Is Research Triangle Park a safe area? (Durham, Chapel Hill: crime, chapel)

[Minier]

Sorry if this is an ignorant question .. it comes from, well, ignorance as I don't know the area at all.

We are staying at a hotel in Research Triangle Park (the Residence Inn, to be exact) and want to make sure it's a safe location ... and, while you're at it, any recommendations for restaurants and to-do's right around there would be appreciated. Mostly, we'll be looking at houses in Carrboro, Pittsboro, Hillsboro, etc. but since our hotel is there, might as well check parts of Durham out too!

[whiteboyslo]

is it the Residence Inn near the intersection of 55 & 54 (just off I-40)? that area is fine, but i would caution NOT going too far north on 55. it gets a little dicey farther up the road and doesn't get a whole lot better for quite a while.

There's lots of GREAT food in Durham. If I've guessed your location correctly, you're actually less than 5 minutes from some of the best BBQ in the area (Backyard BBQ). It's a hole-in-the-wall, but it's good. There's also Papa Mojo's Roadhouse just down the street. Southpoint Mall is just a few exits back and has great restaurants in and around it, including Shikhi Sushi (my favorite sushi joint in the Triangle, thus far). You may also get a real kick out of the American Tobacco Campus and Brightleaf Square. They're a bit of a drive from you but are in the heart of downtown Durham and will show you a lot of the effort that has been put into revitilizing the area.

Aside from Durham, be sure to cruise down into Chapel Hill and check out Franklin St. There's lots of nice places to grab a bite there, though it is right next to UNC so it can get busy on the 'party nights'.

Mike

[Big M]

Unless you are a GSK employee, then the RTP area is very safe. Otherwise, you may get axed.

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by Big M

Unless you are a GSK employee, then the RTP area is very safe. Otherwise, you may get axed.

Don't forget Nortel, Ericsson, Sony Ericsson, and Wavecom

[Francois]

RTP is almost 0% residential, being all businesses and institutes. This means there are few people around after dark (except those working in or patronizing grocery stores and restaurants), but whether that's safe (fewer people to mug me) or unsafe (fewer people to hear me if I do get mugged) could be spun either way. I rarely hear of any crime there, though. BUT, you aren't far from some scary parts of Durham, so don't go driving aimlessly around that city at night.

Those RTP hotels get a lot of traffic and I'm sure they are not somewhere to worry about staying.

[GucciLittlePiggie]

i saw some pretty sketchy-looking deer there one time... [no, seriously, they were standing next to my car window. i think they were trying to jack the car, but i drove off.]

[Minier]

LOL, thanks guys, esp. Mike for your restaurant recommendations.

[mike052082]

Yeah, no reason to worry. You will be at the 54/55 intersection and right off the interstate so you will have good access to alot of stuff. Do try out Tylers or any of the resturants downtown Durham and you should be okay. I have recently taken a liking to Satisfaction. I hope all is good in looking around and make sure you know the traffic at busy times based on your job so it is a good thing that you are doing it the way you are.

On a side note Hillsboro is actually Hillsborough.

I don't know what your budget for a house or what you like but I would try some in Durham as well: Woodcroft, Woodlake, Grove Park, Bright Leaf (I could be wrong but it is off of HWY 70 right up from Brier Creek), Trinity Park, Old North Durham. Thats all I can think of right now.

[hula]

Also Sal's Italian on Hwy. 55 across from the Food Lion. They have a nice Italian buffet on Wednesday & Saturday nites and a lunch buffet M-F.

Benneti's is just a bit further down right near Papa Mojo's. Great for breakfast and lunch, and cheaper than Brigg's.

For Chinese check out Orient Garden on Hwy. 54 next to Kroger. It's across the street from the sushi place that was mentioned.