Do they have trees out there in Tennessee? I hope we never look like a giant office park.
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My wife and I were in Richmond two weekends ago to see a show at The Canal Club, which is almost directly under I-95 across from Main Street Station. That, of course, got me wondering what I-95 removal would look like and⌠I really donât see why it couldnât be rerouted along I-295. It only adds about five minutes onto a north-south trip around Richmond, and you could extend the I-85 numbering up to the Vietnam Veteranâs Memorial Bridge, then along VA-895 to reconnect the two interstates. That at least removes the viaduct that splits east from west, which is eventually going to need to be replaced anyway, I assume. I-64 would be a different beast, but also doable via I-295, in theory.
On a different but related note, we loved Richmond. Super cute town, great beer scene, lots of walkable neighborhoods. We stayed pretty close to the Pulse and took it to the show that night; it was really nice and got me even more excited for our own BRT projects.
One major frustration: the city has so much more grid than we do, and itâs super flat, so it has the bones for a fantastic bike and pedestrian network⌠but there was so little infrastructure for it! Hardly saw any bike lanes, and there were a lot of two-lane one-way streets that were tricky to cross due to a lack of traffic lights or stops signs. Even in spite of that, I still saw bikes and bike racks everywhere, and it was very cold that weekend. In my humble (and rather uninformed) opinion, it would actually be much easier to reduce car-dependency in Richmond than it will be here, but it felt like they are doing even less than we are.
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One of the countryâs most iconic skyscrapers is getting a revamp. I want to hang out at the 46th floor bar.
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My impression of Richmond aligns with most of the other ones here. Beautiful, dense, traditional urban-style neighborhoods all around an absolute donut of blah that is Downtown.
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Thatâs interesting because one could argue that all we have is our downtown proper, and that causes us to pay attention to it rather than to the immediate surrounding neighborhoods.
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We also have North Hills. 
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Why not just build a taller perch for the Sir Walter that we already have?
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I think this is a fair assumption, I typically take that route unless Iâm doing a quick pit stop downtown. Youâd have to extend I-85 to 295 to make it work grid compliance wise. You could also reroute 64 along the north arc.
The one thing I really love about Richmond compared to here, like everyone else pointed out is the grid and surrounding neighborhoods. I hate that Raleigh doesnât have that. We do have some opportunities south and east to actually build some grid that Iâve explored though.
Back to Richmond, it should be seen as criminal to have that highway right there but there are a couple of redeeming factors. The viaduct is super high so although ugly, it is a better feeling on the street than if it was a standard 14â.
Iâd really be interested to see how city officials think. It is I-95, and unless youâre a big city nerd, you probably had no clue that Richmond was an actual big city until you pass by on your travels so they may see it as a visibility attraction.
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Currently in Chapel Hill and thereâs a lot of Indian food on Franklin. Why the hell is dtr not packed with Indian food.
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Indian population is heavily centered in Morrisville and CH but not much in Raleigh proper
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Agree @Francisco and as @atl_transplant states, itâs definitely because itâs epicentered in Cary / Morrisville. Would be so nice to have some free-standing spots (oustide the food hall options) and some âcurry in a hurryâ or a shop / stall that builds hand held grub out of rotiâŚ
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Lime and Lemon on Hillsborough is pretty good for âfast casualâ. I believe they also have one in Durham and Chapel Hill.
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Good point. That view of downtown coming in on I-95 N is really something. Free advertising.
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Yeah we should have signature regional Indian restaurants in our city core instead of spread out in random suburban areas only reachable by car.
I think both CH and Cary and Durham benefit from only have one major focus point compared to Raleigh.
Speaking of free advertising on highways. PNC Arena is practically hidden now from I40 with all the tree growth around the arena. I feel like itâs a missed opportunity with how many people drive past PNC on 40 on a daily basis.
Iâve talked to a handful of people that are new to the area that they didnât even realize they drive past the stadium so often.
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Restaurants go where their customers are. Youâll have to convince a great Indian chef/restauranteur that heâll get the business. We do have Garland, obviously, even itâs a bit fusion-y.
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Their core base doesnât really venture out past their comfort zones though.
Fusion restaurants are great if we also have high quality traditional restaurants to compare. If all we have is fusionâŚeh.
Cheeni is opening up their storefront way up in North Raleigh âsoonâ.
Masala chai and Madras filter coffee plus baked goods, lunch and dinner will be served. Shop our bazaar for spices, coffee, tiffin carriers, cookbooks, and more.â
Sadly, thatâs come with their two YMCA locations (downtown and Hillsborough st.) closing down. Not sure if thatâs permanent or temporary. EDIT: It seems to be permanent, sadly.
Plaza cafe also has Indian food on M/T/W/F.
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