by Laura
I recently got my hair chopped off at Moshi Moshi, a cute salon on West Franklin Street. I don’t think it’s possible to work there without being a hipster, but at least they’re friendly Southern hipsters. The Japanese pop aesthetic meant I got to wear a kimono while staring at Hello Kitty from an orange plastic swivel chair. Plus they have an online reservation system complete with email reminders. Win!
Family portrait post-cut.
Moshi Moshi (which, btw, means hello), is one of several businesses on the supposedly more sophisticated far end of Franklin, where the beers are $3 instead of $1. If you ignore the McDonald’s and the scary Chinese buffet, you’ll see that the block has evolved to include some serious fine dining, a boutique hotel, and pubs with leather chairs, among other signs of legitimacy.
I ran this theory by a friend as we walked down the West end of the street, but unfortunately at the time, we were near both McDonald’s and a place called Ham’s, which was not inspiring confidence in the neighborhood’s newfound classiness. But, at least Ham’s might provide a tableau of undergraduate life to safely examine from the nearest wine bar.
We’ll have to see how this East vs. West Side dichotomy evolves as we further explore downtown Chapel Hill establishments. While the East Side is in sync with our budget, our urbane sensibilities argue that a view of Ham’s and some fine merlot are worth paying for. ;)
Laura
Harold
