GLASGOW -- I walked on Sauchiehall Street for a whopping six blocks when a couple stopped me for directions. I could help them get where they were going, but I couldn't seem to find my own destination.
I was on the wrong end of Sauchiehall, where I observed a storefront sign for NICENSLEAZY conveniently located near The Kama Sutra (an Indian restaurant). Eventually I righted myself, found the Glasgow School of Art and continued my Charles Rennie Mackintosh pilgrimage at the Willow Tea Rooms.
I had been worried about getting to the team room too late and whiling away the morning in a queue. But even though I showed up 20 minutes later than my schedule, my Internet reservation seemed laughable. Only a few tables were occupied, so I quickly found a spot and soaked up the distinctive style.
It was so quiet I even got my own leisurely session in the Room de Luxe, featuring Mackintosh's gorgeous doors that recently returned from a 13-year global tour of art museums. I believe I did see them many, many years ago in Chicago, where I first learned of the designer / architect. I read about the Willow Tea Rooms and dreamed that someday I would get to stand in Glasgow and experience his fully integrated designs for myself.
So there I was. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world!
The room was striking but more compact -- even cramped -- than I had expected. I took pictures to my heart's content (they don't do the place justice, though).
The high-backed chairs set a regal tone, but the colors lightened the mood. I wished my Nashville pals were there for a lengthy pot of tea. I looked out the window for a view of the gray sky. In a sign of the times, this architectural gem overlooks a shop that claims it's the largest pound store in the UK.
Pound store? Wazzat?
Posted by: Opie | 16 February 2009 at 07:07
The UK's version of Dollar General or Dollar Tree.
Posted by: mapgirl | 16 February 2009 at 12:45
your Nashville friends wish they were there to enjoy a pot of tea too :)
Posted by: VGG | 16 February 2009 at 20:04