More ?'s about Chapel Hill

[whocares]

Hi again,
This time I have a couple of practical questions for those in the area.

I want to find our about cellular providers. DD has Verizon up here and she has read that coverage is spotty in the CH area, so I am looking for some information about what carriers have good coverage in the area.

Next on the list is a good and convenient bank. We currently have an account at Wachovia and I see they have a presence in NC. Are there any local, more personal banks that you like?

Do any of you happen to know if TJ"S and WF's are on the free busline?

Are there any good online sources for events in the area/state? I have always wanted to go on a Spring house tour, the kind written about in Southern Living. Now I might get the chance.

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend. Up here today it is almost Spring.

[mbrogier]

My mom lives in Raleigh. I was born there but grew up at the beach.

There are still some really rural areas around CH. Not every area has upgraded to digital towers. A phone that received both digital and analog signals will be more reliable.

Trader Joes is in Cary. It's the only one in the state, so it can be very busy on the weekends. It is located right by a major shopping area including a very nice mall.

I wouldn't want to be carless in Chapel Hill. The town is quaint, but it still isn't safe walking for women alone late at night. The RTP is really clogged with traffic (rush hour is a nightmare, and I live in Chicago!) and doesn't have a good public transportation system compared to cities in the NE and Chicago.

[lantana]

There is a Trader Joe's in CH proper. It is in one of the shopping centers several miles from campus. I don't know the bus routes, but there are apartments and students in the area, so I assume the bus routes cover that part of town.

[Joanie B]

Hi, Whocares--we have Verizon but live well out in the country, so coverage is very spotty in the boonies. I don't use my phone around CH much since I'm usually at work w/a landline, but I haven't heard acquaintances complain much in town about coverage. We did have slightly better coverage with Alltel (isn't that who Verizon took over recently? Yikes, I can't remember), but I would think coverage in town wouldn't be too bad. Most everybody I know lives very far from CH in every direction and folks are always complaining about cell coverage not matter what carrier they have...

There are 4 Wachovias in CH--2 within spitting distance of each other at Univ. Mall on 2 adjacent corners, 1 downtown on Franklin St., and 1 out Airport Road near 40 near Timberlyne Shopping Center (which has a decent Mexico restaurant, btw, the only one I'll eat at), but not in Carrboro at all--all of these are on the buslines. Suntrust (formerly CCB) has 1 location in remote Carrboro, 1 at UMall, not sure where else. I don't get to downtown Carrboro much at all, I know there's a bank behind Neal's Deli/near Wendy's, just don't know what it is, sorry.

Yep, WF & TJ's are both on buslines--they're literally right around the corner from each other, with tiny Eastgate Shopping Center separating them (which houses one of my favorite places for big salads, The Loop. And a Talbots).

For NC happenings, try the websites for Our State Magazine, Southern Living's listings, or visitnc.com for events.

Gorgeous warm Carolina blue skies here in NC today--good day for a Tar Heel baseball game, since basketball season is so totally over

[wintersummer]

Another Chapel Hill resident here!

We have Verizon (used to have Alltel, until it sold to Verizon) - in fact, everyone I know has Verizon! My reception at home is not too good because I live in a little valley, right in middle of town (well, hills have to have valleys, right?). However, if I walk up the hill, I get great reception. In fact, I've found pretty good reception all around Chapel Hill.

Just like Joanie said, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are on bus lines. This is a small community and the buses will get you almost anywhere.

Joanie did great job in telling you about Wachovia bank branches (Joanie - I've seen them around town, just don't think I could remember where they are - but isn't it strange how there are the 2 branches across street from one another at University Mall?). I bank with Suntrust and have for years.

Let us know if you have more questions. I've lived here almost 25 years - and love it!