From the second we touched down, it was clear the environment we were entering was drastically different. To my surprise, Dublin is much cooler than I had anticipated and upon arrival we were met with on and off rain showers that have persisted. The landscape here is beautiful from the wide-open skies to the flora here that is rich and vibrant from the showers. It is very different from Pittsburgh in the sense that Dublin is basically a coastal town with very moderate weather.

 Through the bus window we saw just how much of a sprawling city Dublin is. We had learned about the housing market before coming here and I remembered how we were told that the city has expanded horizontally, as opposed to vertically as most developing cities typically develop. There are no high-rise apartment buildings on every street, and this reminds me a lot of the housing situation in Pittsburgh. Although the amount of luxury high rise apartments has increased in our home city, a majority of people in Pittsburgh reside mostly in the old homes that have been there since around the 1920’s, and the mostly older townhomes that residents seem to prefer here in Dublin remind me of that. The reason for the sprawl in Dublin is to maintain their skyline and because the city had not been planned with as much control as you will find in most other major cities. Although I have not seen the city center much yet, I don’t believe we will find many high rise commercial buildings in a particular zone, as we do see in Pittsburgh in places like Grant Street.

Something else I’ve noticed are the political election posters that line every major street. In the States, those spaces are filled with advertisements. From that it seems like the average Dubliner must be very involved politically and therefore socially. The companies we visited today reinforced the idea that the people here feel passionate about being socially responsible and carry out those principles in business. At Croke Park, the largest amateur stadium in the world, seating over 80 thousand people, they discussed their sustainability goals and their current impact. They have transformed their impact in just the past 10 years to now be able to say they send 0 tons of waste to landfills. We also visited FoodCloud where they explained the ripple effect of their social enterprise. At FoodCloud they collect food that would otherwise be wasted and connect that food to those that are hungry. Not only does this serve the people throughout Ireland, but it helps business realize their surplus in order to stock their stores more efficiently. From my experience in the US, I believe we need to take a second look at our impact and adjust even if it bears a higher cost for businesses.

 Another thing I have noticed is a lack of franchises on every corner. In Pittsburgh, it seems like a Starbucks, Brueggers Bagels or Primanti’s is never too far, while in Dublin it seems like there are more restaurants and coffee shops that are family owned and have only in one location. That being said, of course there are chains, but they don’t seem as common as in the United States/Pittsburgh. 

The accommodation at both the Hyatt in Charlotte, and at StayCity here in Dublin have been great experiences, with customer service that I cannot complain about. It did seem like there was an abundance of employees at the Hyatt always around and greeting you, while here at StayCity it has been much quieter. The front desk typically only has a single host greeting you whereas at the Hyatt, we were constantly interacting with employees. At the Hyatt there was a much bigger lobby space with free snacks and water always available and a café option, which was very inviting to guests. Here in Dublin there is free coffee offered with to-go cups and only seating for 2-3 people which makes the accommodation seem much more minimalistic and on the go. It gives the sense that in the U.S. we seem to congregate wherever we have access to, while in Dublin people socialize in designated spaces like neighborhood pubs.