ahh, New Bern, part one

Almost heaven, North Carolina. Since moving to NC three years ago, we quickly discovered what we had been missing all these years: beaches wider and less crowded than Florida, mountain retreats just a couple of hours up the road, breathtaking fall scenery, laughably mild winters, yet occasional snowfalls, lots of opportunities to enjoy sitting by the fireside, long lingering springtimes bursting with color, from daffodils to azaleas and dogwood. And the mountains and beaches are no more than three hours from our doorstep. The dogwoods and azaleas are in our backyard. The fall spectacular is on our street. We have been to Asheville and Banner Elk and New Bern. Nothing compares to New Bern. Most people have never heard of New Bern, a town of about twenty three thousand people, sitting inland from the Atlantic at the convergence of the Trent and Neuse Rivers. Like Jacksonville, it is a town of wide rivers and gorgeous waterfront homes. And it is close enough to have the moderating effect of the ocean, the late day seabreezes and the comforting salty humidity. Unlike Jax, it is a small town with little industry, and the downtown has been converted to a few blocks of bed and breakfasts, antique and art stores, TWO trendy coffee bars, and the birthplace of Pepsi Cola enshrined on a corner. And let us not forget the Cow restaurant, specializing in all things bovine, and ice cream. And the toy store, independent, and full of serendipitous stuff. There are touristy places, the Tryon Palace which we have never bothered to enter with three kids six and under, several waterfront hotels, the Carolina Aquarium, down the road toward Morehead City, which we are sure to visit next year. The town is edged by the usual Southern ghetto of small shacks, pool halls, pawn shops, poverty. When they finish repairing the drawbridge into downtown, you can skirt the obvious, but right now the detour takes you through other folk's reality. Even Disney World has an underclass....
But our reality is Fairfield Harbour, part resort, part expensive waterfront bulkheaded deep harbour houses, part retirement village, part timeshare. This bit of middle class paradise is a couple of miles out of town, five miles down a country road, through an unguarded entance, past the golf courses and modular earthtoned condos, to the timeshare units a few steps from the rec center, the marina, and the worst restaurant in NC. Well, it can't ALL be good.