Carolinas
Downtowns
Raleigh's "downtown" is basically a mix of government offices and museums. As Rebecca stated, your best bet is either Crabtree or RTP. If you're looking for a fun area to be in away from providing (can't vouch for the hobby aspect), I'd recommend Glenwood Avenue, plenty of cool bars.
As for Charlotte, it has a legitimate downtown with the Spectrum Center (basketball) and NASCAR Hall of Fame but I've found the hotels are often booked up early. For ease of travel, you may want to try the University Park area. I've seen a few providers there albeit several years ago.Can someone please tell my the business district areas of Raliegh and Charolotte? Thank you!
The Triangle is fairly spread out. (Hah, that sounds dirtier than I intended.)
Crabtree Valley and RTP and Cary are popular Raleigh-convenient locations for touring providers. I'm starting my visit next week in RTP. Do others think that heading into Durham or Chapel Hill usually makes sense? It has for me on previous trips, but I've had other business besides touring.
The last time I visited Charlotte, I stayed in Uptown.
Thank u sweetheart ❤️❤️😘😘💕
Durham is a shithole. Chapel Hill is primarily a college area. I think you're better off staying where you mentioned.
It's been a while since I've lived in the area, but I thought that Durham was improving. With traffic on I-40 being so bad, my impression was that it can be inconvenient for someone farther out to see a provider hosting around Crabtree.
My hope is that Durham isn't too far away from RTP to be insanely inconvenient. But as I said, it's been a while since I've lived in the Triangle.
Of course you’ve been on my radar since we met at a DC M&G a few years ago.
Would love to see you visit our area.
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I totally remember u! Love u! Thanks for the Dm. I'm emailing you now. Kisses
Raleigh's "downtown" is basically a mix of government offices and museums. As Rebecca stated, your best bet is either Crabtree or RTP. If you're looking for a fun area to be in away from providing (can't vouch for the hobby aspect), I'd recommend Glenwood Avenue, plenty of cool bars.
As for Charlotte, it has a legitimate downtown with the Spectrum Center (basketball) and NASCAR Hall of Fame but I've found the hotels are often booked up early. For ease of travel, you may want to try the University Park area. I've seen a few providers there albeit several years ago.
I'm booked in Crabtree. Thanks so much to all of u!
And to the gents out there who are not familiar with Envy , let me tell ya
This lady is smokin hot !
In RTP (Research Triangle Park) you'll catch some biz during the day but maybe not as much at night. IMO stay out of Cary NC, LE wise, including any hotels listed in the airport area that are actually in Cary! For Charlotte, either the South Park area or Uptown.
There are many nice areas in Durham (it's NOT a sh*thole, but has areas you need to stay out of) but I don't recommend it for "working".
Steph XO
Thanks hon! Good to know.
You'll stop traffic wherever you go! 
Steph XO
Jumping in if I may -- I've never been to the area before and will be touring in late February so appreciate all the great insights here!
I was planning on staying in Durham but reconsidering now...
Would it be worth splitting my time between the areas?
So my suggestion would be two days in RTP, two days in/near Crabtree or Midtown. If you only have time for one area, probably best to do Raleigh only IMO.
Steph XO
Ok, I'm going to sound like a representative of the Durham Conventions and Visitors Bureau (which I'm not), but I feel like I need to stick up for my hometown after a couple of disparaging and inaccurate comments. First of all, there was the question posed above as to whether Durham was too far away from the Research Triangle Park. The Research Triangle Park IS in Durham County (there's a small portion of its 7,000 acres that spills over into Morrisville and Cary). Second, Duke University's Medical Center is one of the top five medical facilities in the nation, with a whole bunch of wealthy (and horny) doctors. Third, the venture capital and private equity communities (ranging from biopharma to high tech to manufacturing) in Durham is the most vibrant in the state (including both dollars invested and number of deals) and one of the most in the USA. Fourth, Durham and Raleigh have equivalent millionaire households per capita numbers. Fifth, it's anecdotal and a small sample, but of the half-dozen XXX stars I've arranged to come to the area, they have consistently said that most of their clients have come from Durham and not Raleigh. Sixth, if you're a foodie or enjoy cultural events such as dance and theater, there's no better place than Durham (see the New York Times link, which also said that Durham was one of the top 50 places to visit in the United States).
The bottom line is that ladies can do fine in Raleigh, but they can also do great in Durham. A good compromise is to find someplace in between the two communities. (Full disclosure: I'll readily admit I'm lazy and self-interested. I'm much more likely to visit a lady 15-20 minutes away than drive 40 minutes [or an hour during rush hour] to Raleigh.)
The downtown area has it's own special vibe and I dig it! The Duke area is so cool as is some of the very nice There is much more to do in Durham than most people think. It's definitely not a "shithole" as someone put it. There are well off neighborhoods and it's a diverse area. And the RTP area brings in a lot of biz to the area.
Steph XO
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