Editor column: Noting some different things in my new home state

Since moving to North Carolina about 14 months ago, I have noticed several differences between my native state of Virginia and North Carolina. Pointing out a few of these is not a knock on North Carolina.

As a Virginian, I am naturally biased toward my home state, but I recognize things will be different everywhere you go. There are two things that are no doubt better in North Carolina than they are in Virginia. The first is beaches. The only real oceanfront area in Virginia is Virginia Beach, and it has way too much traffic for my taste. Plus, when I go to the beach, I like to rent a cottage or condo on the beach as opposed to stay in a hotel. Most of the beachfront in Virginia Beach is hotels. Virginia also has the Eastern Shore which faces the oceanfront, but most of that is wildlife refuge.

The second is barbecue. There is no comparison.

Simply put, most of the barbecue sauce in Virginia has mustard as part of the base, and I just don’t like it. I like the North Carolina version much better. I guess I should specifically say I like the one in this part of the state better. I understand there are several versions depending on what part of North Carolina you are in, but the only one I’ve had is the one that’s used here.

Some of the other things relate to driving. I can say one thing that is the same in this part of North Carolina and the mountains of Virginia where I moved from is apparently people like to read your license plate or see when it expires, or read your bumper stickers if you have those on your car. Following closely seems to be a thing. I’m used to that from Bath County, Va, where there are few places to pass and patience can run thin. One obvious difference is that now, I no longer have a front license plate. That’s probably better, since my front Virginia plate tended to accumulate a lot of bugs.

North Carolina likes, or at least did at one time, traffic islands. No matter how rural the road, many times there are concrete islands separating the lanes at intersections. I can see how these can contribute to safety, but many of them now suffer from neglect. They could use a fresh coat of paint, or they have cracks in them with grass growing through or the edges of them are broken from being run over through the years. If they are going to be there, they could at least look a little better.

Another highway trend that seems to be more prevalent in North Carolina than Virginia is roundabouts. No matter what state they are in, I’m not fond of them. Maybe this is just me, but many times they are confusing. I have more than once driven around an entire roundabout in a circle trying to figure out where to get out of it to get where I was trying to go. Do I yield? Do I have the right of way? It’s hard to figure this out sometimes.

One of my bigger driving disappointments was when they installed one in Emerald Isle, which has been one of my favorite beach destinations for a long time. That’s one of the ones I made the complete circle in before I could finally figure out how to keep going on NC 58. To be completely fair, however, the worst one I’ve ever seen is in Amherst County, Va. Then there are the fourway stop signs.

I understand the concept here, it makes an intersection safer if everyone coming from every direction has to stop. I also understand how they work, that you go through the intersection in the order you enter it. But again ... Do I have the right of way now? Who was here first? What if two of us stop at the same time? I have never seen a four-way stop sign anywhere else but North Carolina. They may have them other places, because I haven’t driven in all that many states, but I’ve never found one anyplace but here.

The longer I live here, the more I am getting used to the differences. I can truly say this most recent North Carolina experience has been very positive, so please pass the barbecue, preferably while I’m sitting on the deck of a beach cottage.