Word: grafton
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...novelty always wears off, and skeptics challenge: isn't Temple just a carbon copy of Grafton? Why don't Quad socialites just suck it up, make the 10-minute walk and get the real thing...
...answer--according to a part-owner of both bars, Peter Lee--is not that simple. Yes, both hangouts are owned by the same four young guys; both get their names from trendy areas in Dublin; and both coddle already yuppified, precocious freshman on the prowl for trophy TFs. But, Grafton Street and Temple Bar are as different as onion soup au gratin ($4.95) and cheese fondue...
...fact, these two social hubs seem to mirror stereotyped differences between students living on the river and the Quad. The Quad Houses are seen as more insular and more comfortable than River cousins. Likewise, while Grafton Street can get a bit impersonal, Lee says at Temple Bar, "the atmosphere is more conversational and friendly... with more people from the neighborhood." This mature congregation, molded into leather-boothed intimacy and cushioned by chenille pillow comfort, makes for a less frenzied, mellower mood...
...Grafton, however, "the atmosphere has more of a buzz when it's busy," counters Alan Mooney, who has tended bar at both locations. Lee concurs, "they're a little grittier at Grafton, a little more seasoned. We're too new over here...
...Quad say, "Hi," while River folk walk on by. And come nightfall, the feverish River beats a friendly but empty Quad. In many ways the Radcliffe dorms are a softer, cozier, newer version of the River Houses; essentially, the Quad is to the River what Temple is to Grafton. But those who hazard the walk to both places will reap rewards. Newly converted Quaddites, dry your tears; Temple promises redemption...