Do You Live in DC or Up North and Think About Relocating South? …Consider Raleigh, North Carolina.

Having grown up in the DC metro area, and having lived there until my early thirties... at first blush, Raleigh appeared decades behind in many ways. As a new Triangle resident in 2003, one of the first questions that popped in my head, was 'where's there to go out and eat around here?' and 'what's to do?' Really there is much more in the Triangle than 'meets the eye'. You just have to get into the groove, as Madonna's hit from the 80's pointed out.

While there may be a lot of eclectic and international influences common in a major metro area like DC, some of that has made its four hour driving distance to the Triangle. And just over the past few years, I've noticed the growth in local Raleigh businesses and diverse restaurants. Sure, there may not be the club scene like downtown DC...and no Marrakesh Moroccan lounge... but if you look hard enough, there's an experience you can create similar at Raleigh's Oliver Twist Tapas Bar and Lounge. And Raleigh may not be Asian restaurant central like Arlington, VA where you can't NOT see a Chinese, Sushi, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, or Asian Fusion restaurant... anywhere you go. But if you look around Raleigh, there's all these kinds of restaurants...just not as many...YET. Oh, do you love Cuban food like me? There's Carmen's Cuban Caf Lounge and Restaurant near RDU Airport. What about Middle Eastern or Greek Food? There's at least 3 choices just at Brier Creek alone - Soloman's, Baba Grill, Greek Fiesta. What didn't I cover? Of course Raleigh is famous for barbecue and is as American and apple pie as any smaller and especially southern town. Oh, and if you like French, Mexican, or Italian food, take your restaurant pick...I've got mine. If you want super sophicated 'top chef' type cuisine that you find in an affluent and large metro area, then just make a reservation at any of a handful of Chapel Hill restaurants.

Keep looking around Raleigh, you'll also see the franchise restaurants. Like we already have Outback Steakhouse, Champps, Maggiano's, Cheesecake Factory, and PF Chang's, just to name a few. One place I miss up in the DC area is Cosi. It's a small eatery restaurant where you can get anything gourmet-like you want and seat yourself. Kinda like the modern day cafeteria. I'm predicting that we'll be seeing that eatery trend here soon (...and hopefully Cosi). I've already seen a taste of it with LaVitaDolce. Summed up, my experience in Raleigh has been, if I say, 'oh I wish we had so-and-so restaurant here'...a few months later it happens.

But then there are unique places to the Triangle like Angus Barn, and the Rocky Top Hospitality restaurants like Twisted Fork at the Triangle Town Center. (They've got Capital and Clyde's Restaurant Groups up in DC.) And there are even some southern restaurant chains here not in the DC area, like Wild Wing Caf. You gotta try their sliders!

So then if all these food options are here in the Triangle (and much more), what else is unique about the Raleigh area besides the year round mild weather? For starters, I think we take for granted the universities. I mean, residents knows they're here 'cause of all the college sporting events, non-stop obsessive coverage, and all the college flags sitting on the lawns. But coming from a non-university town like Northern Virginia, there's just not a big college feel there even though there are colleges. They just gets lost in a big place like that. Sports revolve around professional football, basketball, baseball, and every other sport where there's money put into it. Most universities in downtown DC are very prestigious and just don't have that campus feel. It's more of a commuter experience. I know 'cause I attended both a Northern Virginia and a DC university. The big Virginia colleges are all two hours driving distance and beyond. In the Triangle, of course we have NC State, Duke and UNC as the big ones right in our backyard.

There's also a big focus on healthcare and a lot of smart scientist types buzzing around RTP. And besides healthcare and education, there's also a lot of fun stuff to do around Raleigh...like shopping, which is my personal favorite at mixed indoor-outdoor malls like Crabtree Valley, Streets at South Point, and Triangle Town Center. Or pretend "window" shopping in outdoor malls like North Hills and Cameron Village. And there are always little events that are going on from our Farmer's Market, to all-kinds-of-you-name-it hobby related shows and expo's (yes, and even shopping related ones!). And who would've thought that we'd get the big star performers, and musicians coming to our Alltel Pavilion and RBC Center? But we do!
The Raleigh pace is slower than in DC or any big city. That's what makes it less stressful. People aren't blowing their horns left and right and trying to pass ahead. And it's not an all-day driving and dealing with traffic, to and from affair, like it is in the much overcrowded DC area....oh and I was a former DC wine festival and Gold Cup attender. Those are some of the bigger annual social events. In downtown Raleigh we have the World Beer Festival. I guess the big difference is obvious, the tastes. But we've got in Raleigh our little wine festivals and events throughout the year, that I think are much funner than a large event that everyone goes to and takes a lot of coordination and effort to get to. It's like up north, you gotta work hard to get to have a good time. And they're used to doing that. Well...until you get a lucky taste of the other side like I did!

But give Raleigh a few more years and a few more Northerners, and I'm sure there will be some big events for those of you who miss the really crowd drawing events. And there may not be the annual Cherry Blossom Parade or the Big 4th of July fireworks like down in DC's mall. But these events are fun to go to once or twice and get 'old' real quick. They become funner to watch on TV without hassle. In comparison, Raleigh hosts the annual North Carolina State Fair which is always a blast and something for everyone of all ages. It's just good 'ol amusement park fun and pretty hassle-free to get in and out of. There's not a big theme but just to have fun. It's worth it to go every year. I mean where else can you get Fried Oreo's and fried anything else you can imagine and come home with a loot of game winning stuffed animals?

Did I cover Raleigh entertainment in a nutshell? Well...if you wanna keep discovering 'insider' places to go in the Triangle...then follow me on my daily updated blog where I give the good, bad, and the ugly. http://www.raleighvipclub.com