Holiday Buzz on Raleigh?

My brother Ramone returned to Raleigh for the holidays.  He’s a New York City guy now, making the scene as a guitarist and music composer for TV and film.  But he grew up in Raleigh and comes back a couple times a year because ma and pa maintain the fam’s headquarters here.  I bet you have family or friends in the same situation.  What did they say about the way Raleigh’s changing?
As for Ramone, he was digging the place.  At first, he was all about decompressing.  Letting the relative calm of Raleigh calm his nerves after months of pounding them silly on New York’s subways and roiling sidewalks.  But then we ventured downtown.  Fayetteville Street was cool, he said, but lots of cities have big open streets.  The cranes really caught his eye.  Construction clanked away on every corner.  “What’s going up here?  The city’s new tallest building?  Seriously?  With condos in it?  Cool.  And what’s that?  And that?  Did I hear someone’s building a hotel with a pool on top?  Forget mom and dad’s place, I’m staying there next time.”  But it wasn’t just downtown.  It was old faves like the Irregardless Cafe and Five Points going strong. 
Ramone’s not coming back any time soon.  But he now knows there’s a real emerging city to come back to ... someday.  How about your friends and relations? 

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