Glasgow was never on my bucket list, but I’m glad I got to see it. And I’d be happy to go back. It has all the charm of any of the smaller English cities, with some extras you won’t find down south.

If you go, be sure to spend time on Buchanan Street. It’s famous for its well-preserved 19th-century architecture. And it’s the city’s premier place to go shopping, replete with quaint boutiques, small art galleries, and specialty stores of every kind. Even if you are not in the mood for shopping, you’ll be well entertained by the usual street performers: jugglers, magicians, mimes, and musicians.

A few highlights:

* St. George’s-Tron Church, opened in 1808. Gothic with baroque influences, it is the oldest building in the area.

* Argyll Arcade, opened in 1827, is the oldest Victorian shopping center in Britain.

* Old Athenaeum Theatre, established in 1893, is an unusual fusion of Scots Baronial, Indian, and European Art Nouveau styles.

* Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, designed by the modernist architect Sir Leslie Martin and opened in 1990, is the home of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.