Big move to Dublin as a student-tips and advice

oncex

So I've just moved to Dublin, anyone have any general Dublin knowledge that I should be aware of?! In terms of safety, where should I avoid, what taxis to avoid etc?

jamesbondings

oncex wrote: »

So I've just moved to Dublin, anyone have any general Dublin knowledge that I should be aware of?! In terms of safety, where should I avoid, what taxis to avoid etc?

Get a go conquer sim.... Get a student travel card....always ask if shops do student discounts.... McDonald's do a student meal for 5 euro.... Dealz is your friend.... Can't think at the moment but these are the main ones in my life.... I'll comment again if I remember more!
Enjoy the move

Aard

What do you mean by "what taxis to avoid"?

Rubberchikken

i don't think you need to 'avoid particular taxis'.
you just need to keep your wits about you, don't do anything that going you're going to regret (within reason!) and study;)

CSSE09

I'd avoid these taxis myself, http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc316/WishboneAshe/TaxiPunto.jpg

oncex

Aard wrote: »

What do you mean by "what taxis to avoid"?

how to know if they are registered or not.. i dunno :pac:

Unless you go around asking random drivers "are you a taxi" and getting in, I think you'll be fine on the taxi front

any of them start giving you hassle ring a friend and tell them the licence number the driver's card will have somewhere visible

Doug89

Get yourself a bike and a decent lock, you'll save a fortune on buses.

miss no stars

On the taxi front, always text someone the number of the taxi you're getting into and then always text again when you get home safely. Most mammies would be only too happy to be kept in the loop.

In general, go easy on the drink, register for dublinbikes if you're in the city centre, learn to cook economically - buying meals gets very expensive very quickly. Also, we eat lunch not dinner in the middle of the day up here

Skerries

If you are in the city centre drinking then the following might help
O'Reilly's under Tara St station do €3.60 pints all day except on a Monday when they have €1 deals for shorts
Dicey Rileys do cheap pints on a Tuesday
The Dandelion do €4 pints and have a deal on Wednesday I think
MacTurcaills also do €4 pints
The Pavillion bar in Trinity college sell cans for I think €2 so if you pretend to be a student there you can drink cheap or if it is warm just buy your own cans and sit outside but buy whatever they are selling as the security can take them off you
go see Temple Bar if you must but I wouldn't drink there as the prices steadily go up during the night to nearly €8

hfallada

oncex wrote: »

how to know if they are registered or not.. i dunno :pac:

Our taxi regulator has an app that allows you to scan a QR code on the taxi to verify that it's a registered taxi. There is also always hailo.

The best tip for Dublin is lidl and aldi are your best friend. In Dublin they are nearly everywhere but can be a 30-50 min drive for my country friends in their home town. People will tell you the quality is lesser etc. But most of its fresh produce is Irish and good value. But I find that it's extremely fresh. I have never brought anyone that was rotten from it. ( happens all the time with a certain British supermarket).

Maybe considering getting a bike. I cycle to college in the time that I had to wait for a bus if i missed it and had to wait for another. Buses are expensive compared to cycling. I picked up a bike from a garda auction and it was €60( the price of 3 weekly bus ticket). But it's Dublin, so buy a cheapish bike as it may get stolen ( even with a good lock).

But Dublin is a fairly safe city. Its not the third city people make it out to be

amdublin

miss no stars wrote: »

On the taxi front, always text someone the number of the taxi you're getting into and then always text again when you get home safely. Most mammies would be only too happy to be kept in the loop.

:rolleyes:
Mammy would want to cut the apron strings between her and this grown adult.

triple nipple

invest in a left falangey

prettygurrly

Which university are you going to? Would be good to know which side of the city you're on for the advice giving...

John Mason

re taixs just download the hailo app

ProudDUB

amdublin wrote: »

:rolleyes:
Mammy would want to cut the apron strings between her and this grown adult.

+1.

Dublin isn't Calcutta for goodness sake. Texting someone every time you get into and out of a taxi is wee bit OTT !

miss no stars

amdublin wrote: »

:rolleyes:
Mammy would want to cut the apron strings between her and this grown adult.

I'm assuming the OP is a girl just gone 18. Grown adult my arse. There is absolutely no harm whatsoever in a teenager who's been drinking and is in an unfamiliar city texting someone the number of the taxi they get into on their own. That's basic cop on.

amdublin

miss no stars wrote: »

I'm assuming the OP is a girl just gone 18. Grown adult my arse. There is absolutely no harm whatsoever in a teenager who's been drinking and is in an unfamiliar city texting someone the number of the taxi they get into on their own. That's basic cop on.

I didn't make any assumption that she/he is male or female. Could be either...

So when will be okay?
When (s)he is 18 and a 1/2? When 19? Maybe when they start their first job after college, will (s)he be all grown up then?

Ps. A girl gone 18 is not a grown adult???? Of the age to vote, of the age to drink, of the age of an "adult" but is not actually a grown adult?

And not to mention so sexist!!!!!!
Is a boy of 18 a "grown adult" in your opinion? I am assuming so because it is only girls of 18 who need to send texts in your post.

hfallada

miss no stars wrote: »

I'm assuming the OP is a girl just gone 18. Grown adult my arse. There is absolutely no harm whatsoever in a teenager who's been drinking and is in an unfamiliar city texting someone the number of the taxi they get into on their own. That's basic cop on.

How many thousands of people take taxis each day in the city without a single issue? I cant understand this believe in Ireland, that all taxi drivers are eager to take advantage of drunk young girls/guys. I imagine a girl is far more likely to be taken advantage of in a club, by some young guy, rather a taxi driver who has been vetted for a criminal record(BTW only taxi drivers that have lived in Ireland for a long time have been properly vetted).

amdublin

hfallada wrote: »

How many thousands of people take taxis each day in the city without a single issue? I cant understand this believe in Ireland, that all taxi drivers are eager to take advantage of drunk young girls/guys. I imagine a girl is far more likely to be taken advantage of in a club, by some young guy, rather a taxi driver who has been vetted for a criminal record(BTW only taxi drivers that have lived in Ireland for a long time have been properly vetted).

Next there's going to be a suggestion, to keep mammy in the loop: take a photo of a fella before you talk with them in a club and message it to mammy :pac:

And then tell mammy when you have finished talking with him.

wall85

Stay to the main streets and you'll be fine. Don't bring a handbag out to a club with you. Easy target for thieves. Don't have your phone out in public unless you really need it, 100's of phones get robbed every day, usually by feckers speeding past on a bicycle. Make sure you walk home with someone. Don't get lost! Other than that enjoy!

lulu1

amdublin wrote: »

:rolleyes:
Mammy would want to cut the apron strings between her and this grown adult.

Mammy would go and live in Dublin with this grown adult if she could

athtrasna

The driver check app allows you to check out the taxi driver based on the reg or the taxi plate number. It also has the facility for you to text or email those details to a nominated number, it's a great app.

As others have said, use Hailo for taxis. You have a record of who your driver was and your journey is mapped so it's much safer. Handy also if you leave something in the taxi, there's an instant record of what car you were in.

Get a student leap card, makes the buses lots cheaper. If you're living in the city centre, consider not shopping local unless you've a Lidl or Aldi. The big Supermarket prices tend higher in the city centre than in the suburbs. There's even a price difference between the two Tescos on Baggot Street.

As others have said, Dealz is your friend, consider also the €2 shops and Tiger for bits and pieces for your room and stationary type stuff for college.

wall85

wall85 wrote: »

Stay to the main streets and you'll be fine. Don't bring a handbag out to a club with you. Easy target for thieves. Don't have your phone out in public unless you really need it, 100's of phones get robbed every day, usually by feckers speeding past on a bicycle. Make sure you walk home with someone. Don't get lost! Other than that enjoy!

What I mean by walking home with someone is after a night out on the sauce! Its a perfectly safe city. Lot of people afraid of their own shadow on boards!

oncex

prettygurrly wrote: »

Which university are you going to? Would be good to know which side of the city you're on for the advice giving...

Trinity.. also a girl :pac: thanks everyone, downloaded all those apps.

Polka_Dot

As said above, make sure you get a student travelcard. It doubles as a leap card and some places only accept it for discounts, like Boots. AIB usually have an offer during Fresher's Week where if you open an account with them it only costs €3 instead of €15. It's really handy to have, if you're using it on the bus then there's a daily/weekly cap where you're only charged €5 a day/€20 a week no matter how much you travel (but if you travel less than that you're just charged what you pay - I'm not explaining it very well!)

Jumboman

oncex wrote: »

So I've just moved to Dublin, anyone have any general Dublin knowledge that I should be aware of?! In terms of safety, where should I avoid, what taxis to avoid etc?

You should avoid O'Connell street especially after 10PM when its a no go area.

prettygurrly

I think she's right to ask questions of a city she's never lived in before. I was walking around galway armed with my umbrella most of the time as the student housing is in a less than celubrious part of town. I was grand...but some people aren't.

+1 on the O'Connell St. avoidance. I've had to stand outside Penneys on my own at 3.30am to catch the bus home to Drogheda and it's not too bad at that time but before that when there's less people around and up the top of the street I'd avoid.

With respect to Trinners, around there is generally safe. It used to be quite ghetto on Pearse St. with the homeless office there but I haven't seen the packs of homeless people sitting on the street across from the cop station in a while.

Have you found accommodation yet?

wall85

Jumboman wrote: »

You should avoid O'Connell street especially after 10PM when its a no go area.

Are you still spouting this crap. Its perfectly safe.

prettygurrly

I dunno, I wouldn't walk on the Parnell st end by myself but it's up to you...

Gileadi

I've walked up O'Connell st in horrendously drunken states beyond Parnell st for nearly the last 10 years and have yet to see any trouble.

Sick and tired of that attitude

oncex

To those who think o Connell street is rough does that include during the day? I would have grown up thinking it was the most accessible place

smellmepower

O'Connell Street (and every other area in the city centre!) is grand.There's usually a few drug addicts or drunks hanging about,and they can look intimidating if you're not used to seeing them,but they are harmless.If they ask you for change/or a smoke a polite ''sorry'' does the trick.

If you use common sense like you would in any other city (not walking down dark alleys by yourself in the dead of night,not walking about with your head buried in your iphone etc) you'll be fine.

WoollyRedHat

oncex wrote: »

To those who think o Connell street is rough does that include during the day? I would have grown up thinking it was the most accessible place

Jesus girl, are you mad or wha? You go walking down O' Connell street during the day and you'll be shot, especially if you're coming from the country. No, you're best off using the back roads and alleys if you're wandering around those parts of town.

ProudDUB

miss no stars wrote: »

I'm assuming the OP is a girl just gone 18. Grown adult my arse. There is absolutely no harm whatsoever in a teenager who's been drinking and is in an unfamiliar city texting someone the number of the taxi they get into on their own. That's basic cop on.

Texting your mammy at 2am to tell her that you have arrived safely at Coppers and are eagerly awaiting a shift, is not basic cop on. It is an over the top presumption that Dublin's taxi drivers are going around raping and pillaging every single culchie damsel that gets into their cars.

What exactly are the mammys of Ireland suppose to do, if they fail to get said text from their precious darlings? Alert the Garda S.W.A.T team at Harcout St to to make haste to Coppers to ensure that everything is ok? :rolleyes:

herisson

oncex wrote: »

So I've just moved to Dublin, anyone have any general Dublin knowledge that I should be aware of?! In terms of safety, where should I avoid, what taxis to avoid etc?

Taxi drivers are grand, honestly. They aren't going to hurt you or anything. But if you want, take the number of their taxi licence. In my experience I've had great craic with them no bother at all.

O Connell St is fine! Often I have waited for my bus at the top of connell street at night and the most hassle I've gotten is "have ya go a smoke/change love?" It can look intimidating but just be smart.

Basic rules for anywhere, don't go off on your own down dark alleys or side streets at night...that applies to any where in the world. Be vigilant, don't have your head in your phone.

Dublin is nice to live in. This is coming from a country girl like you who moved up by herself (and is now trying to move up there again).

Invest in a leap card, or a bike. Buy from lidl or aldi, make sure you know the places that do student offers or just really good offers in general. Boojum if you like Mexican, do a deal where you get a burrito or burrito bowl and a drink for 7 or 8 quid and they are very filling.