This is Raleigh Podcast

This is Raleigh Podcast

By Caroline and Craig MakepeaceSociety & CultureBusinessPlaces & Travel
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This is Raleigh Podcast episodes

  • EP 11: 20 Reasons NOT to move to Raleigh

    We've been singing Raleigh's praises since 2004 and have often called it America's best kept secret.

    But, we KNOW it's not for everyone. No place is perfect and we all have different values, priorities, likes and dislikes.

    So we thought we do a fun podcast episode sharing why you may not LOVE living in Raleigh and perhaps save you a disastrous decision by moving here if it does not check your non-negotiable lists on livability!

    WHAT WE TALK ABOUT:

    • Not on the beach. If you come from Florida or California this might be disappointing but a quick look on the map will let you know that before you move!

    • Not enough diversity in the food scene: Has exploded and continues to gain in prominence compared to other Southern foodie cities like Charleston, Nashville, and Atlanta.

    • Humidity makes summers too uncomfortable.

    • The Pollen is a Pain in the Sinuses!

    • Hurricane season can feel a little intimidating.

    • Bugs….mozzies…. and flying roaches

    • Copperheads…..most common venomous snakes in North Carolina. 

    • Not a ton of big tourist attractions in a smaller city

    • Moves too slow in customer service. Definitely not New York style in Raleigh!

    • Competitive real estate market

    • Too many trees. (Strangest complaint heard ever!!)

    • Only 1 Pro sport team, but college sports is pretty good!

    • No street lights

    • Too much traffic lol….it's all perspective! (Stop moving here and it will ease off!!)

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      RESOURCE LINKS

      • 34 Reasons we love living in Raleigh

      • How to spend a day at Wrightsville Beach

      • 8 Fun Day Trips from Raleigh

      • How to enjoy a Durham Bulls Baseball Game

      • 43 Interesting Facts about Raleigh

        • VIDEO PODCAST

        For those who may prefer watching a video of us podcasting, we filmed that for you too, which you'll find on YouTube each week.

        Full show notes: https://thisisraleigh.com/live-in-raleigh/

        1 hr 2 min
      • EP 10: Raleigh Life Updates + New Findings

        We are back recording podcasts y'all. In this episode we share about our house hunting in Raleigh, sending our kids to school for the first time, why Caz joined the Women's Social Club in Raleigh, restaurants in Raleigh we're loving, and our experience tasting Cheerwine for the first time!

        Here's what we talk about:

        •  New podcasting studio @ Raleigh Founded via Earfluence 

        •  Challenges of our old podcast setup and managing a podcast with a CRAZY travel life 

        •  Time for our daughters to return to traditional school and the challenges of carpooling and finding the right school.  

        •  Why we love a year round calendar: great for us as travelers, better for kids & teachers 

        •  The many schooling options and the difficulties of caps, zones, and applications! 

        • Raleigh City Farm. and volunteering at their Wednesday Wine & Weeds

        •  Our journey into house hunting during this crazy real estate market. 

        •  The secret is out on Raleigh being Americas best kept secret. 

        •  Our top lesson: Don't Assume!! Always ask to get the facts.  

        •  WOW!! In American you can get 30yr fixed interest with low rates! Certainly not the case Down Under! 

        •  Our excitement at owning our own home after 20yrs of renting & traveling 

        •  Joining the Women's Social Club 

        •  Restaurants we've been to lately: Sitti, Bosphorus, Kakabish 

        •  Burial beer and their cool mural! 

        •  Cheerwine...yuck!!! 

          • Full show notes: https://thisisraleigh.com/raleigh-life-update-podcast/

          51 min
        • EP 09: Why you should explore Downtown Cary

          Downtown Cary has evolved a lot in recent years and we love how charming and vibrant it is,. It's offering some of the best places to eat and drink in the Triangle.

          There's the locally owned coffee shop, bakery, bagel place, ice cream shop, pizza joint, local boutiques and art galleries, the park, the theater and arts center, a wine market, and the classic soda fountain inside the drugstore – not to mention one of the best breweries in America!

           

          WHAT WE TALK ABOUT:

           

          • How Cary has changed since we first moved to Raleigh

          • The charming main streets

          • Fun events like Zombie Fest and the Guinness Book of Records Flip Flop Run

          • The Cary Arts Festival and Farmers Market

          • Our favorite breweries and bars

          • The swankiest new Dive Bar in town

            •  

            RESOURCE LINKS:

             

            • Things to do in Downtown Cary

            • Exploring Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, Cary

            • Breweries we love in Raleigh

            • The Flip Flop Run at Bond Brothers

            • See all podcast episodes here

            • Fenton, Cary - why it's worth visiting

            • A Guide to WakeMed Soccer Park

              • Detailed blog post: https://thisisraleigh.com/downtown-cary-nc/

              30 min
            • EP08: Breweries in Raleigh we Keep Returning to

              We can't do a Raleigh podcast without talking about our favorite Raleigh breweries. The beer scene has exploded in recent years, and if you love a craft brew, this is the episode for you.

              We've been to Asheville, Portland, Washington State, San Diego, Denver, and Raleigh has just as good craft beer as any of them! As Australians we thought American beer consisted of Budweiser, Coors, and Miller.

              Now we know better. You cannot beat an American craft beer and you'll find any style you like all over Wake County and beyond! There are now at least 41 breweries in Raleigh area and it seems more popping up each week.

              We have yet to visit all of these breweries. We keep getting sidetracked returning to the ones we love. We're sharing those ones in this episode.

              • The BOOMING Raleigh craft brew scene and why we rate it as one of the best in the country (we've been too a lot of breweries across the USA)

              •  

              • What we love most in a brewery

              •  

              • The absence of good cider and gluten free beer (+ a shout out to those who do!)

              •  

              • Our favorite event in Raleigh (years ago) The Beerfest!

              •  

              • The breweries we love and the beer that makes them great.

                • Resources mentioned:

                • Eat Drink and admire the views at Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewery

                • Things to do in Downtown Cary

                • 34 Reasons we love living in Raleigh

                  • Full Show Notes: https://thisisraleigh.com/raleigh-breweries/

                  37 min
                • EP07: Fun Day Trips from Raleigh

                  Looking for ideas about cool day trips from Raleigh? One of the things we love about living in Raleigh is its central location to so many other great places.

                  Today we chat about 5 great getaway ideas for everyone, whether you desire a beach break, you're a foodie, or you're into history, the arts, or sports.

                  They are easy to visit in a day – but there is no reason why you shouldn't stay longer.

                  We visit these places near Raleigh often, and will continue to do so. Be sure to join our VIP email community so you don't miss an update. And follow our current adventures – near and far – on Instagram.

                  For each place, we share some of the best things to do in a day, including places to eat!

                  EP 07: WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

                  • Why we think Wrightsville Beach is the best beach in the USA

                  • What makes Wilmington – the Hollywood of the East – full of so much Southern Charm

                  • The exciting food and cultural destination of Durham and its unique Black History.

                  • The college town of Chapel Hill and how it has a very unique personality. (and of course the best basketball team!!)

                  • The surprising enjoyable rural (but moving to urban) Johnston County.

                    • RESOURCE LINKS

                    • One day itinerary for Wrightsville Beach

                    • 7 Best things to do in Chapel Hill, NC

                    • 48 hour itinerary for Durham

                    • Attending an iconic Durham Bulls baseball game

                    • 19 Things to do in Johnston County

                      • VIDEO PODCAST

                      For those who may prefer watching a video of us podcasting, we filmed that for you too, which you'll find on YouTube each week.

                      Full show notes:

                      • 15 Fun Day trips from Raleigh

                       

                      54 min
                    • EP 06: Classic Southern Dishes to eat

                      When in Raleigh, here are the classic Southern dishes to try to get yourself introduced to the food history of the area, and the top Raleigh restaurants to taste each dish!

                      • BBQ – the Carolina style and were to get some of the best

                      • Southern Fried Chicken and some unique Raleigh fusion takes on it

                      • Where why and how you should get your grits

                      • Biscuits and how unlike they are to the Australian kind!

                      • Hush puppies and the possible truth behind how they got their name

                      • The fixins you don't want to miss

                      • Sweet Potato Pie and the very unusual sweet potato casserole

                      • Donuts for breakfast anyone? We chat about Caroline's cultural confusion of this one.

                      • Our weird reactions to some of these foods!

                        • RESOURCE LINKS

                        • 11 of the best burgers in Raleigh

                        • 50+ Essential places to eat in Raleigh (inside the beltline)

                        • Why we love living in Raleigh (podcast)

                        • Raleigh favorites: He Said She Said

                          • For those who may prefer watching a video of us podcasting, we filmed that for you too, which you'll find on YouTube each week.

                          44 min
                        • EP 05: What to expect in travel in 2021

                          We know you're itching to break free from the confines of your homes and travel again. In this podcast episode, we use our travel expertise and insider knowledge to share how travel will look in 2021.

                          Due to our unique position as one of the world's top travel bloggers, we get access to information to the word on the street, through our ambassador partnerships and conversations with tourism board representatives from around the world.

                          Full episode notes: https://thisisraleigh.com/travel-tips-2021

                          • The general outlook for 2021 travel that most tourism reps we've spoken to have.

                          • What will open up first and how that will roll out to international travel

                          • What the popular travel trends will be

                          • Why people are craving stories more than Instagram photo likes (and how to balance this on your travels)

                          • Why you should do your due diligence and run some practice tests before selling everything to buy an RV and hit the road

                          • Embracing the workation lifestyle - we've been doing it for 10 years and agree , it's awesome.

                          • The importance of travel insurance - how it can break your finances if you don't get it (even domestic)

                          • What can we expect from vaccinations (keep yourself updated)

                            • 1 hr 8 min
                          • 04: Raleigh Favorites: He Said. She Said

                            What are our favorite places to eat, drink, play, and explore in Raleigh? And what are our favorite things about living in Raleigh? In this episode, we share our contrasting, and sometimes the same, opinions.

                            • Favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner spots

                            • Favorite brewery and bar

                            • Favorite festival / event including the fun ones that had us running in flip flops and gorging on doughnuts.

                            • We share what we call flip flops in Australia and an embarrassing experience mixing it up in the USA

                            • A special concert experienced at our favorite music venue.

                            • Favorite neighborhood to explore

                            • Our dilemma - torn between two dream places to live in Raleigh

                              • RESOURCE LINKS

                              • He Said She Said: Raleigh favorites in blog post

                              • 34 Reasons we love living in Raleigh

                              • Wye Hill Kitchen and Brewery Review

                              • Why Lake Johnson is our favorite lake

                              • 48 hours in the Warehouse District

                              • Things to do in Downtown Cary

                              • A local's guide to North Person St

                              • Date night at Crawford and Son Restaurant

                              • Krispy Kreme Run

                              • Guinness Book of Records Flip Flop Run at Bond Brothers

                              • Biking the Art to Heart Trail

                              • North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

                              • Sal's Branch Trail in Umstead State Park

                              • A day in Wrightsville Beach

                              • 8 Don't miss things to do in Lake Lure, North Carolina

                                • Full show notes and resources here: https://thisisraleigh.com/he-said-she-said/

                                1 hr 11 min
                              • EP 03: How a $500K Loss Lead to Blogging, & Green Cards

                                This episode dives deep into our past real estate disaster that happened right here in Raleigh during the GFC, how we ended up losing everything, including two properties, our jobs, our savings, and ended up in serious credit card debt. But fortunately we were able to turn it all around. Listen in to how we did that, and how overcoming those challenges has helped us get through this current COVID crisis. We have had quite the journey behind the scenes, and recording this episode brought back so many tough memories but powerful life lessons! EP:03 WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

                                • Leaving Raleigh for the first time end of 2006

                                • Moving to Mooloolaba on Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Aus, but getting itchy feet for Raleigh again

                                • Deciding to invest in Real Estate in Raleigh. Flew over for 2 weeks to investigate whilst 6 months pregnant.

                                • Deciding to go back to teaching with VIF/ Participate to live in Raleigh again.

                                • All about the real estate and GFC disaster. How we lost 2 properties worth $500k, donated $50k to stock market, and ended up in $30k credit card debt.

                                • Discovered travel blogging. How we got started.

                                • Lost teaching job due to GFC so decided to move back to Australia to rebuild our life and build yTravel blog

                                • Traveled around Australia for 18 months building our blog

                                • How we were invited to the White House and our embarrassing "You're a spammer" original reply

                                • How we discovered the 01 Visa opportunity, which gave us permission to return to the USA and lead us to a Green Card

                                • Lessons learned from our financial disaster during GFC and how it's helped us get through the challenges of COVID

                                  • RESOURCES

                                  • Sunshine Coast Queensland

                                  • I want to know your secret

                                  • How to start a travel blog

                                  • 10 years of travel blogging: the highs and lows + lessons learned

                                  • How we overcame $30,000 in credit card debt

                                  • Our 18 month road trip around Australia

                                  • Our visit to the White House

                                  • How to get an O1 visa for the USA

                                  • How extraordinary travel blogging got us a green card

                                  • 3 Principles to Creating your Dream Life

                                    • In the first three episodes of our This is Raleigh podcast, we're diving deep into our story of how ended up in Raleigh in 2004, moved back and forth several times since, and eventually got a green card to live permanently.

                                    • Episode 1: Moving to Raleigh for the first time.

                                    • Episode 2: Why we love living in Raleigh

                                      • Full show notes:

                                      https://thisisraleigh.com/tag/raleigh-relocation-podcast/

                                      1 hr 6 min
                                    • EP 02: Why we love living in Raleigh

                                      In episode 2, we share the many different reasons we love living in Raleigh. It captured us immediately, and when we returned to Australia in 2006, we missed it so much, we realized it's where we wanted our forever home to be.

                                      Listen in to hear how we came to love the community, what jobs we worked, interesting people we met, fun stories and much more!

                                      Full show notes: https://thisisraleigh.com/love-raleigh-podcast/

                                      We talk about:

                                      • How the friendliness of people in Raleigh and North Carolina drew us in

                                      • The beauty of the City of Oaks

                                      • Our first friend in Raleigh, Hitesh (we're still great mates)

                                      • The joy of traveling like the locals

                                      • The rich cultural experiences we had like:

                                      • election parties

                                      • jumping over the fires in Franklin St

                                      • crashing a frat party

                                      • Kirby Derby (before it was in Dorothea Dix

                                      • The benefits of having connections to your own culture when you live in a foreign place

                                      • But, why you should also branch out to meet the locals

                                      • The amazing location for travel Raleigh offers

                                      • Craig's jobs in Raleigh: Construction and working for Delta Airlines

                                      • The work life balance of Australia compared to the US

                                      • The strangeness of why Americans don't take their vacation leave!!

                                      • The end of our first two-year teaching experience in the USA

                                      • How our road trip across the US on the way back to Australia convinced us to come back.

                                        • RESOURCES

                                        • About US

                                        • Why Lake Johnson is our favorite lake

                                        • 15 reasons NOT to live in Raleigh

                                          • Full Guide:

                                          • 34 Reasons we love living in Raleigh

                                          Thanks for listening. Remember to subscribe and leave a review!

                                          40 min

                                        About This is Raleigh Podcast

                                        From the publisher's feed

                                        This is Raleigh Podcast is hosted by Caroline and Craig Makepeace, Aussie global travelers, who now call Raleigh, North Caroline home. After living in 5 countries, traveling to over 50, and, due to…