by glasgowken » Thu Jul 14, 2011 6:22 pm
I visited today, and I have to say it was better than I expected.
Approaching the building it does have an impressive sense of scale I wasn't expecting, that's a plus on the purely dramatic side.
Inside it's a real higgity piggity, all muddled and crammed together. That's not always a bad thing I like crammed museums but it does have a very disorganised feel, far more so than the old place, almost as if they placed vehicles where there was a free spot. Very odd but to be honest I don't dislike that feeling. There was a lot of nooks with new bits & pieces crammed in, far more smaller items, which is good.
Being able to board some of the trams is an interesting experience, I wonder how they will fare after a while with all those people clambering aboard, but it was nice I admit.
The street exhibit was a real let down, no atmosphere at all and pretty small. The old one was easier to lose yourself in, and had the excellent Subway station. What a lost opportunity.
The Subway exhibit is truly awful, and I just hope they haven't damaged any of the cars. The half car was ruined anyway so that's no loss, but where's the red car and the station master's office ?
Likewise the wall of cars is hopeless, there's nothing good to say about it other than thankfully not all the cars are up there. Then the merry go round of ships, why WHY ? Again thank god it's only a small number and others are more traditionally displayed. I only hope saner minds prevail and these exhibits are modified.
Then I visited the Glenlee, I'm ashamed to admit i've never visited this before but it was wonderful, well worth the entry fee.
So as I said, better than expected (well it would have to be wouldn't it) but could do a LOT better. I'm waiting for them to build an extension and do it right.
Lastly what a pig to get to. Either a long walk alongside very busy traffic (great for families eh?), or through that very unfriendly underpass, eek!! I won't even mention the expensive bus service, what a cash cow that is for First.
Until they have regular service buses running through there or a new walkway across the expressway it will just be yet another event for the car drivers among us.
GK