED3riTze9lVJfcDPK0_aem_ATPG11ddehUAdMr0Ndcs6mRgAUOxFIxMpnbweEU18eW_WfOT2HgYbQcLXmV9L9OytsA

[Toots]

What a shame.  Back in the day Sauchiehall Street was really quite classy - good quality shops and lovely places to eat.  I always enjoyed visits to Glasgow but for sure some places were really rough but the city had some real characters.  I know an elderly woman who has lived here for over 60 years and she has never lost the Glasgow accent.  I find myself reverting to my schoolgirl dialect whenever we talk together.  Ye ken, nicht, richt etc etc.   

Edited December 31, 2023 by Toots

[InnerVoice]

21 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Thought I would spread some end of year cheer by sharing this article. I am always saying how depressing I find Glasgow on my regular commutes to the city. The place has fared really badly since Covid. It’s so sad to see. Edinburgh is certainly not what it was, but there seem to be just enough resources to insulate it from a major downward spiral.

 https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24015008.glasgows-sauchiehall-street-went-wrong/?ref=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR3K_qpKJVmLlkhiilRL4VH8qEprlmK5JbAGRfDpfED3riTze9lVJfcDPK0_aem_ATPG11ddehUAdMr0Ndcs6mRgAUOxFIxMpnbweEU18eW_WfOT2HgYbQcLXmV9L9OytsA

That looks thoroughly grim, although the UK high street has been in decline for the last 20 years thanks to online shopping. Covid was just the final nail in the coffin.

[BendigoBoy]

Heartbreaking, in a way. I used to spend a fair bit of time on Sauchiehall Street, 20 years ago.

Maybe if there hadn't been that last minute swing after that lying sod Cameron told them the only way to stay in the EU was to stay in the UK back in 2014, it might be different. Doubt it, though. The SNP haven't exactly shown strong credentials in honesty and good economic governance.

They've made their bed over the years. They'll just have to lie in it.

Just glad my bed is Down Under.

[Cheery Thistle]

Hmm yeah I don’t really want to get into it but I’m not really ‘feeling’ any politicians at the moment. As you age you start to realise that none of them seem to have made things much better for the average person. SNP are making a huge mess just now. It’s definitely a case of choose your poison at the moment! 
I can’t quite put into words how bad Glasgow has got, especially if (like me) you remember how it was 20 years ago. It’s not just the shops, it’s the social problems too. They may have always been there, just more diluted but I do think that has also got worse. I can’t really see how it will recover, but I hope it does. 

[Ausvisitor]

8 hours ago, BendigoBoy said:

Heartbreaking, in a way. I used to spend a fair bit of time on Sauchiehall Street, 20 years ago.

Maybe if there hadn't been that last minute swing after that lying sod Cameron told them the only way to stay in the EU was to stay in the UK back in 2014, it might be different. Doubt it, though. The SNP haven't exactly shown strong credentials in honesty and good economic governance.

They've made their bed over the years. They'll just have to lie in it.

Just glad my bed is Down Under.

You might not like Dave, but he didn't lie about Scotland and Europe.

The European union came out at the time and said as a "new" nation Scotland would have to apply for admittance to the EU.

Look at how long that is taking, they are about to admit two new members but they applied before the 2014 referendum so Scotland would still be waiting, and guess what based on Scotland's GDP and the debt they would have taken as their share of UK debt on independence they would almost certainly have failed the financial stress test.

But the truth isn't as much fun as having a go at a politician is it???

[Ausvisitor]

5 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Hmm yeah I don’t really want to get into it but I’m not really ‘feeling’ any politicians at the moment. As you age you start to realise that none of them seem to have made things much better for the average person. SNP are making a huge mess just now. It’s definitely a case of choose your poison at the moment! 
I can’t quite put into words how bad Glasgow has got, especially if (like me) you remember how it was 20 years ago. It’s not just the shops, it’s the social problems too. They may have always been there, just more diluted but I do think that has also got worse. I can’t really see how it will recover, but I hope it does. 

The social problems have always been just under the surface in Glasgow, the huge amounts of money spent on the Glasgow infrastructure in the 1990s and 2000s (and the relative feel-good economy) meant they could be "papered-over", but they were arguably worse then because they were under the radar.

I do agree though I had many a good day (and night) on good old Sauchiehall Street (or as our US friends would say saucyhall street)

[Cheery Thistle]

1 hour ago, Ausvisitor said:

You might not like Dave, but he didn't lie about Scotland and Europe.

The European union came out at the time and said as a "new" nation Scotland would have to apply for admittance to the EU.

Look at how long that is taking, they are about to admit two new members but they applied before the 2014 referendum so Scotland would still be waiting, and guess what based on Scotland's GDP and the debt they would have taken as their share of UK debt on independence they would almost certainly have failed the financial stress test.

But the truth isn't as much fun as having a go at a politician is it???

Truth. Mwahahahahaha.

[Blue Manna]

9 hours ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Hmm yeah I don’t really want to get into it but I’m not really ‘feeling’ any politicians at the moment. As you age you start to realise that none of them seem to have made things much better for the average person. SNP are making a huge mess just now. It’s definitely a case of choose your poison at the moment! 
I can’t quite put into words how bad Glasgow has got, especially if (like me) you remember how it was 20 years ago. It’s not just the shops, it’s the social problems too. They may have always been there, just more diluted but I do think that has also got worse. I can’t really see how it will recover, but I hope it does. 

It's depressing the state of UK politics. Just depressing. Might vote greens so at least the poor sod can get their deposit back.

At least in Australia they change their parties and leaders quite regularly.

Been a long time since I've been to Glasgow, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone I knew ran it down against Edinburgh, but I quite liked it. I take it it's gone downhill since my last visit, which must have been twenty years ago?

[Johnny Kash]

2 hours ago, Blue Manna said:

It's depressing the state of UK politics. Just depressing. Might vote greens so at least the poor sod can get their deposit back.

At least in Australia they change their parties and leaders quite regularly.

Been a long time since I've been to Glasgow, but I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone I knew ran it down against Edinburgh, but I quite liked it. I take it it's gone downhill since my last visit, which must have been twenty years ago?

cant comment on the Weege but Ive been back to Edinburgh a few times over the last 10 years and its still a fantastic city.   As vibrant and cosmopolitan as ever.   Any Aussies over here who've been there either for holiday or longer term working have also spoken highly of it.

Only negatives we noticed is how much busier its become in terms of traffic on the roads etc. and doesnt really seem to have the infrastructure to cope with it.  Plus the ever climbing house prices, its become the London of Scotland in many ways - great place to live if you can afford it !

[Cheery Thistle]

2 minutes ago, Johnny Kash said:

cant comment on the Weege but Ive been back to Edinburgh a few times over the last 10 years and its still a fantastic city.   As vibrant and cosmopolitan as ever.   Any Aussies over here who've been there either for holiday or longer term working have also spoken highly of it.

Only negatives we noticed is how much busier its become in terms of traffic on the roads etc. and doesnt really seem to have the infrastructure to cope with it.  Plus the ever climbing house prices, its become the London of Scotland in many ways - great place to live if you can afford it !

Edinburgh is OK. Have you been since Covid? It’s not what it was either. Princes St is not great. Trams are an unpopular expensive turkey. I think Edinburgh is great for tourists and visitors. It’s just as expensive as London. As I have famously quoted on this forum previously £13 for a glass of rosé! Seriously I will always live Edinburgh as it’s my ‘home’ city, I just don’t get the same thrill from it as I used to. 

[Johnny Kash]

6 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

Edinburgh is OK. Have you been since Covid? It’s not what it was either. Princes St is not great. Trams are an unpopular expensive turkey. I think Edinburgh is great for tourists and visitors. It’s just as expensive as London. As I have famously quoted on this forum previously £13 for a glass of rosé! Seriously I will always live Edinburgh as it’s my ‘home’ city, I just don’t get the same thrill from it as I used to. 

As I said, the London of Scotland - partly what makes it great but you have to have the means to afford it.  I was back in September. 

  A lot of my old mates, those with young families have moved away to the borders/East Lothian/Fife.   One is still in the city but renting, seemingly given up on buying for now.   One is still in the Burgh itself (Corstorphine) with a 10 year old and has a great life - their son is doing snowboarding at Hillend/Scotland in the season, tennis, soccer, even surfing down at Dunbar - very active.   They go kayaking, paddleboarding in Aviemore and go away a lot in Europe. Thats two parents working both with well paid jobs though.  

Comparing that quality of life to ours they do better with holidays, being able to go to Europe etc. and weekends away.     Their house/garden is a bit cramped compared to what we have in Adelaide and thats the trade-off I guess.  

Locals have always moaned about tourists and the trams.   Apart from the increased traffic the city was still as vibrant and fun as ever from what I could see

[InnerVoice]

47 minutes ago, Johnny Kash said:

As I said, the London of Scotland - partly what makes it great but you have to have the means to afford it.  I was back in September. 

But very few do, and not just in Edinburgh, but in most desirable cities around the world.

I remember it once being described as the 'Bridget Jones phenomenon', where those in their 20s are sucked in by the big city vibe, only to find out very quickly that they can't afford to rent a flat on a PA's salary, and the reality is very different to Bridget's bubble.

[Philip]

I visited Glasgow frequently on business and if I manage to start my business in Australia (not sure if the market exists here) I will probably continue to visit frequently whenever I go back to the UK.

I may be biased as the people I meet there are all natives, but I feel it's much more down to earth than Edinburgh.

Hotel chains seem to have got overexcited and built too many new hotels in the past decade, so you can get good deals and they are keen to keep your business particularly outside of summer. But from May to August there are (like Edinburgh) too many Americans everywhere :p

[Cheery Thistle]

8 hours ago, Johnny Kash said:

As I said, the London of Scotland - partly what makes it great but you have to have the means to afford it.  I was back in September. 

  A lot of my old mates, those with young families have moved away to the borders/East Lothian/Fife.   One is still in the city but renting, seemingly given up on buying for now.   One is still in the Burgh itself (Corstorphine) with a 10 year old and has a great life - their son is doing snowboarding at Hillend/Scotland in the season, tennis, soccer, even surfing down at Dunbar - very active.   They go kayaking, paddleboarding in Aviemore and go away a lot in Europe. Thats two parents working both with well paid jobs though.  

Comparing that quality of life to ours they do better with holidays, being able to go to Europe etc. and weekends away.     Their house/garden is a bit cramped compared to what we have in Adelaide and thats the trade-off I guess.  

Locals have always moaned about tourists and the trams.   Apart from the increased traffic the city was still as vibrant and fun as ever from what I could see

I think it’s easier to see the positives when you’re not there, which is probably universal! When you’re living here you really see the lack of investment, things closing down etc. 

We live in West Lothian but we do own property in Edinburgh. We have a good life here. We don’t go kayaking at the weekends or live an idyllic life as you have described your friends do. Usually I have my washing and housework to catch up on at weekends, or I’m catching up with friends - kayaking and similar hobbies probably take up too much time, plus the one thing you did forget to mention was the weather which is not often conducive to that kind of thing. We have had one of the wettest summers on record and I swear to God only about 3 dry days since October! Lol. 
Our 10 year old does swimming (4hrs a week), gymnastics, piano so she is out all the time. And yes we do have holidays/trips abroad (5 in 2023). I think it’s understandable that your friends go away more often than you do, given the distances involved. 
In all honestly, general expenses in Edinburgh are not hugely more expensive than everywhere else any more. It’s £5.50 a bottle of peroni in our local. Property remains the thing that makes it more expensive. 
Would you move back? 

[Cheery Thistle]

1 hour ago, Philip said:

I visited Glasgow frequently on business and if I manage to start my business in Australia (not sure if the market exists here) I will probably continue to visit frequently whenever I go back to the UK.

I may be biased as the people I meet there are all natives, but I feel it's much more down to earth than Edinburgh.

Hotel chains seem to have got overexcited and built too many new hotels in the past decade, so you can get good deals and they are keen to keep your business particularly outside of summer. But from May to August there are (like Edinburgh) too many Americans everywhere

Can’t say I’ve come across too many Americans in Glasgow. In fact, on the Edinburgh - Glasgow train during the festival we were sitting opposite 2 American ladies whose accommodation was in Airdrie (random!). They were a wee bit out of place on the rowdy late night train! 

[InnerVoice]

8 minutes ago, Cheery Thistle said:

In all honestly, general expenses in Edinburgh are not hugely more expensive than everywhere else any more. It’s £5.50 a bottle of peroni in our local.

You're joking, aren't you? I've just paid $14 for a six-pack of Peronis and they've travelled 9,000 miles to get here!  

[Cheery Thistle]

5 minutes ago, InnerVoice said:

You're joking, aren't you? I've just paid $14 for a six-pack of Peronis and they've travelled 9,000 miles to get here!  

Unfortunately not. £6 a pint of Moretti. £5.50 bottle of Moretti.

Supermarkets are cheap - can get 10 bottles for £10, I always ask myself why they need to keep us anaesthetised with cheap alcohol lol. 

Hubby went for a curry with mates in a local byob Indian restaurant £35 a head for a starter and main course, one soft drink each, no alcohol. That’s just how much things are now. It’s the one thing we have cut back a lot is going out. We still want to go on holiday so the going out had to go, what with the increase in other costs. 

[welljock]

On 02/01/2024 at 01:49, Ausvisitor said:

You might not like Dave, but he didn't lie about Scotland and Europe.

The European union came out at the time and said as a "new" nation Scotland would have to apply for admittance to the EU.

Look at how long that is taking, they are about to admit two new members but they applied before the 2014 referendum so Scotland would still be waiting, and guess what based on Scotland's GDP and the debt they would have taken as their share of UK debt on independence they would almost certainly have failed the financial stress test.

But the truth isn't as much fun as having a go at a politician is it???

Not totally true it was the President at the time (under pressure from Spain who were trying to avoid Catalonian independence) who made the statement, legal advice was spilt.

Although moving from one overlord to another seemed stupid to me, independence should mean independence.

Cameron told a lot of lies, pensions and currency are two very big ones. Europe was another.

[Blue Manna]

On 02/01/2024 at 10:32, InnerVoice said:

You're joking, aren't you? I've just paid $14 for a six-pack of Peronis and they've travelled 9,000 miles to get here!  

You'd pay $10-12 for a pint of peroni in a pub or a restaurant in Australia wouldn't you? Can't stand the stuff myself. More of a real ale person.

[InnerVoice]

8 hours ago, Blue Manna said:

You'd pay $10-12 for a pint of peroni in a pub or a restaurant in Australia wouldn't you? Can't stand the stuff myself. More of a real ale person.

Yes, fair point - apples to apples and all that. I'm a real ale person too, but it doesn't cut through your thirst when the weather (or you) are really hot. The biggest thing I miss about UK life is real beer in real pubs. Although we'll never have the real pubs over here we at least at have a decent selection of craft beers these days, albeit at a hefty price tag I might add.

[ramot]

2 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Yes, fair point - apples to apples and all that. I'm a real ale person too, but it doesn't cut through your thirst when the weather (or you) are really hot. The biggest thing I miss about UK life is real beer in real pubs. Although we'll never have the real pubs over here we at least at have a decent selection of craft beers these days, albeit at a hefty price tag I might add.

The Duke of York in Sydney is as close as you can get to a real pub feel, beer on tap and fittings sourced from the uk. Voted the best Sunday roast in Australia 

apologies have taken the thread away from original thread about Glasgow, but thought it worth a mention

Edited January 7 by ramot

[InnerVoice]

2 hours ago, ramot said:

The Duke of York in Sydney is as close as you can get to a real pub feel, beer on tap and fittings sourced from the uk. Voted the best Sunday roast in Australia 

apologies have taken the thread away from original thread about Glasgow, but thought it worth a mention

Are you thinking of The Duke of Clarence? Maybe it was called the Duke of York, but the changed the name for obvious reasons!

[ramot]

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

Are you thinking of The Duke of Clarence? Maybe it was called the Duke of York, but the changed the name for obvious reasons!

Of course you’re absolutely right, The Duke of Clarence, don’t know where my brain was, it’s a great pub, sorry to confuse anyone. I blame staying up too late watching tennis.

[Quokka2005]

It’s bad but I’d still rather spend time there than Union street