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Will be in the area next week, have a couple of questions regarding the airport and Restaurants
1. Any must-do restaurants in Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, and Chapel Hill. Trying to get a feel for those areas.
2. How is the rental car drop off at RDU? How much time should I allot for that? Flight is at 1130 on a Saturday, Delta with TSA precheck. I've missed my flight before because of insane rental car drop-off wait times at an onsite car place, since this has a shuttle, I'm leary.
Where are you coming from? Food and restaurants reviews are extremely subjective depending where you are from.
Very True! The Destin FL area. So seafood is not something we are looking for, necessarily. We enjoy just about every type of food. We are considering relocating up there, and restaurants are a big part of our lifestyle. This area has some good ones but not enough to keep us interested. And come springbreak/summer hour+ waits aren't our thing. And the lack of variety here is huge! Around here if you can't get into one restaurant it is 20+ minutes to some of the others we like, just to risk a wait there as well.
So few take reservations, we tend to stick to those that do. I would love an area where there are multiple choices from one parking lot.
Very True! The Destin FL area. So seafood is not something we are looking for, necessarily. We enjoy just about every type of food. We are considering relocating up there, and restaurants are a big part of our lifestyle. This area has some good ones but not enough to keep us interested. And come springbreak/summer hour+ waits aren't our thing. And the lack of variety here is huge! Around here if you can't get into one restaurant it is 20+ minutes to some of the others we like, just to risk a wait there as well.
So few take reservations, we tend to stick to those that do. I would love an area where there are multiple choices from one parking lot.
I am from NYC and find restaurants here sub par. I don't mean any offense. I am used to tons of restaurants. diners. delis, pizzerias, every kind of ethnic food made my immigrants and/or kids of immigrants. Nothing here compares. There is also long wait times and since Covid, many places are only open 5-8, not on certain days, etc. I can't compare to Florida, because I do not know the food there.My sister relocated to Florida from NYC and tells me the food, pizza, chinese is bad there. Please, again, to anyone reading I am not trying to be offensive. Food, restaurants etc are just so very subjective when getting opinions. I have read people raving about places I think are terrible, for example.
Returning a rental and getting back to the terminal will take 5-10 minutes, max. The rental sites are centrally located in the middle of RDU and the shuttles don't sit for more than a few minutes. Factoring in TSA Pre, you'll be at your gate < 15 minutes from when you drop the car off.
Returning a rental and getting back to the terminal will take 5-10 minutes, max. The rental sites are centrally located in the middle of RDU and the shuttles don't sit for more than a few minutes. Factoring in TSA Pre, you'll be at your gate < 15 minutes from when you drop the car off.
I'd call that a VERY optimistic assessment and allow about an hour "just in case". You never know what can go wrong at an airport drop-off.
Don't forget to factor in if you need to, filling up the rental car w/gas. And are you checking a bag? Sometimes that alone takes 20 minutes- I've seen the Delta line be pretty bad.
For 11:30 on Saturday I don't think is prime time. Still I'd aim to be at the rental car center 2 hours prior. Even 25 minutes car and 20 minutes bag, 5 minutes precheck still plenty of time. And check out 42nd st. Oyster bar in the terminal after security.
Restaurants I have no idea budget etc. but
Wake Forest has Shorty's Hot Dogs and the Burger Shop as local faves.
Chapel Hill has Top of the Hill and Mama Dip's as staples.
Apex I've only heard of Peak Grill.
Cary has Corbett's Burgers and Dannys BBQ I've heard good things.
Cary has Corbett's Burgers and Dannys BBQ I've heard good things.
Danny's is good, but it is not NC BBQ (nor do they claim to be), in case that is what the OP is looking for.
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