There’s the West End, then there’s the Best End

Saying you live in Dennistoun is enough to send a GU student sneering into their Hazelnut-Macchiato.

But it doesn’t make any sense to look down on it. The flats are indistinguishable from many of those in the West End and town centre, cheaper, and the location is perfect if you go to Strathclyde or Caley.

And as it can be as much as £150 extra per month to stay in town, more and more students are staying here.

Duke Street

It’s five minutes from George Square by car and bus, two minutes by train, and 15 minutes walk along an impossibly straight and pleasant road- a suburb basically.

And it’s got the Tennents Factory

All along Duke Street, the main road, there are tall, spacious tenement flats with the bottom level of every unit taken by shops– big chains alongside independent businesses, restaurants, pubs, and cafes.

The prosperity is such that there are TWO of both Sunset Beach and Liquor City on Duke Street. Suntans and booze, the cynics may say, but two essential items nonetheless.

Which end are we in again?

Dennistoun is by day a busy market and by night an ersatz holiday-party strip.

It’s a paradise – everywhere’s open and cheap, karaoke drifting out from bars, restaurants full, drunks stumbling home singing and so on, unfailingly every week.

And it’s not judgemental either.

You can leave your flat in any disheveled state you want – hungover, ill, wearing a discordant pyjamas, waterproofs and slippers combo. You won’t be looked down, you won’t even be noticed.

Want anything from the shops?

In town there’ll always the chance you run into a girl you fancy, into acquaintances, into anyone you try to keep up appearances with.

The price paid for an encounter of this sort is heavy, and it’s unneccessary evil that Dennistoun residents just don’t have to face.

Duke street

Scotland’s best Indian restaurant 2014

Unconvinced? Listen to these testimonials from satisfied locals.

Neil (left) and Ruaridh, 2nd year:

Neil: “The worst things that’s happened to me staying here was some neds snowballed me in the winter. Apart from that it’s been really sound though.”

Ruaridh: “Love it, Dennie boy till a die. It’s nowhere near as rough as people make out. I’d rather stay here than next to GU cunts anyway.”

Outside the local florists

Silja, 4th year: Silja speaks four languages -English better than you- is a co-curricular queen, and recently won Strathclyde volunteer of the year. And even she deigns to stay here.

“Going on my first Dennistoun pub crawl I expected an exotic cultural shock. But it was much more civilised, not to mention cheaper, than your average city centre adventure. Redmond’s is my favourite bar.”

‘Fuck eh West End by eh way’

Rory, 4th year: Rory’s head of Strathclyde SNP students, and Strathy activist of the year. And in Dennie he’s rubbing shoulders with the proletariat day-in-day-out. Practicing what he preaches, respect man.

So if you find the cheaper flats in town are cramped and intolerable, it’s because they are. Go just a little east of High Street for a hidden gem, if you can bear -God forbid- living in a working class area.

From all of us here, to the air-sniffers, prudes, and cynics: Two fingers