Raleigh is not only the capitol of North Carolina, but it is also part of what is known as the Triangle area of North Carolina. The three cities that make up the triangle are Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. This area is also home to a number of well-known universities including Duke University, NC State, and University of North Carolina. Although I did not make it to any of the colleges during this trip, I was fortunate to take a tour of Duke a few years ago. The campus is architecturally stunning. It was originally Trinity College until Washington Duke endowed the university and it was renamed Duke. At that time, a new campus was also built in the Gothic style with the feel and design of an ivy-league school (pictured above).
When in Raleigh, I usually stay close to Crabtree Valley Mall. This area is not only centrally located in the triangle area, but it also offers good choices in both restaurants and gyms. I usually work out at the Gold's Gym in North Hills. North Hills is an outdoor "lifestyle center" with all sorts of shops and restaurants. The Gold's Gym in the middle of this shopping center is definitely worth the drive. The facility is nice and features a ton of great equipment. Although this gym is almost entirely straight, there is some eye-candy to keep your attention as you workout.
In addition to being a major college area, Raleigh is also about 45 minutes from Fayetteville, North Carolina. I stopped in Fayetteville for the night before coming to Raleigh. Fayetteville is home to Fort Bragg; one of the largest military bases in the country and home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces. Since the city of Fayetteville is very small, a lot of the military men head to the Raleigh area to go out on the town. Although you will find some gay boys online in Fayetteville if you look hard enough, the majority of the gay military in Fayetteville stays hidden. Hopefully a change in military policy concerning "gays in the military" will change that....but at this point, gay life in Fayetteville is hard to find.
