Late-Night Caffeine

Dublin has a painful lack of casual coffee places that stay open late--Busyfeet is the answer to the problem with a late closing time and outdoor seating. Their coffee is great, and their cakes are even better. They also do great lunches and light dinners, the interior is warm and inviting--pretty much perfect. I sometimes spend longer than is generally considered polite sitting there with a book and a coffee. Situated on trendy South William Street, sit outside and spot a hipster or two.

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Coffee • All Neighborhoods

Mangia This

Cucina Biazzi lives up to its name of authentic Tuscan Italian. Tucked away behind the fire station on Main Street, this intimate setting includes patio seating, and a warm indoor area that overlooks the lawn, flowers and herb garden. They specialize in a fixed menu that begins with a tasty antipasto, then continues with a choice of homemade pasta dishes, followed by the main course of beef, chicken or fish, and then with a crisp salad. At this point you're catching your breath, but if you still have room, then you must try one of their exquisite desserts. Come very hungry. And give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the Italian music, a bottle of Oregon wine, the wait staff, and the other guests.

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Restaurants • All Neighborhoods

Drag Yourself Here

If you like drag queens, and I can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't, you simply cannot miss the show at Darcelle XV Showplace. These ladies are consummate professionals who have been rocking the tuck for over 37 years. The stage is almost too small to hold the powerhouse performances. Particularly when Marcy Kraft does her Bette Midler routine. If you have time, you should make a night of it. Dinner reservations get you a meat and potatoes (or pasta for the veggies) meal while the queens mingle and give you a hard time. It's like a dirty version of Chuck E. Cheese. But the show more than tops anything those mangy animatronics puppets could do. Darcelle herself hosts, telling bawdy jokes and flashing her Barbie doll crotch in between acts. Stick around for the after-party featuring beefcake dancers who definitely don't do anything to hide their manhood.

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Nightlife • All Neighborhoods

Brain Candy

Concordia University is one of only two English-language universities in Montreal (the other being snooty McGill). In addition to boasting the largest international student population in Canada, Concordia also has a very active student union, which represents students on-campus in addition to throwing the usual parties student groups are typically known for. Because of these reasons and more, it is perhaps inevitable that Concordia has become known as a hotbed for political discussion, dissent, and social activism of all sorts. From various QPIRGS (Quebec-based public interest research groups) to student advocacy groups to the free lunch provider The People's Potato, there are plenty of reasons to study--or simply hang out--at Concordia. Check out their Loyola campus in NDG for a more traditional, green university space, or revel in the downtown Sir George Williams campus's open design and integration into the city core.

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Schools • All Neighborhoods

Dreaming in Velvet

If you have even a passing interest in velvet paintings (and why wouldn't you?) then you HAVE to visit the Velveteria. There are 350 paintings on display, all from the personal collection of the owners, Carl and Caren. They've collected over 2,000 of these surreal works of art for the past 10 years and have chosen the best for maximum sensory onslaught. The lobby only slightly prepares you for what’s behind the curtain once you’ve paid the small fee. Organized by genre, it's difficult to decide where to start. Cowboys? Hula girls? '80s celebrities? Elvis? Naked ladies? Best to just pick a wall and slowly make your way around the room. You'll probably want to buy everything. Unfortunately, none of the paintings are for sale. But Carl and Caren can sell you a t-shirts or postcard emblazoned with your favorite image. They can probably also give you some tips on where you can go to start turning your own house into a Velveteria.

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Art Galleries • All Neighborhoods