I wonder whether I could ask for your help on behalf of a friend from a chatroom I use. Nathalie is Belgian and is moving to Dublin to start a new job on 23rd July and, of course, is getting into a right tizz about packing and planning and arranging and everything.
So, when she told me this, my first thought was to consult the oracles of the Straight Dope! Really, though, at present, all she asked was “is it a good place to live?” so, while that is not much of a specific question, I do see that it makes sense to want impressions and opinions and to feel not completely unprepared.
I will ask her what her specific concerns are when I next talk to her in chat, but I rather think that general impressionistic advice for newcomers might be what she wants really.
In fact, I suppose what would be a really good idea would be for people to assist this lost soul by going out this weekend to research a few pubs and so on!
Many thanks in advance to anyone willing to help at all!
Dublin’s a good town to live in ( I lived there for about six months in 1998).
Lots of pubs, people are very friendly, and the crime is almost nonexistant. Prices in town can be high, as the punt is fairly strong versus the Belgian franc, but since there’s a large student population, cheap eats and drinks can be found really easily.
What’s it like? The weather is of course miserable, as it’s Ireland, but people take it in stride. Tell her to carry an umbrella rather than a raincoat-they seem to be more practical. Buses and such are good in the city centre and give good value for money. Taxis can be expensive,though. Rapid growth and prosperity have driven the housing market up in the last five years, so there’s a lot of new blood, and new pubs and such.
Any idea where she’s going to be living? With that, myself and the other Dopers who have Dublin experience can help out more. I’m thinking of yojimbo, ruadh, TwistofFate and others I can’t specifically remember here.
I have to disagree with F_G on a number of things.
Crime is most certainly not “virtually nonexistent”. It is far from the most dangerous city I’ve ever lived in but you do need to exercise caution as you would in any other major city.
The buses are crap. There’s plenty of them in the city centre but they’re unreliable and the traffic is so bad you’re often better off walking anyway.
F_G, where exactly is this cheap drink of which you speak?
Rents are pretty high here by Irish standards - not sure about Belgian though! Unsurprisingly they get cheaper the further you get from city centre, though of course then you also have to deal with the buses and even worse (shudder) the taxis, or lack thereof, at night.
The internet here is a JOKE. And not a funny one. And don’t get me started on bank fees.
The nightlife here is very good, though, and there are plenty of Europeans about so she shouldn’t feel very isolated.
false-god and ruadh Thank you for your responses - I have had bad connection troubles so only today could I briefly speak to Nathalie again. I hope if she has specific question she can pass them onto me, or perhaps post here herself.
SOrry I am being a bit “hit and run” here but right now - I want only to give you a brief thank-you before I get cut off again! With luck tomorrow might be better.
false-god and ruadh Thank you for your responses - I have had bad connection troubles so only today could I briefly speak to Nathalie again. I hope if she has specific question she can pass them onto me, or perhaps post here herself.
SOrry I am being a bit “hit and run” here but right now - I want only to give you a brief thank-you before I get cut off again! With luck tomorrow might be better.
false-god and ruadh Thank you for your responses - I have had bad connection troubles so only today could I briefly speak to Nathalie again. I hope if she has specific question she can pass them onto me, or perhaps post here herself.
SOrry I am being a bit “hit and run” here but right now - I want only to give you a brief thank-you before I get cut off again! With luck tomorrow might be better.
