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What about Mooresville? Pretty impressive for such a small place. And yes, DT Raleigh is very impressive...I don't know what some people are talking about.
Seriously? You pick the "backside" of Fayetteville St as your Raleigh example? You seriously picked one of the least active and attractive streets to compare? rolleyes: That said, I think that Salisbury St. is a sleeper and will surprise everyone in the future. Raleigh's DT is growing way too rapidly for it not become "a thing" in the future.
I just picked a random one that wasn't Fayetteville St. but close to it. Probably not a fair comparison to Elm St though
I like Greenville SC & Charleston a lot. Wilmington is great. Asheville nice. I haven't been to the others downtowns within the last year. Though I've been to the triad numerous times, just not downtown.
As far as streets, College is a very energetic street. In a couple years my preferred street will probably be Stonewall, but as of now, College street followed by 6th street. It seems no matter what random weekday, college is hopping. Always surprises me going into 1am, lots of taxis and activity around there.
Activity in recent years is now spread throughout uptown instead of centered around Tryon. Really nice.
I've never really taken photos of a place I live in except for a friend over sea, but I do have a few random. I might take more, particularly during the day soon (since you can only post pictures you've taken yourself)
Last edited by Charlotte485; 05-03-2016 at 07:14 PM..
yea... Fayetteville St. and Glenwood South are pretty much it. Not too much to see otherwise... narrow weed infested sidewalks, parking garages, construction, dull buildings occupying entire blocks, a glorious bus station, couple of squares that are "blah". Wish something BIG and iconic would come around. And is it me or is nobody's really talking about the Raleigh Beer Garden anymore?
Neither of those pictures is truly representative of all the offerings of each downtown.
Raleigh also has several excellent music venues, Lincoln Theater, Southland Ballroom, etc. We get great shows at Raleigh Memorial and other theatrical venues around town.
You also missed the Warehouse District, intersection of Davie/Dawson.
And nice little niches on Person St.
But hey, if you don't want to put in the time, all the more space for me!
I can't afford DPAC or the Carolina Theater, and I hate baseball, once you take those out of the equation, I don't see much appeal in Durham's downtown.
Each town is going do develop based on what the market demands. Populations shift, demand changes, businesses have to be ready to flex with the times. Is a downtown better because it has a gazillion clubs? I've been to Georgetown on a Saturday night, the drinks were overpriced and the parking was bad.
I'm puzzled by this need to constantly rank and criticize 'downtowns' as if they are a single entity unto themselves. Downtowns are just made up of many many people and parts. If you aren't having fun on a Saturday night, it has more to do with you than the faults of your 'downtown'.
Raleigh also has several excellent music venues, Lincoln Theater, Southland Ballroom, etc. We get great shows at Raleigh Memorial and other theatrical venues around town.
I can't afford DPAC or the Carolina Theater, and I hate baseball, once you take those out of the equation, I don't see much appeal in Durham's downtown.
I'm sorry but these two quotes combined don't make sense to me.
Neither of those pictures is truly representative of all the offerings of each downtown.
Raleigh also has several excellent music venues, Lincoln Theater, Southland Ballroom, etc. We get great shows at Raleigh Memorial and other theatrical venues around town.
You also missed the Warehouse District, intersection of Davie/Dawson.
And nice little niches on Person St.
But hey, if you don't want to put in the time, all the more space for me!
I can't afford DPAC or the Carolina Theater, and I hate baseball, once you take those out of the equation, I don't see much appeal in Durham's downtown.
Each town is going do develop based on what the market demands. Populations shift, demand changes, businesses have to be ready to flex with the times. Is a downtown better because it has a gazillion clubs? I've been to Georgetown on a Saturday night, the drinks were overpriced and the parking was bad.
I'm puzzled by this need to constantly rank and criticize 'downtowns' as if they are a single entity unto themselves. Downtowns are just made up of many many people and parts. If you aren't having fun on a Saturday night, it has more to do with you than the faults of your 'downtown'.
I haven't been to Asheville so I don't have an opinion on its DT area. Haven't been to DT Greensboro recently either,so I can't comment on those.
My favorite is DT Wilmington. Not the largest city but an awesome DT. The little Inn,dinner on the river. Nothing in NC even comes close IMO.
Charlotte the EpiCenter,big city feel,nice hotels. Our favorite is the Dunhill. That place is awesome!!! The Westin is good too. My wife and I love a nice hotel,but we're not spending Ritz Carlton money.
Raleigh I love the IMAX and the cocktail bars. My favorite being Fox. Then C Grace. Bitter Sweet is cool too. Also the Barcades Boxcar and Level Up. The Station on N Person is worth checking out.
DT Durham had dinner at Tobacco Road Cafe Friday outside,during a Bulls game. NOTHING in NC can touch it IMO. Not to mention the America Tobacco river walk. Aloft with DPAC,very cool.
I haven't had a lot of experience in Winston Salem. Can't remember the exact street name. The area by the Mellow Mushroom reminded me of Fayetteville St. I had a good time in Winston.
Hope to visit all of NC's larger cities sometime this year.
Not trying to go there,but Salisbury Street??? Come on man lol
Ok one last thing. DT's are cool,but they don't totally define a city. Example,Right now my wife is at the biggest concert NC will see this year. It's not DT. It's in a cow pasture. Ok I couldn't resist
This, of course, is subjective and depends on your interpretation of "best". For some this would mean "biggest". For others it would mean walkability. I live in Raleigh and have become pretty accustomed to what downtown has to offer. Bars, cafes, a little architecture, an IMAX, a few squares, museums, etc. My first time in downtown Greensboro I was kind of blown away by how much larger it was than Raleigh's. There were lots of people out on a Saturday night like you'd find on Franklin St. or Fayetteville St. so began my curiosity. Rank yours
1. Wilmington (Front street, scenic, bars, people watching, architecture)
2. Charlotte (huge, lots of variety, big city feel with skyline all around you)
3. Asheville (great breweries and bars, huge and spread out, scenic)
4. Raleigh (Fayetteville St. is great, Glenwood South as well, outdoor cafes)
5. Chapel Hill (Franklin St., Halloween)
Downtown Greensboro is not larger than Downtown Raleigh, don't get me wrong I like Downtown Greensboro but there's only one st, and S. Elm St is just now getting things, for a while, after you pass the train tracts, right there at Natty Green's there wasn't much to go to. Though DT Greensboro does have two things DT Raleigh does not, a baseball stadium downtown and a grocery store(granted Deep Roots is a Co-Op similar to Chapel Hill's Weaver St. Market).
My list is similar to yours but my list would include Durham
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