Dog Whisperer Coming to Memorial Auditorium
Professional dog trainer
Cesar Millan
will come to Memorial Auditorium on Saturday, October 1. Ticket presale is going on now thru Thursday at 10pm (pw: CESAR).
Verizon Launching LTE on July 21
There is good news for
Verizon
customers seeking the next level of wireless connectivity. On July 21 Verizon’s LTE will go active in the Triangle area. This includes Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Apex, Clayton, Morrisville, Chapel Hil, Carrboro, Gorman, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Garner and Smithfield. The company expects average data rates in real-world, loaded network environments to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.
Of course, this comes on the heels of yesterday’s news about tiered data pricing Verizon will roll out on July 7. Those plans are rumored to offer 2GB/mo for $30, 5GB/mo for $50, and 10GB/mo for $80.
Therefore, if your are interested in getting an LTE phone on Verizon (like the Samsung Droid Charge, the HTC Thunderbolt, and the LG Revolution), it might be wise to make a move soon.
If you are interested in a new Android phone, you can always check out gogoraleigh’s Ultimate U.S. Android Phone Spreadsheet . It sorts out the carrier and pricing information for 44 Android phones that are either currently or soon-to-be available.
Machu Picchu Now Open
The long wait for
Machu Picchu
’s is now over! The restaurant, located at 4500 Falls of Neuse Road (
map it
) behind Pei Wei (with Jo-Ann and Pulcinellas), is now open and serves Peruvian food such as Ceviche, Jalea, and Lomo Saltado.
Food Truck Rodeos On The Chopping Block?
Today’s agenda for the City Council deals with issue TC-5-11 (PDF), which would severely restrict food truck activity throughout the city, not just in downtown. The first two sections state:
• Located on a lot containing a principal building(s) or use zoned SC, NB, BUS, TD, I-1 or I-2; and the maximum number of food trucks per lot shall be limited as follows:
o maximum of one (1) food truck on lots of one-half (1/2) acre or less;
o maximum of two (2) food trucks on lots between one-half (1/2) acre and
one (1) acre;
o maximum of three (3) food trucks on lots greater than one acre and less than two (2) acres; and
o no maximum on lots two (2) acres or greater.
• Located a minimum of 150 feet from the main entrance or outdoor dining area of any business selling food and 50 feet from any permitted food vending cart location unless the owner of the subject business gives written permission; location unless the owner of the subject business gives written permission;
There are some good arguments against food trucks, but the maximum of a truck per half acre doesn’t make sense, especially on private property. Hopefully the City Council will not allow this to pass. We can come up with a better solution that helps both food truck owners and brick-and-mortar restaurants alike.
RDU Terminal 1 Renderings Updated
TBJ reported yesterday
that some updated renderings for RDU are available.
Can you say “lipstick on a pig”? First of all, I don’t understand architects’ fascination with pulling rainwater back into buildings. This is a design that has failed time and time again. Secondly, what in the world are we doing dropping a dime into this facility for anything other than tearing it down? The terminal was originally supposed to be a hangar, and got a last minute upfit for short-term terminal space. Renovating this terminal is another step in the airport authority’s history of blowing money hundreds of millions of dollars at a time. There is a reason that people love airports like TPA, they are designed well and handle future growth well.
Fleet Foxes Coming to The Walt
On Wednesday, September 21, Seattle’s
Fleet Foxes
will return to downtown Raleigh. This time they will be at The Walt supporting their new CE, Helplessness Blues.
The Walkmen
open.
Tickets go on sale
Friday (6/24)
Mixed Use Mid-Rise Planned for Boylan Ave.
The site plan (.PDF) was recently submitted for a mixed-use, mid-rise building at the corner of Boylan Avenue and Tucker Streets, across from 712 Tucker in downtown Raleigh. The building will be less than 80’ high (so, likely 7 or 8 stories), and includes a parking garage, internal pool/courtyard area, and residential space at ground level.
It appears this will be a 250-unit apartment building.
Britney Spears Coming to RBC Center
On Wednesday, August 24,
Britney Spears
will return to the RBC Center. The public ticket sale begins Saturday (6/25) at 10am.
Today’s Twongo Deal Features Pretty Picture
Today’s deal at Twongo for Cary/Apex is for $20 at The Brunch Box , a lunch spot in Morrisville. I have never heard of this place, but have to give kudos to them for actually carrying an appetizing photo of their food!
Renaissance North Hills Gets Four Diamonds, Best Marriott Award
In a press release
(.pdf) from earlier this week, Concord Hospitality Enterprises announced that their flagship hotel, The Renaissance Hotel at North Hills, was offered the Four Diamond award by AAA. The hotel was also named a Marriott International, Inc. 2010 Hotel of the Year.
Each year AAA awards Four and Five Diamond ratings to the finest hotels in the nation. The Resnaissance joins this list of Four Diamond hotels in North Carolina:
- ASHEVILLE: 1900 Inn on Montford (2009), Albemarle Inn (2003), Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville (2009), Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park (2010), Inn on Biltmore Estate (2001), The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa (2001),
- BOONE – Lovill House Inn (1997),
- CASHIERS – Innisfree Inn By-The-Lake (1994)
- CHAPEL HILL – Carolina Inn (1997), The Siena Hotel (1996)
- CHARLOTTE – Hilton Charlotte Center City (2007), Marriott Charlotte SouthPark (1989), Omni Charlotte Hotel (2001), The Ballantyne, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Charlotte (2003), The Duke Mansion Historic Inn & Meeting Place (2005), The Westin Charlotte (2004)
- DURHAM – Arrowhead Inn Bed and Breakfast (2003), Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club (2000)
- GREENSBORO – Grandover Resort & Conference Center Golf & Spa (1999), O. Henry Hotel – (1999), Proximity Hotel (2008)
- HIGHLANDS – Old Edwards Inn and Spa (2005)
- LAKE TOXAWAY – Greystone Inn (1986)
- PINEHURST – Holly Inn (2002), The Carolina Hotel (1982)
- WILMINGTON – Graystone Inn (1999), The Verandas (2002)
The state has three Five Diamond Award winners:
- CARY – The Umstead Hotel and Spa (2007)
- CHARLOTTE – The Ritz-Carlton (2010)
- FEARRINGTON VILLAGE – The Fearrington House Inn (1994)
Parking Problems
I just don’t understand some of the parking zone selections in Downtown Raleigh.
Brewmasters is Today’s Twongo Deal
Daily deal site Twongo is offering up to 50% off at Brewmasters. The restaurant is located at Martin and Dawson (formerly Joe’s Place)
Asheville Explorer’s Guide Now Free
The iOS application Asheville Explorer’s Guide (iPhone, iPad) recently became a free offering from the Apple App Store. The app, traditionally at $2.99, is a fantastic tourist’s guide to North Carolina’s funky mountain city.
NOTE: The deal window has closed, and app is back to its $2.99 price.
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