Edinburgh - what is wrong with the place?

[Thorongil]

I’m sensing a wee bit of defensiveness.

[bendan]

36 minutes ago, pozbaird said:

I like Glasgow and Edinburgh. I quite like Dundee too. There are things to like about most Scottish cities and big towns. As a Paisley Buddie, I could certainly show visitors around and see a very interesting Paisley - beyond the Vape Shops and a High Street lost to Braehead & Silverburn.

Aberdeen though. I’m convinced an Aberdonian could show me around, the way I could show someone around Paisley, but, just turning up as a visitor, what a fcuking miserable looking place it is. Instantly brings your mood down just walking around its centre.

I was totally with you in the first paragraph, but I'm fine with Aberdeen. Helps if the sun's shining, TBF.

[bendan]

1 hour ago, Thorongil said:

 

I used to work in Edinburgh in the early part of this century. I didn’t like it. They were obsessed with people being from Glasgow and the office environment was very stuffy, tense and weird. 

 

Are there office environments that aren't stuffy, tense and weird?

I haven't worked for Google, obviously.

[Thorongil]

I like every other city in Scotland. Perth is beautiful. Dundee is really honest and there’s a sense of calm progression. Inverness is like a scandi city. Stirling is great too. 
 

Ayr bothers me. It’s a shitehole when it should be like Inverness. 
 

Edinburgh has so much going for it but for me it’s ruined by the weird psychic energy of the place. It’s got such a gloom to it and as I’ve already said, it’s very tense. 

[Thorongil]

Just now, bendan said:

Are there office environments that aren't stuffy, tense and weird?

I haven't worked for Google, obviously.

Absolutely. Every office I’ve worked in apart from Edinburgh. Glasgow, London, Dundee, Belfast, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham. 

Only offices in Edinburgh have this weird vibe. And it’s been every single one of them. Charlotte Square. St Andrew’s Square. Leith. York Place. George St. Always the same pervasive feeling of low level malevolence. 

[jimbaxters]

1 minute ago, Thorongil said:

Absolutely. Every office I’ve worked in apart from Edinburgh. Glasgow, London, Dundee, Belfast, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham. 

Only offices in Edinburgh have this weird vibe. And it’s been every single one of them. Charlotte Square. St Andrew’s Square. Leith. York Place. George St. Always the same pervasive feeling of low level malevolence. 

And you entered each of those offices without a hint of preconception?

[Thorongil]

1 minute ago, jimbaxters said:

And you entered each of those offices without a hint of preconception?

Couldn’t say.

[Jimi Shandrix]

I believe I can be of some assistance here. I am a Dundonian who lived in Edinburgh for 20 years and who has a Glaswegian girlfriend of 16 years. No wait, that doesn't sound right. I have had a Glaswegian girlfriend for 16 years. I too found Edinburgh a slightly standoffish place when I lived there. Not necessarily unfriendly, just a bit more reserved. I had an English flatmate who was very much in the Edinburgh camp who always said of Glasgow "It's not that they're more friendly, they're just facking nosey." I think there is a lot in this. It's the bus stop analogy. In Dundee and, to a lesser extent Glasgow, you cannot sit at a bus stop without someone at the bus stop interacting with you. I'm 48. It has literally never not happened to me in Dundee. In Edinburgh, people would not welcome such convivialities. Indeed, the first reaction would probably be "shit, I'm in trouble here" unless it was a wee old lady, and even then... As for Aberdeen, I spent many a great night out there in the early 90's. It was fun, the people were fun, the buildings shimmered. The place literally smelled of money. Now it's a bit down on it's luck. The buildings are just grey, the money's gone, the fun has faded but it will be back. It's a nice place really. Except Torry. And it's got Codona's. No other c**t on here has got Codona's have they?

[Dan Steele]

I never plan a city break without first finding out about its office culture.

[bendan]

10 minutes ago, Thorongil said:

Inverness is like a scandi city. 
 

 

You're making me doubt your judgement here.

[Newbornbairn]

Office workers are weird.

[Thorongil]

3 minutes ago, bendan said:

You're making me doubt your judgement here.

It’s very clean.

[Thorongil]

8 minutes ago, Jimi Shandrix said:

I believe I can be of some assistance here. I am a Dundonian who lived in Edinburgh for 20 years and who has a Glaswegian girlfriend of 16 years. No wait, that doesn't sound right. I have had a Glaswegian girlfriend for 16 years. I too found Edinburgh a slightly standoffish place when I lived there. Not necessarily unfriendly, just a bit more reserved. I had an English flatmate who was very much in the Edinburgh camp who always said of Glasgow "It's not that they're more friendly, they're just facking nosey." I think there is a lot in this. It's the bus stop analogy. In Dundee and, to a lesser extent Glasgow, you cannot sit at a bus stop without someone at the bus stop interacting with you. I'm 48. It has literally never not happened to me in Dundee. In Edinburgh, people would not welcome such convivialities. Indeed, the first reaction would probably be "shit, I'm in trouble here" unless it was a wee old lady, and even then... As for Aberdeen, I spent many a great night out there in the early 90's. It was fun, the people were fun, the buildings shimmered. The place literally smelled of money. Now it's a bit down on it's luck. The buildings are just grey, the money's gone, the fun has faded but it will be back. It's a nice place really. Except Torry. And it's got Codona's. No other c**t on here has got Codona's have they?

I think that’s fair. That kind of stuff annoys me too. When I’m out and about minding my own business I want to be left alone unless there is a reason. I actually stopped getting the train to work in Glasgow from Kilmarnock and went back to driving because I couldn’t stand people always wanting to talk on the train.

But I also think they take it too far in Edinburgh. Strangers on the street, fair enough. Completely. But in a workplace it’s different. I don’t want laugh a minute and loads of chat, but I do want the atmosphere to be more relaxed. In every office I’ve been in Edinburgh you can cut the tension and that’s not normal IMO.

[Newbornbairn]

1 minute ago, Thorongil said:

I think that’s fair. That kind of stuff annoys me too. When I’m out and about minding my own business I want to be left alone unless there is a reason. I actually stopped getting the train to work in Glasgow from Kilmarnock and went back to driving because I couldn’t stand people always wanting to talk on the train.

But I also think they take it too far in Edinburgh. Strangers on the street, fair enough. Completely. But in a workplace it’s different. I don’t want laugh a minute and loads of chat, but I do want the atmosphere to be more relaxed. In every office I’ve been in Edinburgh you can cut the tension and that’s not normal IMO.

Maybe it's you? Try taking the full kit off and wearing a suit.

[Thorongil]

1 minute ago, Newbornbairn said:

Maybe it's you? Try taking the full kit off and wearing a suit.

 

[paranoid android]

Never has the above meme been used more ironically. 

[Florentine_Pogen]

I spent my first day in 18 months in an office this week. It happened to be in Edinburgh. 
 
I used to work in Edinburgh in the early part of this century. I didn’t like it. They were obsessed with people being from Glasgow and the office environment was very stuffy, tense and weird. But as time passed I put that down to me. Me in my early 20s being insecure and not perceiving the world correctly. 
 
Fast forward to this week and I was looking forward to going. But it was the same. Really weird and tense. 
 
and the place where I worked thought it was fine to have almost back to back meetings from 10-4. There was a meeting from 12-1.30 put in all our diaries and they didn’t provide any form of lunch. 
 
Some of them sneaked out at 11.45 and got sandwiches to take into the meeting, clearly aware of the lack of lunch. 
It’s a nice enough city to look at but the people have something wrong with them IMO. Something missing.

This disaster of a 'Look at me everyone, look at me' opening post says everything about the insecurities, ignorance and neuroses of the OP. Rather than attempt to discredit a city of 0.5m people with your vacuous nonsense, try thinking first.
Obviously a post spewed out after a bad day at work.
Wee lamb.........

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[Thorongil]

Just now, Florentine_Pogen said:

This disaster of a 'Look at me everyone, look at me' opening post says everything about the insecurities, ignorance and neuroses of the OP. Rather than attempt to discredit a city of 0.5m people with your vacuous nonsense, try thinking first.
Obviously a post spewed out after a bad day at work.
Wee lamb.........

Sent from my KOB-L09 using Tapatalk
 

Very defensive.

[Florentine_Pogen]

Very defensive.

I rest my case......

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[Jacksgranda]

1 hour ago, Thorongil said:

Why is it such a tense and unfriendly place?

Full of Glaswegians?

Edited October 2, 2021 by Jacksgranda
Grandma