http://www.gogoraleigh.com The Latest in Retail, Entertainment, and Development in Raleigh Fri, 01 Apr 2016 13:01:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.3

http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2015/03/06/fury-325-test-run-pov-hits-internet/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2015/03/06/fury-325-test-run-pov-hits-internet/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2015 05:31:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7633 Carowinds’ Fury 325 will open this summer as the 5th tallest roller coaster in the world, and will be the most discussed coaster on the continent this year. On Wednesday the track saw its unmanned maiden voyage. A point-of-view camera was mounted and footage is now posted on YouTube. The 325’ high coaster is 20’ taller than the Statue of Liberty, and will be the highest and fastest for Bolliger & Mabillard. The firm known for engineering the smoothest coasters ever built sees itself well into the 300 foot zone with this coaster. It’s a zone that Intamin has dominated over last decade and a half. Hopefully B&M can bring their brand of well-managed lateral Gs to this class of coasters. Looks like some track tuning still remains as well as much landscaping. It appears the coaster has a fantastic fine del capo under the pedestrian plaza followed by a splashdown into a lake. This should be a dynamite addition to the NC side of Carowinds, and will attract visitors from...

]]> Carowinds’ Fury 325 will open this summer as the 5th tallest roller coaster in the world, and will be the most discussed coaster on the continent this year. On Wednesday the track saw its unmanned maiden voyage. A point-of-view camera was mounted and footage is now posted on YouTube.

The 325’ high coaster is 20’ taller than the Statue of Liberty, and will be the highest and fastest for Bolliger & Mabillard. The firm known for engineering the smoothest coasters ever built sees itself well into the 300 foot zone with this coaster. It’s a zone that Intamin has dominated over last decade and a half. Hopefully B&M can bring their brand of well-managed lateral Gs to this class of coasters.

Looks like some track tuning still remains as well as much landscaping. It appears the coaster has a fantastic fine del capo under the pedestrian plaza followed by a splashdown into a lake. This should be a dynamite addition to the NC side of Carowinds, and will attract visitors from around the world to this hidden gem of a park.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/07/22/download-the-wake-county-schools-2015-calendars/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/07/22/download-the-wake-county-schools-2015-calendars/#comments Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:29:44 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7498 Wake County School System has compiled their official calendars for the 2014-2015 school year in PDF format. In fine fashion gogoraleigh has converted all of these calendars into numerous downloadable formats. Now readers can easily import their favorite school calendars into Android phones, iPhones, Outlook, and more. The set includes calendars for the Traditional, Track 1, Track 2, Track 3, Track 4, and Modified schools. Even better, if you already subscribe to any of these calendars, then all of the new dates have been automatically added for you. For more information and downloads, see the Calendars tab at...

]]> calendar_icon Wake County School System has compiled their official calendars for the 2014-2015 school year in PDF format . In fine fashion gogoraleigh has converted all of these calendars into numerous downloadable formats.

Now readers can easily import their favorite school calendars into Android phones, iPhones, Outlook, and more. The set includes calendars for the Traditional, Track 1, Track 2, Track 3, Track 4, and Modified schools. Even better, if you already subscribe to any of these calendars, then all of the new dates have been automatically added for you.

For more information and downloads, see the Calendars tab at gogoraleigh .

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/new-raleigh-sign-ordinance-causing-chaos/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/new-raleigh-sign-ordinance-causing-chaos/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7412 Last month the City of Raleigh passed a new sign ordinance, leading to some unexpected results. Under the new law small businesses are forbidden from placing any form of signage in their windows (including lit signs, chalkboards, manikins, or any other means of conveying the what products the business sells), but allows large corporations to place billboards on the tops of their buildings. In downtown Raleigh the new ordinance began an explosion of tower-top billboards. Duke Energy spokesman Maximillian Thompson said,”After Red Hat showed us that a tower-top sign can be tastefully executed, we began discussions with Raleigh City Council members. They unanimously agreed with us about Red Hat’s sign, and agreed that if every business placed a similar sign on their building, there shouldn’t be any problem.” The results from the new ordinance have been mixed. A local realtor said,”a city councilor said publicly that my sign was tacky? This is an abomination. The new signs...

]]> DowntownRaleighSigns Last month the City of Raleigh passed a new sign ordinance, leading to some unexpected results. Under the new law small businesses are forbidden from placing any form of signage in their windows (including lit signs, chalkboards, manikins, or any other means of conveying the what products the business sells), but allows large corporations to place billboards on the tops of their buildings.

In downtown Raleigh the new ordinance began an explosion of tower-top billboards. Duke Energy spokesman Maximillian Thompson said,”After Red Hat showed us that a tower-top sign can be tastefully executed, we began discussions with Raleigh City Council members. They unanimously agreed with us about Red Hat’s sign, and agreed that if every business placed a similar sign on their building, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

The results from the new ordinance have been mixed. A local realtor said,”a city councilor said publicly that my sign was tacky? This is an abomination. The new signs downtown are so ugly that it is causing people to not just wreck their cars, the cars are spontaneously bursting into flames. It’s even worse than a snow day around here.”

Only one Raleigh City Council member would speak to gogoraleigh about the issue, only offering,”Hey, it’s not like our mayor was rigging land values to get light rail funds from Washington and taking bribes on multiple occasions. All I got was a free home renovation…. Oh, wait. Aren’t we talking about the Charlotte mayor thing?”

acornGGR_AFD14

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/unc-saluting-student-athletes-with-statue/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/unc-saluting-student-athletes-with-statue/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7413 Today the UNC officials announced that it will erect a bronze sculpture to honor the work of its student athletes. The bronze sculpture, name “Statue of Limitations”, will depict a football player embracing his female tutor. The artist said the athlete’s head will be on the left shoulder of the tutor while the tutor’s hands will be busy writing a paper for the athlete. “I think it perfectly depicts the win-win relationship our athletes and academic support staff share,” said one assistant sports information director. Officials said the statue will replace the university’s historic “Silent Sam” sculpture which depicts a student who has been sent to fight in the Civil War. “We are tired of the racist imagery presented by Silent Sam. The Statue of Limitations is a far more accurate depiction of campus life in the Modern Era. Plus, there is no racism at all with the student athlete experience, so it’s really a win-win”, said one assistant athletic director. In...

]]> Today the UNC officials announced that it will erect a bronze sculpture to honor the work of its student athletes. The bronze sculpture, name “Statue of Limitations”, will depict a football player embracing his female tutor. The artist said the athlete’s head will be on the left shoulder of the tutor while the tutor’s hands will be busy writing a paper for the athlete. “I think it perfectly depicts the win-win relationship our athletes and academic support staff share,” said one assistant sports information director.

Officials said the statue will replace the university’s historic “Silent Sam” sculpture which depicts a student who has been sent to fight in the Civil War. “We are tired of the racist imagery presented by Silent Sam. The Statue of Limitations is a far more accurate depiction of campus life in the Modern Era. Plus, there is no racism at all with the student athlete experience, so it’s really a win-win”, said one assistant athletic director.

In order to avoid any media coverage of the situation, the statue will be unveiled at 4:45pm on Thursday, July 3.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/duke-to-change-football-stadium-name/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/duke-to-change-football-stadium-name/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7409 Today Duke University announced that it will change the name of its historic Wallace Wade Stadium in an effort to offer clarity to visitors. The new name will be “Wallace Wade Outdoor Stadium”. An assistant athletic director told gogoraleigh,”We had a real problem with visitors showing up to the basketball arena, Cameron Indoor Stadium, in their search for our tiny, outdated football stadium.” The move should be a boon to tourism and visitor dollars for Durham, as the only people who can navigate Duke’s wooded campus safely are Duke’s typical athletic supporters....

]]> Today Duke University announced that it will change the name of its historic Wallace Wade Stadium in an effort to offer clarity to visitors. The new name will be “Wallace Wade Outdoor Stadium”. An assistant athletic director told gogoraleigh,”We had a real problem with visitors showing up to the basketball arena, Cameron Indoor Stadium, in their search for our tiny, outdated football stadium.”

The move should be a boon to tourism and visitor dollars for Durham, as the only people who can navigate Duke’s wooded campus safely are Duke’s typical athletic supporters.

acornGGR_AFD14

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/angus-barn-takes-colorful-new-name/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/angus-barn-takes-colorful-new-name/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7405 Eager to jump aboard the trend of culinary eating taking over Raleigh, the legendary Angus Barn announced today that it will, effective immediately, be known as the Guacangus Barn. The menu will change slightly, as well, to reflect the restaurant’s new direction. In addition to timeless classics on the menu, all dishes will be served with a side of tortilla chips. However the most mouth-watering addition is the restaurant’s new condiment, Guacangus Sauce, an avocado paste made from onion, lime, serrano peppers, and steak and rib drippings. Yum! Changes are coming upstairs in the restaurant as well. The bar will be converted into the new Pavo Salvaje Cantina, home of the Triangle’s most impressive tequila selection. Additionally the Barn will introduce a new celebration for diners on their birthday. The restaurant staff will sing the new Angus Nino/Nina song throughout the restaurant, converting the dining room into a rustic fiesta! So go west, my friends, and enjoy the...

]]> Eager to jump aboard the trend of culinary eating taking over Raleigh, the legendary Angus Barn announced today that it will, effective immediately, be known as the Guacangus Barn. The menu will change slightly, as well, to reflect the restaurant’s new direction. In addition to timeless classics on the menu, all dishes will be served with a side of tortilla chips. However the most mouth-watering addition is the restaurant’s new condiment, Guacangus Sauce, an avocado paste made from onion, lime, serrano peppers, and steak and rib drippings. Yum!

Changes are coming upstairs in the restaurant as well. The bar will be converted into the new Pavo Salvaje Cantina, home of the Triangle’s most impressive tequila selection.

Additionally the Barn will introduce a new celebration for diners on their birthday. The restaurant staff will sing the new Angus Nino/Nina song throughout the restaurant, converting the dining room into a rustic fiesta!

So go west, my friends, and enjoy the Triangle’s newest dining experience!

acornGGR_AFD14

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/ncsu-commissions-artist-for-pnc-arena-mural/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/ncsu-commissions-artist-for-pnc-arena-mural/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 14:00:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7414 In recent years NC State University has made a concerted effort to bring more public art to its campus. The Talley Arts Center today announced that a donor who prefers to be only known as “W.M.” has donated the funds to commission an artist for a large mural at the PNC Arena. The mural will be placed as a salute to the historic basketball program as a whole, but will specifically salute the 2014 Men’s Basketball Team. Entitled “Ball in the Ocean”, the mural will depict an NCSU player standing at a makeshift free throw line on a beach scattered with basketballs. “In the image, the player, no matter how hard he tries, cannot throw any of the balls in the ocean”, said the assistant AD. Also depicted in the image will be Navy ships in their search for parts of an airplane presumed to have crashed in the area....

]]> In recent years NC State University has made a concerted effort to bring more public art to its campus. The Talley Arts Center today announced that a donor who prefers to be only known as “W.M.” has donated the funds to commission an artist for a large mural at the PNC Arena. The mural will be placed as a salute to the historic basketball program as a whole, but will specifically salute the 2014 Men’s Basketball Team.

Entitled “Ball in the Ocean”, the mural will depict an NCSU player standing at a makeshift free throw line on a beach scattered with basketballs. “In the image, the player, no matter how hard he tries, cannot throw any of the balls in the ocean”, said the assistant AD. Also depicted in the image will be Navy ships in their search for parts of an airplane presumed to have crashed in the area.

acornGGR_AFD14

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/town-of-cary-changes-name-to-attract-nashville-star/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/town-of-cary-changes-name-to-attract-nashville-star/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7404 The Carolina Hurricanes will finish the 2014 NHL season missing the playoffs for the 5th straight season. to nobody’s surprise trade rumors are swirling, and the focus of much talk appears to be on Nashville Predators Assistant Captain Mike Fisher. A deal is said to be in the works to trade Hurricanes Captain Eric Staal to the Predators for the 33 year old Fisher. The most interesting aspect of the negotiations, however, comes in an offer from the Town of Cary, which has offered to change its spelling to “Carrie” in order to make the trade more attractive to Mike Fisher. Fisher, the husband of 2005 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, could not be reached for comment....

]]> carrie_underwood The Carolina Hurricanes will finish the 2014 NHL season missing the playoffs for the 5th straight season. to nobody’s surprise trade rumors are swirling, and the focus of much talk appears to be on Nashville Predators Assistant Captain Mike Fisher. A deal is said to be in the works to trade Hurricanes Captain Eric Staal to the Predators for the 33 year old Fisher.

The most interesting aspect of the negotiations, however, comes in an offer from the Town of Cary, which has offered to change its spelling to “Carrie” in order to make the trade more attractive to Mike Fisher. Fisher, the husband of 2005 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, could not be reached for comment. acornGGR_AFD14

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/city-to-install-speed-bumps-on-saint-marys-street/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/04/01/city-to-install-speed-bumps-on-saint-marys-street/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:37:39 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7408 Following the new trend of shunning thru-traffic, neighbors of Raleigh’s Saint Mary’s Street/Lassiter Mill Road have petitioned the City of Raleigh requesting installation of speed mitigation items. Naturally the city’s transportation engineers have elected speed bumps for the 4-mile residential street. The street, which has carried a 35 mph speed limit since the automobile was invented, will now carry a 25 mph speed limit and will feature speed bumps placed every 300 feet along the entire 4 miles of road. As per city regulations, the speed bumps will carry signage indicating safe travel at 20 mph, however will be constructed to pop tires, ruin alignments, and scrape bottoms of cars in an effort to surprise drivers if they dare cross going faster than 15 mph. Drivers of Raleigh’s CAT bus Route 8 have requested transfers to Durham’s bus service, citing they’d rather be around a bunch of gun-toting pre-criminals in East Durham than deal with Raleigh’s ridiculous speed...

]]> speedbump Following the new trend of shunning thru-traffic, neighbors of Raleigh’s Saint Mary’s Street/Lassiter Mill Road have petitioned the City of Raleigh requesting installation of speed mitigation items. Naturally the city’s transportation engineers have elected speed bumps for the 4-mile residential street.

The street, which has carried a 35 mph speed limit since the automobile was invented, will now carry a 25 mph speed limit and will feature speed bumps placed every 300 feet along the entire 4 miles of road. As per city regulations, the speed bumps will carry signage indicating safe travel at 20 mph, however will be constructed to pop tires, ruin alignments, and scrape bottoms of cars in an effort to surprise drivers if they dare cross going faster than 15 mph.

Drivers of Raleigh’s CAT bus Route 8 have requested transfers to Durham’s bus service, citing they’d rather be around a bunch of gun-toting pre-criminals in East Durham than deal with Raleigh’s ridiculous speed bump initiative. Because they will need to wait an extra 5 minutes in emergencies, residents along the route have been advised by the Raleigh police and fire departments to by automatic electronic defibrillators for their own use.

An anonymous transportation planner said about the project,”Our goal is to remove traffic from all neighborhoods and put it on overloaded arteries. That’s what Atlanta did, and it worked really well for them. Our next target will be putting 20mph speed bumps on Glenwood and Wade Avenues, too, as they contain large residential stretches.

acornGGR_AFD14

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/02/10/food-porn-visits-rise/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2014/02/10/food-porn-visits-rise/#comments Mon, 10 Feb 2014 15:00:00 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7268 The line at Rise Biscuits & Donuts is out the door for a reason. Once you get over to the strip shopping center next to SouthPoint’s SuperTarge, you’ll find a fascinating menu and food that never disappoints. Beware: Rise closes daily at 2pm (5pm on Fridays). Pictured is the Chorizo and Egg Biscuit. I also highly recommend the ham biscuit....

]]> The line at Rise Biscuits & Donuts is out the door for a reason. Once you get over to the strip shopping center next to SouthPoint’s SuperTarge, you’ll find a fascinating menu and food that never disappoints. Beware: Rise closes daily at 2pm (5pm on Fridays). Pictured is the Chorizo and Egg Biscuit. I also highly recommend the ham biscuit.

93f757a4e31cf644ea6a503109f50fc0

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/10/31/the-eagles-returning-to-pnc-arena/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/10/31/the-eagles-returning-to-pnc-arena/#comments Thu, 31 Oct 2013 19:07:23 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=7025 Legendary band The Eagles will make their return to PNC Arena on Friday, February 28. The tour is named “History of the Eagles”, so the playlist will include classics and some older songs they have never performed live. (No word on whether any band’s historical fights will be replayed on stage). The Eagles are best known for hits such as “Hotel California”, “Take It To the Limit”, and “Lyin’ Eyes”. With 32.2 million copies sold, the band’s “Greatest Hits” album currently sits as the #3 best-selling album of all-time (behind “Thriller” and “Dark Side of the Moon”). The public ticket sale will begin on Friday, November 9, however the AMEX presale begins Monday, Nov 4, at...

]]> eaglesgreatest Legendary band The Eagles will make their return to PNC Arena on Friday, February 28. The tour is named “History of the Eagles”, so the playlist will include classics and some older songs they have never performed live. (No word on whether any band’s historical fights will be replayed on stage).

The Eagles are best known for hits such as “Hotel California”, “Take It To the Limit”, and “Lyin’ Eyes”. With 32.2 million copies sold, the band’s “Greatest Hits” album currently sits as the #3 best-selling album of all-time (behind “Thriller” and “Dark Side of the Moon”).

The public ticket sale will begin on Friday, November 9, however the AMEX presale begins Monday, Nov 4, at 10am.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/08/22/hunt-library-is-american-architects-project-of-the-week/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/08/22/hunt-library-is-american-architects-project-of-the-week/#comments Thu, 22 Aug 2013 22:39:05 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6993 This year American-Architects.com is profiling one building per week, each from a different state. This week the survey reaches North Carolina, and NCSU’s Hunt Library is the feature project. The short interview for the piece features some of the background and goals Snøhetta felt were important in the design process. The Hunt Library is open to the public. Free tours begin at the Floor 1 entrance and are at the following times: Wednesdays at 9:30 am Fridays at 3:00 and 4:00 pm Second Saturdays at 10:30 am...

]]> HuntInterior1 This year American-Architects.com is profiling one building per week, each from a different state. This week the survey reaches North Carolina, and NCSU’s Hunt Library is the feature project. The short interview for the piece features some of the background and goals Snøhetta felt were important in the design process.

The Hunt Library is open to the public. Free tours begin at the Floor 1 entrance and are at the following times:

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/08/06/why-restaurants-and-grocers-should-trash-the-bagged-lettuce/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/08/06/why-restaurants-and-grocers-should-trash-the-bagged-lettuce/#comments Tue, 06 Aug 2013 19:46:26 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6982 "Once, a long, long time ago...this lettuce was washed" Lettuce is one of the most consistently consumed items of produce in America. Not only are salads the most popular appetizers, but lettuce is used frequently in entrees, too. Unfortunately there has been a recent uptick in food-borne illnesses from lettuce supplies. What has changed? The process of getting lettuce to our table, and some of these processes are leaving consumers helpless. It used to be that consumers and restaurants could only buy whole heads of lettuce. Restaurants had to hire staff to clean and prepare the lettuce for service. The industry got more efficient, however, with the advent of supply-side washing and cutting. Certainly this meant that restaurants could reduce costs and simplify their operations. The proliferation of bagged salad products in grocery stores indicates soaring popularity among consumers, too. The problem, however, is that food isn't ever "sterilized" (ie eradicated completely of...

]]>

lettuce “Once, a long, long time ago…this lettuce was washed”

Lettuce is one of the most consistently consumed items of produce in America. Not only are salads the most popular appetizers, but lettuce is used frequently in entrees, too. Unfortunately there has been a recent uptick in food-borne illnesses from lettuce supplies. What has changed? The process of getting lettuce to our table, and some of these processes are leaving consumers helpless.

It used to be that consumers and restaurants could only buy whole heads of lettuce. Restaurants had to hire staff to clean and prepare the lettuce for service. The industry got more efficient, however, with the advent of supply-side washing and cutting. Certainly this meant that restaurants could reduce costs and simplify their operations. The proliferation of bagged salad products in grocery stores indicates soaring popularity among consumers, too.

The problem, however, is that food isn’t ever “sterilized” (ie eradicated completely of bacteria, spores, and viri). Once washed, lettuce still has bacteria, though in small amounts. That bacteria multiplies and the longer the time is between the wash and consumption, the more the bacteria will exponentially multiply. This is the problem with “prewashed” lettuce. It might as well read “once, a long, long time ago this lettuce was washed”. I took a bath last week, but that doesn’t mean I’m clean today. What’s scary is that this false sense of security is leading restaurants and consumers into simply dumping lettuce into bowls for immediate consumption; bad news!

Even worse, though, is the advent of supply-side lettuce chopping, especially when the head is separated in the field by the pickers’ cutting. When lettuce is torn or cut, it heals by placing a membrane over the wound. The wound, which was just smeared with the bacteria-laden field worker’s or machine’s knife, encapsulates the bacteria in the lettuce, and no amount of washing later in the production line to consumer can remove it.

This is dangerous stuff, and should be taken very seriously not only by consumers, but by restaurants. Restaurants should go back to purchasing heads and washing and tearing them on site. Not only is the health of the customer affected, future sales are affected when their food makes customers sick. I feel that restaurants that are avoiding these supply-side processes should boast and differentiate themselves from the establishments that are careless with their lettuce preparations.

There is almost no such thing as a “24hr bug”. It is almost always some level of food poisoning. When there is a dangerous component of the supply chain that leaves consumers helpless, especially one that is as ubiquitous as lettuce, we can only rely on a consumer movement to force an appropriate change.

Let your favorite restaurants know that you care about the way lettuce is handled. Ask servers if the restaurant used bagged lettuce. Tell the manager that you want on-site lettuce separate. DON’T buy the bagged product in the grocery store. Don’t rely on the EPA to change this. They aren’t the ones who will have to count the tiles on your bathroom floor. YOU have to make the change.

See also:

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/22/dvr-alert-tift-merritt/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/22/dvr-alert-tift-merritt/#comments Mon, 22 Jul 2013 13:44:33 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6977 Tuesday night marks the return of Raleigh's Tift Merritt to network TV with her appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC 1:30am). The show's website also shows a Merritt appearance on Friday night. Note that Merritt will appear in approximately the final 10 minutes of the show, so extend your recording times to insure that you record her full appearance. Merritt's next full release, Traveling Alone, is set to hit stores on September...

]]> TiftMerritt Tuesday night marks the return of Raleigh’s Tift Merritt to network TV with her appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC 1:30am). The show’s website also shows a Merritt appearance on Friday night. Note that Merritt will appear in approximately the final 10 minutes of the show, so extend your recording times to insure that you record her full appearance.

Merritt’s next full release, Traveling Alone, is set to hit stores on September 17.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/10/red-hats-latest-is-a-bad-sign/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/10/red-hats-latest-is-a-bad-sign/#comments Wed, 10 Jul 2013 19:48:16 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6958 Red Hat has removed the scaffolding to reveal its bold, red sign atop its new headquarters in downtown Raleigh, and, eh....oh dear. First of all, I'll admit to being biased by saying that I liked the big grey schmoo that topped the building in the Progress Energy era. It not only gave the building some much needed asymmetry, but it also complemented the outlines of the taller buildings on Fayetteville Street, especially when viewed from the south. The new, rectangular bright red facade atop the building is eye-catching, but only in its garish amount of bright red which stands in stark contrast to every physical structure in downtown Raleigh. It's as if Red Hat got a waiver on the city's unusually harsh sign ordinance. I'm sure the CityGate Real Estate owners who are being assaulted not by both the joe schmoes of the Twitterverse and by city councilors for CityGate's street level video signage, are taking due notice. BB&T and PNC Bank, with their little bitty tower-top signs,...

]]> Red Hat has removed the scaffolding to reveal its bold, red sign atop its new headquarters in downtown Raleigh, and, eh….oh dear. First of all, I’ll admit to being biased by saying that I liked the big grey schmoo that topped the building in the Progress Energy era. It not only gave the building some much needed asymmetry, but it also complemented the outlines of the taller buildings on Fayetteville Street, especially when viewed from the south.

The new, rectangular bright red facade atop the building is eye-catching, but only in its garish amount of bright red which stands in stark contrast to every physical structure in downtown Raleigh. It’s as if Red Hat got a waiver on the city’s unusually harsh sign ordinance. I’m sure the CityGate Real Estate owners who are being assaulted not by both the joe schmoes of the Twitterverse and by city councilors for CityGate’s street level video signage, are taking due notice. BB&T and PNC Bank, with their little bitty tower-top signs, are probably also noticing.

Not only is the sign “not in keeping with the neighborhood”, the logo’s vertical alignment is too low in the red billboard to be fully seen from the south (see photos). Whether exiting Memorial Auditorium or entering the city from South Saunders Street, there is no good place to view the sign due to its layout.

Hopefully Red Hat will notice the problems with their sign and correct it. I’m all for tasteful signage, and don’t want a bad sign to cause a knee-jerk response from lawmakers that would would restrict the good signs.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/05/austin-a-fourth-to-remember/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/05/austin-a-fourth-to-remember/#comments Fri, 05 Jul 2013 18:31:56 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6947 Fourth of July is a big day for Americans to sit back and take a breather and relax, right? Unfortunately it means that everyone will ruin the second half of their afternoon fighting traffic to get a spot under the umbrella of one of America's great fireworks shows. This year we had the chance to watch a fireworks show from the balcony of a skyscraper. A friend of a friend has a 23rd floor condo in the W Residences tower in Raleigh, a hotel/condo complex not unlike the once-planned Soleil Center, but in Austin's downtown. Austin features a waterfront fireworks display each year, and people come from far and wide to get a spot in the symphony's field on the banks of the river, on one of the downtown bridges, on top of a parking garage, a spot on the sidewalk, or even in a kayak on the river itself. The number of programming options was fascinating, especially from a birds-eye view. The show itself was nice. While higher and more elaborate than Raleigh's downtown fireworks shows,...

]]> IMG_20130704_213500 Fourth of July is a big day for Americans to sit back and take a breather and relax, right? Unfortunately it means that everyone will ruin the second half of their afternoon fighting traffic to get a spot under the umbrella of one of America’s great fireworks shows. This year we had the chance to watch a fireworks show from the balcony of a skyscraper.

A friend of a friend has a 23rd floor condo in the W Residences tower in Raleigh, a hotel/condo complex not unlike the once-planned Soleil Center, but in Austin’s downtown. Austin features a waterfront fireworks display each year, and people come from far and wide to get a spot in the symphony’s field on the banks of the river, on one of the downtown bridges, on top of a parking garage, a spot on the sidewalk, or even in a kayak on the river itself. The number of programming options was fascinating, especially from a birds-eye view.

The show itself was nice. While higher and more elaborate than Raleigh’s downtown fireworks shows, the production wasn’t close to the show quality typically executed on Wilmington’s waterfront. That one is a show . Nevertheless, it was great to get an elevation reference during a show like that. The fireworks were bursting at an altitude only slightly higher than our perch, perhaps near the 30th floor’s elevation.

Life up in a $2M+ highrise is certainly not like that in suburbia, and I felt myself wondering I could really live in this incredible space. My only experience living where I couldn’t put my feet on the ground in fewer than 10 seconds was in college, and I hated it. This condo was different, and looked like something from an issue of Dwell. My wife and I got to spend time just sitting on the ball-burningly-high balcony, and in a few seconds we ironically felt an overwhelming sense of calm watching the dozens of other fireworks shows out on the horizon. The experience isn’t that different than that from West at North or from the PNC Plaza Condos, but for us the experience was a nice escape and marks as one of our most fun 4th of Julys on record.

While all of Austin comes out of the woodwork for this show, we were surprised that beyond this spectacle, 4th of July is a low-key event in the city. We didn’t see many flags at all; no “sale-a-thons”; no giant flags. I guess that’s more of a Dallas thing?

We poked around the surrounding blocks of downtown a little later, and surprisingly, the bar scene was dead. So we headed back to our friends house, and couldn’t resist stopping at the Taco Cabana for a quick taste of a different Mexican fast-food chain experience. The Cabana is better than Taco Bell, but the fillers of the tacos are not better than Moe’s. What is fantastic about Taco Cabana is the corn tortillas. I’ve written this ad nauseum, but for some reason people in Raleigh know very little about soft corn tortillas. Even most nice, talked-about, chic “Mexican” places in downtown and Cameron Village, for instance, aren’t keeping up with the tortilla level of even Taco Cabana. Gonza Tacos is one of the few exceptions in Raleigh. If we could be like Austin in just one way, my first pick would be for Raleigh restauranteurs to learn how to make good corn tortillas.

How did a discussion about America’s 236th birthday boil down to a diatribe on the bread of Mexico? If you have to ask…

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-day-two-tearing-thru-the-acl/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-day-two-tearing-thru-the-acl/#comments Fri, 05 Jul 2013 00:24:09 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6940 It took us a while to get rolling on the second day, but when we finally did, we had lunch at La Condesa, one of the city's best Mexican restaurant. We ate outside as it was only 94 degrees at lunch. It allowed us to take in the pedestrian experience along with the food. We started with a great guacamole medley featuring four great guacs and four great salsas. My favorite was a basic guacamole topped with a chipotle puree and almonds. Also fascinating was the guac with pomegranate. The restaurant's conchinita pibil and chicken tacos were fantastic. The restaurant is doing a great job with its ingredients, but probably could do some work with its tortillas. The tacos' tortillas had a good taste, but probably could have spent a bit more time on the griddle. The fried chips with the guacamoles were very average. Overall, the restaurant is fantastic, and stands as a solid recommendation. We moved on next door to the home of Austin City Limits where we got a personal tour of the...

]]> IMG_20130704_132027 It took us a while to get rolling on the second day, but when we finally did, we had lunch at La Condesa, one of the city’s best Mexican restaurant. We ate outside as it was only 94 degrees at lunch. It allowed us to take in the pedestrian experience along with the food. We started with a great guacamole medley featuring four great guacs and four great salsas. My favorite was a basic guacamole topped with a chipotle puree and almonds. Also fascinating was the guac with pomegranate. The restaurant’s conchinita pibil and chicken tacos were fantastic. The restaurant is doing a great job with its ingredients, but probably could do some work with its tortillas. The tacos’ tortillas had a good taste, but probably could have spent a bit more time on the griddle. The fried chips with the guacamoles were very average. Overall, the restaurant is fantastic, and stands as a solid recommendation.

We moved on next door to the home of Austin City Limits where we got a personal tour of the facility. The auditorium is a half octagon with three levels, and seats around 2500 people. It is much more stacked than it appears on TV, and is so black that even Johnny Cash would be proud. The facility is just 2 years old, and is a $200 million joint venture with a W Hotel and a high-rise condo complex above (because someone has to pay for all of this).

The ACL facility is not just a venue for TV. It’s used 25 times a year for taping shows, but is used the rest of the year for concerts. Many of the acts performing at the DPAC hit this facility, but some other really interesting shows hit it, too. While the backstage areas are interesting, we spent quite a while in the ultra-contemporary lounges of the middle and upper levels. The middle level’s lounge features a gallery of photos taken from the Austin City Limits performances through the years. The company intends to implement NFC features, though, so that people can see the performances from their smartphones as they peruse the gallery. The upstairs lounge features a huge collection of original photos by rock photographer Jim Marshall. There are some precious items here, including color photos from the stage at Altamont, Woodstock, in the recording studio with the Rolling Stones, etc.

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Austin has a ton of hotels for its size. Intercontinental, Hyatt, Omni, and several boutique hotels are up and running in downtown. However none is as impressive as the W hotel in the ACL complex. This hotel is the chic-est space I’ve ever seen, and likely has hotels in Manhattan drooling with envy. The perchtop pool area was a mob scene of beautiful people, lemme tell you, but we kept moving into the beautiful spaces of the W’s lobby, bars, and restaurant. There are several drinking lacunae, but the coolest is the room with thousands of vinyl albums….no the dark red bar with the vintage MacIntosh audio equipment and precision turntable take the cake. Ever Tuesday night is an album listening party, and it goes on and on…

Austin’s population is a big surprise. In 24 hours of milling around downtown, I have run across no more than 12 black people. The cultural mix here is decidedly white and Mexican, not the melting pot of white, black, and numerous variants of Hispanic origin in Raleigh. In my 24 hours I’ve encountered exactly one homeless person, a guy sitting on the corner outside of Whole Foods’ HQ. It is extremely unusual to be in an up-and-coming urban setting with no panhandlers; none. This could be the seed of a weeks-long discussion about migratory patterns, history, economics, and more, but the fact is, it exists for whatever reason.

It’s July 4 in Austin, TX. We will take in the night’s fireworks from a downtown balcony. However it will be the first display of contrived patriotism I’ve seen all day. There are no displays of flags, no temporary fireworks stands to be found.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-the-first-night/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-the-first-night/#comments Thu, 04 Jul 2013 23:25:09 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6933 After an incredible meal at Uchi, we explored a bit and found ourselves at Lick, an extremely interesting ice cream parlour. The flavors are certainly creative, and not something we've found in Raleigh. I opted for a scoop of Mexican Marigold and Blueberry Swirl and a scoop of Roasted Beets & Fresh Mint. Both didn't disappoint, with the beet and mint being a perfect combo. The cream itself was light, with only a slightly greasy component, and neither was particularly sticky. No bad aftertaste, too. We checked into the Omni, a pretty nice convention hotel that I got for a steal on Priceline ($95). Driving thru downtown Austin on what is effectively a Friday night does not in any way feel like Raleigh. Austin has gotten a nice influx of local and chain retail stores downtown, and there are several very tall condo/apt towers. There is a thriving row of bars on 6th street, however outside of that, this roughly 12x14 street grid is plagued by street after street of faceless...

]]> IMG_20130703_212518 After an incredible meal at Uchi, we explored a bit and found ourselves at Lick, an extremely interesting ice cream parlour. The flavors are certainly creative, and not something we’ve found in Raleigh. I opted for a scoop of Mexican Marigold and Blueberry Swirl and a scoop of Roasted Beets & Fresh Mint. Both didn’t disappoint, with the beet and mint being a perfect combo. The cream itself was light, with only a slightly greasy component, and neither was particularly sticky. No bad aftertaste, too.

We checked into the Omni, a pretty nice convention hotel that I got for a steal on Priceline ($95). Driving thru downtown Austin on what is effectively a Friday night does not in any way feel like Raleigh. Austin has gotten a nice influx of local and chain retail stores downtown, and there are several very tall condo/apt towers. There is a thriving row of bars on 6th street, however outside of that, this roughly 12×14 street grid is plagued by street after street of faceless development and tumbleweed blowing around. The strip downtown is equivalent to Glenwood South, and there is no real equivalent to the more hipster-oriented development around Hargett and Wilmington Streets.

We did Exhaustive study of places to eat and drink in Austin, and it seems the most highly sought after stuff is actually in the suburbs. The neatest stuff simply isn’t downtown. We’ll keep an eye on this matter over the next few days.

We needed up at the legendary Continental Lounge just south of downtown, and saw a couple of Rockabilly bands. It’s in a neat little pocket reminiscent of Five Points, maybe, and usually has some late night eats, but not on July 3. We ended up at Whataburger, and it was a forgettable piece of meat on a delicious bun (probably doused in butter before hitting the griddle).

Tomorrow is July 4, and I plan on celebrating by eating tacos all day!

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-discovering-uchi/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-discovering-uchi/#comments Thu, 04 Jul 2013 23:12:03 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6923 After leaving the dreadful remnants of Terminal 1 in Raleigh, we landed in Nashville to change planes. Nashville has a reputation of being one of America's cities with the most personality. However their airport is one of the blandest I've ever seen. The food selection exists as a 4-store food court, O'Charley's, and the Gibson Cafe. Of course, we did the latter and it wasn't anything to rave about. Landing in Austin, however, one is greeted by an airy steel and glass room, a live band, and a good food selection. The Austin terminal feels like Raleigh's Terminal 2 concourse, but isn't as beautiful. There is one arc-shaped concourse, and the ticketing and concourse areas are essentially one big room  separated by a glass wall and a split level offset. Very unusual. We headed straight to Uchi, one of America's most celebrated restaurants. Chef Tyson Cole is a Top Chef, James Beard, and Nation's Restaurant News award winner, and Uchi carries a rare "29" Zagat score. Known as the...

]]> IMG_20130704_122029 After leaving the dreadful remnants of Terminal 1 in Raleigh, we landed in Nashville to change planes. Nashville has a reputation of being one of America’s cities with the most personality. However their airport is one of the blandest I’ve ever seen. The food selection exists as a 4-store food court, O’Charley’s, and the Gibson Cafe. Of course, we did the latter and it wasn’t anything to rave about.

Landing in Austin, however, one is greeted by an airy steel and glass room, a live band, and a good food selection. The Austin terminal feels like Raleigh’s Terminal 2 concourse, but isn’t as beautiful. There is one arc-shaped concourse, and the ticketing and concourse areas are essentially one big room  separated by a glass wall and a split level offset. Very unusual.

IMG_20130704_175723 We headed straight to Uchi, one of America’s most celebrated restaurants. Chef Tyson Cole is a Top Chef, James Beard, and Nation’s Restaurant News award winner, and Uchi carries a rare “29” Zagat score. Known as the “Sushi Capital”, the understated little house on South Lamar doesn’t disappoint. We got Miso, Panko Fried Green Tomatoes, the steak special, the shag roll, and the tempra shrimp roll. (We stuck with cooked items because I have spent enough time in microbiology class that I’m not eating anything out of the world’s toilet without cooking it). What was so impressive was Cole’s blending of flavors and layering of flavors. For instance the Miso wasn’t just broth with a little green onion, it had a nice, sweet seaweed flavor to it.

The steak special was just that, special. A top quality flank steak, cherries, sunchoke, and ramps on a sunchoke purée. The blend was delicious, and the ramps added that little punch the dish needed given the understated sunchoke flavor in the purée.

The salmon roll was fantastic as well. It includes avocado, sun-dried tomato, cilantro, watercress, and sits on a mild mustard based sauce. The sauce was the notable point of excellence. Once again, flavors are blended so well, no one stands out and the dish becomes more than the sum of its parts.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-why-austin-2/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/07/04/austin-why-austin-2/#comments Thu, 04 Jul 2013 22:54:38 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6918 I've always been fascinated by cities and development. The product that a particular culture builds is fascinatingly different than another culture's product. All cities have their own signature, however there is always an interesting compare/contrast exercise that can be performed between two cities. Cities are shaped by their people, an expression chiefly made of ancestry, geography, and climate. For instance, where non-swampy land was a premium, Mahatten development started as urban and stayed that way. Raleigh, on the other hand, started with the urban Christmas pattern, but quickly morphed into an irregular, land gobbling pattern once the city grew out Wake Forest Road and Hillsborough Street over a century ago. It's easy to understand how cities can be similar and different, however there are always surprises. My best friend from high school and her husband moved to Austin, TX from Los Angeles about 6 years ago and they love it there. As a Raleigh development enthusiast,...

]]> I’ve always been fascinated by cities and development. The product that a particular culture builds is fascinatingly different than another culture’s product. All cities have their own signature, however there is always an interesting compare/contrast exercise that can be performed between two cities.

Cities are shaped by their people, an expression chiefly made of ancestry, geography, and climate. For instance, where non-swampy land was a premium, Mahatten development started as urban and stayed that way. Raleigh, on the other hand, started with the urban Christmas pattern, but quickly morphed into an irregular, land gobbling pattern once the city grew out Wake Forest Road and Hillsborough Street over a century ago. It’s easy to understand how cities can be similar and different, however there are always surprises.

My best friend from high school and her husband moved to Austin, TX from Los Angeles about 6 years ago and they love it there. As a Raleigh development enthusiast, I’ve heard much about Austin. Austin, like Raleigh, is a government town with the state’s largest university. It, like Raleigh, was a pretty sleepy government town until the ’60s as big sisters Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio scraped up all of the oil money and beat their chests to the rest of the world.

Like Raleigh, Austin is a political town, and is the largest collection of people leaning to the left and/or creative young adults in a state full of conservatives with traditional values. The unusual position in which these cities find themselves leads many to feel that Austin is like “a big Raleigh”. So with a close friend there, a voracious appetite for Mexican food, and a comparison project, I’m headed to Austin! (Cue the food network non-descript bump music.)

More, including my visit to one of America’s best sushi restaurants, coming soon!

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/28/bad-draft-night-shows-many-chinks-in-acc-armor/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/28/bad-draft-night-shows-many-chinks-in-acc-armor/#comments Fri, 28 Jun 2013 04:46:22 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6913 It's sad. The team ranked #6 by the AP going into the season ended up with only 1 of its 3 stars being picked, and only at position #52? It was that kind of night for the ACC. With only six players drafted in the 60-pick draft, the ACC finished the night a forgotten memory. This was to be a "weak draft", which enticed players like Lorenzo Brown and CJ Leslie to enter the draft. In retrospect, these guys had a horrible night, and perhaps sent a big message that not only should they work on their games, they will likely need to learn another language. Here are a few takeaways from the evening: Ignore all preseason talk, because the media doesn't have a clue about these teams and players Kudos to NCSU fans for NOT beating their chests going into this season Nevertheless, this NCSU team may go down as the biggest bust in ACC basketball history I'm worried about Gottfried's ability to help talent progress and mature. Hopefully with better attitudes in the locker room, we can...

]]> It’s sad. The team ranked #6 by the AP going into the season ended up with only 1 of its 3 stars being picked, and only at position #52? It was that kind of night for the ACC. With only six players drafted in the 60-pick draft, the ACC finished the night a forgotten memory. This was to be a “weak draft”, which enticed players like Lorenzo Brown and CJ Leslie to enter the draft. In retrospect, these guys had a horrible night, and perhaps sent a big message that not only should they work on their games, they will likely need to learn another language.

Here are a few takeaways from the evening:

  1. Ignore all preseason talk, because the media doesn’t have a clue about these teams and players
  2. Kudos to NCSU fans for NOT beating their chests going into this season
  3. Nevertheless, this NCSU team may go down as the biggest bust in ACC basketball history
  4. I’m worried about Gottfried’s ability to help talent progress and mature. Hopefully with better attitudes in the locker room, we can see the players improve as the season progresses.
  5. The ACC is hardly a factor on draft night any more. Only 1 out of 10 players drafted were from the nation’s former best basketball conference (that should be at least a 1:7 ratio

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/21/details-emerge-about-the-l-building/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/21/details-emerge-about-the-l-building/#comments Fri, 21 Jun 2013 16:27:12 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6893 Six years ago downtown Raleigh's leader in development, Greg Hatem, started a project called the "L" building next to Poole's Diner. The project was to have a parking garage flanked on two sides by an L-shaped office building. It was Hatem's Empire Properties' first from-scratch development, and its planning came at a time when downtown Raleigh development was on fire. Unfortunately was was beginning to burn down was the U.S. economy. By the time the project reached financing and leasing stages, the parking deck portion was built, but proceeding with the L section was impossible. Since that period market forces have changed, and the demand for apartments downtown, especially south of Hillsborough Street, has never been higher. The new L building went before the appearance commission, and its site plan reveals a rendering of the updated project. Ground Floor The L portion will have a first level containing an egress for cars, a separate egress near the elevator/stair core for...

]]> TheLBuilding Six years ago downtown Raleigh’s leader in development, Greg Hatem, started a project called the “L” building next to Poole’s Diner. The project was to have a parking garage flanked on two sides by an L-shaped office building. It was Hatem’s Empire Properties’ first from-scratch development, and its planning came at a time when downtown Raleigh development was on fire. Unfortunately was was beginning to burn down was the U.S. economy. By the time the project reached financing and leasing stages, the parking deck portion was built, but proceeding with the L section was impossible.

Since that period market forces have changed, and the demand for apartments downtown, especially south of Hillsborough Street, has never been higher. The new L building went before the appearance commission, and its site plan reveals a rendering of the updated project .

Ground Floor

The L portion will have a first level containing an egress for cars, a separate egress near the elevator/stair core for pedestrians, a residential lobby, an office lobby, and just under 11,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space. Its functional impact on pedestrians will be, thankfully, quite similar to the Hue. Given that Empire Properties is leasing the space, it will likely be filled with more interesting tenants.

Floor 2

Floor 2 will contain office space, but will only exist on the McDowell side of the building due to the upward slope on Davie Street. There is only about 6500 square feet of office space, and it is essentially one hallway flanked by offices and conference rooms, so it will contain space for precisely one business. This is where mixed use gets tricky, because this minimal commitment to office space is taking about 400 square feet from the street level retail space, and adding the cost of an elevator to the project.

Floors 3-6

There are roughly 19 apartments of varying sizes on floors 3-6, and from the renderings, it appears none of them has a balcony. This is a problem, as smoking tenants and guests will have to hang out the window to keep from violating the building’s rules. Additionally residents just like having a little getaway space from their interiors.

Floor 7

This floor only exists on the Davie Street side of the building, and contains 6 apartments, a fitness room, and a terrace. On this floor one will presumably be able to hold an event for guests, however it will likely become a smoking terrace most of the time, which is ironically next door to the fitness room.

* * *

Aesthetically the building is pretty forgettable. The palette of beige and gray isn’t particularly pretty, and most of the windows in the beige portion constitute a hideous square knock out. Still, this project doesn’t look particularly worse than the other rental offerings coming online in the Glenwood South portion of downtown, so it will be competitive, for sure.

More importantly I think that residents need more options for getting outside. As mentioned, each unit should have a small balcony, but there is another opportunity for some fantastic outdoor space. That exists on the roof of the McDowell Street portion of the L. This would be a terrific setting for a rooftop garden. Residents could basically co-op the space and plant small urban gardens of their choosing. If not, at least make it a much larger terrace. For this reason, it might make more sense to move the current design for the terrace/social room down to space adjacent to this rooftop area. The garden could become a focal point of the social space. Such an arrangement would give this project a big competitive advantage over the other apartment offerings in downtown.

I’m glad to see this project getting off the ground. Empire Properties did a wonderful job of cloaking the hideous parking garage with art, but the long term asset of more residents in the Warehouse area will be good for downtown. I’m sure that Empire’s financial team will be happy to see this project completed, and the bank note starting to move, too! With downtown seeming to get some forward momentum again, it seems the project wont be too far off now.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/10/michael-c-hall-featured-on-entertainment-weekly/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/10/michael-c-hall-featured-on-entertainment-weekly/#comments Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:02:56 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6877 Raleigh native Michael C. Hall is featured on the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. The Dexter star is one of the magazine's favorites, and their opinion of the show's final season doesn't waiver. See page 44 for all of the bloody...

]]> 20130614_EW_cover Raleigh native Michael C. Hall is featured on the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. The Dexter star is one of the magazine’s favorites, and their opinion of the show’s final season doesn’t waiver. See page 44 for all of the bloody coverage.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/03/capital-city-bikefest-named-best-event-by-dealernews/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/06/03/capital-city-bikefest-named-best-event-by-dealernews/#comments Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:58:09 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6875 Congratulations to everyone involved at Ray Price's Capital City Bikefest! The festival was named the nation's Best Event by Dealernews. From the press release: “This is a tremendous honor for everyone associated with Capital City Bikefest, including City leaders who first partnered with us eight years ago to bring the event to downtown Raleigh,” said Dave Hushek, general manager of Ray Price Harley-Davidson. “To be named the best event nation-wide among the thousands that take place is quite an achievement for our great city. We could not have accomplished this without the support of the Raleigh Police Department, plus Roger Krupa, Doug Grissom and the entire Raleigh Convention Center staff.” Dealernews is the leading publication covering the powersports industry, which includes retailers of motorcycles, boats, ATVs and snowmobiles that feature international brands such as Harley-Davidson, Triumph, BMW, Honda, Yamaha, among others. At the 46th annual Dealernews...

]]> Congratulations to everyone involved at Ray Price’s Capital City Bikefest! The festival was named the nation’s Best Event by Dealernews. From the press release:

“This is a tremendous honor for everyone associated with Capital City Bikefest, including City leaders who first partnered with us eight years ago to bring the event to downtown Raleigh,” said Dave Hushek, general manager of Ray Price Harley-Davidson. “To be named the best event nation-wide among the thousands that take place is quite an achievement for our great city. We could not have accomplished this without the support of the Raleigh Police Department, plus Roger Krupa, Doug Grissom and the entire Raleigh Convention Center staff.”

Dealernews is the leading publication covering the powersports industry, which includes retailers of motorcycles, boats, ATVs and snowmobiles that feature international brands such as Harley-Davidson, Triumph, BMW, Honda, Yamaha, among others. At the 46th annual Dealernews International Powersports Dealer Expo, Ray Price Harley-Davidson was recognized with the “Best Event” award for Capital City Bikefest and also named “Top 100 Dealer” nationally.

Ray Price Capital City Bikefest, presented by Nationwide Insurance, is a weekend festival held in partnership with the City of Raleigh, Curtis Media Group leaders Phil Zachary and Mike Hartel, hundreds of Raleigh H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) volunteers, and widespread local corporate support. Last year, attendees helped to raise more than $8,000 for local nonprofits, the United Service Organizations (USO), and the N.C. National Guard.

The 9th annual Capital City Bikefest will be held September 20-22, 2013 in the heart of downtown Raleigh and at the dealership on South Saunders Street.

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http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/05/29/30-great-ways-to-kick-off-the-summer-concert-season/ http://www.gogoraleigh.com/2013/05/29/30-great-ways-to-kick-off-the-summer-concert-season/#comments Wed, 29 May 2013 22:20:36 +0000 http://www.gogoraleigh.com/?p=6863 For music fans the next couple of weeks just may stand out as the strongest pair of the whole year for the Triangle area. Check out a list of the bands all playing here by mid-June: James McCartney LeAnn Rimes Everclear Live Filter Sponge Steve Martin/Steep Canyon Rangers/Edie Brickell Flobots Patty Griffin Best Coast Dropkick Murphys Japandroids Radiohead Meets Brahms (NCSO) The Postal Service Ra Ra Riot Best Coast Yacht Rock Revue Brad Paisley Widespread Panic The National The Dirty Projectors Passion Pit Cults The Lumineers The Whigs Wild Nothing The Cold War Kids Dawes Glen Hansard Dillon Francis For more information, see the gogoraleigh DoIt Calendar.   Wanna hear these groups? Hear the Raleigh Summer '13 Kickoff  Spotify...

]]> lumineers For music fans the next couple of weeks just may stand out as the strongest pair of the whole year for the Triangle area. Check out a list of the bands all playing here by mid-June:

For more information, see the gogoraleigh DoIt Calendar .

Wanna hear these groups? Hear the Raleigh Summer ’13 Kickoff  Spotify playlis t!

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