I was recently asked to write a city guide about where I live for Be Not Afraid Zine, so here’s my Dundee City Guide.
Dundee City Guide
I live in a city called Dundee which is in the East of Scotland. It’s not a terribly big city and there’s not a lot to do, but if you can be a little bit creative about things, you can have a lot of fun here.
1. Where are the best places to go shopping?
All the mainstream and big name shops are laid out on either side of the high street, with two large shopping malls at either end. This creates a kind of shopping circuit that people work their way around in a circle without even thinking about it. However, if you’re looking for something more exciting, you have to veer off in to the side streets.
For fashion, I recommend RetroSpect (5 Exchange St), a shop filled wall to wall with girls and guys vintage fashion, where the staff are young and friendly and always playing funky music. Ozzy’s (36-40 Seagate), is where all the skaters and graffiti guys buy their clothes and spray paint. There’s a great selection of clothes for girls too, in-store djs, a huge range of trainers and even a basketball court to test your latest purchases out on. Alternatively, you can head to one of the many charity of fabric stores and customize or make your own clothes.
If you’re on the hunt for music then head to Grouchos (132 Nethergate), they only sell second hand, but there’s a huge selection of cheap records, CDs, DVDs, and they also sell gig tickets. If you’re looking for something a little bit different, there’s a shop on Exchange Street that sells imported goods from all over the world. You can buy American sweets, good lucks cats from China and hear stories from the shop owner about his children who live abroad, or how bamboo is going to be the next fashionable material. For gifts and trinkets, try RockHaven and The Apple Tree (129 & 131 Nethergate) or venture further up the street to Perth Road for more exotic shops.
2. Best places to go eat?
If your looking for cheap and tasty meals in Dundee, try The Counting House (67-71 Reform St) or Lloyds Bar (37 Seagate) that offer deal on 2 meals for under £6. The Art Bar (140 Perth Road) has a deal with the pizza take-out upstairs where you can get any pizza, any size for £5 on weekdays. If you’re looking for a fancier meal, try The Italian (36 Commercial St) for delicious and authentic Italian pasta and pizza. If it’s a sunny day, I suggest having a picnic at Magdalen Green or up in Camperdown Park. Get a disposable BBQ from the supermarket or buy a selection of treats from Matthew’s Chinese Supermarket (Gellatly Street).
3. Tourist attractions that are worth seeing?
Dundee is called ‘The City of Discovery’ so If you want to do the tourist thing, then you should check out the RSS Discovery, an old wooden mask ship that Captain Scott used to sail to the Antarctic. If ships are your thing, then the Frigate Unicorn is based down at the City Quay, where you can also get a bite to eat or do some shopping in the picturesque dock. Camperdown Park has a huge play park and small zoo, that would be great for smaller visitors. If you’ve got a car, you could travel east to Broughty Ferry where you can buy ice cream and walk along the beach, or head south to St. Andrews, a picturesque tourist town.
4. Best places to pick up DIY/ Craft supplies?
I’m really lucky because I live above a fabric store, but there’s a great selection in the city centre. Kings Fabric (24 St. Andrews) is the one below me and Zenova (36-40 Seagate) is just around the corner, both carrying huge amounts of fabric, sewing equipment and other crafty bits and pieces. If you head up to the back of the Wellgate shopping centre, you’ll find The Bead Shop on Victoria Road. A great shop specializing in beads of every size and shape and it’s right next door to Black Hole comic book shop. For all your artist requirements, try Burns & Harris (97-99 Commercial St). However, if that’s too pricey for you, you can get cheaper supplies at the Duncan of Jordanstone Art College (Perth Road) shop. On your way up Perth Road, make sure to check out the back of Rockhaven for a whole host of craft supplies and trinkets.
5. Are there any thrift stores in Scotland? Which ones are the most interesting?
You can find the majority of charity shops on Reform Street. Here you’ll be able to buy endless amounts of second hand clothes for customizing. They like to appeal to the fashion students, so the best picks will be laid out with a selection of sewing and craft supplies. I managed to bag a Vivienne Westwood top for £18 one very lucky day. There are a couple more charity shops dotted along Perth Road and there’s also the Oxfam Book Store (6 Crichton St).
6. Best places to go hang out with friends?
Dundee is student town, so there’s a healthy supply of pubs and clubs in the city. For a chat with friends, head to the Parlour Cafe (58 West Port) where you can buy tasty hot chocolates or a treat from it’s deli next door. For drinks, head to the Art Bar again, where you can sit beneath the fairy lights and ,if you’re lucky, catch a band or DJ set. If you’re on a crawl, make your way down the Perth Road, stopping at Braes Bar, The Phoenix and the Nether Inn. If you’re a student, you can choose between the Dundee Union or Abertay Union where you’ll be able to grab cheap drinks. Though there’s a big selection of clubs to pick from, I suggest the Reading Rooms for a chilled out atmosphere, good music and friendly people – they also put on gigs.
7. Are there any cool things to do/see especially during the summer season?
If you’re a music lover then you’ll want to camp out at the T in The Park festival which happens a few miles west of Dundee, it’s popular so make sure to grab tickets well in advance. There’s a great selection of parks in Dundee, you can catch outdoor concerts at Dudhope Park during the Summer months, or for scenic views of the city, head up The Law.
