temple bar

to be honest, i'm not really sure why i started a blog post on temple bar, a section of town in dublin. the only reason i can really think of is that it's listed as a "must see" by many guidebooks and previous tourists of dublin. that and it has cobblestone streets, and we all know how much travelers/tourists love cobblestone streets. the disappointing news is i learned from takin a free walking tour that the apparent authenticity from the presence of cobblestone streets is actually slightly less "genuinely old fashioned" than one might think.

once upon a time, temple bar was actually a rather run down or derelict part of dublin. the area was one of those typical bohemian artistic centers, and i'm having a really hard time dealing with the fact that i used the word "derelict" without some reference to zoolander. anyway, it was the center for these people to move to, mostly because it was affordable under the often limited budget of an artist. as the story goes in other cities, however, this of course eventually turned temple bar into a "trendy" area, which increased the rent, and drove out the bohemians.

today temple bar is still the home to many different artistic venues like photography exhibits, street performers, and even an independent film theater (where i made sure to catch the least indie film available starring seth rogan and michelle williams). the area is one of the main attractions for tourists, and i spent a decent amount of pub time in the many different venues available. the cobblestones, though seeming to fit the mold of appearing in an old "artistic" part of town unfortunately are new and were moved from another part of town to temple bar to give tourists the authentic vibe they crave when visiting this part of town.

so, i guess temple bar is just another bit of the infamous irish humor, and we're all just a bunch of suckers. i was anyway.