Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with NorthCarolina

Affordable therapist in Charlotte

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 09:16:25 -0800

Asking for a family member. We're looking for affordable counseling in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sibling needs counseling, parents can't pay. Can you recommend cheap or sliding scale counselors in Charlotte, NC? Ideally experienced with family counseling and adolescents. Email me at affordabletherapyincharlotte@gmail.com.

Help me relive a happy childhood memory!

srrh — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:59:16 -0800

Sometime around '93-95, when I was living in Plymouth, NC, my elementary school class took a field trip to a bird farm. I would love to track down the place where I went. As a child, I lived in Plymouth, NC, and attended Pines Elementary School. In 2nd or 3rd grade, my class took a field trip to a bird farm. I know that I had a teacher named Mrs. Byrd in 2nd or 3rd grade, but I'm not sure which, and I don't know who the other teacher might have been. That's mostly beside the point, however, as the school website is very sparse, and there isn't even a teacher directory there for me to try to hunt down my old teacher with.

I give you the location of the school because, since it was a field trip, the bird farm could not have been too very far away from it. Maybe an hour or two at the most? I have done some googling and found a few bird farms, but most of them seem to be in central/Western NC, and so too far away. I haven't lived in NC since I was 7 years old, so I don't remember the geography at all.

As for the bird farm itself, I use that phrase because I remember specifically that my teacher and the people there referred to it as a bird farm, rather than an aviary or some other term. It was a small farm, and I'm not even sure if the animals were used for eggs or slaughter, or if it was more of a petting-zoo type thing. They had other birds besides your typical chickens and turkeys -- I specifically remember peacocks, and I believe they had swans and geese as well.

Hopefully someone here lives or has lived in NC and has some idea what I'm talking about, or maybe someone has an idea for a way I can search to point me in the right direction. Thanks for the help!

Choosing between South Nags Head and Hatteras area?

franklen — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:59:24 -0800

Should I try to convince my family to head to The Hatteras Island area of the OBX, or just be satisfied we will all be going together and end up in South Nags Head? My family (mother, father, brother with wife and 2 kids - infant and 2 3 year old - extended cousins and aunts to be determined) are quite conservative middle-class all-americans, which I totally respect and love them as my family ---- but I'm not that. I'm progressive, nature-oriented, happier away from the commercialism of most tourist destinations. I'd rather take a day trip into the commercialized areas than a day-trip out of them to the National Parks area.

This will be the first trip to the OBX for any of us. Family members are leaning towards South Nags Head. From the little research I've done, I feel I'd prefer to go farther south to Hatteras area.

What do I need to know about these comparisons? Are there still enough restaurants and beachy shops down south to keep the fam' happy? Will I be unhappy in South Nags Head? Who can help point me in the right direction here? Or recommend something else entirely? Thanks and Cheers!

Restaurant Gems in Charlotte

Phineas Rhyne — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:30:16 -0800

Foodiefilter: Looking for restaurant blitzkrieg advice in Charlotte, NC I just found out I'm going to be flying from San Jose to Charlotte on Wednesday this week, and will have Thursday (night) and Friday (all day) free. My traveling companion has requested a whirlwind tour for us of interesting food and things we Shouldn't Miss while we're there. Your challenge is to give me all the advice you can in three days. Not sure how much of a car we'll have, so added weight to suggestions in the city proper. Where should we go? What should we eat? What are the Must See bits of the city? Fancy is fine if you're more inclined that direction, but I'm getting more of a 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' vibe from her.

Up where the air is clear and less humid.

1f2frfbf — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:51:09 -0800

A thinner atmosphere is needed, help a South Carolinian have a fun weekend in the mountains. Want to take a short (Saturday & Sunday) jaunt to higher elevations from Columbia, SC. Looking for something not more than three hours from Columbia, that is in the hills or mountains but is not Asheville, NC (I love the place but I want something different this trip).

Suggestions for places to go and stay (two relatively active adults, no pets or kids) and things do for a fun afternoon and morning.

Strange insect/beetle

jjsonp — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:30:36 -0800

What is this bug? See pic here.

This was taken on my screen door in central North Carolina in early May 2009. Bug is probably 2 inches long and 3/4" inch wide at the widest point.

I've seen moths with those faux-eyes before, but never a beetle.

How are small law firms set up?

bilbo baggins — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:55:13 -0800

How are small law firms structured? Do new partners have to invest capital to join. Or does a few years of grunt work, lead to being made partners? I want to do general practice in a small to mid size town in North Carolina. I do not want to open my own firm, I would like to "learn the ropes" legal and business-wise from an experienced attorney, who does general practice. I will be applying to law school in fall 2010.

Please spare me, "if you don't do big law, you won't ever pay off debt...etc."

Travel Near the Triangle

SweetTeaAndABiscuit — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:12:10 -0800

I’m on the search for a great little town for vacationing within about 2 hours of the Raleigh/Durham, NC Triangle area. I would love to find one great location that I could make a base for both weekends away several times a year and a couple of longer, week-long vacations yearly. I’m having trouble finding anything that seems like a possibility, mostly because of proximity. I’d prefer not to drive more than 2 hours to reach my spot, so that Friday evening get-aways are doable. While I know I’ll likely not find everything on my wish list in one locale, the perfect spot would:

-- Be about 2 hours or so from Raleigh, NC area.
-- Have some natural appeal, preferably with water of some sort (lake, river, ocean), although I’m not an avid hiker or outdoor-type person.
-- Have hotel(s) or B&B(s) within walking distance to at least a few restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, etc.
-- I don't a lot of entertainment as this will mostly be downtime spent reading, napping, soaking up the sun and just unwinding.
-- Bonus points for having a funky, artsy type vibe like Brevard or Blowing Rock. I love both those spots, but they are too far away for a quick weekend away.

Any ideas?

2 ladies, 1 baby, Monroe, NC; What to do?

kgreerRN — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:46:20 -0800

Monroe, NC Filter: What to 2 ladies do next week 5/17-22 in Monroe; NC with an infant? I will be visiting my cousin (first time mom & new to town) in Monroe, NC next week; May 17-22, who has a young infant (breastfeeding, not quite on a set schedule of eating and sleeping). We would like to get out of the house with the babes a few hours a day or evening to a few fun, fresh places. All that said; please suggest your hidden treasures, must see, best kept secrets for the Monroe NC area, all the while; baby friendly (clean changing stations & no googly eyes if the baby starts fussing).
I would like to stay close, less than 20 mile radius; including Monroe, Wesley Chapel, Weddington and Matthews.
Some things we would love are farmers markets, historic landmarks, outdoor cafe/coffee houses, places/food unique to NC or the Charlotte area, gardens.
Thanks in advance!

Seeking off-leash area between NC and Al

youcancallmeal — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:01:17 -0800

Where can I stop to let my puppy run around between Asheville, NC and Birmingham, AL? I'm taking a 5 day road trip from Vermont to Texas and the shortest leg is between Asheville and Birmingham this Thursday. Are there any parks or something not too far from 1-85 or 1-20 where I can let my dog run around for an hour or so? He's still young, so no dog parks or places where there would likely be unvaccinated dogs.

Need teh strawberries.

rachelpapers — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:26:26 -0800

Fresh strawberries in Chapel Hill / Carrboro on Sunday? Yes, I should have gotten some yesterday. Where can I get some local strawberries today?

Where can I watch Six Nations rugby near Mount Airy, NC?

katopotato — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:26:40 -0800

Where can I watch Six Nations rugby near Mount Airy, North Carolina? I'm heading to Mount Airy, NC for the weekend (March 21), but really want to catch the Ireland v Wales Six Nations rugby match. We have a bar that we watch the matches at here in DC -- is there anywhere showing the game near Mount Airy? We'd be willing to drive a bit for it, like to Winston-Salem or Greensboro.

Thank you!

Help me to mix up some shochu/oolong cocktails

greta simone — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:32:41 -0800

Help me make my favorite shochu/oolong beverage that I always drink when getting yakitori on St. Marks. So I live in NC, not New York, but during my frequent trips to the city I enjoy eating at one of the various yakitori and udon places on St. Marks. My favorite part of the dining experience, though, is ordering a few of those shochu and oolong iced beverages.

I was first introduced to shochu when a friend came back from Japan with a few bottles, but I have since discovered that Korea has a similar drink called soju. I have also read that sometimes Japanese shochu is imported under the name soju because, for whatever reason, it is less legal than soju.

Now, I have a friend who has found a place to purchase soju (which apparently is not exactly legal here, but let's ignore that fact). My first question is this: How can I tell if it is soju or shochu-masked-as-soju? If I can't, does it really matter? Do they essentially taste the same?

My second question is a bit simpler:
I hope to mix the shochu/soju with some oolong like I like it in the restaurants, but I have no idea how to prepare it. What's the liquor-to-tea ratio? How much tea do I need or how strong should I make it? Do I pour the beverage directly over ice or chill it first? What's the best kind of oolong to get?

Assume I will be making this beverage in large quantities and serving it at a party this coming Saturday (this means I would ideally like bulk mix recipes and no recommendations of where to purchase the liquor online, as there is little time to ship it).

Thanks for the help!

ISO data

greta simone — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:03:17 -0800

Google-fu masters: I need some stats, STAT. I have been looking for two days for this set of specific data. I've been to all the usual government and research foundation sites, but I can't seem to find what I need. Self-admittedly, I have terrible google-fu. If anyone feels like going on a treasure hunt for me, I'd give you a virtual high five.

I'm looking for a North Carolina county-by-county breakdown of the following information (data from 2005 or later only please):
--Domestic violence (insubstantiated and substantiated)
--Substance abuse
--Single parent households
--Court ordered child support
--High school graduation rate of males
--Incarceration rate of males
--Fertility rates of unmarried women
--Martial, separation, and divorce rates

I have been able to find loads of other data that I need, but it seems that data on issues related to these subjects just slightly misses the mark. I also understand that data might not be available for a lot of this stuff as well.

Thanks for any help you can give.

cozy lunch for vegetarians in Durham

amtho — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:53:31 -0800

Cozy & quiet, not-too-expensive lunch or brunch for 6-8 vegetarians, one pregnant, in Durham, NC. Where? My friend lives in Durham and is rather great with child. It's not a baby shower, just a lunch or brunch, or possibly dinner, that I'm putting together for her and some friends.

I don't want to make her drive to Chapel Hill, where there are at least two places I can think of that would be wonderful.

A couple of people have suggested Guglhupf cafe, but it seems loud (sonically live, lots of hard surfaces and often crowded) and a bit uncomfortable - one waits standing in line to order one's food. We'll want to talk -- the guest of honor is a fairly quiet person -- and I don't want to make her stand up any more than is necessary. She's in the eight month of her pregnancy.

Can anyone suggest somewhere better? There are definitely 6 of us, five of whom are vegetarian, and probably two more. I think some are graduate students, which means it would be kindest to avoid anything too extravagant.

We're planning to get together on Saturday Dec. 13 ... somewhere.

What to expect: filing for separation in North Carolina?

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:44:17 -0800

Here we go again. It looks like we're getting separated. In North Carolina. Short-term marriage, no joint property, no kids. I've read the submitted AskMe questions, but I'm hoping to get some specific information. Dated for a few years, got married. Both of us have discovered that we have some issues and faults that cannot be resolved through counselling; there are what I consider controlling behaviors from the spouse and what the spouse considers infidelity on my part. This is not ugly, but it's not a happy time, either. We own no joint property, have been married for 6 months, have no kids, and both have careers with decent incomes. We're currently on an apartment lease that ends in January. He is in the process of possibly moving back home across the state. We have a little information, such as having to file for separation first, for a year, and then a no-fault divorce. I have no idea what to expect, as my parents are still together. My spouse is much more volitile regarding this situation than I am; he is vacillating between begging for a chance to change his behavior and claiming that I am a lying cheating dirtbag. This never has been-and especially now-a healthy relationship. I have a very good support network of friends, family, and co-workers. Basically, what am I looking for is: what to do, what might happen, what this might cost, how I broach this subject with family? Thanks. I appreciate it.

Weeklong roadtrip from DC: Should we go to Asheville, NC?

onlyconnect — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:52 -0800

Fall road trip before the baby comes: DC to . . . Asheville NC or somewhere else? Our baby girl is due in early March and we'd like to take a week long vacation before she arrives or it gets too hard for me to move around. Planes are out, so we were thinking about a road trip to view the fall colors.

About us: My husband is a vegetarian. We like to bike, though I haven't been doing as much since the pregnancy. We like relaxed, casual vacations where we can mix being active with exploring at our own pace. We like seeing local art, symphonies or other local music, good food is a must, and we like to try different activities. When we went to Maui, we biked down the volcano, did alot of snorkeling, whalewatched and boozecruised, ziplined, and really enjoyed the atmosphere and food in hippie town Paia. (I'm expecting this vacation to involve less athletic pursuits and no alcohol for me, but exciting is still good.)

I've been googling and it seems like Asheville NC might be a good mix for us in terms of food, atmosphere, and local activites. It looks like it's about an 8 hour drive (one way) from our house in the Northern Virginia suburbs. I've checked out the previous AskMes involving Asheville and I have a few questions.

1. Do you think we would like Asheville, or would you suggest someplace else assuming we have about 9 days and a budget of about $1500 to get there, explore, and come back?

2. Do you think we'll find enough veggie-friendly food in Asheville to keep us happy for this long of a stay, or would you recommend somewhere else, or any restaurants in particular? There are a few suggestions here, but I trust AskMe more.

3. Any recommendations for activities in Asheville? I've checked out the local event calendar but am also looking for activities that might not be on that calendar, such as vising the Biltmore, etc. For that matter, does anyone have any particular recommendations about what to do at the Biltmore?

4. Any recommendations about where to stay? I was wondering if a local bed and breakfast might be a better option than one of the bigger hotels; however many of the appealing ones look fairly expensive (though they include really nice breakfasts!). Has anyone stayed at a really great and not too pricey B&B in Asheville? Do you think they would accommodate vegetarian requests? And when you stay at a B&B do you need to socialize alot with the other guests? I saw some advice from another thread about a Priceline deal at the Renaissance for $70/night in 2007 -- should we try that, and anyone know if that's still offered sometimes or of any other good lodging deals?

5. Should we take our bikes or rent bikes once we get there? I don't think we'd bike every day, but maybe a couple of times. Anything we should not miss by bike?

6. If we were going to stop along the way in our drive, would Raleigh or Greensboro NC be a better overnight stay for us? Or maybe Roanoke?

7. Anything else you think we should know or do?

Thanks so much in advance for any advice!

NC is the weirdest state I've ever lived in.

All.star — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:59:57 -0800

Just moved to North Carolina. My husband is *trying* to get his NC driver's license, but they are insisting he have his social security card in order to do so. Why is this? He has a passport; why isn't this enough?

Tips for the NC bar exam.

greta simone — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:50:01 -0800

Tips for the NC Bar exam? Asking for a friend:
I am an attorney currently admitted to the NY bar, and taking the NC bar in three days. I took BarBri for the NY bar, but studied on my own for the NC bar. One of the most helpful things about BarBri was the "tips and techniques" for the bar exam - such as areas of law frequently tested, or stylistic techniques for answering the essay questions. Can anyone tell me what the frequently tested areas are (such as Miranda violations or Rule Against Perpetuities, etc.)? I have been looking over essays from prior exams, and I have been shocked by the minutiae of some of the areas tested.
Also, I am curious as to how the essays are scored and how points are awarded. For example, in NY, the essays are scored on a 1-10 scale, with 1/3 points awarded for each issue spotted or statement of law that is included in the answer. A "5" is considered a "passing score" and a 7, 8, or 9 are considered above average answers and are infrequently awarded.
I have been told that the NC exam is easier than the NY exam. Has anyone found this to be true? Why or why not?
If you are a recent NC bar-taker, I would appreciate you sharing the tips and/or strategies you used that you found to be helpful. Thanks!

Furniture Shopping in Highpoint

philmas — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:39:12 -0800

I have family visiting me in Durham, NC this weekend to buy furniture. Where are the best places to go? They plan to go to Highpoint that some call the "furniture capitol of the world." What are the best places to go? I know they are looking for a couple of couches but I don't know what styles or periods interest them. I once went to Furnitureland South in Highpoint and it was about 2 million s.f. of floor area. It was an ungodly amount of furniture to wade through to get to what you actually wanted. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Which gem mines in and around Franklin, NC should we go to?

julen — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:40:39 -0800

Which gem mines in and around Franklin, NC should we go to? My family went to one (we think it was the Sheffield Mine) 20 years ago and loved it. We're finally going back, and we're looking for the best experience possible now on a summer weekday. We want decent customer service, a good variety of gems, minerals, and/or cool rocks to find, and we would prefer to not be crowded in by a flood of people pressing against us or pushed out after 2 hours. We recognize that we could very well walk out without finding something large or amazing - we're going for the experience first and foremost, although we will be taking anything we find home with us gleefully. So which mine(s) should we go to?

I'm looking for Metafilterian experiences - I've read reviews from elsewhere on the web about several of these mines, but I can tell I can't trust a significant subset of them (i.e. I'm not going to complain if I don't find the world's largest ruby, and it's not going to color my perception of the day if I do or don't find one).

4 day road trip on the US' East Coast: What to see, where to stay, what to eat?

unsupervised — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:23:32 -0800

Roadtrip along the US' East Coast from New York to Port Canveral, FL with 4 days to make the drive. Where should we stop along the way to enjoy ourselves? It's just my wife and myself, so there's no children to consider. The roadtrip is from July 17th-20th (considering leaving after work on the 16th to give us even more time). We'll be taking I-95 down and it'll take us through New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia & Florida.

This isn't the first time we'll be making the drive but it is the first time we're stopping along the way for anything more than a place to sleep.

We've never really gotten to enjoy North Carolina, South Carolina or Georgia so our plans are to make that the focus of most of our free time there, stopping in Raleigh, NC, Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA, but we can easily be swayed elsewhere (although Savannah is calling us).

We'd also like to end up within 4-5 hours of Port Canaveral on the final night, the 19th, so we can get to our cruise relatively early. We've picked St. Augustine, FL, mainly because it seems central to a bunch of places we plan to hit up from Roadfood. We're certainly not tied down to the place so other recommendations are welcome.

We're always on the lookout for good eats, preferably with a local flavor, but it's nice to have somewhere to explore when the eating's done.

So where should two hungry travelers expand their horizons along the eastern seaboard?

How do I help a Judge in NC get elected?

DetonatedManiac — Sun, 18 May 2008 11:44:43 -0800

CampaignFilter: Help me get a Judge Elected in Wake County NC. What is the most effective method to campaign with a limited budget? We apparently have access to a robo-dialer but no call lists. I have just been drafted to help a Lawyer who works in the office next to ours get elected Judge (I believe District Court Judge) in Wake County North Carolina. He has never really run an election campaign before, so he is not really "organized". He also has a limited campaign funds.

He is on the ballot and was un-opposed in the primary. Now what?

I have some limited experience with partisan political campaigns, but never a judge race (which is ostensibly "non-partisan"). What are the best tactics and are there any election laws or guidelines I need to know about with this being a "non-partisan" campaign?

He apparently has a friend with a robo-call machine, but it sounds like he has no database of names to call, so advice on how to construct a good political call list from scratch is appreciated.

QUICK, need help on most enviro Friendly candidats for NC Dem Primary!

DetonatedManiac — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:30:06 -0800

QUICK - I'm voting early in the NC primary, along with the rest of my family. ASIDE FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, who are the most environmentally friendly NC Democratic Primary candidates? We already know how we are voting for the presidential race, but my family all said they are leaving the rest of the ballot empty. But, they said if I find a reputable list of the most environmentally friendly candidates etc we would vote that way.

(We should have been more issue involved, but most of us just don't follow local politics since we recently moved here)

Please help. Thanks

North Carolina Vacation

unexpected — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:40:27 -0800

North Carolina Coast Vacation: Help me figure out where we should go! Next weekend, (May 1 - 3), several of my friends and I will be going to North Carolina beachy area - we just haven't figured out which one.

We're a mixed gender motley group of six. The girls want a nice beach, boardwalk and fun restaurants, some of the guys want to do surfing/kayaking/hang gliding/kiteboarding/wind surfing (x-treme vacation), and I'm fine with either, but would like a place where we could be around people, maybe go to an active bar, and a place where I wouldn't get in trouble if I hypothetically stumbled home drunk at 3 am.

Even though we went to college in NC, none of us are from there, and people that we've asked so far give us differing opinions on what's good or not.

Our initial thought was to go to Outer Banks. Of course, Outer Banks itself is a big hodgepodge of places. Given our requirements, we thought Kitty Hawk and Duck were viable options. We heard Hatteras was a no go.

Then some us (me) chimed in and said that Outer Banks seems ultra-naturey and that it might be nice if we went somewhere a little more "populated" - so we started thinking Carolina Beach/Wrightsville Beach.

Then we tried to combine the two approaches (you can surf at Carolina Beach, but can you rent a boat? kayak?), and thought we should explore Oak Island or Nags Head or Figure Eight.

Basically, we're all really confused, but that's what you guys are here for!

If I had to prioritize our wants it would be:

1) a place for random adventure
2) water sports - we're all beginners. We're not looking for killer waves or anything like that. Just some place where it's easy to maybe take lessons, experiment, have a good time.
3) "culture" - cute shops, restaurants
4) alcoholism
5) cost - but we must stay ~300 a night.