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February 2007
The Best Fish at Two Fat Ladies Glasgow
 As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Tracey and I were going back to one of my favourite restaurants for St. Valentine's Day. The place is called Two Fat Ladies, and I've finally gotten around to completing the review.
Long story short? Without doubt it's the best fish restaurant in Glasgow, and you'll see exactly why that is in my review, but don't just take my word for it - next time you're here, book a table and look forward to an outstanding menu you'll be dreaming about until your return.
And if you happen to invite me along for a free meal, hey, don't you worry there, I definitely won't be offended. Of course, you may well be, that is once you notice me drooling over the table in anticipation. It's an embarrassing habit I know, but what can you do?
So have a wee peek at my review, and as always, if you've experienced this delicious corner of dining perfection yourself, please feel free to let me know and I'll share your thoughts here.
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Glasgow welcomes the Chinese Year of the Pig
 Last week saw Glasgow celebrate the Chinese Year of the Pig.
Every year the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow hosts a well-attended day of performances to mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year, involving local kids, pensioners and representatives of all the City's diverse ethnic minorities all getting together and enjoying a celebration borne of 5,000 years of mysterious history.
This year the Guizhou Song and Dance Ensemble of The People's Republic of China, and also Eddie McGuire's Chinese Ensemble, entertained what turned out to be a packed hall in the evening, but the day also included lessons in speaking and writing Chinese, a colourful display and photoshoot of traditional Chinese facemasks, and of course a superb menu of indigenous delights like seafood and dumplings.
Whilst I wasn't able to pop along, I gather that it was a perfectly organised and packed event, and I hope to spare some time to visit next year, provided of course that I get over that irrational fear of dragons...
...Do you know your Chinese sign though? I'm a snake apparently, and according to custom, that means that I'm romantic and deep-thinking, wise and charming, although I tend to dismiss others too quickly and am a bit stingy with money, so yeah, that pretty much sums me up. I'm off to charm some random people out of their money, send them packing and then have a deep, wise think about why I should've been more romantic as I pocketed the cash. Well? If I'm going to mirror my stereotype, I've got to start somewhere...
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The Nightrider comes to Glasgow
 No, it's not another Hasslehoff-driven Kitt I'm on about.
Having caved into many concerns about the lack of Subway services throughout the night, on 20th April Glasgow will be introducing a Subway Nightrider bus service running from 11.40pm on Friday and Saturday nights until the Subway re-opens the next morning. On Sundays, it'll operate from 6pm until 11.30pm.
Six buses will provide clockwise and anti-clockwise journeys every 20 minutes along the route of the Subway circles, at a fare of two pounds, and the buses will stop at each Subway station, mirroring the underground system.
Now whilst transport announcements are never the most exciting things to hear, particularly on a Monday morning spent propping my eyes open with matchsticks, I have to admit that this is great news. Basically, this'll now mean that if you're at a concert at the SECC or Armadillo and the gig runs late, no longer will you have to stand in the freezing cold cursing the fact that you missed the last subway train home, before trudging off with all the other Night of the Living Dead extras for a soul-destroying walk all the way into town.
Now you'll be able to hop onto the Nightrider which will run with the frequency of the Subway, so if the bus is too busy by the time you get to the stop, you can just wait a short while for the next one.
After a few hours spent sweating and moshing your way through a superb gig therefore, your night will no longer be over when you leave the venue.
So a round of applause please for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport - the chips and cheese are on me...
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Come watch a feast of Glasgow sport
I was listening to Clyde 1 FM, one of the best Glasgow radio stations, last night on my way to Celtic Park, where we were about to play AC Milan in what turned out to be another exhilarating Champions League night (and that's despite it ending in an admirable 0 - 0 draw, in case you hadn't heard).
Clyde 1 and Real Radio both run a superb football phone-in from 6pm on week nights (you can listen online if you're outside Scotland), and if you're looking to get a true measure of Glasgow's pulse, how inextricably consumed we are as a populace with everything football, then you'll be sure to find the phone-ins an eyebrow-raising induction. Like reality TV, despite some of the complete drivel you'll hear from callers and hosts alike, it's one of those things I just can't tear myself away from.
Last night a caller to the show phoned in and made a great point that (shock horror) didn't concern Celtic, Rangers, or whit's wrang wi Scottish referees man?. Basically, he put across how proud Glasgow should be that as a City, we have the privilege of having the means and allure to regularly play host to some of the most intoxicating and historically momentous sporting occasions in the world, the most recent example of which was last night's game on which Europe's eye was transfixed.
The caller pointed out that in the space of only a few days, both Celtic FC and Glasgow Rangers will have played in Europe's top football tournaments, their home stadiums packed with well over 100,000 spellbound fans, and even more watching throughout the world.
 This, combined with the European success of Glasgow Warriors rugby team, the local inspiration gleaned from the global achievements of Glasgow-born tennis starlet Andy Murray, and of course every other major sports event organised every year all around the City, proves beyond reasonable doubt that if you're visiting Glasgow, it doesn't have to be all about the museums and the shopping.
Exploring the importance of sport in Glasgow is a must for visitors, and in time I'll be dedicating a whole section on the site about why that's the case.
Regardless of whether or not we win the honour of hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014 (watch this space), in the years to come you'll be able to feast your eyes on our gleaming cultivation as a global ticket for passionate sporting indulgence. The caller last night was spot on. Visit Glasgow, stay for the sport.
In the meantime, I'm taking all that guilt my brain's just poured over me after yawning on about sport whilst being seated quite comfortably next to a coffee and Wagon Wheel chocolate biscuit (OK, and a gingernut cream), and oozing it right back out me in the gym for an hour or two, such is the way of things...
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Glasgow's special link of love with St. Valentine
Happy St. Valentine's Day
I'm sure you'll all be planning an exciting night in or out filled with romance, or if you're single, a night with friends and wishful thoughts.
Either way, if you're in Glasgow tonight, or planning to be here this time next year, you won't be disappointed. While you're here there are plenty of outstanding restaurants offering St. Valentine's Day set menus at a reasonable price, a great variety of shows always bursting out of our packed theatres and cinemas, wallet-clearing shops filled with more love-wrapped gifts than you can imagine, and a tremendous amount of scenic hand-in-hand walking opportunities dotted all around the City.
In fact, we're so up for making an effort in Glasgow for St. Valentine's Day (having spent the last few years trying to cultivate a new Glasgow City of Love Festival), that in time I'll be dedicating an entire page to it all, so hopefully by next year you'll have a full plan laid out for you here, and you won't have to worry about disppointing your other half or boring to tears your other single mates.
 In the meantime, you might be interested to know that a little known fact about Glasgow is that we have a special link here to St. Valentine himself. Part of his remains were laid to rest in the Blessed John Duns Scotus Church in Ballater Street, which is in the Gorbals in the southside of the City.
His remains spent more than a century in a side aisle of St Francis' Church in Glasgow, and believe it or not were then kept in a wooden casket in a cardboard box, on a wardrobe in a nearby chapel house.
It all stems back to 1868, when the Franciscan friars were asked to look after the remains by a French family who'd owned various religious relics, and the rest were divided and placed by the Catholic Church in Dublin and Terni (near Rome).
So I hope you have a successful evening whatever you're planning. As for myself, Tracey's loaded with the cold, so we'll be popping out to the Two Fat Ladies restaurant for a slap up meal she'll likely be unable to taste, and then back to paracetamol heaven. I'll try and scrape together a review for the restaurants section, but reckon that instead I'll be spending most of my time glaring lovingly into the smitten eyes of my Better Half. Well, either that or passing her rolls of tissue paper and dodging the sneezes.
Ah, just like the movies.
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Glasgow tops yet another poll
 Would you give up your seat on the bus to a pregnant woman or elderly person? Do you think it's acceptable to be 15 minutes late? Would you stop to pick up a lady's dropped groceries?
According to a poll out today, Glasgow is the politest City in the UK, where a fair whack of us would give up our seat, hold a door open for a lady, and turn up when expected.
Too bad they didn't ask me about that time I was half and hour late, shoved an old codger off the bus to get the last seat, and then slammed the door in this woman's face when she told me off for running past her to get through the door first.
I'm just kidding with you there. When you come to Glasgow you'll likely come across the same kind of rudeness you'd find anywhere else in the world, but for the most part we're amongst the world's most down to earth, friendly, and welcoming people, which over and above all this crazy architectural beauty and cultural scene we have going on here, is one of the main reasons visitors want to come back again and again.
I hope you'll find this too - just step out the road if you see me running like a maniac for the bus...
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Flag a Glasgow taxi without fear
 A Glasgow taxi page eh? Now what about this for momentum?
It's only mid-February and already I've trundled out six or seven pages. What exactly was I doing last year, seems to be the appropriate question.
Two down, only eight to go in my section on getting around Glasgow, so have a quick squiz at my new page here and see if you can work out whether my opinion on Glasgow taxi services is based on drunken experience or not...
As usual, just use the contact page if you need any more info to get around Glasgow that I don't include on the site. Just think of me as a handsome version of Google maps, although OK, admittedly without the satellite navigation and any idea where anything is. But hey, it's worth a try eh?
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Getting around Glasgow made easy
 In response to a fair number of requests, I've started a wee section here on finding your way around Glasgow.
The guide to learning the Glasgow Subway (otherwise known here as the Clockwork Orange) is up already, so if you're heading to the City and fancy learning how to save some cash and travel safely and quickly around Glasgow City Centre and West End, have a look.
The rest of the guide will be completed at the standard tortoise rate of naughts you've come to expect of me (hey, I don't like disappointing), but please feel free as usual to email me if you need pointed in the right direction.
If anything, visiting the page on the Glasgow Subway is worth a look for the Subway Challenge video on it alone. I'm far too unfit to give it a try myself though...
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Finally - My Top Ten Glasgow Attractions
 Well, it took a while I know, but I've finally got around to starting my guide to the best cultural attractions in Glasgow.
Tracey and I went to Kevingrove Art Gallery and Museum yesterday, and I guess the whole experience motivated me to get off my old proverbial and actually write about it all.
So as always your comments are welcome, and if you'd like to add any photos of Kelvingrove to my gallery, just let me know.
In the meantime, in the words of this guy I once knew - Sit back, relax and swing low into Happytown. Or was it Oi Docherty, you owe me money?...
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Celtic Connections Busker Style
 With the Festival in full swing and closing in on its big finale, I couldn't help point you to a wee article I read in the Evening Times about it.
It's written by a guy called Fin Young, and it gives you a brilliant insight into why Celtic Connections isn't all about just snapping up a ticket, sitting in your nice cushioned seat and stamping your feet to the exhilarating concerts laid on throughout the festival.
There's also the chance to immerse yourself in the fun on the streets and music workshops, your previously unknown talents lurking quietly within but longing to burst out to the delight of passers by - or in my case, to the dust thrown up by the stampede of shoppers as they seek silent shelter far away.
Have a read and if you've missed out this year, next time around you should give the workshops a try - if I find the time (where exactly did January disappear to?) I'll be doing the same, but don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you all in advance which one I'm attending, just in case you'd foolishly like to avoid what's likely to become known throughout the land as The Docherty Magic. Well, known by me, that is...
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