Bright Lights, Big City

Sometimes I forget how huge a city Dublin is. It's easy to do, since most of it is fairly walkable and it takes me approximately the same amount of time to get from my dorm to the train station on the outskirts as it would to get from my dorm at Canisius to the center of Buffalo. Size-wise, it's not that big.

But otherwise? It's DUBLIN. Apparently this is a big deal. I forget that it's the capital of Ireland, and also the largest city, so naturally it's inherently important. Since Trinity is also one of the biggest and most well-known universities around, that makes where I'm living roughly like the New York City of Ireland.

Which is why I shouldn't be surprised when people like Patrick Stewart just pop on by for a quick chat with the historical society -- which he did, on Halloween, sweeping in to the room wearing a black Dracula cape and then talking about acting, Star Trek, and his love of Shakespeare for an hour and a half. (That's him to the left -- sorry, it is a little hard to tell, but that's him at Trinity.)

Similarly, I shouldn't be surprised when the Dublin City Marathon, which I expect to include maybe 50 people dressed up as werewolves and restaurants, turns out to include over 11,000 participants, all of whom run right by my front door on the way to the finish.

I shouldn't be surprised to find a kebab place next to a noodle house across the street from a pizzeria and a tandoori restaurant. And all this right down the street from a Mexican restaurant called The Alamo that serves Buffalo wings alongside fries with garlic mayo and cheddar cheese on top.

I've been here a month now, and I have only just felt like I am starting to fully appreciate this city. Sure, it still scares me, and sure, I'm irritated that I can't just walk to bars and clubs like I used to be able to in Galway. Yeah, I hate grocery shopping and having to schelp my purchases in an ostentatiously American backpack about a mile through crowded streets to my apartment.

But still, it's nice to be in a CITY for once, a huge one, where you could see anything, meet anyone, and anything could happen. That being said, I may go for a walk...I hear Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is in town?