Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide
Page 35
Vegetarian options available. Open daily noon-10:30pm.
STRAVAIGIN
28 Gibson St.
GLOBAL
0141 334 2665 www.stravaigin.com
Signs that a restaurant must be expensive: they have a cheese section on their menu. Signs that a restaurant must be great: it’s packed with people. Stravaigin exhibits both, and is so distinctive that they offer their own recipe of haggis. They even manage to do a vegetarian haggis, though no one’s quite sure how.
From Great Western Rd., turn onto Bank St. for 3 blocks, then turn left onto Gibson St. and follow 2 blocks. Appetizers £3.65-12. Entrees up to £23. Open daily 11am-midnight.
NANAKUSA
441 Sauchiehall St.
JAPANESE
0741 331 6303 www.nanakusa.co.uk
Nanakusa offers sushi and Japanese grill options in an atmosphere that leaves modern completely behind in favor of the weirdly futuristic. The long, low tables in front of color-changing window panes make you feel like you’re in an extremely relaxed disco while you eat. Staff is courteous and prompt.
Cowcaddens. Take Rose St. south and turn right onto Sauchiehall St. Saki singles for £4. Dishes £3-7. Open M-Th noon-2:30pm and 5-11pm, F-Sa noon-2am, Su 5-11pm.
NIGHTLIFE
Glasgow plus nightlife equals great parties. That’s almost ’nuff said, but we’ll go on. Whether you want to sit down and belt out some karaoke or get dolled up to find some classy clubs, Glasgow’s got a great scene. There are several good clubs on Bath St. in the city center as well as in the West End. Friday and Saturday nights draw the biggest and sloppiest crowds, but Sauchiehall Street has it going on every night of the week.
STEREO
20-28 Renfield Ln.
BAR, RESTAURANT, LIVE MUSIC
0141 222 2254
Much like a vegan, the upstairs restaurant area is thin and green (kidding, kidding). Serving organic ales (£4.05) as well as normal brews, the music space downstairs is a concrete box, where a great sound system helps make up for the not-so-great acoustics. Tapas are available until midnight in case you get peckish after all that unadulterated ale.
1 block north of Glasgow Central Low Level Rail Station. Entrees £7-7.50. Open M-Tu noon-midnight, W-Su noon-3am.
BUFF CLUB
142 Bath Ln.
CLUB
0141 221 7711 www.buffclub.com
One of the most popular clubs in Glasgow, the Buff Club is like a ’20s speakeasy, with a gold and red interior reminiscent of a classy hotel lobby and a two-floored dance area upstairs reminiscent of awesome. Funk and soul can be heard all night long.
Turn left off of Bath St. at Blytheswood St. and then turn left again. Electronica night on Tu. Look for weekly vodka+mixer promos. ATM available. Pints £3. Open daily 11pm-3am.
UISGE BEATHA
232-246 Woodlands Rd.
PUB
0141 332 1622
All right, before you go into the Uisge Beatha, repeat after us: “Ish-kah Vay-ha.” Get it right or risk looking like a helpless newbie. With a bar staff guaranteed to know everyone by name (including you, if you give them 5min.) and a wide range of whiskeys and beers, the “Ish” is a must. Stop by on Sundays for a trad band that occasionally swells to two dozen musicians.
Kelvinbridge. Follow Woodlands Rd. Quiz night on W. Pints £2.70-3.45. Spirits £2.80-3. Open M-Sa noon-midnight, Su 12:30pm-midnight.
LAKOTA
110-114 West George St.
BAR
0141 332 9724 www.lakotabars.co.uk
Lakota is a cocktail bar with plaid-shirted bartenders and deer heads above the bar. This place has a lot of room to roam, with chill booths on one end and a disco ball on the other. Upstairs you’ll find the ’80s bar Reflex.
Buchanan St. Lakota open M-Sa 9am-midnight, Su 10am-midnight. Reflex open F-Sa 8pm-midnight.
THE HORSESHOE BAR
17-19 Drury St.
BAR
0141 248 6368 www.facebook.com/thehorseshoebar
A huge, wraparound bar lined with standing old men greets you in the downstairs segment of this double-sided pub. Yes, the bottom floor is a bit quiet, but head upstairs to the karaoke bar to see tables full of people making conversation over the sweet sounds of the next “star” of the stage. Come in noon-3pm and get a 3-course lunch any day (£4).
1 block west of Glasgow Central Low Level Rail Station. Wheelchair accessibility limited to downstairs. Pints £2.25-2.70. Wine from £6. Open M-Sa 10am-midnight, Su 12:30pm-midnight.
DRUM AND MONKEY
93 Vincent St.
PUB
0141 221 6636
An ex-bank that now stores whiskey instead of cash, the Drum and Monkey is an old man’s bar for sure, but it’s also a good drinks bar, with friendly bartenders and a snazzy atmosphere.
Buchanan St. Open M-Th 11am-11pm, F-Sa 11am-midnight, Su 11am-10pm.
HILLHEAD BOOKCLUB
17 Vinicombe St.
BAR
0141 576 1700 www.hillheadbookclub.co.uk
One of the new bars on the block, the Bookclub is in an old cinema, so you’re not going to be jockeying for space unless things get really busy. Two floors of booths line an open floor area in this hipster-esque bar. Try their special “Hillhead Strawberry Mojito,” which is way more taste and booze than you’d normally be getting for £3. If you see Andrew the barman, tell him we say hi.
Hillhead. Follow Byers Rd. north to Vinicombe St. Open daily 11am-midnight.
THE BOX
431 Sauchihall St.
CLUB
www.box-glasgow.co.uk
In comparison to the Nice ’n Sleazy a few doors down, the Box trades beards and flannel for leather bracelets and hard rock. Live music plays 9pm-midnight, and then DJs take over from midnight-3am...every night. The party certainly never stops here, but what’s with all the weird bondage images on the walls? Ignore the posters, please, and listen to the music.
Buchanan. Walk down Rose St. to Sauchihall St. Pints £2-4. Open M-Th 5pm-3am, F-Su 4pm-3am.
PIVO PIVO
15 Waterloo St.
BAR, LIVE MUSIC
0141 564 8100 www.myspace.com/pivopivo
Pivo Pivo is the best place to hear all of the unsigned and unknown Glaswegian music acts. There’s a band on every night at this bunker-like former Czech hall. With good acoustics and a nice stage area. You could be feet away from the next Franz Ferdinand or Belle and Sebastian. Jazz happens on Saturday afternoons.
1 block west of Glasgow Central Low Level Rail. Large variety of beers. Beer £3-4. Mixed drinks £3. Covers for bands £3-5. Open M-Sa noon-midnight.
THE BELLE
617 Great Western Rd.
PUB
0141 339 9229
With a stone hearth and wood-burning fireplace. The Belle is busiest during the winter months when it may just be the warmest place in the West End...that serves alcohol. With large international selection of bottled beers (£2-4) and one weird stag’s head with red antlers, this place is definitely worth a closer look.
Kelvinbridge. Walk west on Great Western Rd. The red-antlered stag rejects the term “Demon deer.” Cash only. Open daily noon-midnight.
THE GARAGE
490 Sauchiehall St.
CLUB
0141 332 1120 www.garageglasgow.co.uk
The giant truck coming out of the wall above the door says it all—this place is either going to be a traffic jam or an accident. Screaming students dance and drink to the music in one of several bars to be found at the end of the club’s many staircases. Wise locals says it’s good to go in large groups—heed their advice.
Cowcaddens. Walk down Rose St. to Sauchihall St. Cover M-Th £5, students £3; F-Sa £7/5; Su £5/3. No cover before 11pm. Cash only. Open daily 11pm-3am.
HUMMINGBIRD
186 Bath St.
CLUB
0845 166 6039
An enormous, four-floor, heavily stylized establishment, the Hummingbird features three private karaoke r
ooms (each seating 10-15 crooners) as well as a mezzanine bar and a downstairs club space. You may see people wandering around with cocktails larger than their heads—those are the “fishbowls,” a house specialty. A late 20s crowd slowly stop acting their age as the night wears on.
Cowcaddens. Walk down Rose St. and turn right onto Bath St. Open M-F 5pm-1am, Sa-Su noon-3am.
NICE ’N SLEAZY
421 Sauchiehall St.
BAR, LIVE MUSIC
0141 333 0900 www.nicensleazy.com
A musician’s bar, this is the place where you’ll see the bartender and the customer in a heated argument—about which Jeff Beck album was the greatest, Blow by Blow or Live with the Jan Hammer Group (the answer is the latter). With paintings of snakes chasing flowers and hipster mustaches, Nice ’n Sleazy’s is a great bar where you can come in and immediately start talking music with the barstaff.
Cowcaddens. Walk down Rose St. to Sauchihall St. “Nice ’n Sleazy” T-shirts £20. Black and White Russians £2. Pints £2.70-3.30. Open M-Sa noon-3am, Su 1:30pm-3am.
KING TUT’S
272 St. Vincent St.
BAR, LIVE MUSIC
0141 221 5279 www.kingtuts.co.uk
The names of bands that have played here, and then gone to hit it big, like The Verve, Radiohead, and Florence and the Machine, have been printed on the stairs leading from the bar to the stage area. They’re so big that they’ve even got their own lager, King Tut’s, which sells for £3 per pint. Got a band? Drop off your demo in the mailbox inside and hope to be heard.
Buchanan St. 10min. concerts daily. Lager £3. Open M-Sa noon-1am, Su 6pm-midnight.
ARTS AND CULTURE
GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL (GRCH)
2 Sauchiehall St.
CITY CENTER
0141 353 8000 www.glasgowconcerthalls.com
A music performance space with a capacity of 2000, the GRCH regularly hosts acts of the Elvis Costello/Robert Cray caliber. Shows at this venue offer any sweet sounds you could be yearning for—from jazz to classical to Celtic.
Buchanan. On the corner of Sauchiehall and Buchanan St. Open M-Sa 10am-6pm.
ESSENTIALS
Practicalities
• TOURIST OFFICE: Visit Scotland, the tourist information office, books hotels and B and B’s (though, strangely, not hostels), in addition to providing free maps, information, and visitors’ guides. Of course, there’s also a souvenir shop. ( Open July-Aug M-W 9am-8pm, Th 9:30am-8pm, F-Sa 9am-8pm, Su 10am-6pm. The rest of the year the shop closes at around 5pm or 6pm.)
• CURRENCY EXCHANGE: Bank of Scotland. (54 Sauchiehall St. 0845 780 1801 www.bankofscotland.co.uk Open M-Tu 9am-5pm, W 9:30am-5pm, Th-Sa 9am-5pm.)
• POST OFFICES: Sauchiehall St. has a bureau de change in addition to regular postal services. (177 Sauchiehall St. 0845 774 0740 www.postoffice.co.uk Open M-Sa 9am-5:30pm.) Glasgow General Post Office is the big daddy of post offices in Glasgow and also has a bureau de change. (47 St. Vincent St. 0141 204 4400 www.postoffice.co.uk Open M-Sa 9am-5:30pm.)
Emergency!
• LATE-NIGHT PHARMACIES: Park Road Pharmacy. (405 Great Western Rd. 0141 339 5979 www.postoffice.co.uk Credit cards accepted. Open M-F 9am-6pm, Sa 9am-5pm.) Boots Pharmacy. (200 Sauchiehall St. Credit cards accepted. Open M-W 8am-6pm, Th 8am-8pm, F 8am-6pm, Sa 8am-6pm, Su 10am-6pm.)
Getting There
Edinburgh Bus Station is the main hub for Edinburgh. Buses come in from Scotland, England, and beyond. (#9 Elder St. 0131 652 5920 www.citylink.co.uk Luggage storage £2.50-3.50 per 3hr. £5-7 per 24 hr. Lost token £6. Toilets £.30; exact change necessary. Ticket office open daily 9am-8pm.) Several different bus companies run routes to and from Edinburgh, including National Express (08705 80 80 80 www.nationalexpress.com) linking England and Scotland, Scottish Citlink (08705 50 50 50 www.citylink.co.uk) which connects towns within Scotland, and Stagecoach (0870 608 2 608 www.stagecoachbus.com).
Getting Around
The subway or Underground in Glasgow (called “Clockwork Orange”) is operated by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. There are 15 subway stops in Glasgow that lie on one circle. The Glasgow subway operates every 4-8 min. Mondays to Saturdays between 6:30am and 11:30pm. On Sundays service is restricted to 11am-6pm, with trains every 8min. Trains take approximately 24min. for an entire circle. ( Single journey £1.20. 10 trips £10. “Discovery Ticket” for 1 day unlimited travel after 9:30am or all day Su £3.50.)
belfast
028
Finally able to breathe after years of conflict, Belfast is coming into its own as a burgeoning metropolis. Its various shopping centers sell everything from strawberries to luxury watchwear. The city’s people are kind and friendly, even though you don’t have to go far to find someone who not only remembers “the Troubles,” but can also recall a time when a policeman frisked you before you entered the city center. But far from having resentment and a “hush-hush” attitude, the people of Belfast enagage with their history; black cab tours of West Belfast, the area of hottest conflict, have become a popular tourist attraction. Think of Belfast as Dublin’s badass older brother who plays in a band: he’s cool, gritty, and gets tons of groupies. Head to Belfast to become one yourself.
ORIENTATION
What’s with all the Donegalls? Okay, get this: Donegall Square surrounds the city hall, Donegall Road runs from the west, crossing through town at Shaftesbury Square and becoming Donegall Pass, and finally, there’s Donegall Street that runs right through the heart of the cathedral district. Lesson to be learned? If someone gives you directions via a “Donegall” anything, make sure you get a second opinion. Belfast is a slim city, running mostly north to south, with the previously conflicted Fall and Shankill Roads in West Belfast usually just being visited by tourists in a cab. Queen’s University lies south of the city center along University Road (follow Bedford St. and Dublin Rd. from City Hall) and houses most of the student life and nearly all of the budget accommodations in Belfast. What was called the “Golden Mile” in past years—the triangle of Dublin Rd., Great Victoria, and Bruce St.—is now pretty much dead. A few fast-food joints and the odd pub can be found there, but the new hotspot for nightlife is the Cathedral Quarter, the area above City Hall near the River Lagan.
For details on Belfast map, click here
The University District
The University District centers on Queen’s University but extends into the residental neighborhoods to the west and south. The Student Union, The Botanic, and Eglantine Inn are all popular student bars, and there are several hostels and bed and breakfasts on Eglantine and Fitzwilliam Streets. Lisburn Road provides the other, far-side north-south channel, and also has several good restaurants and cafes. If you ever get disoriented, ask for either Lisburn or University Rd. and you’ll be able to point yourself back toward the city center.
The Cathedral Quarter
Boasting the hottest nightclubs and several bars, the Cathedral Quarter is experiencing an upsurge in both popularity and establishments—this is where you’ll find the new pub on the block. High Street provides a neat “bottom” to the neighborhood, which extends up to the University of Ulster and east over to North Street. Full of smaller streets, Waring street has some good bars and luxury hotels, and then there’s that Donegall street again.
The Shopping District
Right next to the Entries and City Hall, the shopping district houses the more high-end shopping of Belfast as well as the massive Victoria Square and Castlecourt shopping centers. Shoppers will be happy to note that Belfast is much cheaper than Dublin.
The Entries
A series of cobblestone and brick walking streets, the entries provide all the shopping that the Victoria and Castlecourt centers can’t. The term “entry” actually refers to tiny alleyways that have “covered” entrances in between shops on the wider open streets. Chances are you’ll see them as you walk around, but if you need help, just ask someone and they’ll be happy to point you to the nearest one.
AC
COMMODATIONS
Belfast has a great hostel scene, with several promising options lying close to Queen’s University. Most of the B and Bs are down along that area as well. In fact, aside from luxury hotels and the odd hostel down in the city center area, the university district is the place to be.
The University District
VAGABONDS
#9 University Rd.
HOSTEL
028 9543 8772 www.vagabondsbelfast.com
A brand-new, “for backpackers by backpackers” hostel, Vagabonds does everything right. Clean dorms, great common spaces, and a fantastic staff are all the norm here. The manager and his motley crew of employees are guaranteed to show you a good time. So good you might have to stay home for a night and just relax. That’s OK, though—Monday movie night means free popcorn. Enjoy.