Scott Nurkin used his talents again for a mural for Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. This mural is in…read moreHillsborough on the side of the side of the Orange County Sportscomplex. There is plenty of parking but the sports complex is busy so be mindful of the traffic. Murray was born in Baltimore but later moved to Durham, NC. She was denied access to getting a Ph.D in Sociology at University of North Carolina because of her race. But that didn't stop her, from becoming a Civil Rights Activist, advocate, legal scholar, author and priest. She was first in her class at Howard Law School. The first African American to earn a JSD from Yale. She co-founded the National Organization for Women. She also was the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. Murray was ahead of her time and wanted the 14th Amendment to protect everyone and include women. Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Murray was one of her heroes and was influenced by Murray's work with Jane Crow to Ginsburg's Reed v. Reed at the Supreme Court in 1971. Make sure you stop here while in Hillsborough, NC as the Rev. Pauli Murray is an activist to learn about.

Likely overlooked often because both Morgan and McDowell are busy streets, so most folks don't stop…read morehere often. This small "green space" next to the parking deck is also ignored by walkers. But here at the corner is an interesting piece of art. "Hedron" (stainless steel, 2004) by local artist Carl Billingsley was created in 2004 and purchased by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission. About eight feel tall, the sculpture is interesting. Matte steel and angled, it looks almost robotic. The artist's web page: http://billingsleyatelier.com/ [Review 12480 overall, 2269 of 2019.]

I didn't know how much fun a social district could be until my friend and I spend an afternoon…read morewandering around Downtown Durham with a beer in hand and no bartender yelling at us to chug it before leaving. The Bullpen is Durham's official social district, and it went into effect in 2022 after the North Carolina General Assembly approved the idea of walkable drinking zones back in September 2021. The city signed off on it in October 2022 as a way to boost downtown businesses, and honestly? Mission accomplished. The district covers a defined area of downtown where you can buy a drink from any participating ABC‑permitted business and carry it outside in the official cup. It runs seven days a week from 11 am to 10 pm and the boundaries include a big chunk of central Durham. Enough to make a proper walking tour without ever feeling like you're skirting the edge. For our self‑directed food and drink crawl, we started at Bull City Burger and Brewery, then wandered over to Little Bull, Liberty & Plenty, Geer Street Garden, and finally up the hill to DSSOLVR. Every stop was inside the district, and every time I had a few ounces of beer left, I just took it with me because it's completely legal here. That tiny detail along makes the whole experience feel relaxed and fun instead of rushed. Durham built this district to encourage exploration and it works. you can bounce between breweries, restaurants, bottle shops and bars without losing momentum. Window clings mark the participating businesses so you always know where you can grab your next drink and keep moving. If you're in Durham and want a walkable afternoon that mixes food, drinks, and a little urban wandering, The Bullpen is one of the best ways to do it. It's simple, it's smart, and it makes downtown feel alive in a way that more cities should copy. [Review 1077 of 2026 - 4783 in North Carolina - 26256 overall]

As I live and breathe-- I truly cannot believe that the local flavor and glory of Raleigh hasn't…read morebeen reviewed yet! I've officially been exploring these parts for about a year now and (while I'm still figuring it all out) I'm smitten and pleasantly surprised, quite frankly. Raleigh is a sleeper, meaning that outside of the state you don't really hear much about Raleigh, in particular, and Charlotte gets the majority, if not all, of the NC attention outside of sports and the tourism in Asheville. I've been told more than a few times that's by design and the "Triangle" locals prefer it that way. (lol) Raleigh has Southern charm and a strong arts, culture, and food scene. The coffee and BBQ here leaves much to be desired, but that 's subjective and no city has it all. Cost of living is fairly decent in these parts, and the suburbs are growing fast. Raleigh is an interesting city to explore, has great flight routes, and the traffic/parking situation isn't unbearable in the least. (Huge nod for that coming from Houston.) I love Raleigh's location with easy access to other cities like Charleston, Charlotte, Asheville, the mountains, and several beach vacay spots. All in all-- Raleigh's alright with me!

Shout out to Jared Long (customer service) for taking the time to help me submit a building permit…read moreto the city of Raleigh. He went out of his way to help me complete the permit apparently. He was responsive and courteous and quickly resolved my predicament. Thank youJared!

State of North Carolina Marianne and Daughter Love North…read moreCarolina. I've got family members and my friends living there who I've had for over 50 yrs. Then years ago we made Manhattan friends that originally came from North Carolina. I've been to North Carolina staying in my Aunt and Uncle's time share. I can't say enough about how much I enjoy this State. If I didn't have to have a car to get around in North Carolina I'd want to move there in a heartbeat. But that's only if I had to leave Manhattan for some reason. Naturally I love and want to stay here in Manhattan. I'm so happy that I have so many connections in my personal life to this state. It's definitely welcoming and I can visit when I want! If you're looking for a place to retire or relocate for any reason I recommend North Carolina!

Other than two years when I was living in the UK, I've lived in the Tarheel State for the last…read moresixteen years. I've lived in six states (NY, MA, FL, PA, AR, NC) and two countries (US, UK). This is my favorite place. Our motto: "To be, rather than to seem." Don't fake it. North Carolina was one of the original thirteen colonies, the twelfth to join the Union and the last to join the Confederacy during the Civil War. We're in the South now, y'all. It's a huge state, incorporating the cities of Charlotte, Raleigh (the state Capitol), Greensboro, Durham, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville and Asheville. We have the barrier islands, the Great Dismal Swamp, the steel and concrete jungles, the mountains, beaches and the rivers. North Carolina has the highest point in eastern North America, Mount Mitchell. Our license plates say "First in Flight" (because the Wright Brothers flew here first at Kitty Hawk) and "First in Freedom" (as my fellow Charlotteans declared independence a full year before John Hancock signed that other famous Declaration). We have 420 miles of I-40 (the busiest east-west corridor in the USA), 182 miles of I-95 (the busiest north-south), 231 miles of I-85, I-77, I-74, I-73. I-26 clips the corner of the western end of the state and at 12.9 miles long, I-87 is the shortest designated primary Interstate. To drive from Tennessee border (west) to the Outer Banks (east), it's about six hours. Or you can drive three hours from north to south. Could we do better? Sure. North Carolina got worldwide news and boycotts for the enactment of HB2. Officially the "Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act" it got notice as the "Bathroom Bill" that required people to use the bathroom that corresponded to their birth certificate. We're also known for the gerrymandering of our 12th Congressional District that was described as "political pornography" by the WSJ. We hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention and the 2020 Republican National Convention. We currently have a Democrat governor and both houses of the legislature are Republican. It's interesting. We are home for the Carolina Panthers (football), the Carolina Hurricanes (hockey), the Charlotte Hornets (basketball) and we have the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Charlotte Motor Speedway and Rockingham Speedway host car races. Minor league baseball include the Charlotte Knights and the famed Durham Bulls. The North Carolina Museum of Art, the North Carolina Museum of History, the Durham Performing Arts Center and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. In education, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest University are routinely ranked in the top 100 best colleges in America. Thirteen of the Fortune 500 are based in North Carolina, including Bank of America, Lowe's Home Improvement and Honeywell International. Charlotte-Douglas International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world after Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Chicago and Los Angeles, ahead of Orlando, Guangzhou and Las Vegas. The Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte is the 56th tallest building in the United States. Pepsi-Cola was invented in New Bern, Cheerwine in Salisbury, Texas Pete hot sauce and Krispy Kreme Donuts in Winston-Salem and we have the headquarters for Bojangles Famous Chicken N' Biscuits in Charlotte. The UPC bar code and the CTRL-ALT-DEL key sequence were developed in our state. You might be wondering why we have a NORTH Carolina and a SOUTH Carolina. Here you go: https://www.carolana.com/Carolina/thesplit.html We don't talk to them much. :) Taxes are not excessive, the roads are okay, the crime rate is climbing and it's all good. I love it here. Come visit! [Review 19084 overall - 3402 in North Carolina - 53 of 2023.]

The Danny Mason Mural was painted by Scott Nurkin and is in Chapel Hill. I don't think this one is…read morepart of the Mural Trail. It is located off Granham Street on the side of Lapin Bleu and behind Local 506. This mural is another done in color rather than black and white. This mural is also different in that there are three in the mural and Dex and Sara Romweber are in black and white but Danny Mason is in color. I'm not sure what the connection is between Danny Mason and the Romweber Duo. Mason was a Chapel Hill legend. He played the drums, guitar and piano. It was hard to find any details about Danny Mason or his music.

I remember my first handful of visits to Raleigh as a teenager and seeing the Cree Shimmer Wall as…read moreI drove down S. McDowell St. as we passed the Raleigh Convention Center and Red Hat Amphitheater. At the time, I had no idea what it was but thought the way it shimmered in the light was beautiful. I've been a Raleigh resident for several years now and I can confidently say that even to this day, I have to stop and admire the wall whenever I'm nearby. "Shimmer Wall is a 9,284-square-foot piece of art adorning the west side of the Raleigh Convention Center. This spectacular piece is made up of 79,464 light and dark aluminum square pixels that change shape and disappear as the squares flap in the wind. The design team, including artistic inventor Ned Kahn, worked to put the thousands of 4-inch by 4-inch aluminum pixels hinged on louvers to allow for free motion on 4-foot by 4-foot grids. To aid nighttime "shimmering," the design team chose to backlight the wall with 56 LED fixtures from Cree, which have a lifespan of 15 years. The LED colors vary depending on the season or celebration. The wall depicts an image of an oak tree and has become a symbol for Raleigh, the City of Oaks." - LocalWiki How cool!!! I have heard that you can get a good nighttime glimpse of the Cree Shimmer Wall at night from the bridge on Boylan Street. I've never stopped to check it out there but that is also a great spot to take a snapshot of the city at night. I love this city.

Mad. Cool. (Of course they were setting Red Hat Amphitheater…read morefor Shinedown concert the day I went to see the wall, so whole downtown Raleigh gone mad hatter, but consider it as part of experience) Over 9,000 sq ft wall designed by Clearscapes with LED lights donated by Cree. It made with 80,000 metal panels, moving in the wind and creating rippling effect. Some panels are fixed, and paint a picture of old Oak Tree, to commemorate Raleigh nickname, City of Oaks. Like a reflection of Oak Tree in the water, rippling and changing, it representing the city that stands for it's past and changing for the future. This is grand.

The mural for John Prine is in Downtown Raleigh near the bus station. It was painted in 2018 by…read moreScott Nurkin, but it is not part of the Musicians Mural Project. It is just one I happened to find while trying to find those. This mural was completed in 2018 for the Wide Open Bluegrass International Festival that was held in Raleigh. Prine is an underappreciated country and folk musician. His songs are known for their storytelling and protest commentary. You likely know his music even if you don't recognize his name. Other musicians are still singing the songs he wrote. His record label commissioned the mural be painted in Raleigh.