Ah the comparisons begin...

Out on the town last night with the lads, I got a real appreciation for the night-life in Toronto vs Dublin.

Expensive drinks, no food in the bars, far fewer places with live music (they all seem to be showcasing 'trendy' R'n'B djs instead nowadays), greasy overpriced food in the overcrowded take-aways after all the bars close at 2am.

Having to negotiate my way through the rubbish-strewn pathways of Temple Bar, stepping over the urine-soaked pavement and dodging the vomit, I quickly realised just how good I have it in Toronto.

Nice to see they're finally showing some initiative in Dublin though: they actually have free porta-loos placed near to Temple Bar. The only problem is, they're placed nowhere near the centre of the action (I didn't even know they existed until we passed them on the way to the night-link bus), so we're still bombarded with the smell of piss and the tell-tale puddles along the pavement everywhere you go in the city.

On the plus side, though, it was great to see the guys again

Also I spotted Shane McGowan from The Pogues wandering around the street drunk out of his skull as usual (nobody paying any attention tho, cuz this is Dublin where you can be famous and not get hassled!)