NGC - If you had to choose, why?

[al_roethlisberger]

Just curious, for those that know both areas relatively well....

 

 

If you had to choose between:

 

Raleigh/RTP/Cary, NC

 

or

 

Austin, TX

 

 

.... where would you choose to live, and why?

 

If you don't have a real preference, feel free to also just list the advantages/disadvantages of both as you have observed.

 

 

Oh, and with the "why" don't forget to describe your own motivations, lifestyle(family, kids, single??), etc.... as that obviously has a bearing on perspective

 

 

I think I've asked this question in a round-about way before, but thought I'd do one last bit of "due diligence" before we pull the trigger

 

 

Thanks

al

[staedtler]

well. i've never been to NC....but i used to live in Austin

 

Austin is pretty cool; live music galore, girls galore, bars galore, 6th st.,

hill country riding basically on your back yard, hippie hollow, cool neighborhoods

like the one on South Congress, the only place in Texas where you are not outnumbered by Republicans, did i mentioned the girls?, groovy sensual yet sophisticated cultural ambiance (whatever that means), Alamo Draft House,

Kerbey Lane and Magnolia cafe, tamale house #3 @ airport blvd. (try their Migas plate on a sat. morning!), Dog and Duck thursdays (i hope they still have them), hot girls, AF1 Racing @ N. Lamar right across from the Ducati Austin Guys, you are a great 1.5 hour back road ride away from SA...we can party!!

 

On the other hand,...is ridicously overpriced (that's why i live in SA), traffic is

as bad as in the Bay Area (if not worse), it's growing faster that it can cope with,

the hot chicks all have a boyfriend that plays in a band... there's no one with a Guzzi there.

 

so there you have it,...NC anyone?

[v50man]

Austin -- the "hill country" of Texas -- is pretty, cosmopolitan -- very nice. It's also one of the worst kept secrets around -- a lot of people move there and a lot of UT students STAY there.

 

Raleigh is quiet, laid-back -- pretty country in its own right. Maybe a better place if you have kids.

 

Both are nice. If you think you're going to need "big city" entertainment, etc. you're probably more suited to Austin.

 

If you like a more sedate, campus-like living style, give Raleigh a go.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say Al is that you've got some GREAT choices here.

 

Good luck.

[Enzo]

What happened to the Seattle idea?

 

If you'll excuse me, I have not lived in these two areas, but please allow me to comment on my somewhat paranoid view of the future.

 

Think huge increases in the cost of energy. Think about LOCAL ability to produce food, get water, and the viability of small businesses and healthy diversity. I think things are about to get very LOCAL, and you want a place that is set up to thrive on that level. I know, paranoid, but it's how I see it. I sure as hell would not be caught living now in a desert area like Phoenix or Vegas. Huge, hot population traps like L.A. will be bad. Good rainfall, local farming, moderate temperatures, small business, cool people.....will all be very important in about three years. JMHO.

[al_roethlisberger]

What happened to the Seattle idea?

 

If you'll excuse me, I have not lived in these two areas, but please allow me to comment on my somewhat paranoid view of the future.

 

Think huge increases in the cost of energy.  Think about LOCAL ability to produce food, get water, and the viability of small businesses and healthy diversity.  I think things are about to get very LOCAL, and you want a place that is set up to thrive on that level.  I know, paranoid, but it's how I see it.  I sure as hell would not be caught living now in a desert area like Phoenix or Vegas.  Huge, hot population traps like L.A. will be bad.  Good rainfall, local farming, moderate temperatures, small business, cool people.....will all be very important in about three years.  JMHO.

51332[/snapback]

 

 

Heh, sounds like you'd like NC better then?

 

 

Seattle went "out" last year, due to changes with work. Although "technically" any place is viable, and that would include the Seattle area, for work the only two locations that make sense are Austin and NC.

 

So there ya go

 

 

al

[not_scooter_Scura!]

Australia mate!

 

the best prisoner island in the world....err did that sound bad?

 

 

n_s_S!

[DeBenGuzzi]

Australia mate!

 

the best prisoner island in the world....err did that sound bad?

n_s_S!

51341[/snapback]

HEY America was basically Prison destination first. Leave it to the brits to populate the world with their poor, destitute, discriminated and criminals. They're like the bastard older brother always giving you a wedgie but still standing behind you when youre in a scruff. Or most the time.

BTW I say MN, you can do everything in the span of a week ice fish, snowmobile, Ski, Motorcylce, go boating, anything One week you could walk on the ice next week boats were on the water, Last week played softball while it was sunny when we started it was snowing halfway through, then sunny again. on second though I hate this state.

[callison]

What happened to the Seattle idea?

 

If you'll excuse me, I have not lived in these two areas, but please allow me to comment on my somewhat paranoid view of the future.

 

Think huge increases in the cost of energy.  Think about LOCAL ability to produce food, get water, and the viability of small businesses and healthy diversity.  I think things are about to get very LOCAL, and you want a place that is set up to thrive on that level.  I know, paranoid, but it's how I see it.  I sure as hell would not be caught living now in a desert area like Phoenix or Vegas.  Huge, hot population traps like L.A. will be bad.  Good rainfall, local farming, moderate temperatures, small business, cool people.....will all be very important in about three years.  JMHO.

51332[/snapback]

 

Uh huh. And that's why I'm moving to Oklahoma. Not much in the way of twisties unfortunately, but the residents there are super amiable.

[supertwin1]

UMMMMMMMMMM-Austin, but the bowl is FULL and spilling over as it has been since '94. Millions of Californians have moved here since the Northridge earthquake and it hasn't stopped yet! Oh yeah, there is one Guzzi here in Austin, actually I know quite a few Guzzisti here.

[Enzo]

I wonder why Seattle is such a Guzzi heaven. You see them everywhere, and they are considered THE COOLEST - not only the new models, but especially the old Eldos. If you have lots of tats and are a slick artistic dude, there is nothing better to be seen on. Harleys really take a back seat and nobody gives them any special notice - but a sweet, funky old Guzzi.....everybody loves it.

 

I wonder why?

 

It could be that Seattle is a funky, artistic, independent sort of place where people like the unusual. It could be that Seattle has a large, active and aggressive Guzzi dealership run by the author of Guzziology. It could be because of people like Greg Field (author of 'Big Guzzi Twins) who seems to know everybody and has kept people on their Guzzis (often without pay). Hard to say. But there is nothing better than pulling into the 'Buckaroo Tavern' on a Saturday night and seeing eight Guzzis out front, one Harley, and one Honda. Very nice.

 

If you're on a Sport or Lemans around here, people look at you like you are on a Maserati.

[DeBenGuzzi]

Lots of guzzi's in this state too but very spread out. There was 4 or 5 guzzi dealers when they came out with the new models I think there are still 3 but they stay alive with other bikes mostly(obviously) but I know 2 still work with the Gooses for sure. I wish it was growing more than shrinking but soon we'll all own collector bikes, won't that be wonderful

[al_roethlisberger]

So, after returning from my trip to NC, I think we'll be heading there. It was really nice, the weather was mild, and it was very GREEN

 

Austin is great, and yes, I've been to the Magnolia, Kerbey Lane, etc.... My best friend lives there, and after spending a few months there are not sure it's the best choice from a "family" point of view, and yes.... I did note the traffic/sprawl issues. But Austin is a nice place for sure, hence our quandry up to this point.

 

..... but except for an obvious lack of the majestic mountains, Raleigh actually looks a whole like driving around the Gig Harbor area of Washington State That's a real plus in our book. It's not as cosmopolitan(or maybe "hip" is more accurate) as Austin, but Raleigh certainly didn't seem to be "backwoods" either, just more rural/suburban.

 

Although I am still interested in opinions.

 

 

So, with the Raleigh area in mind, I was searching for a PCIII Tuning Link Centers:

 

It seems that the closest center that will map sportbikes is: http://www.ronayersmotorcycles.com in Greenville, NC

 

Does anyone know anything about this shop?

 

 

And does anyone have a recommended Guzzi shop near the Raleigh, NC area?

 

al

[twhitaker]

Myers or Meyers Triumph Ducati Moto Guzzi is 250 miles west in Asheville. Good people. Mercy, doesn't look that far on the map.

 

 

 

MYER'S DUCATI

1125 Sweeten

Creek Road

Asheville, NC 28803

828-274-4271

 

 

 

 

BARNETT'S SUZUKI

1509 Lake Wheeler Rd.

Raleigh, NC 27603

919-833-5575