Merge Records, Superchunk, Polvo, Seam, Archers of Loaf. Probably a load more I never heard of. Our own Alex Maiolo. What is it with this place? I'm curious.

They should change the name to NC, NC.

I want to go here. I know the South pretty well...but I've been missing out on rich, liberal, intellectual Chapel Hill. That'd certainly be a change in attitude from what I've encountered...

Ben Folds Five is from here. This place must be good!

I'm still madly, deeply in love with Chapel Hill. It is and will forever be my favorite place on earth. I haven't been back in the 3 years and change since I moved to NYC, and I know I'd be saddened by the continued franchise-and-yuppie invasion that was already becoming disturbing when I was there. But it will remain Chapel Hill.

tommy, part of the magic is the university, which attracts very bright, progressive-minded young people from all over the world and welcomes them with the kind of warm, casual affection that is distinctly Southern (IMO). The locals are often the children of professors or others associated with the university, and so they have this same ethos. Add to that gorgeous, inspirational surroundings. Earthy, working-class principles that can be found not far from the city limits in rural North Carolina along with the tension when these same circumstances butt up against the upper-middle class attitudes, trappings, and forces of the town itself. A fiercely dedicated group of live-venue owners who fight tooth and nail to keep their establishments open (in every sense of the word) and vibrant. The sum total you get is the perfect soil for growing creative rock bands.

It's not called the Southern Part of Heaven for nothing.

Edward wrote:If by "outside of Chapel Hill" you mean "somewhere west of Macon, GA" I might believe you.

There's no such thing as good Carolina BBQ.

Wow.

I grew up in Georgia and have had BBQ all over the state.

Have also spent a lot of time in NC and had a lot of BBQ there.

It's not even a close call: As a general matter, NC BBQ, especially the stuff from Eastern NC, blows the Georgia competition straight out of the water.

Wilber's in Goldsboro has to be just about the best ever, at least in the pulled/chopped pork division. (Not going to get into any ribs/beef BBQ debate.)

Anyway, Chapel Hill = NC.

Waffle factor: As in a lot of nice college towns, including the one in which I grew up in Georgia, you can sometimes cut the air of smug superiority with a knife.

Edward wrote:
There's no such thing as good Carolina BBQ.

Anyone who writes such a thing probably exposes themselves to nuns and rapes puppies.

bugsmeany wrote:

Edward wrote:If by "outside of Chapel Hill" you mean "somewhere west of Macon, GA" I might believe you.

There's no such thing as good Carolina BBQ.

Wow.

I grew up in Georgia and have had BBQ all over the state.

Have also spent a lot of time in NC and had a lot of BBQ there.

It's not even a close call: As a general matter, NC BBQ, especially the stuff from Eastern NC, blows the Georgia competition straight out of the water.

Wilber's in Goldsboro has to be just about the best ever, at least in the pulled/chopped pork division. (Not going to get into any ribs/beef BBQ debate.)

...because you know you'll lose, and by losing, you'll have to concede that brisket and barbacoa from Austin are far superior to any of the above. A handy reminder is that both Salt Lick and Stubb's are in Austin. A bit further south, a well-kept secret is Harmon's BBQ in Cibolo, equidistant from New Braunfels and San Antonio. Some of the most succulent brisket ever.

Either way, based on my dealings with people at work, it seems like Chapel Hill residents are some of the happiest in the US when it comes to where they live, local amenities and general quality of life. For that, Chapel Hill gets a solid NOT CRAP. Waffle factor: lacrosse players with lawyers, guns and money.

P.S. What is in Durham? That's the one Triangle city that I never hear about.

FuzzBob wrote:Waffle factor: lacrosse players with lawyers, guns and money.

P.S. What is in Durham? That's the one Triangle city that I never hear about.

dook* University (home of the infamous/exonerated lacrosse players) is in Durham. I lived there my last 2-3 years in North Carolina and while it grew on me a bit, it isn't even a wart on Chapel Hill's ass. But Durham does have a lot of interesting economic and racial history, one of the best minor league baseball stadiums in the country, and a damn fine BBQ restaurant.


*Now that I don't work for them and I'm not required to, I can't bring myself to type the name of that execrable place correctly. It's dook, as in dookie.

I have a love/hate relationship with Chapel Hill. Mostly love, but some hate.

I have found some of the greatest people in the world in Chapel Hill, but also some of the most pathetic, unfounded, and moronic "intellectualism" in I've ever seen. Must be the jocks. The girls are beautiful but have some disgusting mating habits. And bland indie rock rules the streets, but harsh noise sometimes emanates from the sewers.

Beats the hell out of Wilmington. Great place. Would NEVER go to the college or live anywhere near there. Fucking sucks. Chapel Hill has a large share of douchenozzles.

It's kind of alright. Not Crap, WF: 5 for personal biases.

I was just there, it was a nice little area. The people were nice and also quiet. NC.

tommydski wrote:Merge Records, Superchunk, Polvo, Seam, Archers of Loaf. Probably a load more I never heard of. Our own Alex Maiolo. What is it with this place? I'm curious.

Wow, I get billing with The Polvos?
Nice.

It *is* a great place. I don't pretend that it's the greatest place on earth or anything. I sure love Portland, Athens, Austin, and the cities just as much, but this place is my home, and I'm happy.
I'm in my 20th year here. Came to school and never left. I'm having more fun playing music now than I've ever had before.

I think I should point out that we have rarely lived up to our promise. Yes, we crank out some great bands, but I've always had the feeling that it could be so much more. Lately Asheville is hot on our heels. They WANT it there. Sometimes people here just can't be bothered.

What we gots is metropolitan living on a micro scale. We have great restaurants, but fewer than a real city. There's only one place to get Pho, not many late night eateries, and only a handful of truly great bars.
That's much more than most places though.

Also, we have a really progressive community that cares. As the Bushies continue to gut schools and programs, we constantly vote for bonds to make sure our town stays great. Obviously that can only happen in a solidly middle class community, but at least we don't take our good fortune for granted, and we want our town to be a nice place to live. We put our money where our mouths are.

The people are generally nice, and there are all sorts of styles here. It's rare to find a place in the South that lets you be who you are. I wear jeans to work, my secretary dresses like the most stylish YeYe girl ever, and my co-worker doesn't shave every day. All three of us are active musicians (in fact, I play bass in my secretary's band). This may not seem like that big of a deal, but what is your insurance agent like? In most places, we wouldn't get any business because nobody would take us seriously. Here, the fact that we do things our own way makes it so we have enough business that I don't have to advertise, as long as we remain competent.

Among the many things that I find special about this place, the fact that the way I run my business would probably fail in nearly every other town, yet does well here, tells me a lot.

caix wrote:I was just there, it was a nice little area. The people were nice and also quiet. NC.

Yeah...um...thanks a ton for telling me you were coming. I wouldn't have:
Personally been your tour guide
Taken you to the best secret restaurants
Bought your drinks
Shown you crazy folk art, out in the county
Introduced you to insanely nice people
- or anything.
No, really, I'm not taking it personally one bit.

-A

PS - Yes, Eastern NC BBQ is by far the best.
B's BBQ in Greenville is hands down the best of that best.