Grafton Street

legrand

Its' been a while since I walked Grafton Street so was horrified at the new paving installed. Now I was no fan of the old terracotta cobble lock but the new grey toned tiles look absolutely awful.

The old terracotta at least hid most of the dirt/dust. The new surface shows up all the dirt, beer, vomit and piss stains in all their glory.

And in addition, it all looks so soulless and bland in the worst corporate sense. I'd say it makes O'Connell street look attractive by comparison.

Faith+1

legrand wrote: »

Its' been a while since I walked Grafton Street so was horrified at the new paving installed. Now I was no fan of the old terracotta cobble lock but the new grey toned tiles look absolutely awful.

The old terracotta at least hid most of the dirt/dust. The new surface shows up all the dirt, beer, vomit and piss stains in all their glory.

And in addition, it all looks so soulless and bland in the worst corporate sense. I'd say it makes O'Connell street look attractive by comparison.

Completely Agree OP. Just walking down that street these days is depressing....almost makes Henry Street look like 5th Avenue.

jameshayes

Yip - I was saying this as soon as they started. All you can see is the manky chewing gum stuck all over it.

Don't know who made this descision but they need to be held accountable... an ounce of cop on would have helped here.

(also, digging up the road in tourist season? and ALSO, starting at both ends and meeting in the middle? come on ffs)

Cathmandooo

They've been digging it nearly a year now (maybe longer - search didn't throw up the original thread), so not just in tourist season, they stopped for a few weeks last December for the Christmas shopping. In fairness it would be ridiculous for them to keep stopping and starting.

They claim when it's done it'll be coated in something that will help it to stay clean and look better than it is right now. Chewing gum looks disgusting on any surface.

Fed up of the works now though, with that and the cross city luas works that whole area is a mess.

HeidiHeidi

Wholeheartedly agree - I think it's AWFUL. Depressing, grey, and filthy looking (I remain to be convinced that anything could keep it halfway clean in appearance).

Appalling decision by whoever made it.

The slightly pinker bits at the junctions are borderline acceptable - better than the dirty grey main bits anyway.

:mad:

GUIGuy

There were complaints about the choice from day one... The corp asked people to hold off on judging it until it was done.
Well we already knew it was going to be something like Henry/Mary street... so we knew it was going to be a dirty dreary soulless let-down. Maybe they got a good 'deal'.

ProudDUB

Agree 100%. The plain grey looks horrible. It could be a bog standard street, in any bog standard 1970's era housing estate, in any bog standard town. God forbid they give a main tourist hub & shopping destination, a wee bit of pzazz. :rolleyes:

Aard

The surface is still better than the old one. No more tripping on loose setts and smashing your teeth.

hmmm

The old surface was a bit of a death trap, but at least it had some character - particularly at Christmas when the whole place seemed to have a warm glow. The new surface is boring, lifeless, grey and is even more miserable when it's raining. If I was a high end retailer on Grafton Street I'd be tearing my hair out, the street now has all the charm of a shopping street in Grimbsy.

Aard

Actually, I'd say the high-end retailers are more than happy with the new paving. Increased safety is of importance to people who drop a lot of cash. Women in high heels, older people, people with young children/babies....the new paving will be much more accommodating. Safety is one of the perks of shopping centres, and this will be a point gained for Grafton Street retailers over Dundrum. Character is important too, but I'd put forward that during heavy footfall you'd barly see much of the pavement anyway.

MartyMcFly84

I would have loved for them to plant a few trees. To at least add some colour in Summer months and could have lights on them in the Winter.

Just something to break it up, awfully grey and depressing even now in the Summer, as mentioned the dirt and chewing gum really shows up on it. Terrible choice.

Aard

^On the subject of trees -- there is an application for planning permission active atm that proposes updating the streets around Grafton Street. Trees and greenery are to be provided where there is space for it. The reason for no trees on Grafton Street itself was primarily due to the amount of underground cables etc that would interfere with a tree's root system, which can be quite extensive.

miamee

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I would have loved for them to plant a few trees. To at least add some colour in Summer months and could have lights on them in the Winter.

Just something to break it up, awfully grey and depressing even now in the Summer, as mentioned the dirt and chewing gum really shows up on it. Terrible choice.

Grafton Street is too narrow with huge crowds to have any kind of trees or street furniture blocking the way I think. It would look nice but I don't think it would be practical.
Even the existing bins can be a serious hazard when the person in front of you in a crowd veers out of the way and you are nearly doubled over a rubbish bin you didn't know was coming up!

MartyMcFly84

That makes sense regarding the root system, I suppose a few large containers with semi mature trees would work. I have seen this done in other cities.

But good to hear there are plans in the works to bring some more greenery to the area.

Even a few more hanging baskets would brighten the place up.

TheBandicoot

I actually like and prefer the new tiling.

Never saw the romanticism about Grafton St, it is just a crowded shopping street. I never need any of the shops in it- only ever really went there for Burger King or HMV(now closed). The multitude of womens' clothes shops look empty to me most of the time. Get over yourselves, it is just a pedestrianized street like thousands of others across the world, and pretty low down in the rankings IMHO.

Aard

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

Even a few more hanging baskets would brighten the place up.

The Business Improvement District (recently rebranded as "DublinTown" for some reason) provides hanging baskets and the likes around town, and generally try to spruce the place up. For example the containers on Sth King Street are paid for and maintained by the BID.

jameshayes

TheBandicoot wrote: »

I actually like and prefer the new tiling.

Never saw the romanticism about Grafton St, it is just a crowded shopping street. I never need any of the shops in it- only ever really went there for Burger King or HMV(now closed). The multitude of womens' clothes shops look empty to me most of the time. Get over yourselves, it is just a pedestrianized street like thousands of others across the world, and pretty low down in the rankings IMHO.

that's your opinion but many don't share it... Grafton Street, late December about 8pm is a great sight..

markpb

Aard wrote: »

Safety is one of the perks of shopping centres, and this will be a point gained for Grafton Street retailers over Dundrum.

Huh? Is Dundrum a lot more accident prone than the last time I was there?

Cathmandooo

TheBandicoot wrote: »

I actually like and prefer the new tiling.

Never saw the romanticism about Grafton St, it is just a crowded shopping street. I never need any of the shops in it- only ever really went there for Burger King or HMV(now closed). The multitude of womens' clothes shops look empty to me most of the time. Get over yourselves, it is just a pedestrianized street like thousands of others across the world, and pretty low down in the rankings IMHO.

HMV is open again at a different location on the street

If the red blocks were properly maintained they wouldn't be the death trap they were allowed to become, but that costs money. The white tiles however should never have been there, death traps the second a bit of rain hit.

I find the new grey slabs do make the street look wider though. I'm hopeful that when it's all complete it will look well.

Aard

markpb wrote: »

Huh? Is Dundrum a lot more accident prone than the last time I was there?

No, I phrased it badly I should have said that Grafton Street's surface is no longer significantly worse than Dundrum's. Dundrum, of course, has excellent interior walkways.

gugleguy

Go into a shop on Grafton street (which is not a restaurant, cafe or bistro ) , and purchase an object and get a big nice glossy plastic or paper bag to bury it in.

tricky D

Mod note: no potentially defamatory posts please, thx.

TheBandicoot

Oh, didn't realise HMV had reopened. Do they sell physical video games? The only other store in Dublin CC that does is Gamestop.

whomitconcerns

TheBandicoot wrote: »

Oh, didn't realise HMV had reopened. Do they sell physical video games? The only other store in Dublin CC that does is Gamestop.

They sell everything that they used to sell. They are in the old A-wear store beside BT2

TheBandicoot

Oh, cool.

Their website and twitter presence is abysmal. No address or opening hours.

Aard

However they will be leaving the old Awear building. Not sure when, but a women's clothes shop will be opening there.

TheBandicoot

Just what we need :rolleyes:

There's a reason I buy stuff online almost exclusively now. There is bugger all in brick-and-mortar stores that is aimed at me. When there is, it is ridiculously overpriced. Or, I can't count the number of times I go into a local Gamestop on a Friday release day to pick up a new release and they haven't even bothered to stock it.

That's the atmosphere I associate with shopping streets like Grafton St(not to mention the begging, obnoxious crowds, packed transport, long queues, etc etc). At least this new surface is easier to walk on and get it over with, and I personally like the visual contrast of granite against the buildings.

John_Rambo

The red brick looked like something from a UK soap scene. It was awful. Looking forward to seeing the finished paving when it's completed in dry and wet conditions.

ProudDUB

TheBandicoot wrote: »

I actually like and prefer the new tiling.

Never saw the romanticism about Grafton St, it is just a crowded shopping street. I never need any of the shops in it- only ever really went there for Burger King or HMV(now closed). The multitude of womens' clothes shops look empty to me most of the time. Get over yourselves, it is just a pedestrianized street like thousands of others across the world, and pretty low down in the rankings IMHO.

Grafton St is very much trading off its former glory. It is just a shadow of what it once was. 20/25 years ago, it had real character and atmosphere, when you had the like of Brown Thomas (in its original building, not the soulless abomination that the Marks & Spencer is) and Switzers & lots of other shops that were unique to Grafton St. Christmas was especially magical, back in the days when Switzers did their moving window displays. People would make a special trip into town, just to see that. It was brilliant.

Now, it is just a pale imitation of any English high street, with bog standard shops that you can find anywhere else really. Switzers is gone and the relocated BT's has all the character of a Boots. I bet the tourists who go there now, just look at each other and wonder what the heck all the fuss is about. I don't blame them. There are some hidden gems to be found in the side streets off Grafton St, but you have to know where to look, and most of them probably don't.

Cianos

ProudDUB wrote: »

Grafton St is very much trading off its former glory. It is just a shadow of what it once was. 20/25 years ago, it had real character and atmosphere, when you had the like of Brown Thomas (in its original building, not the soulless abomination that the Marks & Spencer is) and Switzers & lots of other shops that were unique to Grafton St. Christmas was especially magical, back in the days when Switzers did their moving window displays. People would make a special trip into town, just to see that. It was brilliant.

Now, it is just a pale imitation of any English high street, with bog standard shops that you can find anywhere else really. Switzers is gone and the relocated BT's has all the character of a Boots. I bet the tourists who go there now, just look at each other and wonder what the heck all the fuss is about. I don't blame them. There are some hidden gems to be found in the side streets off Grafton St, but you have to know where to look, and most of them probably don't.

Agreed. It's embarrassing to think of tourists being sold a 'magical street' and they arrive to see a grey slabbed street with nothing but chain stores - what a let down.

The council seem to have no desire to maintain a bit of character & charm with any of these highly practical 'upgrades'.

L1011

Where are tourists being told that Grafton Street is magical?