So, how is it?

I've only been here for about twenty days now and have yet to start my workaday job--which begins Monday--but everyone I talk to is curious about how things are down here. It's difficult to come up with a satisfying response--satisfying to me or the questioner. I've read so many forum posts from Northeasterners who have relocated here that were in love with Raleigh/North Carolina/the Southeast from the moment they touched ground and have nothing but praise to heap on their new homes. That's great, but it makes me wonder what truly did it for them. To be honest, it is a nice area with a lot of great things going on, but it's not the kind of place that wears its greatness on its sleeve, as I'm sure some people feel about New York City's excitement and bustle or Asheville NC's laid-back hipness. I really don't see Raleigh as the kind of place that you fall in love with at first sight. And I'm OK with that. But it doesn't seem to satisfy the inquiries I get. So I'll delve into some detail about what life is like here when you're not yet employed:

Hot enough for ya? Yeah, so of course everyone I've talked to since I decided to move South has been like, "you know, it gets hot down there! And the humidity!" Well, no shit. It has been hot, and humid even, too. In fact, it's been consistently about five degrees (oh no!) hotter here than back in Mass. at the same time--sometimes ten degrees, but not as often. Sometimes it's been hotter in Mass. than here. More often, hotter here than there. You know what? It's the middle of fucking summer. It's hot just about everywhere. It's outrageously hot in the Midwest right now. Relative to outrageous, it's actually quite comfortable here. And in winter? Yep, it gets cold here, for sure. You know what? It gets cold here for a month and a half. Not five months. And no one ever seems to joke and rib about "Cold enough for ya?" because cold isn't funny. Cold makes you lose toes. Heat makes you sweat. And maybe a layer or two of skin if you're not careful. So, if you want to think I'm a nut for moving into the heat, concentrate on the fact that the weather NEVER CHANGES here during the summer. In Mass., you can have three days of 90+, followed by a single day of 65 and drizzle, followed by two spectacular 75 degree days. If you like any of those scenarios, you'll be happy for a day or three out of a week. In Raleigh, it's 91 and sunny EVERY DAY, with a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms EVERY DAY, with a low at night of 72 EVERY DAY. So if you don't like that, you're pretty screwed until fall comes. Personally, it's been ok with me so far, aside from the unbroken consistency. I'd like it to mix up a bit more. But down here, you step under a tree (shade) and it's the best. The power of shade is something I didn't realize. And when there's a breeze, it doesn't destroy the day like in Cambridge. It's pleasant but you can still read the paper on the porch without it blowing away. So that's what it's like right now. Hot, yes. Humid, pretty much. Consistent, very. Hard to bear, not at all. And I still have my windows open every night, comfortably.

So, what's it like... you know, doing anything besides watching TV? I have to admit, I haven't done much here yet. Without an income, I've been reticent to go out to eat or drink much or buy lots of stuff, though I have done that within limits. Most of my pre-job life here has been doing relocation "business" like dealing with the DMV, getting insurance, job interviews, meetings with people who will be important to my career/life here, shopping for necessities... none of that's been a particular hassel aside from what I've already written about (in fact, getting my car registered after I got my license took about three minutes... the bureaucrats taking a smoking break outside when I went in were still mid-cigarette when I strolled out with my new plates). I do acknowledge that, for the most part, things move slower here. There is not as much immediacy to getting things done, contacting people... the local cable TV hotline often has a busy signal(!!) often. And yet the local rush hour--and it is close to an hour, maybe a bit longer--is early, both morning and evening, compared to the hours-long rushes in Boston. So I think there's a higher value here on time spent doing stuff at home or at least not at work--maybe a slightly more European attitude towards priorities.

My outside-of-home life has largely been spent at the YMCA, which is a bit sad because that's only an hour a day, including the walk or drive down there (the walk, which I'll only be able to do on weekends from now on, is a highlight of my day because it's just the right length and a great neighborhood to stroll through). I played volleyball with the pick-up league on Tuesday night, which was great and hopefully a repeatable weekly activity. The YMCA building is brand new--still a phase under construction with a pool--and it is light years from ye olde Cambridge Y in terms of facilities, equipment, and activity amongst all ages and types of people. If it wasn't weird, I would hang out there more, but it is so I won't.

What about the city and the environs? To be honest, I've only been able to come up with reasons to go downtown a few times, mostly to interview or meet with people. I did go to the state natural science museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls... but honestly, until/unless I work there, there isn't much reason to go to downtown proper--much like living near Boston. I mean, it's a great little city and bound to get better, but I get what I need between the two neighborhood centers where I live (on the west edge of downtown). The environs are... first, I haven't visited many other neighborhoods, which I plan to in weekends between now and deciding whether or not to stay. But that's all Inside the Belt Line (IBL). Outside, which I've had to visit to find a Walmart, Home Depot, etc., is quite hellish and I can't figure out its allure at all, aside from being close to Walmart, Home Depot, etc. And cheaper housing with land, I guess. Raleigh is assuredly like every other major metropolitan area, with crappy strip developments and subdivisions out to the horizon. So, as long as I live in Raleigh as opposed to Durham or Chapel Hill, I'll stay inside the belt line. It's nice and decent-looking (it's not as naturally "gifted" as say Portland Oregon, as historic as Cambridge, or as jazzy/exciting as pre-Katrina New Orleans) with hills and trees, older areas and newer areas; it has a lot of potential that is unrealized, putting it more in line with a Richmond or Worcester. It's unpretentious and comfortable but I could stand to see it take the next step and start spending some real $$ to make it look like a capital city with a little more care about its image.

So, that's what things are like so far. It's not a sweeping endorsement of moving here, I acknowledge, but also not a negative outlook. Like Raleigh itself, life in Raleigh is a middle-of-the-road experience. It's good. Not awesome, not horrible, and generally better than worse. I'll touch back in a week after I've commuted five days straight and we'll see if the needle is still pointing to "medium." I'll get to start spending money, going out, making work friends, but I'll also get road weary... so, like most of this, it's anybody's guess!