RICHMOND, Va. — It’s been a minute since I put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) to share about my travels, so I hope you will forgive my delay in writing about Chapel Hill — I needed a few extra days to comprehend it.

Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina — one of three claimants to “oldest public university in the United States” — is remarkably small.

You’d figure that a place that fostered both the greatest men’s basketball player of the 20th century (if not ever) and the most influential U.S. women’s soccer player of all time would be a major city, but alas, Chapel Hill is close to 275 years old, and still only has about 50,000 residents within its borders. It’s the 15th-smallest city in North Carolina, and measures about 20 square miles.

But it’s got a tremendous heart.

Seeing ‘Chapel Hill’

It’s a bit of a simpleton way of a thinking, but my main curiosity when I got into town was “let’s see that chapel on the proverbial hill.” If it’s good enough to name a city after, it must be important enough to see in person.

The city itself was named after an Anglican “chapel of ease” (New Hope Chapel), on a crest hill at the intersections of Cameron and Columbia streets, and repurposed to serve the UNC campus, which starts immediately to the east of this proverbial “Chapel Hill.”

But since 1924, it’s been the site of the Columbia Inn, a 4-star historic hotel.

“Hotel Hill” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, but that’s the new history, and has been for nearly 100 years. I wanted to climb the “Chapel Hill,” and there was neither of the sort there anymore — but I did walk through the valet parking ramp, the highest portion of the inn’s topography, so I guess you could say I formally climbed the hill that started it all.

I also walked a few blocks east through campus to visit UNC’s “Old Well,” a storied drinking fountain that students visit to sip from not just for refreshment, but in hopes for good luck and better grades. I was thirsty during the walk anyways, so I made a point to have a small sip. And hey, even if I’m not a student, I think there’s something to be said about showing respect to a nearly 200-year-old public water source that’s still in operation.

Athletic Greatness

As I mentioned at the start of this post, UNC fostered some of the most iconic athletes to grace modern sport: The Graduate Chapel Hill pays tribute to these “GOATs” with no shortage of Tar Heel-tinged memorabilia, murals, and easter-egg tributes.

One of many nods to NBA legend Michael Jordan, the front desk is a functional scoreboard, permanently locked on the final score of the 1982 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game (Jordan’s UNC 63, Georgetown 62), and the 3rd-4th floor foyers invite guests to play their own game of hoops on a special carpeted court with plush pillow basketballs (presumably, because actual basketballs on hardwood would make for a brutally loud hospitality experience).

Fortunately, the rims are hung at 9 feet instead of the regulation 10, so I went in and dunked a plushie minutes after checking into my room.

Speaking of which, women’s soccer icon Mia Hamm and NFL defensive menace Lawrence Taylor appear on the hotel’s guest cards, and portraits of basketball coaches like Dean Smith and Roy Williams appear above room desks.

Playing My Own Game

After checking in and getting settled at Chapel Hill, I took a walk down Franklin Street — Chapel Hill’s signature strip of restaurants and bars, named after Benjamin Franklin — and put a few quarters into the machines at The Baxter Arcade.

Baxter Arcade might honestly, truly, be the best barcade I’ve ever been to, and that includes more polished or better bankrolled locations in Chicago and Indianapolis.

The Baxter has a tremendous variety of cabinets, lined up in two neat rows on each side of the bar — creating the most spacious social arcade I’ve stepped foot in yet. Most of the games, including pinball, cost 25 or 50 cents, but even the occasional 75-cent play is cheaper than $1 credits at other places. The beers are extremely cheap (say, $5 or 6 for a craft pint, $3 for a domestic), and there are also low-key tables for having a private conversation.

There’s a giant chalkboard keeping the latest scores of every game (including those which don’t keep numerical totals, such as NBA Jam), and the staff is very friendly. My only regret is that I had 90 minutes on one night to spend there — it would definitely be my #1 local haunt if I lived in “the Southern Part of Heaven.”

There’s also a mid-1990s “Space Jam” pinball machine, featuring who else but “his airness,” Michael Jordan.

Seeing Old Friends, Making New Ones

With Chapel Hill’s proximity to Raleigh and Durham (“the triangle”), I had the good fortune to visit Falyn and Isaac, two old friends who used to live in the Bloomington/Indianapolis area some years ago. They moved to Raleigh for job opportunities, and I got to see their beautiful new house over beers now that we’re all vaccinated.

I also got to meet their dog (Cora) and snake (Pi), who were lovely company.

That’s about it for now, folks. I’m safely in Richmond, Va., and ready to see what “The River City”/”RVA” have in stock for me here. (There is a rooftop pool so…I’ll be back shortly.)

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-moose