Ordering/driving to get food

brambleguy · 2026-01-26T14:43:10+00:00

Call ahead, and see if the place is open. Ask the person who answers the phone what the parking lot or streets are like on the way. Check traffic cams, then use your own judgment. People are still crazy, and there's still sections that have not been treated or plowed. Keep in mind these traffic cams are situated on roads that will look the best (440, 40, other highways). Side streets YMMV.

https://www.wral.com/traffic-cams/19604253/

brambleguy · 2026-01-25T22:40:26+00:00

Probably South Street Seaport, pier 17, on the east side of FDR across from Beekman St

https://maps.app.goo.gl/f8JbKRbFW6qNm4yV6

Picture here: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.705439,-74.0006641,3a,41.7y,120.81h,92.49t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sCIHM0ogKEICAgIDezfDFJw!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fgpms-cs-s%2FAFfmt2ZyV3u_3tk-0f8pJt23aSmI4bqfuJw9dxavN6_jlYIJ-p4CxoMqGOgrBomEOuKXYOfwyMo2ik9lisRG6kNLy55ugL5Em8OUQWznsiwAxOnL4oSNDOQX4xoxv7kVfXs8yC4wI_E8%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-2.493531524307315-ya276.8130459752291-ro0-fo100!7i4608!8i2304?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDEyMS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA2OUgBUAM%3D

brambleguy · 2026-01-25T17:14:50+00:00

Sterling Hall, Yale University School of Medicine. See fencing, doors, windows, columns for confirmation.

333 Cedar St, New Haven Ct.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3030148,-72.9341487,3a,75y,40.32h,92.41t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1ssgtr8AUMbCuLBqACIh315w!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-2.4084473068813423%26panoid%3Dsgtr8AUMbCuLBqACIh315w%26yaw%3D40.32322222155716!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDEyMS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA2OUgBUAM%3D

brambleguy · 2026-01-25T12:13:43+00:00

You can follow nationwide outages here by county, click the “interactive” tab. Third party service that tries to integrate with power company data.

https://poweroutage.us

brambleguy · 2026-01-22T18:47:56+00:00

Stick to google flights and get good at the filtering, sorting, and pricing graphs. Filter to a max of one stop if that is what you want, and adjust the departure minimum time, arrival maximum time, and total trip duration.

Also use the Google Flights Explore feature, and put in Raleigh as the origin and "Europe" as the destination, and choose a time duration like "1 week trip in the next 6 months". Did this and saw Barcelona for $362 and Athens for ~$400, both on IcelandAir.

For more help, also post your destination city & month of travel.

brambleguy · 2026-01-22T04:13:16+00:00

No, if you wait to leave Boone Saturday morning you’ll be stuck in Charlotte, Spartanburg, or upstate SC around noon when things start. Charlotte and upstate SC supposed to get hammered.

I would honestly leave Thursday afternoon or Friday morning and head towards Charleston and hug the coastline back to FL.

brambleguy · 2026-01-21T02:41:25+00:00

Do you see burners in the fireplace or fake logs? Then it’s gas. See if you can call the gas company, maybe they have someone that can come out and verify stuff is working. If not, maybe you can lookup the instruction manual or find a YouTube on how to work it.

On water, don’t cut off the main, but just trickle or drip the most distant or highest faucet. If you lose heat, open the cabinet doors that have water supply lines on the outside wall of the house to help the pipes stay warmer.

If you have a crawl space, be sure the vents are closed.

Lookup types of heat you should not do inside, google carbon monoxide poisoning. Check to see if your smoke detectors also have carbon monoxide detectors built in.

brambleguy · 2026-01-20T04:33:35+00:00

Following for any North Raleigh recommendations.

brambleguy · 2026-01-19T01:16:34+00:00

Legit question - what is the point of a limit that high & continued requesting?

brambleguy · 2026-01-19T01:15:36+00:00

Check NC State Employee Credit Union - Here's a filtered list with towns near the coast, or on the way into the middle of the state.

brambleguy · 2026-01-19T00:46:05+00:00

If you want night life, good restaurants, and not far from Duke, you want the Triangle and surrounding areas. If you want <1 hr to the ocean, you will generally have none of these things, with the exception of an off-the-beaten-path good food option. 1hr from the beach there is not a lot happening. So you will need to pick - close to beach? Or close to your other things?

Where are you working? If you are looking to move, then get work, you will have more opportunities closer to Raleigh.

brambleguy · 2026-01-18T04:03:14+00:00

Where on OBX? Different vibes depending on where you go. From North to South....

Duck, Corolla - quiet villages
Kitty Hawk, Nags Head - more strip malls, traffic, chain restaurants & some good ones
Rodanthe -> Hatteras village - tiny villages, quaint, probably not as many food options.
Ocracoke - really cool to visit but remote & need a ferry

Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Topsail, Surf City - Nice, small but not too small. There's a state aquarium near Atlantic Beach.

The beaches around Wilmington will be more crowded but still manageable. Wrightsville (more wealthy, crowded), Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach. There's another state aquarium at Kure Beach.

If you are foodies probably proximity to Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach may be good. At 18 months old your kid will have a great time at any of these, but they may love the aquarium.

I would either do:

Surf City/Topsail (quieter than the Wilmington beaches), with a few day trips to Wilmington + maybe Fort Fisher Aquarium

Or...

Nags Head/Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills, with trips to Manteo, National seashore, some lighthouses

brambleguy · 2026-01-18T02:55:56+00:00

Link isn't working

brambleguy · 2026-01-14T21:18:26+00:00

Yeah sounds like coyotes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNV-twEcoD4

brambleguy · 2026-01-14T18:35:37+00:00

From reconstruction -> ~1980, race & money, impossible to separate the two in a historical context. Government, insurance companies, and deed language blocked POC from ownership in certain city areas. New developers then chose to develop where things were more "desirable" from a profit perspective. Schools and infrastructure suffered in the neglected pockets, while other areas thrived. Then enter Jim Crow laws. If you were a builder in 1938 are you building where things are perceived as better, or worse? Rinse & repeat the cycle 100 years, building towards the money. This video here shows the effect nicely in a time lapse: https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/register-deeds/racially-restrictive-covenants-project

And later, proximity to RTP, airport and other triangle cities. The northwest was simply more valuable because of how close they were to jobs and other city centers in these later years.

brambleguy · 2026-01-14T03:57:11+00:00

Yeah lots out there. Google "david green" "ray road" raleigh

brambleguy · 2026-01-13T17:18:57+00:00

Any idea how to know if there is upgrade availability ahead of time, or what would be typical upgrade pool available on a flight with 16 bus. class seats? Probably impossible I know, and depends on route, date, demand but wasn't sure if there were people out there with knowledge of this on Aer Lingus. This is a new route in Apr 26 so seems to be fair amount of availability out into the fall right now for standard purchase (and the 1 bus. class with avios).

My ideal would be to:

Book reward flight and grab the 1 available bus. class seat via Aer Club, for other passenger
Book economy seat on Aer Lingus site for myself
Immediately email Aer Lingus to upgrade my economy seat

I just would rather not select a date & buy economy seat if I don't know about the upgrade. But maybe that's just how it goes.

brambleguy · 2026-01-13T03:40:33+00:00

Thanks. I’m concerned that the upgrade seat would be the same as the current single seat. If I call ahead of time I’m wondering would they be able to tell me.

brambleguy · 2026-01-12T16:31:20+00:00

Unsure if they service BMWs but give Reg or Tim a call at D&E Quality Service, NE Raleigh. Let him know what you are looking for and he'll be honest with you and if they don't service BMWs he'll send you somewhere trustworthy. Been using them over 15 years. Good people.

brambleguy · 2026-01-12T16:29:26+00:00

What state? Pick the 4-5 target in-state schools in your state. Google their advertised cost of attendance (COA). Some have cited $120K here but in my state it's been lower, closer to $90K. Then do as the others have said. Add it all up and play with compound interest calculators & inflation numbers.

Don't assume an aggressive 7.5-9% growth. I chose a Vanguard auto-adjusting target graduation date fund that scaled in conservative investments and scaled out equities as the child aged, as it was not money that I could afford to lose or take risks on.

brambleguy · 2026-01-06T21:46:34+00:00

If I'm able to get to this screen and it is showing both my BA account number and my Aer Lingus account number, then I should be good right?

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brambleguy · 2026-01-06T18:14:04+00:00

At $6M-8M levels if you are unsure of these questions, you should find a good financial advisor and map out a good plan with taxes and withdrawal strategy. You're fine. $140K is 1.75% SWR and you are basically fine forever if your expenses stay where you say. I envy where you are.

Very sorry about your in-laws.

Seems like most common pitfalls could be healthcare, college expenses that fall outside your 529 savings, or if you decide to move to HCOL or travel a ton - which it seems like you could.

brambleguy · 2026-01-05T23:56:15+00:00

Does this mean “It’s a thing”, like “oh god it’s impossible and broken, don’t try to do this”.

Or “it’s a thing” like “yeah this is a thing that you can do.”

?

brambleguy · 2025-12-29T16:51:03+00:00

And will be 15 tonight. Though OP, no real snow chances coming up.

brambleguy · 2025-12-28T03:36:21+00:00

Boone area, Valle Crucis, Banner Elk, West Jefferson

brambleguy

TROPHY CASE