Relocate Triangle - An Insider's Guide About Moving To The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

New Year’s Eve in the Triangle

Ringing in a new year for the first time in the Triangle? There are several ways to have fun as 2008 becomes 2009, beyond of course the many restaurants and bars in the area that will be hosting special parties for the event. Here are the ones we recommend:

First Night – First Night, Raleigh’s big New Year’s Eve event, is fun for the whole family. Centered at Moore Square with venues featuring music, comedy, dance, and theatre presentations, it celebrates the arrival of the New Year by dropping a 1,250-pound copper acorn, much like the way New York City drops its big apple. Children under 5 are admitted free, and they have a special “acorn drop” for them called the Early Countdown at 7:30 p.m. so you can take them home to get some sleep. Make sure if you are going there to save some extra time (at least 15 minutes) to find parking, as it gets crowded here quickly.

First Light Wake Forest – This is a similar deal to Raleigh’s First Night, only of course held at Wake Forest instead, in case you do not want to drive south to the capital city. This first-time, family friendly event at South White Street will hold its countdown for children at 8:30 p.m. It will include a play area for kids, karaoke, contests, caricature artists, great cuisine, and music.

Roaring 20s New Year’s Eve Bash – Although we have mentioned that many eateries and clubs will have their own parties, this one in Durham deserves special mention due to its theme. The Down Under Pub at 802 W. Main St. will hold a Roaring 20s New Year’s Eve Bash that includes drinks all night, hors d’ouerves, entertainment, and a free ride home. Tickets are $75 per person or $140 per couple, or you can just pay $10 at the door and pay-as-you-go for drinks and other items.

Whatever you end up doing, please ring in 2009 safely. If you have had too much to drink, catch a cab or have a friend drop you home. Or stay at home and watch the festivities on TV – that’s a good and inexpensive way to have fun, and you don’t have to wait to get home either. Regardless of your approach, we look forward to blogging some more with you again next year.

Christmas Events in the Triangle

While most places in the Triangle will be closed Christmas day (and several on Christmas Eve and the day after as well), there are a few Yuletide events you may want to check out in observation of the season a few days before or after the holiday. Among them are the following:

Star of Bethlehem – The Morehead Planetarium at Chapel Hill has presented this special show connected to the season every year since 1949. As the planetarium describes it, “In ‘Star of Bethlehem,’ science explores the mystery surrounding a legendary celestial event. The longest-running planetarium show in the world, ‘Star’ weaves art, music and science into a fascinating holiday tradition.” Show times vary each day but generally run between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Admission prices are $6 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior citizens. The show runs through the end of the month.

The Nutcracker – The Carolina Ballet presents this holiday favorite through Sunday, Dec. 28 at Memorial Auditorium at the Progress Energy Center in Raleigh. Show times vary, but most days include at least one matinee and one evening performance. There will be no shows Dec. 24 and 25. Prices range widely depending on seat selection – to see what is available and reserve tickets, visit the Progress Energy Center Web site.

Kwanzaa Celebration – The Hayti Heritage Center at 804 Old Fayetteville St. in Durham will hold nightly celebrations from Dec. 26-31 of this African holiday starting at 7 p.m. There will be music, poetry and dance among the offerings. For a complete list of activities, visit the Hayti Heritage Center Web site.

Finally, if it is Christmas day and you have nothing to do – or are at wit’s end with your family visiting – why not join others for a Christmas Day Hike at Lake Johnston in Raleigh? It starts at 2:30 p.m. Dogs are most welcome, but should be on a leash. People will meet at the boathouse near the footbridge before walking. For more information on this, call 919-413-3868.

Green Tip Of The Week - 12/12

Recycle to boost the economy

Recycling creates a net gain in jobs – 5 to 1 over landfill management. The National Recycling Coalition reports that recycling has created 1.1 million jobs, $236 billion in gross annual sales, and $37 billion in annual payroll.

For more information visit www.epa.gov

2009 Highway Construction Update

As we prepare to head into 2009, we are looking optimistically for a better year ahead, and if truth be told, to many Triangle residents, whether newcomers or not, that would include having some road improvements. With that in mind, let’s provide you with a summary of major highway projects planned or already underway in this area by the N.C. Department of Transportation, more commonly known as the NCDOT (which is pronounced by saying each letter, not “N-C-dot,” in case you were wondering and want to sound like all us locals).

Interstate 40 – The big trouble spot for the Triangle’s busiest highway lies where it goes from three to two lanes in each direction between Wade Avenue (mile marker 289) and Interstate 440/U.S. 1-64 (mile marker 293) around Raleigh. To end the backups and snarls during the rush hour, the NCDOT plans to begin right-of-way acquisition to expand each direction to three lanes in March 2009, followed by starting constructing in January 2010. The project also includes adding an auxiliary lane on eastbound I-40 between Harrison Avenue (mile marker 287) in Cary and Wade Avenue, which will help immensely for traffic coming from Research Triangle Park and other parts west of Raleigh into the city during the afternoon.

U.S. 15-501 – Plans to widen about a mile and a half of the clogged main road between Durham and Chapel Hill are roughly on target to reach the anticipated completion date of August 2010. What is complicating the fact is that the stretch from Mt. Mariah Road north to Garrett Road goes over New Hope Creek, so conservation rules must be observed during the widening. As for other parts of 15-501 being widened in the next year, no plans currently are in place.

Interstate 85 – OK, this section is not technically within the Triangle, but anyone who has driven it going north towards Virginia and Washington, D.C. knows it is a rough road. In fact, a survey done a few years ago by our local TV station, WRAL, had the part going to the state border ranked as the worst road in the Triangle. To alleviate that notoriety, the NCDOT is now paving more than 5 miles from the Granville-Vance county line north to the U.S. 158 interchange. The estimate for this work to be completed is October 2010, but a recent estimate had its progress significantly ahead of schedule, so this might be open by the summer of 2010 instead.

We will keep you updated as to when other major road projects occur here and what their status is next year. Till then, safe driving, and slow down when you are near a construction zone for the safety of our state workers.

Green Tip of the Week - 12/12

Use Recycled Paper Napkins

If every household in the US replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins with 100% recycled ones, we could save 1 million trees.

For more information visit www.nrdc.org

Green Tip of the Week - 12/5

Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. You’ll conserve up to five gallons of water per day. Throughout the entire United States, the daily savings could add up to more water than is consumed every day in all of New York City.

For more information click here

Booze It and Lose It

With the holiday season officially underway now, you may be hearing a term around here that sounds catchy but odd to your ears if you are from out of state – “Booze It and Lose It.” It is an initiative overseen by several state departments including the N.C. Highway Patrol to curb instances of drunk driving or driving while impaired (DWI), a laudable goal indeed.

As explained here, this campaign involves random sobriety checkpoints set up at various roads across the state, usually at night. Law officers use six mobile breath-alcohol testing units, better known as BATMobiles (yeah, we like Batman around here too!), to increase the efficiency of on-site DWI processing. Each BATMobile is equipped with workstations for Intoxilyzer 5000 breath test instruments, cellular telephones, computers, officers’ workstations, screening tests devices and many other necessary equipment and supplies for processing DWI suspects.

“Booze It and Lose It” can pop up any time of the year, but with December being the month with the most holiday parties, Gov. Mike Easley has declared it effective through Jan. 4, 2009.

Sadly, there is a justification for this effort. Last year, between Dec. 1, 2007 and Jan. 4, 2008, 165 North Carolina motorists were involved in fatal traffic crashes, with 49 alcohol-related fatalities. With such a high percentage of auto deaths involving alcohol despite years of educating people not to drink and drive, the state of North Carolina is trying to reduce these numbers by warning drivers checkpoints will be happening at any time and any place with no prior announcement. Sure, it is inconvenient to go through one if you are sober, and particularly if you are in a hurry, but it also assures you that odds are better you will not on the same stretch of road having to contend with the possibility of a drunk driver hitting you.

If you feel you must drink at a holiday party, employ a designated driver to take you home safely, or call a cab. It is simply not worth it to face our DWI laws, which are some of the strongest in the country (for more on them, visit here), and besides, there is the very real possibility you could kill another human being driving while impaired.

Don’t let temporary holiday cheer lead to longtime suffering for you, your family and friends, and others who may be impacted by a DWI. Party responsibly this holiday season, and not just because the state is watching you, because it’s worth it for your own self interest in the long run.