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Durham definitely has more of that sort of stuff. I can't tell you where to go specifically, but if you search Yelp for nightclubs, coffee shops and record stores, you'll find the right areas.
Downtown Raleigh is very small. There's a "warehouse district" near Nash Square where there are apartments (lofts, I guess) and some restaurants, bars and shops. West of there is Glenwood South. East of there, Fayetteville Street, Wilmington Street and Blount Street (near Moore Square) have a lot of restaurants and shops, and south of Moore Square is the City Market area with more of the same. That pretty much covers Downtown Raleigh.
Mordecai and Five Points are a little further out but also very nice. The area downtown between Fayetteville Street and Moore Square can be a little "gritty", especially along Wilmington and near the bus station. I've been panhandled occasionally but never hassled. Moore Square is, I gather, a hangout spot for homeless people, but to tell the truth, I've been asked for money more often by relatively well-dressed guys than the guys who look more like stereotypical "vagrants".
Great info on durham! Thanks so much!
I can relate to those well-dressed panhandlers....here in Maine the "hipsters" panhandle the median strips and ramps while wearing $150 LL Bean boots and talking on cell phones, wearing Ray Ban sunglasses......at least they should look the part! LOL I have to believe that a lot of these pros move around the country panhandling and camping in cities as some kind of lifestyle thing.....whatever.
This should be in fine print of all "Please move to Raleigh" articles. It's not a negative but it realistically describes the size of downtown which is often portrayed bigger then it actually is.
I think the PR machines in a lot of cities around the country are well-oiled, and often exaggerate the positives in cities to get visitors (or others) to come to town. Thanks for the perspective!
If you really want the downtown feel, there are some great lofts and apartments for sale in the downtown Durham area. Depends on your budget, of course:-)
If you really want the downtown feel, there are some great lofts and apartments for sale in the downtown Durham area. Depends on your budget, of course:-)
Thanks! Not looking to buy, but I'll be checking out renting dt Durham and Raleigh, as well as the close in burbs and Chapel Hill.
The heart of downtown Raleigh is Fayetteville St, near the State Capitol building. Lots of parking decks in that area; street parking is hard to find downtown.
The most "walkable" part of Durham is Ninth Street, near Duke. But Durham has a lot more "different" walkable areas: there's downtown, the American Tobacco Complex, the Brightleaf Square area (technically near "downtown"), Ninth St, and Duke West Campus. If you like interesting places to walk, Durham is more your bet--downtown Raleigh has great restaurants, museums and stuff but also lots of state government buildings, which aren't very interesting to walk around on a regular basis compared to Durham's "vibe".
I completely agree with Francois. As I recently wrote in a different post, my daughter called Raleigh part city/part suburb. In my humble opinion, she was right on. As cities go, it has more of a generic, vanilla feeling. I am like you, OP, in that I love the university feeling/energy so I love walking around the streets where NC State is.
Durham is much more interesting in my opinion with all the different areas that Francois mentioned above.
Finally, although it is small, Franklin street in Chapel Hill is so pretty, it's a must see. It's summer so it doesn't feel as crowded with students and is more mellow in energy but combined with Carrboro, it has a nice coffee-house vibe that I love.
Blue Note Grill has moved down walking distance from Motorco and Fullsteam and is a great little place with live music (jazz/blues). The crowd is definitely the over 30 crowd.
That's ironic to suggest considering the actual physical area Charlotte's downtown covers is nearly the same as Raleigh. Although the urban areas outside its downtown with interesting things (NoDA and South End) are more developed than Raleigh's (Hillsborough street). Not by much though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by olderandwiser456
I'm planning a reconnaissance trip to the triangle later in July or early August, and in order to maximize my time, I'm wondering if there are "interesting" areas of both downtown Raleigh and Durham where there are clusters of shops, cafes, restaurants (walkable) in each town, with lots of people around. I'd like to walk around both cities and likely won't have more than 5 days to explore the area, and will potentially also look for housing, so suggestions (streets/landmarks) about the best parts of downtowns are welcome. Chapel Hill will be easier to figure out as it's smaller.
In Raleigh, the Moore Square area and Glenwood South are the main highlights, in downtown. The Warehouse district is full of gaps and unused buildings still but there are some gems tucked away there. Also, there's a nearly continuous corridor going out along Morgan street, up along Hillsborough street to NC State, from downtown. That's another good spot.
In Durham, the activity is sort of scattered around downtown. Brightleaf Square and the American Tobacco district are interesting. Outside of downtown Durham, there's 9th street near Duke's northern section of campus.
Chapel Hill/Carrboro obviously have Franklin/Rosemary/Main streets.
I'm still fairly new to the area after moving from Austin, TX. I think Durham has a really cool vibe - very soulful. It makes me happy just to be there (currently live in Chapel Hill so have Durham "next door.") I recently spent a couple of days walking around downtown Durham, the American Tobacco District, and Rigsbee and had a great time. Just looking at all the murals everywhere and the old warehouses is really interesting - it's such a textured place.
Cocoa Cinnamon has ammmaaazing beverages that are lovingly crafted. Rose's Meat Market and Sweet Shop is so good that I can concentrate on nothing else when having one of their treats (hello ganache tart!). The area around Scratch Bakery is really lovely with its worn brick alleyways. Had a Shaker Lemon pie at Scratch that was heavenly. And Loaf around the corner - had a caramelized, beeswax coated small bun that was like nothing I've ever had before and apparently hails from Bordeaux (and was crazy good - still thinking about it!!). Can you tell I like Durham's bakeries and treat shops? Seems like there's more to choose from all the time. The Parlour has fantastic ice cream (all of these places are in downtown Durham). Fullsteam Brewery is a fun stop. Motorco looks great - haven't been yet. Anyway, plenty to see, do, sample for a long afternoon in Downtown Durham. The 21c Museum Hotel also recently opened and looks like a cool place to stroll through and get lunch (or a cocktail).
Oh - and finally - Duke campus isn't far from downtown and is so gorgeous. When I was walking through - I happened to catch the daily pipe organ demonstration at Duke Chapel - which is a breathtaking structure. Speaking of breathtaking, make sure to stop by Duke Gardens and if you have time - the nearby Nasher museum is a lovely small gallery with some really thoughtfully put together collections.
Last edited by EastCoastTXGirl; 07-08-2015 at 09:12 AM..
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