TRAVEL
Indeed Scotland’s scenic highlands are spectacular, and there are countless bonny banks, monster-filled lochs, ancient castles and, yes, sheep. However, I quickly learned it offers much more than green hills, single-malt Scotch whisky and rich history. I also discovered Scotland’s best-kept secret: Glasgow. GLASGOW RISING Home to more than a half-million citizens, Glasgow is a modern, forward-moving city filled with arresting architecture, pristine parks, shopping streets and bustling public squares. Respectful of its past, with its face set toward the future, Glasgow is on the rise. Emerging in the new millennium as a hip cultural Mecca of museums, music, shopping and culinary delights, Glasgow is a thriving community committed to the arts and a hub for new digital media businesses and more. One of the UK’s most vibrant stylish cities, Glasgow is also consistently voted as the top place to shop in the UK outside London’s West End. With over 1,500 shops, ranging from unique vintage stores, independent record shops to brand- named chains and boutiques of exclusive designers, Glasgow is often considered as fashionable but more affordable than London. To borrow a Scottish colloquialism, Glasgow is “pure dead-brilliant.”
128 • Resident May 2014
“Each time I return, I am surprised by the changes I see,” says world-renowned photojournalist and Glasgow native Harry Benson, who holds the royal title Commander of the Order of the British Empire. “Today Glasgow is an exciting, modern city: 25-30 years ago you would never have seen an outdoor cafe, but now they are all over the place. The art galleries and the
museums are also some of the best in the world, but of course that has always been true,” says Benson, who once attended the Glasgow School of Art. Today he resides on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. “I am very proud to have come from Glasgow. It has a tremendous history in myriad fields, including commerce, medicine, architecture, ship building, education and art.”