Well I am biased being originally from the west coast of Scotland and now living in the Southern Uplands near the English border and I have to admit that I have no love for Edinburgh.
Glasgow, with its fine architecture, beautiful parks and vibrant waterfront is a must visit and in recent years some modern hotels have sprung up near the city centre and along the waterfront. Have afternoon tea in the Willow Tearooms on Sauchiehall Street and take tours of Glasgow University and Glasgow Cathedral. For the wife Glasgow is also good for shopping.
Glasgow is a good jumping off point for days out to the Clyde and Argyll coastlines and a trip to Dumfries, the largest town in the south, where Robert Burns spent his last years. You can visit Burns house in Dumfries, also the 400 year old Globe Inn where Robert Burns was a regular customer and where you can enjoy a dram. Ferintosh Guest House in Dumfries is directly opposite the railway station and is owned by an xmarksthescot member, Pour1Malt, who offers discount rates to xmarkers, although he is not very active on this forum.
Here in the Southern Uplands is a large concentration of tower houses and castles, testimony to years of strife with the English. If you are here during late March our Border Reivers Festival is a must see. Guests come here every year from all over the world. You could even take a short trip across the border and visit Carlisle Castle where some of the Scottish Reivers were imprisoned and be retold the story of the Reivers from the English perspective. The fastest trains from Glasgow reach Carlisle in just an hour and there are bargain fares to be had if you can book in advance.