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Anything I should know about Dublin or Glasgow?
Chop Logic
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey, so pretty randomly, in about... ten hours I'm leaving for Dublin, I'll be there for a week, then Glasgow for four days.
I literally don't know anything about these cities, anyone know whats worth doing there? What I should look for? What should I drink?
Cool neighborhoods to check out? Is there somewhere thats younger, more likely to have cool stuff around?
So yeah, thanks. I just literally know nothing about these cities. I'm an artist if that affects anyone's recommendations.
THANKS.
I literally don't know anything about these cities, anyone know whats worth doing there? What I should look for? What should I drink?
Cool neighborhoods to check out? Is there somewhere thats younger, more likely to have cool stuff around?
So yeah, thanks. I just literally know nothing about these cities. I'm an artist if that affects anyone's recommendations.
THANKS.
Chop Logic on
0
Posts
If you have time, say a good few hours, check out the Guinness brewery. It's a really interesting tour, and goes into the history and culture of the drink.
If you're a history buff, Dublinia is worth a visit, as the exhibits are engaging and interesting.
The Temple Bar district is the place to go for traditional Irish music.
The Irish Museum of Modern Art is pretty good, and has a really nice grounds to wander around. It's in a former military hospital and is walkable from downtown (if you like walking!)
Bray / Bray Head is a nice hike a quick train ride south of Dublin.
The "Temple Bar" district is where all the good pubs are. Well, that's not true, but it's where all the action is at least.
Grafton St. is the shopping area, and is connected to a nice park as well as being near Trinity College. Spending some time browsing the shops around there is super fun. Also, there's a great noodle house at the top of the street. Do not waste your time at the Hard Rock Cafe or TGI Friday's. Also, some places put orange shavings on the burgers, blargh. Ignore the gypsies. Seriously, just ignore them.
Go to Trinity College and see the Book of Kells. It's one of the oldest texts in existence, and the exhibit is pretty awesome. Also, Trinity College itself is pretty cool.
Visit Dublin Castle and take a tour of it.
Visit the Guinness brewery, it's worth the trip and the free pint is heavenly.
Expect to walk a lot, and take a cab often, you'll be terrified to drive if you've never been to Ireland before... steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car, everyone drives on the wrong side of the road, and many of the road markings are opposite ours. Also, Dublin has no street signs. It is utterly baffling to try and navigate without GPS. Walking is very easy and convenient around the Trinity College / Grafton St. / Temple Bar area.
Do not eat any Tex-Mex food while you are there, the Irish have absolutely no idea how to make it, and they charge you for chips & salsa.
Definitely have plenty of Guinness, and remember: when the barman serves it to you, don't drink it immediately! You're meant to wait a minute or so while the head develops. Also, if the barman draws a freakin' Irish harp or a shamrock in the head of your pint, you are at a tourist trap. You've been warned...
If you hear people talking about the "great crack", it's not drugs - "craic" is an Irish gaelic word that means "fun or amusement".
You should definately go on a viking splash tour. It gives you a fun history trip around Dublin and then they drive you into the grand canal.
I'd personally avoid Temple Bar, there's plenty of pubs around Dublin that are cheaper and better than the ones in here.
If you have time, go out to Howth on the coast. It's on the public trains and has a really great walk over the coast with an awesome view of the ocean.
This group http://www.newdublintours.com/ does a free walking tour, it's pretty neat.
Looking for places to drink and party? If you're into rock, metal etc then Rufus T Fireflies or The Solid Rock are good places to start, both are on the main road into Glasgow Centre. As for clubs with a rock vibe, check out either The Classic Grand or Glasgow Cathouse, both situated on Union Street. Check out The G2, The Shed or Bamboo if your tastes are more charty!
If you prefer a more eclectic taste in music, then hit up King Tuts Wa Wa Hut, located St Vincents St. Really good pub with awesome food and cheap drinks.
There's several traditional pubs located along Union Street also, from The Drum to The Duck, plus alt-pubs such as The Cellars and The Duck & Butterfly.
As per culture, check out The Gallery of Modern Art in the city center, The Burrell Collection located just outside Shawlands or maybe the Science Center located near the Clyde
Welcome to my city. I'd recommend visiting the Bull and Castle on the end of Dame Street (opposite Christchurch Cathedral) - the downstairs is an affordable (by Dublin's standards) restaurant, the upstairs is an awesome German-style beerhall.
Best pint of Guinness in Dublin is O'Donohoes on Lower Baggot Street. As previously recommended, wait for the head to settle after its poured. When the drink is still, then you can drink it.
Plenty of art and history galleries within a 5 minute walking distance of Grafton Street. Start with the Tourist information centre off of Wicklow Street (connects into Grafton Street), and explore from there.
Bear in mind some stereotypes about Dublin - the north of the River Liffey is rougher than the south of the Liffey. While this is largely a generalisation (I'm from the southside but went to college on the northside), do take care around some of the streets off the beaten track; stick to the tourist areas around Grafton/O'Connell Stret - if you're heading to the Guinness brewery, for God's sake take taxi!
Most of all - enjoy yourself - it's a great place to visit, and an even better one to live in!
(I kid because I love!)
As previously mentioned, northside is a bit rougher than the southside (I say as a Northsider going to college on the southside) and taking a taxi to some of the more out of the way attractions is a good idea (Especially the Guinness brewery). I can't really think of anything in Atha Cliath that hasn't been mentioned already...
I stayed at a spot waaay north of the liffey and walked everywhere. Dublin is an eminently walkable city!
Maybe it's gotten rougher in the last few years or something?
All great advice. I would add that the Garage on Sauchiehall Street is great fun. I recommend the Cathouse because it's sometimes really ironically good, like they when they play a load of nu-metal for a whole night. Had a lot of fun in both regardless.
Gaming blog
@lamournumerique
I saw some pretty repulsive street activity when I went to Dublin back in 2003. You just have to keep your wits about you.
Dublin has a lot of nice stuff but you do have to watch your location from time to time.
Temple Bar is pretty touristy but it still has a few nice spots.
Go to Trinity College and see the Book of Kells.
Also, check out the National Museum of Ireland. Lots of bog people and interesting exhibits.
If you haven't gotten a hotel yet, Isaac's Hotel is cheap and really nice.
Totally Dude! Those nights, it's like I'm 15 years old again :P
It depends. Bear in mind that some places waaay north of the Liffey are altogether pleasant, like Clontarf, Sutton and Howth. Then again, you have Gardiner Street, Talbot Street and many of the stops of the LUAS Red Line, which are well known spots for getting mugged. I went to college in Bolton Street for four years, and was mugged twice - I'm not exactly the mugg-able type either.
Equally, Leeson Street (southside) at 3am can be fairly violent, when my fellow Southsiders all emerge from each of the clubs in a redbull induced collective man-rage. Like anywhere, it's fine if you keep some semblance of a sensible head.
Great to hear from other Irish Penny Arcade folk, incidentally - a hello to you all!
:? I stayed not too far away from there and walked all around at all times of the night
Guess I'm lucky! :P
If you head to the West End of Glasgow at all, it's worth going to look at the museums in the University of Glasgow (and the Uni itself) and the Kelvingrove Museum. If you happen that way, there's a really nice coffee shop/second hand bookshop on Woodlands Road just up from Kelvinbridge tube station called Biblocafe that I more or less lived in for a few years. Good bars and food in the West End can be found on Ashton Lane (just behind Hillhead tube station) particularly if you have a few quid to spare (the food in Ubiquitous Chip is awesome).