So at 10:30 this morning I decided to fly to Raleigh, NC, for the weekend. (My BF, generally known as TaxiDriver, lives there.) Any recommendations on what to see or do? TaxiDriver’s one of those geeky types who never strays far from his computer, so although he’s lived there for almost 4 years, he has no idea of what there is to do in the area. Thanks for any suggestions!
I’ve always wanted to make the drive to the Triangle for a weekend, but one thing or another always comes up to prevent it. I’d start hitting as many clubs as I could find that were featuring local bands playing original music. Personal favorites from that area: Mike Garrigan, Runaway Cab. I’m envious.
Get an Independent–it has concerts, movies, everything that’s going on. It’s online at http://indyweek.com/durham/current/. Check out their “Best Bets”.
What do you like to do? Movies, music, eating, art, shopping, hiking, dancing? Are you looking for cheap entertainment or do you have money to burn?
If it’s nice this weekend, you could hang out at Umstead Park.
If you feel like driving over to Chapel Hill, “A Little Bit of Destiny” is opening this weekend. More info here. And Charlie’s Chinese Restaurant is right across the street. Charlie is really cool. And there’s the Cat’s Cradle.
A friend of mine who has great taste in music emailed me about a concert this weekend. I already deleted it, because I have other plans, but I think it was Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at the Lincoln Theatre. That could be interesting.
ME
The Moore Square area has some cool stuff. There’s Tir Na nog, Irish pub and restaurant; Greenshield’s, brewpub; Pour House, bar/nightclub, stage for bands, pool and darts upstairs; Exploris, museum and Imax theatre, and various little shops, galleries, and dining places on the cobblestone streets. Back part has a comedy club and Artspace. Come to think of it, this Friday is First Friday, where all the galleries are open and they serve wine and cheese. Just grab a taxi and tell the driver Moore Square.
Ooooh, some good ideas. Thanks!
MagicEyes, we’re poor and uncultured. 
TaxiDriver just bought a townhouse so that’s taking all his free $$, and mine goes towards flights back and forth. We’ve been to Umstead Park before - he used to live just down 70 from there. It would really be nice to go outside where it’s (relatively) warm. It’s about 20 with some nasty wind here so ~50 sounds good to me.
Moore Square sounds great, Knowed Out. I knew I could count on Dopers to come up with good ideas.
Sadly, it has not been all that warm in this area lately. It snowed in Durham just a couple of days ago. The weather man tells me that it’ll be warmer tomorrow - course this is the guy who had to jump into the fountain because it didn’t snow before he said it would. It did, however, hover right around freezing and rain very hard the day he jumped in. Poor guy.
I wish I could help you; as it is, I’ve lived here for a little under a year and I still have no idea what there is to do. I recommend Chapel Hill though. Lots of cool things there, plus there’s Cosmic Cantina for a good burrito and beer. Durham has a better CC but other than that, there’s not much in Durham.
How about looking up and stalking the members of legendary 90s guitar rock band Polvo? I’m sure thats what I’d do.
Forget Cosmic Cantina–Carrburitos is the place to go! Cosmic beans are often undercooked (which I guess is okay if you don’t mind that, but I hate undercooked beans). And Carrburitos, which has a way cooler name, because it’s in Carrboro (Carrburitos, get it?!) has different kinds of salsa, including a wonderful fruit salsa (the pineapple salsa is fantastic).
Carrboro also has Akai Hana for really good sushi, Panzanella (I haven’t eaten there yet, but I know it’s good), Elmo’s Diner (cheap, fun, and good), Bandido’s (Mexican with great mixed drinks that aren’t too expensive), Acme (a little bit more expensive–a lot of people love it, but I’m not that impressed). For cheap, fun food, Crazy Mae’s is good, but it’s open odd hours (and they have fantastic vanilla milkshakes). But if it’s closed, you can go across the street to the Armadillo Grill.
Other good, cheap places to eat in Chapel Hill: The Mellow Mushroom (there’s also one in Raleigh–I think they have live music on weekends), Cafe Parvaneh, Lime and Basil, Penang (Malaysian, Thai, and sushi), Top of the Hill, Spanky’s, Charlie’s (Chinese), The Loop, Queen of Sheba, Los Potrillos, Thai Palace. If you want to go really cheap, it has to be the Sunshine Biscuit Kitchen on Franklin Street–amazing biscuits, good cinnamon rolls, and a meal for less than $4. It’s the weirdest drive-through I’ve ever seen, but it’s worth it for those biscuits.
If you’re not a vegetarian, how about some barbecue? In Chapel Hill, it’s Allen and Sons (two locations, one north of Chapel Hill on 86, the other is south on 15/501). In Durham, it’s Bullocks for barbecue. Some other good places in Durham are TrinB’Ago (Caribbean–lovely ginger beer), Blue Nile (Ethiopian), and Sitar India Palace.
If any of these sound good, let me know and I’ll give you directions.
Checking the weather forecast, it’s supposed to warm up this weekend–might get close to 60 on Saturday.
ME
Everything else you said here is good advice. But any discussion of Chapel Hill and pizza MUST include Pepper’s. Mellow Mushroom is a chain from another college town. (Athens, GA, I think… and I know they have out here by Vandy, too.)
:smack: I’m soooo stupid. How could I forget Pepper’s? I was really thinking music, not pizza. If you want to get Pizza in Chapel Hill, it has to be Pepper’s. Don’t even think about getting pizza anywhere else! I also forgot Hector’s on Franklin Street–cheap and greasy, but a great place to eat late at night when everything else is closed. They have the best fries around, and the Greek grilled cheese will give you a heart attack, but it’s worth it.
You could try the Pittsboro General Store. I haven’t been there, because I usually hang out at the Bynum Front Porch Music Series at the Bynum General Store on Friday nights. It doesn’t start until April, so you’re out of luck this time, but if you’re in town anytime from April to late fall, it’s the place to be. And while you’re in Bynum, you can visit Clyde Jones and his critters. If you go to Bynum this Saturday, you can see Clyde’s critters and eat all the soup you want at the soup cook-off.
Other cheap, fun things to do: the flea market at the fairgrounds in Raleigh, the botanical gardens at UNC (I like their poison plants section), cheap movies at the Blue Ridge, lots of parks (the Eno River State Park in Durham has lots of activities, like “Wafting on the Eno”) and lakes (Jordan Lake, Falls Lake).
I almost forgot one of my favorite places–Francesca’s on Ninth Street in Durham has wonderful desserts, gelato, and coffee. I know, there are lots of coffee places in Raleigh, so why should you drive all the way to Durham? Just trust me on this one–go to Francesca’s. While you’re there, the Blue Corn Cafe just down the street is also very nice.
I guess that’s enough. Have fun this weekend!
ME
If you decide to visit Ninth Street in Durham, The Regulator Bookshop is just down the street. It’s wonderful. George’s Garage is right there too. It’s a Mediterranean market, bakery and restaurant all in one. It’s the only place within 50 miles of where I live that I can get decent Italian bread!
I’d add Fosters to the mix of good restaurant places. I had breakfast there just last Saturday (the one in Durham, not Chapel Hill) and that was some damn good sweet potato hash. The biscuit was pretty awesome too.
Do you want to go to the bars or anything at all? I like “He’s not Here” or whatever it’s called in Chapel Hill. You’ll have to get the blue cup, or green cup, or whatever color it was. Obviously this place made a lasting impression on me.
Wow, lots of ideas! If I try all those restaurants, though, I’m going to be over the weight limit for flying back home! I’m going to have to make a list and do some of the things now and some in future trips. I don’t think I can get TaxiDriver to try more than a couple new things in one weekend. He’s not big on things that aren’t part of his routine. I think I’m going to try to convince him to go downtown to Moore Square. He hates downtown (not Raleigh in particular, any city really) but I think the IMAX will convince him and then we can explore some of the surrounding area. I liven up his life a little and make him get out of his shell some, but one trip outside of his normal area per visit - maybe with multiple stops though - is really the limit. But we’ll have many trips to try new things so keep the ideas coming. Thanks!
Have you been to Hell? I think it’s still open–it’s been a while since I’ve been there. It used to be cool, but the people who opened it sold it, and it’s not the same.
If TaxiDriver doesn’t like the hassle of going downtown, Franklin Street in Chapel Hill might be more fun than downtown Raleigh. There’s not as much going on, but there are lots of restaurants and bars in walking distance, and parking is probably easier (you don’t have to worry about getting towed in Chapel Hill like you do in Raleigh).
I forgot to mention Mama Dip’s in Chapel Hill, and Bon’s Barbecue in Carrboro (Bon is Mama Dip’s daughter). Good southern food. Sweet potato biscuits. Crook’s Corner is nice, but not cheap. I could go on, but I’ll save the rest for next time.
Oooh, thanks for the tip on parking tickets. Didn’t know that was a problem in downtown Raleigh.
Predatory towing has been a big problem in downtown Raleigh. There are privately-owned lots that won’t let anyone else park there at any time, and they’re not very well marked, so a lot of people have been towed from lots where they thought it was okay to park. It’s gotten some news coverage lately, so I think they might be lightening up a little bit, but you still have to be careful where you park.
I just got this email from an actor/director I know. Looks interesting.
Okay, one more and then I’ll quit. If you decide to drive all the way out to Chapel Hill, Weaver Street Market in Carrboro is a great place to hang out. It’s a small co-op grocery store, with wonderful baked goods (almond croissants to die for), good coffee, and lots of interesting people to watch. If it hits 60 on Saturday, it will be a nice day to sit outside. But the main reason why I wanted to mention Weaver Street is their espresso chocolate cheesecake. I think it’s the best cheesecake around. It’s not food, it’s a happy drug!