My favorite bar in Oxford! The bar men are very kind, and pleased to make you your own…read morepersonalized, prefered cocktail. Open seven nights a week, live DJs every night (all sorts; house, electronic, r&b mixes) and a pleasant, trendy atmosphere. The door policy makes sure its doesnt get too crowded, because Thirst is not that big. Although, big enough to dance, drink and chat. Great place!!

Hilarious night out, but not the best quality. Been in here a couple of times now, and while I have…read morealways had good nights here, I credit that more to my level of intoxication rather than the club. I do really like the outdoors seating area, even when it is raining it is dry and warm. The dancefloor is packed which is always a good sign. The music is nice but I did get started on by a 50+ year old man on the dancefloor which i wasn't expecting. Good night out, but I cannot comment how it would be if sober.

Visible Fictions mostly aim for young people's theatre- they do, however, give their productions…read moreenough edge to make them very satisfying for adults as well. Revisiting classic stories- especially the Greek myths- they reinvent them with enough theatrical flair and modern panache to make an evening that was supposed to be for kids inspiring for adults. Usually to be found touring all across Scotland, their mixture of chilling horror and solid acting makes them more accessible than many more "adult" companies, without loosing any sense of adventure in the production.

This theatre company usually do stuff for children, or young people, this is how I heard about…read moreVisible Fictions, from a very impressed little cousin of mine. She had went to see Jason and The Argonauts, which is one of the best stories in Greek history I think and probably one if not the most popular. A great story indeed, where they transfer to theatre not only the greatness of the text, but also the excitement and drama that you might not expect from this Scottish travelling reproducer of the all time greats.

We went to the Hydro for a James Blunt concert. Overall, the second time to visit the Hydro. The…read moreplace is easily accessible via the M8 without going through the LEZ. Easy parking for £12 next to the venue and plenty of hotels next door if you want to stay overnight. The venue itself has easy access (no queues) is modern and clean with a good view of the stage from everywhere and plenty of facilities.

This is the proverbial 3.5 star review... but I'll give it the 4 until I go back again. I like to…read morebe Mr. Positive when I can, y'know? The plus sides: - Location: It's hellishly easy to get to, being located slap bang next to the SECC and The Armadillo (On a side note, I love Glasgow names. We have the Hydro and the Armadillo, along the water from the squiggly and squinty bridges!) - Size: It's heeeeeeyuuuuge! - Image: It looks STUNNING at night, lit up likesome kind of demented UFO that crash landed on the Clydeside. - Facilities: I was really impressed with the food, drink and merch stands. Plenty of them, plenty of choice, and at just £4 a pint, cheaper than the Academy, Already a plus point for me. I visited the bars a few times *cough* for research *cough* and never had to queue for more than a minute - and in between bands when it was at it's busiest, too. All the staff seemed happy enough, and general good vibes were had. Nice. Also, a free cash machine inside the building? GREAT IDEA! Kinda... it wasn't working when I went, but it was as I left, so I'll let it go this time. Also, free wifi is available and works, simply for entering your email address. - Layout: The big open spaces running around the the man hall mean that you easily access any of the entrances, and there's plenty room for loads of people to mill about. There's also a few places to sit your drink/pizza/fish n chips dotted about as well, another good touch. Now, the downsides that I noticed - Access: At the beginning of the gig, I arrived half an hour before an email from TicketSoup said that show would start. As I was queuing through the one door into the main hall that seemed to be open, I heard the first band start. If you're going to email people to give them show times, make sure they're accurate! As it was, I only missed half a song, but did hear people grumbling later on that they'd missed more. - Sound mix: I wandered about the arena during the night, watching the show from both sides, and from the middle. In the middle, the sound is pretty crisp and nicely rounded. Off at the sides, however, it's more sludgy and dominated by the low end. Vocals were a bit buried and the drums were tinny in places, I thought. Of course, I went to what was more or less the first hard rock show, so it could be teething problems. I want to be positive, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and four star rating. Hopefully the sound issues will be smoothed out, and they can sort the timing glitches. A good start!

I've spent about half my adult life in here…read more I used to go here around twice a week, but have lost interest lately. I think I'm growing out of it to be honest. It's full of a new breed of young trendies that I don't manage to connect with on any level or than accidentally bumping into them queueing at the bar. Had some truly epic nights in here, with regular events ongoing including washed up z-list celebrities, tribute bands and charity fundraisers. It's cheap as funk on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and as expected, gets hefty busy as a result. It's easy to have a good night in here with the right crowd but it's definately more suited towards freshers and undergraduates.

Hmmmmmm... the union is a funny one for me. I've never really been that into the union…read more I think it all stems from a bad experience at 12 Hour Tuesday, back when I was a wee second year. The queue at the bar was three deep and I could just not get served. The Hallowe'en All Nighter was ridiculous too, so bad that when I fell down the stairs, it was impossible to fall, I just bumped into the person on the step below in the crush. I suppose I should be grateful actually. Well now I'm a big angry 5th year (although I regularly get mistaken for a fresher - what is it that makes me look so young!!!) and I know better. The Union may be cheap and gigantic, but it's not all that good. Meh, maybe I'm just too grumpy and old for that sort of thing.

the last time i ever want to attend that place managment are just hostile boring no atmosphere no…read morefun

Love the pub, great atmosphere but disappointed to be denied access today as it was apparently…read morefull about 3pm. Understandable due to current covid restrictions but to see another person allowed entry a few seconds later made me wonder why.

This year's festival was darn good I tell thee. It was brilliant with so much going on throughout…read morethe whole weekend. It was only through my man who spotted a photo challenge competition online that we found ourselves on the streets of the Merchant City. We both entered the 6x4 Panoptic Challenge that was hosted by Trongate 103. We collected our 6 themes and we only had 4 hours to take 6 photos and in the order of the themes, meaning there was no going back. This was going to be definitely a challenge especially with us going round together. "I spotted that photo opportunity first!!!" Actually having the photo challenge was a great idea as it made us explore the festival even more. We came across many street performers and checked out the many stalls in the Scottish and Continental markets. We went along to Merchant City Square where we had fun at The Festival of Fudge and most delicious it was. We met very interesting characters including policitians from Fudge Poltics to a professor of fudge where I got a history lesson in various fudge of the world. 10 minutes of my life I will never get back. We also headed along to the Britannia Panopticon where they were holding a bazaar with many wonderful goodies on sale. There was an amazing milliner and I just wanted to buy all her hats but alas payday was too far and a MOT was to near. I got her card and with a friend's wedding coming up I think a hat is on the list. Above is only just the Saturday, phew, but ach why not, we headed back along on the Sunday for more and especially as all the photographs were going to be on display at Trongate 103. Unfortunately neither or us won but to be honest we weren't that bothered, it was just so nice to see your work up on display. I saw walking bands, a carnival parade, live bands at the Creation Studios Stage and also some lovely Yelp staff where I got myself some lovely groovy new sunglasses. I've probably missed out half of what we saw as there was so much going on. It's a great weekend and well worth the visit. I cannae wait until next year's already.

Darn it all to hell! OK so this is an update on the festival (2011) and I'm searching for a way to…read moreaward an additional star to the folks... cannie be done... darn it all to hell! Yeah, so they did the unlikely and made it even better this year. More performances, more food, more stalls, more vibe, more moreness (yeah, they even managed to get me to make up a new word... moreness). If you read my review from last year, then you'll gather that this is a festival not to miss. Well, if this year is anything to go by then that statement not only desrves to be stuck to, but shold also be underlined, whacked into bold and maybe even a wee font size increase. Residents and visitors alike. This is a must.

Wintersgills has developed a fairly undeserved reputation as one of the rougher pubs in the St…read moreGeorge's Cross end of Great Western Road. OK, compared to nearest rival the Liquid Ship, where the closest thing to a square go is a "I had a toasted goats cheese and pinenut crostini not the chicken bolero" querying of the bill, it's rough. But in the grand scheme of things, it's an entirely acceptable venue for a quiet pint. What is perhaps a more accurate description is that, while the Western, Cleopatras, the aforementioned Liquid Ship and the Captain's Rest have all overwhelmingly succumbed to the gentrification of the West End, Wintersgills remains a traditional pub which has changed little over the years. The drink is reasonably priced, the food is plain fare and the football is on TV. Some of the regulars may be a little gruff but they'll certainly not threaten you. Or talk to you either, mind you. What a lot of people fail to realise is that the owners also go to great lengths to put on entertainment for their punters. This can range from psychic nights to live music, and of course the obligatory karaoke night which has eased the pain of those who were left karaoke-less following the demise of the Western Bar's legendary night. My last encounter with Wintersgills came on Hogmanay, when, in the lead up to the bells, a traditional piper appeared playing Auld Lang Syne... ...sporting an Adidas tracksuit. And this is perhaps an apt summing up of the pub as a whole; just because it's a little rough around the edges, doesn't mean it's not doing exactly what's expected of it.

My boyfriend and I were wandering around the city and he remembered that an old colleague (and…read morefootball pal) of his would be having drinks here so we decided to stop in. This place is literally a step out of time. I'm not sure much has changed in this wee pub besides the addition of a ladies toilet (or so I was told by one of the guys we were visiting). because all the fixtures were antique looking. I wasn't the only female in the place, but I was one of the few, indeed. I quite enjoyed the look and feel of the place as I do enjoy what I like to call 'old mans pubs'. I like feeling like I'm a girl who can hang with the guys and no one bats an eye. Aside from my big girly coat and my backpack that day, I think I did a fairly nice job. There was a major Rugby match on TV this evening, so the place was jumpin' with the locals looking to watch the match and enjoy a bevvy or two. It seems as though this place might serve food, as they do have a dining room of sorts just beyond the glitz of the bar area with it's slot machines and big TVs. We only stayed for one drink as we had plans on the rest of the night, but what I did experience of this place, makes me want to go back in the future to experience again. It's really not a bad place.

Glasgow, when will you learn? If a building like St Andrews in the Square existed anywhere else in…read moreEurope, it would feature on postcards, be highlighted on guided tours and sign-posted from across the city. Tourists would flock and photograph it from every angle, creating albums on Facebook entitled "Me at St Andrews in the Square" to a sea of thumbs ups from friends who like it. Instead, this lovingly-restored 18th century church is inconspicuously located in among modern east end flats and virtually impossible to stumble across unless you are specifically looking for it. And what a pity, because when it's lit at night, it provides one of the most spectacular photo opportunities in the city. Those who do know this building, know it's one of the greatest classical churches in Europe with a truly sumptuous interior. Now used as a performing arts centre, St Andrews in the Square can also be hired as a spectacular setting for ceilidhs, concerts, weddings and receptions. Just go. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Despite living in Glasgow my entire life, I had no idea this place existed until a few weeks ago…read more This is incredible considering it is one of the most stunning buildings in the city. It seems to live in a sort of parallel universe, stuck in the middle of blocks of flats. I visited the cafe a few Sunday ago and, despite the sophisticated art deco style interior and impressive menu, the place was dead. I think this is because most people don't realise it's there.