Glasgow City Centre. Murals. New Buildings. Old Ones. What Ai can do.

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On a nice sunny day over a week ago I arranged to meet Alan in Glasgow City Centre near Clyde Street. The city centre waterfront was in its usual graffiti splattered condition and has been that way since the covid lockdowns. This is the back of a casino.

Out on the water nearby a life-craft from the old Nautical College (now City of Glasgow College) was instructing students in rescue skills from the water by the looks of it. These orange lifeboats on the back of ships are not speedy but they will save your life. Falling into the North Sea or the Atlantic Ocean at these latitudes you will not last very long in the water, even with full exposure kit on and lifejackets. 

The day we were there a sizable police presence was noticeable, moving anyone on who appeared to be loitering down here. A common occurrence now in this area.

Coming in by bus from two different districts we agreed to meet at the mural wall along the Clydeside near the suspension bridge.

A lot of good murals used to exist here but now its mainly just graffiti on this occasion. 

One of the reasons for that might be murals don't last too long down here. You can spend a half day or a long full day; hours on a work and it doesn't last long. I'm guessing this is about T and The E.F. correspondence and the current world situation. Nuff said. 

We then had a wander round the Saltmarket, The Trongate/Glasgow Cross area, seen above, where Alan noticed a poster trying to drum up funds for turning this elevated disused railway line (or one nearby) into a high level park. ( Similar to the famous one in New York City.) They will need to make it graffiti and vandal resistant in this district though I found myself thinking. During the 1960s to the 1990s I grew up in and later worked throughout the large council estates on the outskirts of Glasgow that used to be awash with graffiti for decades but now they've mostly been cleaned up. Right here...the Glasgow Waterfront is now the number one area for graffiti in this city I would guess.

  

We then visited several galleries in the Argyle Street/ King Street area.

Which had an exhibition on Scottish brutalist architecture. Between us, separately, over the decades, we had managed to bag a sizable number of the buildings on show in here. Either through work, plain curiosity, or during various urban explorations into remote abandoned areas in our own time. A change from hillwalking every week.

Inspired by their surroundings, members of the public had created their own art in the gallery toilets... or it could well be yet another exhibit. I would not be surprised. T. E. perhaps? At least this one was cheap. When is it art? And what exactly is art?

This on the other hand would not be cheap. Very expensive indeed as I have seen similar works like this before... and the price tags. I have to confess it does not inspire me in any way.

I did like these though. Alan not so much.

Books, music, films, art. Everyone always has different tastes and opinions. Are we headed for a self inflicted world recession right now in April 2026? Will we still be able to drive our vehicles next month? Or afford travel, heating or food after recent events? Everyone will have a different opinion on that as well. Truth is your own reality though. The one you currently find yourself living in.

Most current topics covered here... above.

Glasgow still has a lot of great period buildings for tourists wandering around. Near Nelson Mandela Place above.

And sparkling new modern ones. AC Hotel here.

But it is safe to say the city is in a transition period at the moment. George Square getting a makeover. Several other streets in the city centre dug up. 

The new replacing the old in every city. Met tower with yellow fins on the roof. Apparently it has a roof terrace. For student or resident use presumably? According to what I can find online they may be refurbishing this old building which is empty at the moment... or pulling it down. Take your pick.

Same with this one. Central College of Commerce.

And this one. University Energy Centre. All built in the 1950s/1960s and mostly empty but in the current fluid situation ( no pun intended.) anything could now happen to future development plans for these buildings.

So plenty still to see in Glasgow, especially as I only visit the city centre a few times a year.

Candleriggs Mural next to the Social Hub Building.

A seat with a view.

Sunflowers and bird.

George Street and the 'Concrete University.' A 1960s Classic. including Livingstone Tower.

Glasgow Cross View. Still the old city of the 1800s  'Tobacco Lords' in this image. Rum, Sugar and plantation slaves as well during that unenlightened Georgian era. Vapes, nail bars, and smart phones being the modern hedonistic examples.

Merchant City District Murals.

Rainbow Pride Walk. Only moan about this is that it should have been either coated or painted on a wall as folk walking on it destroys it. Same with the long list of music bands that have played at the Barrowfield on the floor of a small park near the venue. Now mostly erased by passing feet, if still there at all. 

Instead why not put it on a back lane wall like this one... or any wall higher up or otherwise. It lasts then.

New apartments near King Street.

Urban Jesus Sculpture.

The real thing only 20 feet away. City Centre reality 2026. No barn or donkey available here.

If you wonder why musicians, the film industry, bean counters, and various other occupations are worried about Ai look no further that this video. 10 years or so ago I speculated on here ( after watching The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite as films instead of games) that this was a growing threat to everything. It was increasingly hard to tell reality from Ai technology, even back then, and I could easily see a situation where it would take over from films. Also in certain real individuals ( unlike M3GAN. a film)  they would happily kill a human without a second thought to save a computer generated character/friend if under threat that they cared deeply for. Ai can be that powerful/ persuasive. A modern dilemma for the near future perhaps. 

This amazing five minute wonder has no real actors, no real animals, no real landscapes, no real cities. Just sheer imaginative brilliance.... and computer manipulation.  I would happily watch a two hour film of this given a good enough script. Welcome to your future. And an amazing channel. Is this a world class voice artist?... or not? Questions.... Questions....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMZW9Uqcf20&list=RDSMZW9Uqcf20&start_radio=1

Newhaven. West Breakwater. Dockside. Ocean Terminal. Another Edinburgh Day Out.

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Another area I fancied visiting in Edinburgh was the West Breakwater... Leith Harbour...Dockside...Ocean Terminal District.  Buses for that, the number 10 or 11 will both take you to Newhaven/ Ocean Terminal districts which are within 15 minutes walk of each other. Also a handy five minutes walk from Edinburgh's main Glasgow to Edinburgh Bus Station with this local bus stop situated nearby on York Place. Public toilets in bus stations in both cities and also on the city to city buses.

I got off the local bus 20 minutes later at Newhaven Harbour. I've not been here since pre-covid days. I remember one particular occasion the Winter of 2017 with Anne and Belinda. Almost 10 years ago now. Life races by very fast in blogland. Such vivid memories of that time.

A lovely sunny morning. This is the same day I walked the previous post, including the flour mill, Leith itself, and The Water of Leith walkway. That was the afternoon section of this same walk. Had to bag this small lighthouse as it was on the way to the West Breakwater. Edinburgh has a few mega structures and West Breakwater is one of them. It starts here on the right of this photo, above. 

Looking across at Granton from Newhaven.   Edinburgh, in the days of ocean barges and sailing ships used to have several busy large harbours, each filled with ships of all sizes trading with the Low Countries, North and South America and Europe but now Leith is the main dock area for modern shipping.

The West Breakwater starts at Newhaven and runs for almost a mile out to sea. It protects Leith Harbour from winter storms and high tides and is a favourite place of mine. Impressive for its sheer size and scale with one side facing Firth of Forth views.... as seen here below.... 

A view of the Forth Bridges from West Breakwater.

And on the other side you have the skyscrapers of Platinum Point. Like King Kong's defensive wall.  I first arrived here decades ago ( 2008/ 2009 I think) on a cycle tour of the city and they had just finished building this housing complex. I raced along the breakwater on my touring bike at top speed that time, which thinking back on it now, was fairly hazardous, as this breakwater has many holes and large cracks where a wheel could easily get stuck in. Back then I had the confidence of youth on my side and fast reflexes. ( And well before half a dozen pain-filled bike crashes over the years tempered my enthusiasm somewhat and snapped a few bones, teeth, nose etc.)

I remember thinking then, racing along it, that these stone blocks, if reconstructed vertically instead of laid flat, might well produce a pyramid as a rival to ancient Egypt's trio of famous monoliths in the desert.  There was a strong wind and big sea swell on that occasion so forward progress on the bike was fast but erratic, unpredictable violent gusts of wind pushing me several feet off course, either into the waves and spray or up the ramp/ into deeper wider cracks than these. I must have been mad! Yet it was totally thrilling and completely addictive as well. A huge natural rush... of adrenalin. 

 On another occasion, during another epic bike tour around this city, it was a summer heatwave, so I had the idea to sleep here overnight. It was 8:00pm. June, still roasting hot at 24c so I decided to just lie down at the far end of here. No wind, no rain, one lightweight sleeping bag and carry mat to keep me off the cold ground and I did get a few hours sleep and a rest. Being June only a few hours of real darkness occurred anyway between sunset and sun rise.

So I've invested enough memories and time in this area to feel a friendly connection to it now.

  The end is in sight. This is where I slept all those years ago. The far end... and the secluded remote entrance to Leith's Western Harbour and Port of Leith Docks. (And I dreamed of a mighty pyramid rising slowly here ..... from the desert sands..... a brick by brick sheep dream jumping a fence then lifting upwards further in stacked layers to soar effortlessly into the sky. Totally pointless of course but a tasty vision I still cherish today.)

The other side of Platinum Point, ( which is basically a few squares of housing occupying a semi remote/ detached area)  but it has a very welcome bus terminus from here back to the city centre. No 10 or 11. Another favourite route.

On my Edinburgh Collins street map, since 2008, this adjoining district seen above has been marked Under Development. But since 2008 nothing building wise has happened here. It's a series of fenced off ponds and plots with an intact road system grid installed but no houses. I did see 'Save our ponds' signage up even though the locals have no real access to the waste ground here. I 'd imagine good for wildlife though as it is undisturbed.

After a long dry summer ( This was taken Oct 2025) this main pond was the only one with some water left in it. But a week of rain would see them all filled again. And still all completely fenced off.

Newhaven buildings. Other new building projects are occurring here.

The other district I wanted to see the changes in was around the Ocean Terminal district and the Royal Yacht Britannia, The Queen's old ship. During the last visits, in 2017, these buildings did not exist on this side of the road. Instead a spacious plot of flat open ground sat here used as an informal car park for the nearby shopping centre. I enjoyed parking here. It was so easy and simple to find free street places to park in Edinburgh back then. Try parking informally for free anywhere in Edinburgh now. Like anywhere. Rough housing estates or industrial blocks where you would not want/hesitate to leave your car unattended being the only places I found without double yellow lines on every street. Never used to be that way. Always take the bus now. Far less hassle.

The tram line didn't reach here either back then and google street maps, last time I looked,  show the amount of upheaval it cost in dug up roads and traffic delays. ( Glasgow is currently getting it's fair share of dug up city centre streets going on 2 years now.)

With the trams arrival comes business opportunities... as here at the new Dockside project.

Four brand new sets of flats called Dockside in Leith. Rooftop terrace views apparently....link  here. 

This swift 3 minute virtual fly through zooming between different rooms, open plan studio apartments, communal areas and ending with rooftop terrace viewpoint is well worth seeing, just for the experience alone. A glimpse of a lifestyle I'll never know in this existence.

https://dockside-leith.co.uk/

Yet on the other side of this always empty and desolate looking Victoria Dock sits the Scottish Executive Building HQ. Not only is this huge complex only 30 to 40 percent occupied at any given time in the current work from home era....but this dock is always empty. You would think they could use this liquid asset much better. A water adventure park possibly although it is a deep and dangerous spot.... but something surely. A learn to sail school perhaps for youngsters and adults? Model boats? Even just a cheap floating jazzy sculpture as a focus of interest ( tied securely down to prevent wind damage or lift off. ) Hell, I could do it myself in a kayak. Or an underwater no take nature park with human made reefs and regeneration habitat.

An artists view of Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre and Ocean Drive. Artist views are always rose tinted however. They are usually paid to promote the dream lifestyle on offer.

The reality. For now anyway. I visited the shopping centre here briefly but only for the toilets. 

The inside was a massive disappointment. Bare. In 2017 with Anne and Belinda it was around Christmas, festive decorations on full display, and every free space, corner and wall absolutely  packed with unusual dinosaurs,...or large furry animals....and tinsel and Christmas lights everywhere. We all thought it was amazing back then. Not so now. Just another ordinary shopping centre again. Diminished. Mind you with online shopping and less actual footfall a growing trend UK wide they probably don't have the extra money required to splash out on additional extras like that anymore.

The dining hall. Lunch and tea with a view over the Firth of Forth.

A lone Tower block at Ocean Terminal.

The new tramlines and the Dockside project.

And lastly Edinburgh's vertical distillery at the Port of Leith. From here I did the Water of Leith Walkway in the afternoon... and then the Glasgow bus back home.

Just recently Yahoo mail and news, after working perfectly for over 10 years acquired a new broom. (owners) Security was upgraded for e mails to the extent that I can no longer access my emails properly. Jumping higher and harder fences daily just to see my emails. This has scunnered me and may effect the blog. Post may be fewer in number as a result. Hopefully they will change it back to what it was before. Fingers crossed.