On the edge of the metropolis

On the far eastern outskirts of Glasgow, a town that has been absorbed into the metropolis. It sits on the south bank of a wide, eastward-flowing river (presumably the Forth, with implications for the extent of Glasgow's sprawl in the dreaming world).

Despite its status as a commuter district on the outskirts of the metropolis, the town feels very urban, like it once had ambitions to become a city itself before being absorbed into the sprawl. The centre consists of a vast square (occupied by a fair when I visited), flanked by grand, almost European council buildings.

The interior of the town's buildings belies the grand exteriors however. I visited a dingy, low-ceilinged shopping arcade that, while populated by a variety of independent retailers selling interesting things, was clearly not being maintained. Most of the lights were out, I tripped over a fallen barrier on the floor, and I struggled to make out the books in the bookshop I visited in the dim light.

I apparently lived here once, in a terraced townhouse. My dreaming self did not have happy memories of the place.