The Irish bartender handed me two perfectly poured pints of Guinness. I walked over to Kim and gave her one. It was November of last year. We were in Dublin, drinking fresh Guinness at the Storehouse gravity bar—a perfect way to end our first day there. I was quite smitten. She was, too.
Does Dublin get any better than this?
“Not sure if Dublin gets much better than this,” I wondered.
“Why do you say that,” Kim asked.
“I am drinking my favorite beer of all time with the women I love at the Guinness storehouse, overlooking Dublin as the sun sets in the distance,” I explained. “The only thing we are missing is a great U2 song. Wouldn’t that be something if they showed up here?”
God must love me
Just then, the song “You’re the best thing about me” by U2 started to play on the bar’s sound system. We both chuckled. “Lord, you can take me out of this world. I have reached the mountaintop,” I said to myself. “But not until after this trip.” Kim wondered what thoughts were rolling through my mind as I sipped the first delicious taste of Albert Guinness’s magical brew. Slainte!
Dublin was on my bucket list for years.
I have never been there despite several trips to Europe. I toured many European capitals over the years, but never Dublin. In 2018, I decided to get there. After all, everyone I know who went to Dublin talked about how fun it was. I needed to find out, so I hatched a clever plan. I was going to check off two bucket list items simultaneously. See my favorite band, U2, live in Dublin—an epic adventure for the ages.
Why I wrote this billboard
I wrote this billboard as a reminder that it is not easy to check items off your bucket list. It takes time, energy, effort, planning, patience, and perseverance. I did not wake up one day and say to myself, “I am going to see U2 live in Dublin.” No, it took a lot of work, but boy, was it worth it. Kim and I experienced the best that Dublin offers visitors and then some.
Advanced planning was critical to success.
I bought the U2 concert tickets months in advance before they sold out. I earned air mile points using a special credit card so the flights were not too expensive. As usual, I completed a fair amount of research via Rick Steve’s books, videos, and other YouTube content. We like renting an apartment whenever we spend multiple days in the same city. I found an excellent flat located near Temple Bar. It was centrally located to see the various sites around Dublin. Thank God it was close to the pubs.
We saw many sites in Dublin.
Kim and I spent several days in Dublin. Dublin is not a large city, but it contains some world-class attractions. We saw many sites there, including Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, and Trinity College. We strolled down O’Connell Street, taking in all the historical sites, and wandered around Grafton Street, the shopping district. The book of Kells in Old Trinity Library was terrific. Going to the U2 concert took a fair amount of time, so we could not see everything the city had to offer on this trip.
We sipped Irish whiskey in Dublin.
The Irish are famous for their whiskey. Jameson is located in Dublin. They teach tourists how the whiskey is made and provide plenty of samples. Kim and I went there and had a ton of fun. We completed the educational tour and spent a few hours at the bar afterward, sipping Irish whiskey. I am a big fan now and have a little Jameson now and then. It is good for whatever ails you. Slainte!
We visited the various pubs in Dublin.
Dublin is even more famous for its pubs. There are a lot of them. You can always find a pint of Guinness there—many offer live music and cheap meals. Kim and I visited several. Our favorite three pubs were the Brazen Head (the oldest pub in Dublin), Oliver St. John in Gogarty’s (a late-night pub with live music in the Temple Bar), and Porterhouse (micro-brewery). The Guinness Storehouse Gravity bar was fantastic.
How I incorporated this billboard into my life
Our trip to Dublin was an adventure. It went well. We had fun and created lifelong memories. I have not even talked about the U2 concert yet. It was the best. I will write about it in the next blog post. After the trip, I decided to try to check something off my bucket list every year. It will take some planning, but the experience is worth the effort.
What about you?
Are you formulating plans to make your dreams happen? If not, it is time to start thinking about your bucket list. I am here to help you. If so, let me know how it goes. I hope you have the perfect experience. It may take time, but it is worth the investment.
It takes planning to go from good to great. Patience to go from great to better. Perseverance to go from better to best.
Dad
Your story to guiness storehouse 360 lounge experience reminds me of my adventure about 7 years ago. I did not see U2 at concert in dublin though. On our last night there while drinking our pints of Guiness at closing time and we were told to hurry up and leave as they were closing early for special group. I turned to my husband and said “wouldn’t that be funny if it was for U2 “. As we were leaving 360 lounge guess who were in alley for photo shoot. I got a picture with Bono and The Edge that evening and my vacation and bucket list were complete. Planning my next trip to Dublin in May. So excited. Thanks for the sharing.
Thanks for the comment. What a great story. It is awesome that you met them. Have fun in Dublin this Spring. I hope to get back there soon. Such a fun city.