Dublin!

Quote from: "stephanie"

Cornucopia. Some of the best coffee & vegetarian food I've ever had, and just off Grafton Street, which is bustling and wonderful.

Temple Bar.

Some places to eat.

I also highly recommend wandering around looking confused even when you're not, because ginger-haired men will occasionally come up to you of their own accord, place a comforting hand on your shoulder and say, "Are you lost?" (Some of them even have glasses. Serious.)

My ears are burning. Though if he had specs, it was Dr. Bob, not me.

Quote from: "stephanie"

But stay close to the DART (get off at Pearse; it's right in the city centre), because Dublin is one of the most difficult-to-navigate cities I have ever been to. And I've driven around in downtown Indianapolis.

I am a crazy travel nerd.

I think I'll be out of town while you're here, but a couple of quick pointers:

Temple Bar has ambitions to be Dublin's answer to Covent Garden, but Newcastle on a Saturday night would be a better comparison. Nice during the day, not so much at night - especially if you're off the gargle. That said, it has good galleries (many of which will be closed until Jan. 3) and Dublin's best record shop, Claddagh (on Cecilia Street). (Otherwise Freebird (Eden Quay, D1), Road (Fade Street, D2) and City Discs (TBar, D2) are your standard independent record shops, though even our Tower is independent and staff-run.) Sound Cellar (under Subway on Nassau Street, D2) will satisfy your metal needs, at a price.

Good food can be had in Gruel, downstairs from my office at 68 Dame Street (we call it the canteen) - just like Granny's kitchen. Simon's Place coffeeshop at the George's Street end of the George's Street Arcade is a great hang for an afternoon, especially since they fitted outdoor heaters.

Best views of the city are from the Gu****ss Storehouse at James' Gate, Dublin 8. 360 degree panorama of the skyline. Just avoid the stout - it's muck. For a pint of good stout, I recommend the Porter House (Parliament Street) which brews its own, including a delightful Oyster Stout.

Not sure if any/all of the following will be open:
• Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, D8 (near Heuston Station) - good art, great gardens.
• Iveagh Gardens, behind National Concert Hall, Earslfort Terrace, D2.
• Trinity College, D2, & the Book of Kells (illuminated manuscript).
• Phoenix Park, including the stunning Farmleigh House & Gardens.
• Dublin Castle & grounds, just off Dame Street.
• Bewley's on Grafton Street, recently reopened. Check out the stained glass windows.

For the best trad music in town, avoid the gimmicky fare on offer in Temple Bar and head straight for Hughes Brothers on Chancery Street (behind the Four Courts, Dublin 7).

While I understand Stephanie's point about navigating the city, it's really quite a small place and best seen on foot (though not as easy as the Glasgow grid). The 'city centre' is the area between the two canals - Royal to the north, Grand to the south - and you can walk between them in 30/40 minutes. Also, the DART hugs the coast so the new tram system - LUAS - is probably a better way to ghet around the core (though the two lines don't connect - duh), but a trip from town to Bray (south) or Howth (north) on the DART would show you the arc of Dublin Bay with decent views.

Anything specific you'd like to know, just ask. I'm sure Dr. Bob will weigh in soon with a couple of examples of late-modernist era architraves that are unique to Dublin and simply must be seen... Over to you, good Doctor.

FYI, Dublin 2 & 8 are south city centre, 1 & 7 are north.

J.