People say Raleigh is a lot like Austin, TX.
I’m sure they have their reasons, but I disagree for the most part. Raleigh as it is now is nothing like Austin, actually. What Austin is for Raleigh is a role model for success.
In the past I’ve seen Raleigh residents, businesses and city planners try to copy other “big cities” like New York and Miami when we really just needed to cultivate Raleigh’s own strengths and culture, as I’ve seen Austin do.
We don’t need to be Austin, either. But we could certainly take some tips from them. Starting with getting creative, being open to new ideas, and getting excited about density and more competition (instead of squashing it)!
What I Love About Austin, TX
- Rooftops and open-air spaces
- Outdoor “biergarten” type venues/spaces
- wooden picnic tables
- picket fences
- sand pits
- outdoor “stages”
- food trucks serving bar-only venues
- Retrofitted homes
- example in Raleigh: Brooklyn Heights Bar
- Mixed-use neighborhoods
- restaurants next to homes
- bars and attractions interspersed throughout neighborhoods and sections of town
- Larger spaces in general
- wide street front entrances
- 2-3 story bars/restaurants/music venues
- feeling as if you could “get lost inside”
- Multi-purpose venues
- ability to support live music or DJ’s
- alcohol/food
- dance spaces
- relax/chill, couches, tables, chairs
- “Dirty” businesses and areas of town
- not everything needs to be proper and gentrified
- casual, locally-owned unique restaurants, bars & music venues
- Parking lots or vacant lots utilized
- food trucks congregating in lots “cafeteria style”
- block parties, stages for music, etc.
- Lots of bike parking
- Unique touches
- fire pits outside
- DJ booth on top of a bar
- games to play at bars
- hula-hoops!
- home patio furniture for more of a “living room” feel
- strung lights
- architecturally diverse, creative
Were you in Austin, too? What parts of Austin would you like to see more of in Raleigh yourself?
