The South - Eastern USA - page 647

( 919-447-4000; www.theumstead.com ; 100 Woodland Pond Dr; r/ste from $279/369;
) Computer chips embedded in the silver room-service trays alert bellhops to whisk
away leftovers post haste at this lavish boutique hotel. How's that for taking care of de-
tails? In a wooded suburban office park, the Umstead caters to visiting biotech CEOs
with simple, sumptuous rooms and a Zen-like spa.

Raleigh Times PUB$
(14 E Hargett St; mains $10-12; 11:30am-2am) Chase plates of BBQ nachos with pints of
North Carolina craft brews at this popular downtown pub.

Poole's Downtown Diner MODERN AMERICAN$$$
( www.ac-restaurants.com ; 426 S McDowell St; mains $18-22; 5:30pm-midnight) Chef Ashley
Christensen sautés burgers in duck fat and bakes the world's most exquisitely creamy
mac 'n' cheese at this Southern diner-meets-Parisian bistro, the toast of the local food
scene. Don't miss the haute takes on classic American pies like banana cream. No reser-
vations.

Information

Raleigh Visitor Information Center (

919-834-5900; www.visitraleigh.com ; 500 Fayetteville

St; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat) Hands out maps and other info.

Durham & Chapel Hill

Ten miles apart, these two university towns are twinned by their rival basketball teams
and left-leaning attitudes. Chapel Hill is a pretty Southern college town whose culture re-
volves around the nearly 30,000 students at the prestigious University of North Carolina,
founded in 1789 as the nation's first state university. A funky, forward-thinking place,
Chapel Hill is renowned for its indie rock scene and loud 'n' proud hippie culture. Down
the road, Durham is a once-gritty tobacco-and-railroad town whose fortunes collapsed in
the 1960s and have only recently begun to revive. Though still fundamentally a working-
class Southern city, the presence of top-ranking Duke University has long drawn pro-
gressive types to the area and Durham is now making its name as a hot spot for gour-
mands, artists and gays and lesbians.
The hip former mill town of Carrboro is just west of downtown Chapel Hill. Here, the
big lawn at Weaver Street Market ( www.weaverstreetmarket.com ) grocery co-op serves as
an informal town square, with live music and free wi-fi.