by Eric Ginsburg
We can’t capture everything, but here are eight examples of what’s awesome about North Carolina’s Triad.
- The Center for Creative Leadership, which is famous enough that someone in the back of a butchery in Barcelona asked if I knew of it.
- The endless amount of restaurants to explore, including excellent international options like the brand new Kool Runnings Jamaican restaurant in east Winston. (Above: Grill ‘N Pho U in Greensboro)
- The long history of civil rights activism, from the well-known Sit-In Movement to people like Albion Tourgée or the union organizing of Local 22.
- Unusual spaces aren’t uncommon here, making it easy to forget just how unique things like Geeksboro and Elsewhere truly are.
- Winston-Salem’s connection to the film industry, including RiverRun, movies like George Washington, A/perture Cinema and UNC School of the Arts grads like David Gordon Green
- Speaking of RiverRun, the Triad’s festivals, particularly those in Winston-Salem, are first class. That goes double for Phuzz Phest, and new ones such as DashPop music fest and the Carolina Brewsfest Craft Beer Festival (in High Point).
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- There are so many rad, super-small businesses and collections of people doing interesting things, such as SmallBatch Kombucha, Electric Pyramid and Unicorn Press.
- The Triad is home to so many freakin’ colleges. Where else can you find two historic women’s colleges, four public universities including an arts-based one, two community colleges, and a number of other schools including the nationally recognized Elon Law School and Wake Forest University? And don’t even get me started on High Point University.
- Yeah, we don’t have any real pro sports teams here, despite a brief layover as the Hartford Whalers transitioned into being the Carolina Hurricanes. But Greensboro is Tournament Town, hosting all sorts of lower level competitions ranging from water polo to the ACC college baseball tourney. And there are three minor league baseball teams here, boasting central ballparks and excellent names.
- Parking is so absurdly easy here, and it’s free on weekends. Plus, somehow Winston-Salem hasn’t realized that charging a quarter per hour is laughably cheap.
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Eric, love your work, but just a mention (as retired English teacher) that you can’t have an “amount” of restaurants. You CAN have a “number” of them. Another example: an amount of money; a number of dollars. Again, I so enjoy your explorations. Keep it up.