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Old 08-01-2015, 08:42 PM
 
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"Weird" as used by Austin, Portland and others pretty much just means an emphasis on independent business over chains. "Keep Austin Weird" means "keep chains out of Austin" -- simple as that.

That said, of the cities cited by the OP, I would definitely not consider New York, Boston, Philly or DC "weird," except maybe in pockets so small they barely count. I mean, look at a place like South Street in Philly -- lots of hip independent business, but then there's a Whole Foods. Burlington and especially Savannah, sure.
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Old 08-03-2015, 08:42 AM
 
Location: Asheville, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boulevardofdef View Post
"Weird" as used by Austin, Portland and others pretty much just means an emphasis on independent business over chains. "Keep Austin Weird" means "keep chains out of Austin" -- simple as that.

That said, of the cities cited by the OP, I would definitely not consider New York, Boston, Philly or DC "weird," except maybe in pockets so small they barely count. I mean, look at a place like South Street in Philly -- lots of hip independent business, but then there's a Whole Foods. Burlington and especially Savannah, sure.
l agree about independent chains but it's also the type of people and vibe. That being said, I was thinking more independent towns or cities. I am sure bigger cities have these pockets but I'm not sure how "weird" it feels.
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Old 08-03-2015, 08:51 AM
 
Location: Miami Beach, FL/Tokyo, Japan
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Nothing is really weird about Austin. Portland deserves the title a little bit more.
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Old 08-03-2015, 09:29 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boulevardofdef View Post
"Weird" as used by Austin, Portland and others pretty much just means an emphasis on independent business over chains. "Keep Austin Weird" means "keep chains out of Austin" -- simple as that.

That said, of the cities cited by the OP, I would definitely not consider New York, Boston, Philly or DC "weird," except maybe in pockets so small they barely count. I mean, look at a place like South Street in Philly -- lots of hip independent business, but then there's a Whole Foods. Burlington and especially Savannah, sure.
South Street is pretty much Center City nowadays-expensive places are rarely "weird".

Weird in Philly is in West Philly and Mt. Airy/Germantown, and some other parts of the city too.

One weird thing that can be seen all over the city are the "toynbee tiles". There's a pretty cool documentary on their origin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toynbee_tiles
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Old 08-03-2015, 10:04 AM
 
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Athens, GA
Decatur, GA
Charleston, SC (kinda)
Columbia, SC (kinda)
Asheville, NC
Carrboro, NC
Richmond, VA
Charlottesville, VA (more like Chapel Hill but still has a weird side)

Carrboro is definitely weirder than Chapel Hill. Carrboro is a hippie town, probably the most liberal town in the state. Chapel Hill is more so on the preppy/trendy side, almost like Raleigh in that respect. Carrboro is more like Asheville. Even Durham could fit the "Keeping it weird" bill to an extent.
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Old 08-03-2015, 11:35 AM
 
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New Paltz NY is a community known for its hippie vibe.
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Old 08-03-2015, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Asheville, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayJayCB View Post
Athens, GA
Decatur, GA
Charleston, SC (kinda)
Columbia, SC (kinda)
Asheville, NC
Carrboro, NC
Richmond, VA
Charlottesville, VA (more like Chapel Hill but still has a weird side)

Carrboro is definitely weirder than Chapel Hill. Carrboro is a hippie town, probably the most liberal town in the state. Chapel Hill is more so on the preppy/trendy side, almost like Raleigh in that respect. Carrboro is more like Asheville. Even Durham could fit the "Keeping it weird" bill to an extent.

We got to visit Chaplel Hill/Carrboro a couple months ago but it was for only one day. I wish we had more time there. It was summer, so it was quiet being the students are out of class. It definitely looked preppy in CH. Downtown Carrboro is nice for 3 or 4 blocks and then it appears to get sketchy. Once you drive out of downtown, it gets much nicer. Once again, unfortunately, we only got to spend a day there. That being said, they are both cool

We also visited Charlottesville, VA for dinner. (The outside mall area) It's a neat place as well.

What areas in Richmond are you speaking about?
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Old 08-05-2015, 09:58 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beckycat View Post
We got to visit Chaplel Hill/Carrboro a couple months ago but it was for only one day. I wish we had more time there. It was summer, so it was quiet being the students are out of class. It definitely looked preppy in CH. Downtown Carrboro is nice for 3 or 4 blocks and then it appears to get sketchy. Once you drive out of downtown, it gets much nicer. Once again, unfortunately, we only got to spend a day there. That being said, they are both cool

We also visited Charlottesville, VA for dinner. (The outside mall area) It's a neat place as well.

What areas in Richmond are you speaking about?
Most of the ares downtown feel kinda hipster and artsy, as VCU certainly helps. Richmond is in the same vein as Carrboro or Asheville, at least in some ways. Downtown Raleigh and Chapel Hill, definitely more so preppy and trendy.

Carrboro, sketchy? What areas are you talking about?
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Old 08-05-2015, 10:39 AM
 
Location: Asheville, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayJayCB View Post
Most of the ares downtown feel kinda hipster and artsy, as VCU certainly helps. Richmond is in the same vein as Carrboro or Asheville, at least in some ways. Downtown Raleigh and Chapel Hill, definitely more so preppy and trendy.

Carrboro, sketchy? What areas are you talking about?
When we drove through downtown (Franklin St) and looked at the immediate neighborhoods, maybe not sketchy but somewhat rundown?? I know we were only there a day so probably didn't get to see everything or make a good judgement.
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Old 08-05-2015, 01:07 PM
 
Location: Syracuse, New York
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Wayne County, New York is considered weird by Rochestertarians.

Fulton, New York is considered a weirdo outpost by Syracusans.
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