Sorry about your thread joder6925

8/8/2006 2:53:46 PM

sorry why? isnt this the point? as long as we remain somewhat on topic. what, sandsanta, is raleigh missing? it isnt really fair to compare any city to nyc, its the largest, so of course all others are smaller.

8/8/2006 3:02:47 PM

Raleigh is fun as shit, there is a ton do. Reminds me of back home (Washington, D.C.) sans a million people and assloads of traffic. Plus, if you can't find something to do in the city, you are only short drive from the beach.

8/8/2006 3:04:41 PM

Yeah I like Raleigh and I'm not even of legal age to turr da club up

There's plenty to do and it's better than a third-world country imho

8/8/2006 3:05:53 PM

Quote :

"ATLANTA IS NOT A BIG CITY"

Are you serious? Metro population of 4.9 million is not big for an American city?

Okay, so you want to compare it to New York. One of the biggest ten cities on the planet. Next, let's compare it to Sao Paulo or Bombay.

Of course Atlanta is a big city. Maybe not by Shanghai standards, but by comparison to most American cities- Atlanta is quite big.

8/8/2006 3:08:08 PM

It is big in comparison to most US cities.

Top 20 I believe, but spread out over a wiiiiiiiiiiide area.

8/8/2006 3:26:09 PM

what is raleigh missing that big cities have? ill use your definition of big cities.

8/8/2006 3:29:23 PM

A more lively downtown scene, being able to stroll to places and chill/eat/drink outdoors without going to a mall or chain resteraunt. Not having to rely on your car for everything, up to and including getting smashed at bars. Speaking of which, a variety of bars would be nice too (though this has drastically improved as of late).

8/8/2006 3:32:25 PM

you cant walk from bar to bar there? there is no outdoor dining? what you described is how i describe local flavor... commonly found in cities with diversity, more progressive and locally oriented. ive gotten the impression that raleigh has that 'local flavor' that i describe and you did too

8/8/2006 3:35:57 PM

I split from Raleigh before I was 21 - but I always found shit to do outside of a bar scene in the area. So if you are just looking for things to do... there is plenty.

Nowadays... I enjoy working in downtown Charlotte then just walking to wherever I want to defile myself for the rest of the evening. Easy to go from place to place on foot... but I never thought of that as a reason to say this is a big city. *shrug*

[Edited on August 8, 2006 at 3:38 PM. Reason : d]

8/8/2006 3:38:35 PM

^^^don't listen to this guy

[Edited on August 8, 2006 at 3:39 PM. Reason : .]

8/8/2006 3:39:45 PM

I suppose my major gripe with Raleigh is having to drive everywhere.

8/8/2006 3:41:18 PM

so there is no area where bars and restaurants and such are collocated with other such establishments, as in more than two?

8/8/2006 3:44:20 PM

Quote :

"A more lively downtown scene, being able to stroll to places and chill/eat/drink outdoors without going to a mall or chain resteraunt. Not having to rely on your car for everything, up to and including getting smashed at bars. Speaking of which, a variety of bars would be nice too (though this has drastically improved as of late)."

I live downtown. I walk everywhere. I chill/eat/drink outdoors without going to chain restaurants. I get smashed at a variety of bars within walking distance and stumble home.

8/8/2006 3:44:52 PM

Glenwood. Its all Restaurants and Bars.

8/8/2006 3:45:04 PM

fayette-nam is a hole.... most of the state is better than that...

8/8/2006 3:45:36 PM

^^^yeah, i know a few people that live close enough to bars and restaurants that they can walk to them.

there are going to be parts of any city where you can live and not walk to restaurants and bars...thats not just a trait of raleigh.

8/8/2006 3:48:20 PM

yeah, i like this state... the little ive been here. despite that, i abhorr fayetteville. im not that ignorant. ive done some 'global' travel myself.

8/8/2006 3:48:47 PM

Quote :

"commonly found in cities with diversity, more progressive and locally oriented"

Raleigh is none of those.

I suggest you discover Chapel Hill/Carrboro sooner than later for the "local flavor"

8/8/2006 3:53:04 PM

^^^ because there are no apts or condos within a mile of glenwood

8/8/2006 3:55:13 PM

raleigh is or is not convenient to both the beach and the appalachians? and besides typical night life, has the economical footprint to offer entertainment to a diverse crowd?

8/8/2006 3:59:01 PM

i know people are going to flame me either way, but i'll add my two cents

raleigh is a not a big city, it's more of a big town. people who bitch about raleigh tend to exagerate how small it is, while those who love it think it's this booming metropolis. i like bigger cities, with more action and different neighborhoods, so raleigh wasn't a great fit for me. if youre expecting a huge variety of things to do, you will probably be disapointed. like everybody has said, nightlife basically consists of glenwood south and hillsborough street, but you can always drive to chapel hill if you get sick of hitting up the same bars. odds are that on any given night you will see at least 5 people you know, no matter where you go-good or bad depending on if that's your thing. the nice part is that everything is pretty close and you wont spend hours looking for a parking space or waiting in line to get in to a bar or club. the bad part is that there really isn't anything all that amazing or out of the ordinary, you will probably find a bar or two that you will frequent regularly, and hit up others on ocassion. sports bars are probably the most fun places to hangout during football and college basketball season, they are almost as fun as being at the game. i never really got into the music scene in raleigh, but i'll admit that if seeing live local bands is something youre into, you probably will go to a lot of shows.

in any event, you will see very quickly what raleigh has to offer. odds are you will either feel at home and have a good time, or you'll be bored to tears. the beach is only an hour and a half away and charlotte takes a little over 2.5 hours- i took countless roadtrips to both during the few years i lived in raleigh and i think it helped break up the monotony.

if i had the chance to move back to raleigh, i probably wouldn't. maybe in 20 years after it grows up some i'd like it more, but there are plenty of people who live there that like it just how it is right now. see for yourself...

8/8/2006 4:50:52 PM

i'd actually like to get out of raleigh as well. but it's more the location for me....I love western NC, but 3-4 hours is too long of a drive to go there as much as i'd like. hopefully by this time next year i'll be able to find a good job somewhere out there...asheville is looking like my best hope.

8/8/2006 5:00:15 PM

^^ so what is it about bigger cities that you like more? i have enjoyed DC every time ive been, but i think the congestion would counter all of that if i were to live there.... personally.

8/8/2006 5:13:31 PM

The only thing I DON'T like about raleigh is the lack of public transportation.

If you can't have fun in raleigh, there's something wrong with you, not the city.

8/8/2006 5:25:33 PM

people I know who live in larger cities end up going to the same bars and doing the same shit every night regardless of the cities size. That being said, when I graduate im leaving Raleigh, not because it sucks but because living in one place sucks.

8/8/2006 5:34:25 PM

Honestly, traffic and congestion can get old, but it's a small trade off for the urban experience. Larger cities just have more energy. There's a buzz in the air, people are always on the move, and you never know who you will meet next or what you'll be doing on any given night or weekend. I wouldn't consider DC and San Diego to be huge cities, but they are big enough to ensure that I always have the option of doing something completely different or something familiar- all in the same day. It's not really fair to compare Raleigh to DC or San Diego, because they are so much 'larger' in every sense of the word. On any given day in DC you can stroll by National monuments, hundreds of museums, and grab a bite to eat or a drink at one of thousands of unique restaraunts and bars and rub elbows with politicians. In San Diego, you can go to one of the dozens of unique beaches, spend the afternoon in Balboa park (its museums and gardens, and the Zoo), spend the evening in the Gaslamp District (a small part of downtown that's so big you could fit all of downtown Raleigh in it) or if youre feeling adventerous- drive 20 mins south to Mexico or 90 mins north to LA. There are hundreds of places in both DC and San Diego that I haven't even seen yet because there is just so much stuff to do, I can't even imagine what it would be like to live in NYC, LA, or Chicago because they are even bigger...

You just don't have the variety of things to do in a smaller city. Raleigh has lots of things to do, just not many of them are experiences you couldn't find anywhere else (minus acc sports).

8/8/2006 5:45:39 PM

We have the Stanley Cup so we must be just a huge city!...or not.

Raleigh is not huge but it is big enough to have things to do. I grew up outside of DC and now I live in Virginia Beach. DC obviously has just about everything to do...but what some of you that say you don't have to rely on your car in NYC, Chicago, and DC are leaving out 1 point....Can you afford to live downtown in a nice area where you could walk to all these resturants. bars, etc.

I know I couldn't and I know I know that I took Raleigh for granted and now I would do anything to move back. Cost of living is reletivly low, Pro Hockey, Golf Courses everywhere, Beach ~2 hours, Mountains ~3.5 hours, NCSU athletics, good airport, can afford a house with a yard near dining, etc.

8/8/2006 5:45:50 PM

you don't need to live close to downtown in big cities...that's the point.

8/8/2006 5:52:09 PM

looking back, raleigh wasnt bad for finding somewhere to hang out. i just needed a change of scenery, and that's why i moved away. nothing against raleigh. haha

8/8/2006 5:55:01 PM

Just adding my view to the fray:

You mentioned biking/hiking. There are a few decent places to bike, but as far as I'm aware, nothing too challenging, and if you go out every day, or even every weekend, you'll probably end up wanting a bit more adventure after three months or so. The greenways could be a bit more connected but they're working on that. As for offroad, Umstead is a good beginners loop with some hiking trails to offer more challenging variety. (Just don't let the park ranger catch you while you're biking on a hiking trail...) Crabtree Lake is a step up from the wide gravel roads of Umstead, with dirt paths made for bikers, and it connects with the Cary greenways for easy access. Of course, anywhere you can bike, you can hike. You can't expect an enormously challenging terrain, as you're not living in the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho, but you can expect to spend a decent amount of time enjoying yourself outdoors.

Bring on the flames!

8/8/2006 6:21:55 PM

maybe someone can suggest a place that will remove those hideous tattoos

8/8/2006 6:52:32 PM

Raleigh in a nutshell for a rookie - follow these steps and you'll be on your way to success at NCSU

spend as much time on MLK as night at possible

go to the ATM at night

Cary is a wild and exciting place for the nightlife

Everyone is stupid in NC and should be treated as such, they will respect you for it and regard you as popular

Don't try in your classes - spend most of your time on TWW because they are your real friends and will serve you better

Dress like the people who try not to dress like everyone else

Bother the police

Be nosy


I also offer a free instructional video.

8/8/2006 7:20:05 PM

Oh yeah, and tell lots of stories about basic training and the military in general because everyone will be exceptionally impressed. It helps if you occasionally bring in the gear or use your experience as examples when talking to people.

8/8/2006 7:31:18 PM

im not one to live in the past. i would only talk about army stuff to someone who asked about it. the last thing i would ever do is come up to someone and say 'hi, names patrick. im in the army, i was a bad ass with this unit and we did blah blah blah and i have shot guns and blah blah blah'. but thanks for the tip, all of your advice will come in extremely handy im sure... do you charge shipping and handling for the video?

8/9/2006 12:14:35 AM

in response to some earlier posts, I currently live in nyc, and I still say that Raleigh has a pretty cool night scene for what it is

8/9/2006 12:18:07 AM

I've been to some places I thought were more fun than Raleigh, for sure. On the whole, though, Raleigh is a pretty damned good place to live.

8/9/2006 12:30:57 AM

I definetly agree with that.

8/9/2006 12:38:09 AM

Quote :

"If you can't have fun in raleigh, there's something wrong with you, not the city."

With the colleges, sports, variety of bars and restaurants, outdoor activities, music scene, beach and mountains so close etc this is actually a pretty nice area. when you factor in the jobs and business opportunities this is a good place to grow some roots. sure there are places more trendy, sure there are places with more people = more restaurants/bars etc, and sure we'd all love to have a friggin monorail transport us from one bar to the next but all in all this is a good place to be.

[Edited on August 9, 2006 at 12:50 AM. Reason : ]

8/9/2006 12:42:07 AM

y'all are complicating a very simple thread.

points of interest near nc state:

1. hillsborough st. - bars and restaurants. east village is the place to be on a warm afternoon. they're deck gets PACKED on their busiest days though, so get there earlier than usual. mitch's tavern is a historic, charming bar. it has a "new england/british pub feel" and was also featured in the movie, "bull durham". players' retreat is the oldest bar on the drag, and i believe has the cheapest drinks on hillsborough st. frasiers and porters are two good restaurants to hit up. frasiers has a seasonal menu (changes every couple of months); wheras, porters' is more static. they're both in the $7-$25 range. frasiers is a little more dress-up than porters'. as for cheap food, you have el rodeo (like micasistas is fayetteville), and the number of ny style pizzas: amore (best on hillsborough st., imo), i love ny (crap), and slyvia's.

2. glenwood south area - on the outter edge of downtown, and maybe 2 miles from campus. nice bars and restaurants than hillsborough st. it's got less of the college feel than hillsborough, but students are still plentiful. you'll run into a mix of all kinds around here: yuppies, students, trust fund kids, hundred-thousandaires, millionaires, pro hockey players, and maybe some other celebrities who are in town. there are a couple of irish pubs and restaurants: hibernian and ri-ra's. 518 west is a pretty nice italian restaurant with a decent bar. dress business casual for that place. stool pigeons is pretty much the college bar in the area. aura lounge is... well, a lounge. i've never been there though. blue martini is a pretty swank bar with $12 martinis (like 14 kinds).

3. moore square - smack in the middle of downtown. mostly bars and some restaurants. you'll find tir na nog (another irish pub, and i think they have a new name now). it's a pretty cool place, and it has alot of space. it gets pack with a more mature crowd, and is a good place to escape your typical piss-drunk student types. nearby is rum runners, a piano bar, where you'll find the drunk students. the pourhouse is an awesome music venue that draws excellent local, regional, and national talent. it's a fun place to chill on any given night.

there are several parks and forests in and around raleigh to hit up, since it seems you're interested in the outdoors. there are also a number of medium and large lakes in the area too.

for shopping, you have cameron village. it's an "outdoor mall" about a 1/2 mile from campus. it has something like 80 stores and restaurants. think, the skibo road shopping district around the mall in fayetteville, but much nicer. there are a couple of great places to eat there, moe's burritos is my favorite. it's a small chain, and they have giant burritos. as for malls, there are a couple: crab tree valley is about 5 minutes from campus by car. there is north hills mall way up in north raleigh (20 minutes through the city). cary crossroads (cary's version of cameron village). cary is like hope mills, but with ALOT more money... A WHOLE LOT. cary is an affluent suburb. cary also has it's own mall, cary town center. however, that mall sucks. think, the marketfair mall in fayetteville. if you're up for a drive, you can get on the interstate and drive about 20 minutes (highway driving time) to southpoint. it's a fairly new mall (3 years old or so). it's HUGE, and it's pretty posh. it's got higher dollar stores, and some nice restaurants.

oh, yeah. i forgot about the clubs. that's easy to do. raleigh has the shittiest "clubs" you'll find anywhere. however, the bar scene is money! supposedly, raleigh has more bars than charlotte, for whatever that's worth. i pointed out the main bar areas above, but there are a ton of bars scattered about. definitely check out the flying saucer. it's on the outer edge of downtown, and about two blocks from glenwood south. they have ~220 beers in the house; 83 of them on tap.

another thing. most of the restaurants, bars, and businesses in the triangle (raleigh, durham, chapel hill) have websites. you should definitely look at them for info on specials, events, etc. http://triangle.citysearch.com/ is a good resource for them.

[Edited on August 9, 2006 at 1:18 AM. Reason : ]

8/9/2006 1:08:50 AM

^people already said that though

8/9/2006 1:10:34 AM

all of it?

8/9/2006 1:14:49 AM

check out Flying Saucer


you can also google it

8/9/2006 1:39:29 AM

The only people who praise Raleigh's nightlife are the people basically stuck in that shithole.

8/9/2006 2:24:29 AM

^ well, it's better than Clayton.

8/9/2006 3:55:15 AM

BeerKnurd

8/9/2006 7:45:40 AM

i love the arrogance when people say "that's not a real city" like they are some kind of cosmopolitan traveler who just stopped by tww to make thousands of posts

OMG THE ONLY REAL CITIES ARE NEW YORK, LONDON, AND TOKYO

EVERYWHERE ELSE YOU HAVE TO RIDE A TRACTOR TO THE BARS

8/9/2006 8:17:00 AM

When my brother moved from Asheville to Raleigh he went to Barnes and Noble and looked in the maps/travel section and found a couple of books that had info about trails and hiking in the area for example, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Raleigh. You could flip through them to get some ideas of whats in the area if you dont get any ideas from this thread.

8/9/2006 8:34:06 AM

i appreciate the useful input. what do you all like/dislike about raleigh/nc state?

8/9/2006 10:19:10 AM

Quote :

"like they are some kind of cosmopolitan traveler who just stopped by tww to make thousands of posts "

THAT IS BY FAR THE BEST QUOTE I HAVE HEARD ALL DAY

8/9/2006 10:24:28 AM