What is up with Chapel Hill downtown? It's kinda gross.
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Downtown Chapel Hill has its problems but I'll take the homeless people over over "Rodeo Drive" ANY day of the week.
And by the way, have you ever been to Rodeo Drive? There are lots of homeless people there too.
Yes, I was there last Christmas, and I didn't see any homeless people or panhandlers there. I've seen a lot of bums and movie star look alike on Hollywood and Santa Monica Blvd, but not in Beverly Hills. I was also totally disappointed on Hollywood Walk of Fame. It wasn't as glamorous as I thought it would be. Cerritos Towne Center, about 40 minutes from Rodeo Drive in Bvly Hills is what I think of when I saw North Hills, Cameron Village and Brier Creek.
Ah, what makes me laugh about this is NCSU students always say that Franklin St is better than Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. And I agree (I am a former NCSU student). Franklin St. isn't that bad, but as someone mentioned before, it's located right next to UNC and UNC Hospital, which doesn't help things.
Gosh, yes, Chapel Hill is not Rodeo Drive. Thank goodness! If it was all a bunch of materialistic fancy looking people walking around wandering in and out of boutiques, I surely would not want to live here!!
Chapel Hill has a lot more to offer than t-shirt shops, but you do have to know where to go. I love the look of the buildings in downtown, and understand that it's not **** and span, which apparently you were expecting, so I can see that being a surprise.
A great thing about Chapel Hill is that is has so many different types of people all in one place. That is really the appeal for me!
BTW, "bum" is not really a very kind term for a homeless person.
The thing that is a bit unfortunate is that Chapel Hill does not have as much of a "downtown" as it could. For instance, the library is located over a mile away and there are no grocery stores of any size downtown. Some of the better things in Chapel Hill are not downtown, such as the library, parks, and lots of stores. Further, the "downtown is really only one block deep: Franklin St.
In comparison, Charlottesville, VA has only a small business district next to the campus of the University of Virginia. However, a mile away they have a fantastic downtown with ~10 block long pedestrian mall, courthouse, library, post office, and lots of shopping and restaurants.
State College has a very complete downtown adjacent to the campus of Penn State. It includes the post office, library, shops, and restaurants.
These other college towns have downtowns that are several blocks deep, which adds to the interest and vitality of the areas.
I do not find downtown Chapel Hill to be 'kinda gross'. It does have some issues though (panhandlers, parking etc). It is not an upscale enclave. It is not a huge district. Still, there are plenty of places to go. There is a fair amount of street activity. Come visit Chapel Hill without preconceived notions.
Alternatively, research well and make sure your expectations are realistic. To avoid disappointment/surprise at the condition of Franklin St you can read through the documentation on the town website. It is not a 'glossy' take on the area (unlike tourism sites). http://townhall.townofchapelhill.org...nitiative.html
Also, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership has put together a super website. There is a positive spin here (but not so much to be inaccurate). You can read about the current state of the downtown as well has the future developments. http://www.downtownchapelhill.com/index.php (broken link)
Latest article in the Chapel Hill News about panhandling, http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/7409.html (broken link)
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