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First posted nine years, ago in 2013; my perspective on Raleigh has changed from a recent visit after being away for some years. I like what downtown has grown into. It's had a good amount of urban infill development, and the NC State area has become more linked to downtown and the whole core area felt more vibrant to me this time around. There's great museums downtown that have free entry, I dig the Morgan Street hall, and noticed all sorts of new restaurants, bars, and food markets are there now. Also in 2022 where many downtown cores in the US have declined IMO, Raleigh's downtown is clean, safe, and I didn't see much of any riff raff at all, so I appreciated that. So Raleigh downtown surprised me and I was pleasantly surprised as I really like it now. I use to think it was boring, it's not.
Raleigh’s downtown is nice and an overall unexpected discovery. Truly one of the best downtown’s Ive seen in the south. Very vibrant, great food and good nightlife.
Raleigh’s downtown is nice and an overall unexpected discovery. Truly one of the best downtown’s Ive seen in the south. Very vibrant, great food and good nightlife.
Outside of that… bland, uninspiring and generic
The new Amtrak rail station in downtown Raleigh is quite impressive. Best in the Carolinas by far IMO. Not many places in the US building new Amtrak stations that large and modern. It has been impressive to see all the new development and restaurants too in the immediate vicinity of the station as well since it was built.
I didn't expect how walkable and easy it is to get around Boston but also didn't expect the lack of nightlife. Seems like most of what you can do ends at 9-10pm
I was surprised how much I liked the Queens/Brooklyn more than Manhattan itself. So much diversity and culture in those boroughs.
I was also shocked just how mountainous, Tennessee was. Growing up there I got used to it, but it wasn't until I relocated that I realized its not like that up here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by masssachoicetts
Cities
Upstate/Central/Western New York- I thought it would be an extension of VT MA or rural NW CT. Yeah nooo. Its so economically depressed, im not sure how i made it four years there. It has so much potential… and I wish it the best moving forward. But boy, not what I was expecting.
yep, I knew Syracuse was not the best but I constantly get reminded of just how bad this place can be. Its a shame because I think if it turned the right corner decades ago, it would be a very talked about mid-sized city.
I grew up in Miami which is a culturally isolated city. Despite it being an international destination for tourists and immigrants, Miamians can be a bit provincial. I grew up believing that latinos throughout the US were more like the ones in Miami. As in, not much if any English spoken and not very assimilated.
When I first visited Texas (where I eventually lived in for a while) and met my now husband's family (Multi-generational Tejano) I was surprised at how culturally assimilated Texas' latino population is. The stereotype is that many speak little to no English, many came over illegally etc. and while thats true for a lot of people, many are fully assimilated Americans. Many even speak with a strong Texas twang with no latino sound to their accent. Many fully embrace the Southern and cowboy lifestyles mostly associated with white Anglo Texans.
At the same time, they proudly hold on to their Mexican heritage even if they don't speak any more Spanish than your average New York Jew speaks Yiddish.
Another shock for when I moved to Minnesota, is how strong the Native American prescence is, even in the Twin Cities. Two of my roommates when I moved up here were mixed Ojibwe/European. Growing up in South Florida, the only Indians we saw were on the Miccosukee Reservations and out in the Everglades in general. They seemed separate from the Miami-Dade urban fabric, sadly.
Pretty sure "Cowboy Culture" came from Hispanic culture. it wasn't an Anglo thing.
Nice thread "revival." I'll chime in with a few of my experiences:
Portland, OR
Pre-conceived perception: hipster, cool, rainy, cloudy
Actual visit: awesome bars and restaurants, nice downtown layout, but tons of homeless people and sketchiness surprised me
Huntsville, AL
Pre-conceived perception: fast-growing cool city in a deep red state
Actual visit: some nice pockets of the city, but downtown was tiny, quiet and not a ton going on, but potential there
Miami, FL
Pre-conceived perception: paradise, vibrant, latin American gateway, cosmopolitan
Actual visit: cosmopolitan, amazing beaches, clear water, great food, good vibes, loved it
St Louis, MO
Pre-conceived perception: good sized city with a legacy history and good bones, some hit or miss areas
Actual visit: a handful of beautiful neighborhoods and super nice historic areas--very livable and lively. Downtown somewhat sketchier than I thought and very quiet. Many neighborhoods to avoid in general, that are in terrible shapes of decline
Philadelphia, PA
Pre-conceived perception: huge city that is vibrant but sketchy in areas
Actual visit: huge city with a lot of declining neighborhoods, but a lot of bustling, vibrant ones too. Amazing Center City downtown area--top 10 in the US, easily
Memphis, TN
Pre-conceived perception: tourist based city with music, bbq and some rough areas
Actual visit: Food was phenomenal everywhere I went, people were warm and friendly, downtown was surprisingly vibrant and gentrifiying in a lot of areas. A few neighborhoods outside of downtown looked like they've seen better days/rough looking
Hartford, CT
Pre-conceived perception: large capital CT city that is the insurance capital with nice suburbs
Actual visit: suburbs are super nice, lots of wealth. Downtown was quiet but felt "ok." Neighborhoods surrounding downtown were in really rough shape/decline
Interesting about Hartford, CT. I have never been to that region of the country, but have always been intrigued by CT as well as the whole New England region. I once read that the cities in CT were quite segregated. The suburbs were 96+% white and the cities were 96+% black. That is some serious segregation and institutionalized/structural racism that in my view, has no equal. In fact, it is quite disturbing to me. Sounds like you witnessed what that segregation looks like.
I didn't expect how walkable and easy it is to get around Boston but also didn't expect the lack of nightlife. Seems like most of what you can do ends at 9-10pm
I was surprised how much I liked the Queens/Brooklyn more than Manhattan itself. So much diversity and culture in those boroughs.
I was also shocked just how mountainous, Tennessee was. Growing up there I got used to it, but it wasn't until I relocated that I realized its not like that up here.
yep, I knew Syracuse was not the best but I constantly get reminded of just how bad this place can be. Its a shame because I think if it turned the right corner decades ago, it would be a very talked about mid-sized city.
It is turning, as there is more development and the population of the city proper has increased. So, it is turning and is really just getting started. I just hope it maintains its character in the process, which I think it will do a better job of in comparison to many other cities, given some of the people involved in government and planned community development.
It also has its mixed use areas like Armory and Hanover Square in Downtown, Franklin Square, Westcott/University(Hill), Tipperary Hill and even Eastwood. Residential areas such as Meadowbrook(inc. Scottholm), Sedgwick and Strathmore/Winkworth are residential areas with an old and upscale feel to them. So, it is like most decent sized cities with a mix of neighborhoods.
Also, keep in mind that the poster you responded to went to a college in a small city about 40 minutes away.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 06-29-2022 at 05:22 PM..
Interesting about Hartford, CT. I have never been to that region of the country, but have always been intrigued by CT as well as the whole New England region. I once read that the cities in CT were quite segregated. The suburbs were 96+% white and the cities were 96+% black. That is some serious segregation and institutionalized/structural racism that in my view, has no equal. In fact, it is quite disturbing to me. Sounds like you witnessed what that segregation looks like.
I went to a minor league baseball game to see the Mud Hens play in Toledo. The ball park was in a really nice neighborhood of tree-lined streets and picket fences.
Did they build an even newer stadium recently? I was there about 10 years ago (when the downtown stadium was new) and it was a nice place but definitely not in a tree-lined street with picket fences. It did have a solid urban setting and good atmosphere for it being AAA baseball.
If you like wildlife, USA offers, by far,the most wildlife viewing from the car. You see and hear more birds, and often see wild mammals on thhe roadside. In most countries you can drive tor weeks or months without seeing anything. Just pull over and stop anywhere in USA, you'll see and hear several kinds of birds. The only place I can think of comparable to US is East India.
Interesting about Hartford, CT. I have never been to that region of the country, but have always been intrigued by CT as well as the whole New England region. I once read that the cities in CT were quite segregated. The suburbs were 96+% white and the cities were 96+% black. That is some serious segregation and institutionalized/structural racism that in my view, has no equal. In fact, it is quite disturbing to me. Sounds like you witnessed what that segregation looks like.
Hispanics actually outnumber Blacks in Hartford and most cities in Connecticut, and many of the suburbs are increasingly diverse these days. Not denying that economic and racial segregation exists there (as elsewhere in the US), but recent data from the 2020 census suggests a more complex reality.
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