Team Wet Dog

downsides

We've now been in Carrboro for five weeks - honestly, it doesn't feel that long. Time seems to go so fast, and I suppose that's a good thing and means we're enjoying our new home.

But despite that, I can now say I've come up with a few things I don't like. That's normal, of course; you're not going to like everything. So here, in no particular order, are a couple of things I'm  not loving about Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Orange County, North Carolina:

State controlled liquor stores. Gone are the days of asking the local, knowledgeable, friendly wine-beer-liquor guy about a certain bourbon, or having a wide selection, or good deals. North Carolina's liquor sales are state controlled, which means a shabby, sterile, dim store designed to make you feel like you're doing something wrong just by being there.

The same bottles are more expensive here than they were in D.C., and the people running the store have no vested interest in customer service.

Fewer restaurants. In five weeks, depending on what list you go by, we've been to probably half the restaurants in our immediate area. Maybe a little more.  And so far, with few exceptions, things have been pretty mediocre.

Smoking in bars. I was a pretty reticent supporter of the smoking ban in D.C. — I was definitely in favor of it, but also believed it probably should have gone through some sort of referendum, or simply be left up to individual establishments. But that said, once D.C. went smoke free I was loving it.

North Carolina is, of course, Tobacco Country. So I don't really expect this one to change, but it feels so strange.

Taxes. Somehow I'm paying higher state income taxes in N.C. than I did in D.C. It's not a lot more, but it's definitely a surprise given that the District's are so notoriously high.
 

And that's it for now. I could probably name more, but I realized midway through this post that I'm doing the very same thing I used to hate in D.C. — people would move there from New York and immediately start comparing (never favorably, of course).

And that's just not fair - especially if you're trying to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

The only unfair comparison here is the restaurant issue, I think - it would be ridiculous to expect this area to have the same number of options as Washington. But the alcoholic beverage control issue grates on my nerves not just because of service and convenience but also because the state has a retail monopoly, which just seems antiquated. And smoking in bars is a widespread issue now, and the list of smoke-free jurisdictions is growing.

So, apologies to any of my new neighbors I offended here. I am enjoying my new home, and the positives certainly outweigh the drawbacks.

The photo is at a sort of end-point on the tracks which run through Carrboro. Being back in a town where trains pass through is an interesting feeling. Irmo, S.C., where I grew up, often had trains. The whistle is a very familiar sound.

— Robert

(9/17/07) 
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