Grafton Street: A Nightmare of Good Shopping

Grafton Street. Main shopping street in Dublin.

Grafton Street at night.

Since I mentioned Grafton Street in my last post, I decided that I should talk more about it since it is a major tourist attraction in Dublin. Also, I have a love/ hate relationship with the street.

Grafton Street is a major shopping area in Dublin. This red brick street houses a variety of stores. Even off Grafton Street or more shops and pubs which tourist and locals can enjoy.

At the end of Grafton Street is the St. Stephen's Green Shopping Center. This is the largest shopping center in Dublin, with at least 3 different levels of shops.

The area around Grafton Street is very nice. Right across the shopping center is St. Stephen's Green, which is a great park to get some coffee and take a stroll in. In terms of coffee, Bewley's, O'Brien's, and Insomnia are all coffee places on Grafton Street.

Off of Grafton Street are many famous pubs, especially some that were second homes to many famous Irish writers. These include The Duke, The Bailey, McDaid's, and many others.

Like I said, I have a love/hate relationship with the street. I love the street because there is always something going on. On any given day, there are a variety of street performers entertaining crowds. These are always fun and interesting to watch.

You are also able to hear very interesting conversations from people all over the world. People watching is also very good on the street.

If you need some retail therapy, Grafton Street is your prescription. Like stated before, there are a variety of stores. These include tourist shops, music stores, a Disney Store and some nice clothing store.

If you need some physical activity, a walk down Grafton Street to St. Stephen's Green is perfect!

But just like I enjoy the fact that there is always something going on, that is the main reason why I hate the street. It is always crowded and people just don't know how to walk. This makes walking down the street not always enjoyable, especially if you have places to go. The best time to enjoy the street is in the morning or in the evening, after majority of the shoppers are gone.

But in all seriousness, if you are in Dublin, you have to go to Grafton Street. You never know what is going to happen :)