Hip and Happening
If you had a student flat or bedsit with a G3 postcode and it was more than a few years ago, then you may be surprised to learn that Finnieston has become Glasgow’s answer to Shoreditch in London.
Regarded as “one of the hippest places to live in the UK” ('The Times') and “one of the top ten coolest neighbourhoods in Europe” ('The Independent'), Finnieston has become a vibrant neighbourhood with an eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, museums and artist outlets.
Postgraduate student Eli Szydlo is from the US, and he has been living in Finnieston for the last few months. He is keen to share some of his favourite places to hang out.
Photo: Darren Jewell-Irons
The Ox & Finch on Sauchiehall Street (opposite the Lorne Hotel) is a favourite location to celebrate special occasions. The tapas-style dishes offer the ability to enjoy a wide selection of their fantastic menu in one sitting.
The Hidden Lane is home to a mix of community artists, designers and musicians with around 100 workshops, galleries and studios. The smaller, more personal art spaces bring back fond memories from when I was producing pottery in my own ceramics studio.
The Hidden Lane Tearoom can be found in a corner of the Hidden Lane. On a sunny afternoon I love to sit outside with a book and enjoy a proper cup of tea served in a vintage teapot, cup and saucer.
The Gannet on Argyle Street is one of the absolute best restaurants I have been to. With a menu that varies day to day depending on which foods are fresh and in season, and staff who clearly take pride in discussing the various courses offered, this is truly a dining experience to remember.
Specialising in Scottish craft beers, Brewdog is a great place to hang out with friends. Elvis Juice, which has grapefruit juice as its base, is a personal favourite.
I live just a few doors down from The 78. Every Sunday night there is live jazz, the perfect way to wind down your weekend.
Advertised as a “Pizzaplace and Drinkmonger”, the Strip Joint is a convenient location for meeting my partner when she takes her lunch break from work. They do amazing 2-for-1 pizzas every day with interesting toppings – like black pudding and haggis.
MEET ELI
I’m from Minnesota in the United States and I’m studying for a Masters in Criminology & Criminal Justice.
My ambition is to research and identify a collective trauma theory of loss of cultural heritage. With indigenous populations, with Holocaust survivors, with any population that has experienced human rights violations, the degree of cultural heritage loss is significant. I want to identify what that does to a population and how it affects them – both in the first generation and inter-generationally.
My undergraduate degree was in Law Enforcement from Minnesota State University, and I then completed the online Postgraduate Certificate in Antiquities Trafficking & Art Crime delivered by the University of Glasgow. That significantly motivated my coming to Glasgow to do the MSc in Criminology & Criminal Justice in 2018.
Living in Glasgow has been an absolute pleasure. Finnieston alone offers countless opportunities to get out and experience some of the best food and bars that Glasgow has to offer, and is definitely an up-and-coming area among my peers. The area also allows for quick access to Kelvingrove Museum & Art Gallery, as well as Kelvingrove Park, allowing me to access some beautiful exhibits and also getting away from the city and into nature when I need it.
While Glasgow has become a home to me, I am currently looking into opportunities for future research into cultural heritage loss and destruction. In this field, I hope to expand the theories I have only begun to examine, in further academia and PhD studies, with further goals of NGO work within the field. Before my further academia begins, I do plan to edit and publish several papers I have developed, while also pursuing opportunities to blog and discuss some of the perspectives I have examined within a more public forum.
This article was first published September 2019.
Eli Szydlo is one of our future world changers, students who have been identified as having a goal or an idea to improve lives and make the world a better place. Read about all of our future world changers here.