Raleigh/Triangle area anyone?

[Parkblu]

My wife and I (she's from PA, me from Munich) are pretty much over the South Florida thing and consider relocating to NC. We'll do an exploratory trip in two weeks, unfortunately by car, staying with relatives in Winston-Salem, but will concentrate on the Raleigh and Triangle areas.

I'd love to hear your comments - good bad and ugly - if you know the area: anything about food, riding, dealerships, schools, areas we should look at for living (Cary keeps coming up), coffeeshops, streets to avoid, whatever comes to your mind. Would you mind helping us out a bit? I'd really appreciate it, many thanks!

[machew01]

Parkblu,

I live in Raleigh. We are blessed with a great BMW dealership (Capitol BMW) with a truly top notch service department. However, the dealership has just been sold; I hope the great service tradition continues. There is also a very good BMW dealership in Greensboro, NC (Carolina BMW).

Everyone seems to think that Raleigh (including Cary) is the cat's meow. However, to my way of thinking, it has all of the disadvantages and none of the advantages of either a large city or a small town. But Winston-Salem might be a fun place to live. At the very least, it's close to the mountains along the NC/VA border, and there is some great motorcycling to be had there! It is near the site of the Hungry Mother group ride in August, and Willville Bike Camp is nearby at Meadows of Dan, VA. Willville is a very popular motorcycle campground; it's in a beautiful setting and has very nice facilities.

Good coffee shops are to be found everywhere, including Starbucks and Caribou. There are also some really good independent shops like Cuppa Joe's near N.C. State and The Mad Hatter which is across the street from the old Duke University campus in Durham. The Mad Hatter is a fun early Saturday morning bike destination for me.


mac

[Parkblu]

Mac,

thanks for giving me some 411; we'll be staying in Winston with relatives and will try to buyild as much as we can from your tips into the trip. Perhaps I'll drive by Capitol and check out what they're up to...

Thanks again!

[Hottech]

A must to try is the micro brewery resturant in Winston-Salem called The Foothills Brewry. A great selection try their stout!