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[wombat]

Use 3 lanes except M–F 6:30–9 use 4 lanes and M–F 4:30–7 use 2 lanes. Except holidays.

Oh my GOD yes.  The terror of being on one of those streets right at the time when it changes and wondering if all of our watches are synchronized...

But this probably makes jldunston just want to come to visit worse, I know what it's like being in love with a place you don't live.

[slink]

Oh my GOD yes.  The terror of being on one of those streets right at the time when it changes and wondering if all of our watches are synchronized...

And to think I was quite tempted by DC. I think you guys just put me off though!

[wombat]

To be honest, there are also usually electronic signs that change at the indicated time.  But given how little attention people pay to all the signs that say 'Stop' and 'One Way' and 'Do Not Enter' around here, that doesn't reassure me that much.

And the climate stinks.

[CortJstr]

Well if you lived in the city you probably wouldn't actually be driving on these streets very much.

I just find it funny that I know people who have lived around here for 15 years and still don't know the HOV rules for 66

[wombat]

It depends.  I only live about ten city blocks outside the city.  I never used to drive, but now I have no choice, because another charming feature of the city is the hours of the Metro.  I need to get to work at 6.30 on the weekends, and Metro's not open.  I come from New York, and to me this is just totally bizarre.

I don't know the HOV rules, because I have another rule, which is that I never drive on the highways.  Simplifies things greatly.

But hey, slink and jldunston, I'm not saying it's not a great place to VISIT.  I'll show you around the zoo (and I won't make you get there at 6.30.)

[V-Adore]

To return to the general "boonies" theme, I too live in the backside of Hell. Of course, it's on a college campus on the backside of Hell, so things stay reasonably busy, but still.

[AugustWest]

My closest neighbor is a half-mile away.  Yours?

[jay-ell]

I love the city.  Any reasonably sized city.  That's why I love living within a mile from where this photo was taken.  



(Raleigh by day is here.)

[jough]

I walked through the entire city of Raleigh on a Sunday morning once in October 2000 in less than an hour.

No stores were open.  Not even convenience stores.

There were only two other people on the streets walking, and they were both insane.

I did however find a machine that sold me some RC Cola that did not have a problem with working on the Lord's Day.

[AugustWest]

There were only two other people on the streets walking, and they were both insane.

3 for 3, eh?

[jay-ell]

Downtown is completely shut down on weekends (Saturdays too; it's not a Lord's day thing).  What's the point?  Nobody *lives* downtown, so when the offices are closed, there's nobody around to eat at the restaurants and shop on their lunch breaks.  If you really want to see Raleigh, either go on a weekday (if you're into the historic stuff) or visit any one of the half-dozen or so local college campuses.  Or go to the Warehouse district on a Friday night.  Or walk around City Market on Saturdays.  Or go bar-hopping all over Downtown any evening you care to -- including Sundays.  Next time you come into town, Jough, I'll show you around.  

It is an odd phenomenon, to have a downtown where nobody lives, but it's not unheard of in other cities.  The other odd thing is that Downtown is tiny -- land was so cheap when it was built that it was more cost-effective to build out rather than up.  So most of the cool stuff around here is out in the 'Burbs, and the skyline pic I posted -- well, that's the whole thing.  It's unusual to see a building that's' more than 4 stories around here.  On the campus where I work, the tallest building has 9 floors, and it's a landmark.

[Edit: BTW, Jough, you did not walk the entire city of Raleigh in an hour.  Raleigh covers 110 square miles, and that's just within the city limits.  There's more to a city than its tall buildings -- in the South, anyway.]

[CortJstr]

It is an odd phenomenon, to have a downtown where nobody lives, but it's not unheard of in other cities.  The other odd thing is that Downtown is tiny -- land was so cheap when it was built that it was more cost-effective to build out rather than up.  So most of the cool stuff around here is out in the 'Burbs

At least up is an option there. In DC they aren't allowed to build up so the suburbs now extend so far out that it takes more than 45 minutes at 65mph to reach the actual city.

[slink]

There were only two other people on the streets walking, and they were both insane.

3 for 3, eh?

And that's why Montreal's kinda nice. Well apart from it being a beautiful city, it's open 24/7. You walk down the streets at 3am and there's people everywhere, none of whom look like they're about to stab you.

[side_show]

My bestfriend told me a wonderful story from when she was in Montreal.  It was very early in the morning and as she was walkshe saw a man leaning against a lamp post having a very love-y dove-y, romantic conversation with an unlit joint (in French of course).

I work right in the middle of downtown,  one day when I got off work a drunk guy whipped it out and started peeing on the fence behind me while I was waiting for my bus. Fun!

[slink]

she saw a man leaning against a lamp post having a very love-y dove-y, romantic conversation with an unlit joint (in French of course).

I've been there....

I work right in the middle of downtown,  one day when I got off work a drunk guy whipped it out and started peeing on the fence behind me while I was waiting for my bus. Fun!

And if that doesn't happen three times in one evening when you're in Edinburgh you're incredbily lucky! And note I said evening not night.
London's far worse of course, but I avoid spending any time there whatsoever, since it's a nasty, oversized, overbusy shithole!