"Raleigh, NC" a Raleigh Travel Page by TimDaoust

Greenshields pub in the historic City Market disctric with its cobblestone roads, the Wachovia bank high rise towering in the background, a perfect mix of old and new in NC's capital city, Raleigh.

Ahh, Raleigh. My parents moved us here to a suburb of Raleigh, called Garner from Stanfordville, NY in 1984 when I was only three years old. So for the most part this is home, though I still consider myself a northerner. I never did get into hush puppies and barbecue, country music or square dancing. My whole family still talks with an accent of sorts and so do I when I'm around them.
Anyway, Raleigh is the capital city of North Carolina and in some studies the triangle area, Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh included, has been listed as one of the best places to live in the US. It is a fairly short drive to loads of fun attractions like the beach (2-3 hours) or the mountains (2-3 hours) and it has an international airport with a direct flight to London. We even host the NC State Fair which is fun if you like (and trust) rides that can be taken apart and moved, greasy fatty food, farm animals and hanging out with people who like to fry anything (and that includes twinkies, candy bars and stuff that's already been fried once).

Seriously, there are some fun things about Raleigh and obviously I don't totally hate it because I moved back here after I finished school. I think if I hate it at all it's in that way that you end up hating the place you grew up if you want to see the rest of the world and you can't wait to get out of town.
Downtown has gone through some revitalization in parts especially the Glenwood Ave area. There are lots of quaint areas, lots of good restaurants, a sports arena, lots of good venues for theater and music, and since it is a college town and not far off from two other college towns, there's also everything that comes with that.
There are plenty of off the beaten path type adventures to be had, miles of greenway, plenty of city parks and lakes from the smallest to Falls and Jordan lakes. This photo was taken at Shelley lake, not too far from where I live.