City centre advice

martarg

I am still searching for an apartment in the city centre, and according to your informed advice, nice forum people , I have decided to look mostly around the Mountjoy Square area, but just in case I cannot find a place there, and considering I will not have the benefit of your wisdom once I travel to Ireland, I was wondering about some other areas... how about:

* IFSC
* Dame St.
* Pembroke St.
* Townsend St.

Would these be an alternative to the Mountjoy/Gardiner St. area? Are they anything like Christchurch? :dunno:

Victor

IFSC rents will probably be higher, but quality should also be higher, it's a newer area, so it can be a bit "sterile". Some small shops and pubs & restaurants, but no supermarket, etc. Short walk to most city centre amenities.

Dame St. In the middle of everything. Can suffer from noise (day and night) if it actually faces Dame Street or a side street in Temple Bar.

Pembroke St. Quiet street in pleasent office district. Supermarket, pubs etc. on Baggot Street. Sometimes a little too quiet at night. Prostitution nearby, but if you leave them alone, they leave you alone. Short walk to most city centre amenities.

Townsend St. Offices at city end, residential at other. City end suffers from traffic and train noice. Sometimes a little too quiet at night at the other with some rough elements (just avoid them). Short walk to most city centre amenities.

eth0_

Originally posted by Victor
IFSC rents will probably be higher, but quality should also be higher, it's a newer area, so it can be a bit "sterile". Some small shops and pubs & restaurants, but no supermarket, etc. Short walk to most city centre amenities.

Actually there's a Mace supermarket and a Marks & Spencer foodhall in the IFSC. It's nice enough, but the rents are ridiculously high - and I really wish they'd sort out the sewerage problem around Insomnia and the beauty salon, it's so bad! Think it's something wrong with the plumbing in the apartments behind, so if you view any apartments around there and notice the smell and the agent says it's just started - lies! It's been there since i started working in the IFSC in May.

Victor

Originally posted by eth0_
a Marks & Spencer foodhall in the IFSC.

Apoligies, I forgot about that.

martarg

Thanks a lot for the replies ... Pembroke and Townsend sound a little disturbing, but I suppose prostitution is not as bad as drug dealing ... I had imagined Dame Street could be noisy, but if the area is safe enough, I might think about it. (Is Parliament St. too near Temple Bar?) As for IFSC, by what I've seen so far, it is not actually much more expensive than other places in town, unless apartments are smaller for the same price. It is good to know that I would not starve, but the smell issue is interesting... You have helped me a lot, thanks again....

Victor

Just wondering, are you coming to Dublin to work or study and where will you be based?

Originally posted by martarg
Thanks a lot for the replies ... Pembroke and Townsend sound a little disturbing, but I suppose prostitution is not as bad as drug dealing

Don't get me wrong. Pembroke Street is quite a nice area. The prostitution is something to be aware of, not afraid of as such. Townsend St. very much depends on the end of the street (PS note fire Station at Tara Street.), but once you avoid trouble it largely avoids you.

Originally posted by martarg
I had imagined Dame Street could be noisy, but if the area is safe enough

On average, I would feel less safe on Dame Street than on Pembroke Street or Townsend Street, because Dame Street attracts huge numbers of people of all sorts, especially on weekend nights.

Originally posted by martarg
(Is Parliament St. too near Temple Bar?)

Parliament Street is at one end of Temple Bar, again suffers from traffic and pub crowds at the weekend,but not as much as Dame Street.

Originally posted by martarg
but the smell issue is interesting...

I imagine this is localised.

martarg

Just wondering, are you coming to Dublin to work or study and where will you be based?

I am going to Dublin for a two-year postdoctoral research project. In fact I am supposed to be based in Maynooth, but the libraries I need are in Dublin, and I think commuting from Dublin to Maynooth will be less of a hassle than the other way around.

Don't get me wrong. Pembroke Street is quite a nice area. The prostitution is something to be aware of, not afraid of as such. Townsend St. very much depends on the end of the street (PS note fire Station at Tara Street.), but once you avoid trouble it largely avoids you.

It is not that I would be afraid of prostitution, but as you said, I have to be aware of it. I don't think landlords will tell me, and I thank you for sparing me the surprise on the first night at my beautiful new place ... Thanks a lot also for the fire station detail. I will definitely keep away from Tara street...

You are being very helpful, if I have the chance to go to a boards beer, I owe you all a round

regi

I live on Pembroke St, and I think its fine.

It is an office area, so after 6-7pm, the place is very quiet. It looks nice, very close to Stephen's Green / Grafton St and Baggot Street has all the ammenities you could want. There are prostitutes in the area, but unless you go looking for them, you could live there for months and not notice them.

martarg

It is an office area, so after 6-7pm, the place is very quiet.

Hmm, that sounds perfect for working at night... I would certainly not look for the prostitutes , so chances are I will not even notice them... thanks a lot for all the replies, you are being very helpful. Pembroke goes on the list, then.

Third_Echelon

pembroke st area is fine... nice area of the city...

I currently live on cow's lane, which is a few streets up from parliament st...

Its quite enough where I am but I could imagine if you were right on parliament st it would be noisy enough..

martarg

I currently live on cow's lane, which is a few streets up from parliament st...

Its quite enough where I am but I could imagine if you were right on parliament st it would be noisy enough..

I have actually seen a couple of adverts for Cow's Lane, but I thought that perhaps it was moving too far from the TCD area.... would you recommend it?

Third_Echelon

Originally posted by martarg
I have actually seen a couple of adverts for Cow's Lane, but I thought that perhaps it was moving too far from the TCD area.... would you recommend it?

yeah.. they are lovely apartments and they are pretty secure.. Its a nice street as well....

It would take you 5 to 10 minutes to walk to Trinity...

pretty much perfect location for what you are looking for...

martarg

That sounds perfect as well... Thanks a lot, I am finding it a lot easier to make decisions now...

martarg

Thanks a lot for all the replies... I have been trying my luck with a few landlords, but it is very difficult to be given viewing appointments when you won't be there for another ten days... however, one apartment I do have a good chance of getting is in the Wintergardens, Pearse St. I know it is close to the station, but I have seen a photo of the building and I am not sure the area looks very nice.... Would you advise it?

silverside

The area is not that nice, but its not too bad (during the day at least, I was never there at night); It is very close to Pearse train station and the back of Trinity; It is very close (5-10 minutes walk) from the city centre.

The walk is along Pearse street which has been let run down by Trinity College who own a lot of the old shops on one side, which are now shut.

Victor

Yeah, Pearse Street has that Jeckyll and Hyde feeling at night where you feel insecure, but aren't sure whether you should feel insecure or not. TCD have bought up a lot of properties and the area can be really quiet.

martarg

Hmm, I am not too sure now... quiet is good, but too quiet is creepy... and so many shops closed down... I think a prefer a busy street where at least I don't have to walk two hundred yards to buy milk (that sounds lazy, but I usually buy milk by the gallon ) .... thanks a lot, now at least I won't look disappointed when I see the place....