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DECO--- how was your trip?

Gypsy

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How did it go?

What was it like?
Yeah or Nay for future Deco-dom?
 

missy

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Hi Deco, I'm with Gypsy in wanting to know what your thoughts are regarding the areas you visited. And did you happen to do any research on health care in those areas? As we are getting older (and some of us are acquiring new health conditions -me at least :(sad ) that becomes an important issue. Need to be near good hospitals/doctors. Sad but true.

Hope you had a successful and enjoyable trip and looking forward to your thoughts! :wavey:
 

diamondseeker2006

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Missy, you'd be hard pressed to find a better health care area. Duke University and the University of NC at Chapel Hill are top notch universities and both have outstanding medical schools and facilities.
 

decodelighted

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Hey Gypsy! Missy! Diamondseeker2006!

Trip got cut a little short due to a cold I caught along the way and some other boring "that's life" stuff. We drove back Friday. I can write up a really detailed list of things we saw in Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Raleigh/Durham if you like (we made lists on Evernote & crossed stuff out as we did 'em.) But I'm guessing you're looking more for an overall perspective so I'll write that *now*:

We liked it there! Our first impression was driving into the border between Durham & Chapel Hill ... and finding it .... manicured. Very clean & tidy with intricate plantings and lush greenery. Even the highways seem like the prettiest versions of themselves. I was impressed by the level of design almost everywhere. From funky downtown Durham to super poshville Chapel Hill nabes to earthy Carrboro and gentile Raleigh. And across the board CHEERFUL KINDNESS. Not fakey niceness. But real interest and helpful suggestions and people going out of their way to make sure we had a good time. A woman in the Chapel Hill visitor's bureau re-opened for us 15 mins after closing because she saw us peering in longingly at the brochures ... and listed off summaries of at least fifteen eateries within a two block radius ... hooking us up with the most amazing dinner nearly next door.

The areas all have a distinctly different "feel". I really dug the loft-heavy, slightly gritty but resurgent Downtown Durham -- full of night spots & hip stores & food trucks & a kind of Austiny vibe. But I don't think we would choose to live there. If I was 25, I'd be climbing all over myself to. But I can tell the streets get a little deserted at night and we need dog-walking comfort at all hours. We thought it might be an option from looking at pix etc ... and adore the lofts themselves ...but * in context* it didn't feel quite safe enough *yet*. Might be by the time we're ready to move there. Got the feeling we'd hang out more in Durham than other spots ... but wouldn't want to live there ... yet. The college area around Duke was more suburban though. We didn't explore that as much as from our first thoughts we generally preferred the area around Chapel Hill/Carrboro *more*.

Raleigh was a little harder to understand. There's a historic neighborhood downtown that I am fully, completely, madly, deeply in love with. Historic Oakwood. Oh words cannot describe this magic land of scrupulously restored older homes painted fanciful pastel colors amidst old growth trees and carefully-vintage-painted general stores, eateries etc. Our current wee purple house would fit right at home in this neighborhood. And I took a picture of the perfect house I'd want there. Only: HOLD UP. It's only walkable to a few things. (Kind of like our house now.). And all the homes are antiques. (like our house now -- that DH is desperate to get out of, for something newer, lower maintanance etc.) I FELT COMPLETELY AT HOME HERE but *we* didn't. If that makes sense. It's perfectly *me*. Not perfectly *us*. Argh. Otherwise Raleigh is a mixed bag. Some parts big city. Some parts planned communities. Lots of nice shopping options and a fancy outdoor mall and that crazy State Farmer's Market (like shopping for produce at a giant truck stop?)

Which brings us back to our original top picks ... Carrboro & Chapel Hill. Known to some as Chapelboro. Everywhere we went within these areas felt very safe and comfortable. There were fancy condos & townhouses & huge mansions & wee cottages - of every state of repair. There were parts that felt like Old Town Alexandria/meets Del Ray. Or Charlottesville, VA. Or Princeton, NJ. Fancy beautiful college-ville with neighboring hippie-ville. Down home eateries next to nationally-ranked ones. There was a rather large walkable area - but the best access to it was condo complexes that are still under construx ... or houses either too small or too expensive. I can see how it would be tricky to find the perfect combo in the area but maybe worth it. Or maybe it would be enough to live nearby? Time will tell. This area was DH's clear fave. With Raleigh #2 & Durham #3. I was so smitten with Oakwood in Raleigh that it's hard to see straight. But agree that the corner of Carrboro & Chapel Hill is a front-runner for our future homestead in the future ... sometime ...
 

Gypsy

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Oh I'm so happy you guys liked it! I'm sorry you caught a cold though, that stinks. And it's so miserable to be sick when you are traveling. I hope you feel better soon!

I am very encouraged by your experience. Thanks so much for sharing. I like hearing that the neighborhoods all have very different personalities. Makes it seem like there's a lot of variety and that if we search and get to know the areas we might find a nice fit. The Old Town, VA/Princeton, NJ neighborhood sound lovely! I'll have to put that on the list.

I think (fingers crossed) my mom and I might make a trip out there fairly soon-- my hope is in the next couple months. I've been doing more and more research on moving out there and even though our initial moving expenses are going to be painful ... not to mention how miserable driving BACK to the east coast with SIX freaking cats is going to be... if I like it after a visit then we'd like to move ASAP, but no later than next June.

Going to put Historic Oakwood on the list as well. And I think we're going to concentrate more on the Raleigh/Wake Forest area for our exploration

And I am SO HAPPY to hear about the healthcare. I was very worried about that. With my RA and DH's back problems leaving our current doctors is one of the largest concerns we have had.
 

pinkjewel

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Deco- please do not be sooooo positive (shhhhhhh....we don't want EVERYONE moving here :lol:

Seriously, I'm glad you liked it- it's very easy to fall in love with this area. About Historic Oakwood- yes it's very charming, but it's in a transitional area. You do need to be somewhat careful walking around the area- especially at night and have a very good security system. There is a trial on right now about a home invasion in that area. The husband was shot (and is paralyzed from the waist down) trying to protect his wife who was being raped. There are some nearby areas that still have quite a bit of charm (around Anderson Drive and Five Points) that I feel are a bit more safe. Charming park close by- Five Points area within walking distance, just a short drive to Cameron Village, Glenwood South area, and downtown Raleigh.

Gypsy, please let me know when you come- I'd love to meet with you and your Mom and take you around my little city. =)

eta- yes, Health Care around here is excellent... as long as someone is not already on Medicare when they move here. It's hard to find a (good) Dr. who is accepting any new Medicare patients.
 

missy

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Hi Deco :wavey: Sounds like your trip was a success! Thanks for that detailed write up and now you have me wanting to move there... Haha, sorry pinkjewel. :bigsmile:

And thank you DS for the healthcare info. Definitely sounds like a great place to live. Brooklyn used to have a sign when you came into the borough that read-welcome to Brooklyn, a nice place to visit and a great place to live. That sign is no longer there (not sure which politico thought it should be replaced with a stupid sign that says leaving Brooklyn, fuggedaboutit or something like that LOL) and it sounds like that original Brooklyn sign should belong to North Carolina now. :appl:

Please keep us posted Deco and thanks so much for sharing your experience!
 

Gypsy

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Pinkjewel, I absolutely will take you up on that! Thank you so much for the offer! I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about this. Fingers crossed!

Deco-- feel better soon, and thank you again for taking the time to type up your experiences!
 

diamondseeker2006

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I am just so pleased with your report, Deco!!! I had to kind of smile when I read Pinkjewel's reply! :lol: Hope you're feeling better!
 
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