Re: Re: college green/ o’connell street plaza and pedestrians

Dublin would be a lot better with a Starbucks on every corner than it is with the existing Centra/Londis/Spar/off-licence on every corner.
Despite all the bad publicity, they’re actually very civilised places. They always have free newspapers, Internet access, and plenty of seating including couches, as well as later opening hours.
I’m not saying the likes of Insomnia don’t have these things but the notion that Starbucks is as bad as another Centra or another O2 shop is just plain wrong-headed.
I’ve been all over the east coast of America: in Washington, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. And in all three when there’s a Starbucks in an historic building, they use it as an asset.
And what do we mean by downgrading – it’s not like this area has lost restaurants or retailers. Correct me if I’m wrong but was this old Starbucks building not some kind of Eircom store.