As I sat tight on the bus from the ferry dock to the city center of Dublin, I spotted a poster on the side of a building for the musical "Once." Based on a movie of the same name, written by two Irish-Dubliner musicians, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, I'd seen Once one time off-Broadway and, I think, three times on Broadway. Needless to say, I was a fan. This isn't your typical musical love story and the score is so, so beautiful. After I saw that poster, I immediately started Googling on ... VIEW POST
What It’s Like Seeing “Once the Musical” in Dublin, Ireland
The Most Surprising Thing About Dublin, Ireland
When I arrived in Dublin last summer, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. As I walked along the River Liffey and got closer and closer to the Temple Bar district, I couldn't help but think, "This looks a lot like Amsterdam!" If you've been to both Dublin and Amsterdam, would you say that's accurate? Maybe I'm crazy. OK, OK, so it's only while you walk down the river that Dublin resembles Amsterdam, but it really does! The main photo above is of Dublin. You couldn't tell, right? I guess the ... VIEW POST
Reasons Why It’s Worth Visiting the Temple Bar District in Dublin, Ireland
I'd read all about the Temple Bar district in Dublin in my Lonely Planet travel guide and while I spent lots of times searching for a hotel or hostel to stay at in Dublin, I repeatedly read, "DON'T STAY IN TEMPLE BAR. IT'S LOUD." (It wasn't all in caps. I added those for emphasis.) I'd also read that it was really touristy and full of drunks. But I had to go at least once, right? Right? Yes. This hangs inside above the tiny stage where live music played all night. On my second night in ... VIEW POST
The Story of Arnaldo Pomodoro’s Sphere Within a Sphere (Dublin, Ireland)
The Sphere Within a Sphere outside The Berkeley Library at Trinity College. While I was in Dublin, I, of course, took a guided tour of Trinity College. Trinity is historical and famous and I was 100% sure I wouldn't be able to see everything that I should see if I wandered around on my own (and get lost, basically). I'll write more about Trinity College itself in another post but I found myself liking the Golden Sphere, or the "Sphere Within a Sphere" as it's also called, by the artist ... VIEW POST
All the Street Art in Dublin
Street art in Dublin isn't as rare as a unicorn. While I was walking around (and around, and around..) Dublin last summer, I saw a ton of street art. I know some people think it's tasteless graffiti, but I love street art. Here are some of my favorites: Street art in progress on saran wrap! This one just reminded me of the first single off of Green Day's Revolution Radio, Bang, Bang. This might actually be an advertisement for something, but from afar it looks like street art and ... VIEW POST
A Solo Traveler’s Guide to Eating in Dublin, Ireland
In summer 2017, I unexpectedly found myself on a solo trip in with four days in Dublin. I had a list of things I wanted to do, but I also unexpectedly ate some really delicious food. I'd never heard anyone rave about the food in Dublin so I expected to eat a lot of really unhealthy meat-based meals. I ate at Wuff, Two Pups Coffee (which I've already written about here), Elephant & Castle, Pichet (where the chefs had been nominated for Michelin stars), Crackbird, and PYGmalion. Wuff was a ... VIEW POST