by Leo Suarez

RalCon Turns Nine

Downtown Raleigh seen from Peace and West Street, April 2008

Click for larger

Today marks nine years of blogging here at ye olde blog. The most notable accomplishment in the last year was hitting 1,000 posts but nine straight years of keeping this thing moving has been pretty rewarding.

For those that don’t know, this blog is a side project, a way to flex my writing muscle, play with my camera a bit, tinker with web development, and just get conversations going about our city’s urban core. This site is fueled by passion but also by those that participate by commenting and your emails.

Thank you, readers for sticking with me.

Above is a photo from the vault. It’s a view of downtown Raleigh from West Street, north of Peace, taken in April, 2008.

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15 Comments

  1. Congratulations, Leo, and bless you! Thank you so much for initiating this wonderful conversation through your blog, and–even better and more remarkably–persisting and maintaining it with such regularity and quality for the past nine years. As it happens, 2007 was also the year when I, after a few years casually in and around Raleigh, began to really deepen my commitment to and my interest in the city and particularly its downtown core. And your blog and associated social media were one of my main anchors during that foundational period that solidified my intellectual and emotional bond to the community and expanded my perspectives on what’s happening here and how it relates to the bigger picture. And that has continued to this day. Over the years, the Raleigh Connoisseur has been one of the main vectors for shifting my mindset from, to paraphrase slightly, “what can Raleigh do for me?” to “what can I do for Raleigh?” So, thank you. And here’s to you and your enterprises continuing to develop and grow and get better and better, for as long as you choose to do it. I’ll be a loyal reader and participant for as long as I’m able. Cheers!

  2. Congrats, Leo! RalCon is one of my favorite local blogs and I appreciate all you do for the community!

  5. Leo , I always look forward to reading your site everyday , & quite often , many times each day ! Just Excellent Coverage ! Thanks & I Love Your Coverage !

  6. Leo, I’ve been a RalCon reader for about three years now. Your writing is straightforward, succinct and enjoyable. Really looking forward to your commentary and pictures throughout 2016, the “Year of the Cranes”, as I’ve dubbed it.

    Ever think about getting a Facebook page for this blog? Combine this blog with the New Raleigh FB page and citizens have a potent 1-2 punch for all things Raleigh.

  7. Thanks a lot everyone. I very much appreciate the kind words.

    @Paul, I have thought about it but Facebook is just not one of my go-to social networks, I’m not that active on it. Maybe one day.

  9. I don’t live in Raleigh any longer, but I continue to monitor development through your website. Thank you and congratulations.

  11. I’m in the same boat as CX. I now live and work in Durham, but Raleigh and Durham are inextricably linked–politically, socially and economically. Your nuanced and fair presentation of the facts about local issues help to keep me up to date and to be a more informed, and therefore more effective citizen and resident of the greater Triangle area. You have my thanks and deepest respect. I hope we never lose your valuable perspective. Congratulations on nine years–here’s to ninety more!

  12. I also really appreciate this blog. I normally check it weekly to see what’s new in the Downtown Raleigh development scene. Please keep up the great work!

  14. I was born and raised in Raleigh, and then I went to undergrad in Charlotte, and now live in New York, but I still enjoy reading this site because I love Raleigh. Aside from the proliferation of beige that some developments become, I still see central Raleigh as one of the more urban and interesting places in North Carolina. Thanks for this site. I’ve been reading it since it started!

  15. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my Opinions about the City of Raleigh and How it is Grown into becoming a vibrant City, yes its not NY or Boston, Atlanta or Even Charlotte, But Raleigh has Such great potiental into being a Place for all, Young, Old, rich, poor, Black, White, Latino,Etc… Looking forward to seeing Great things for Raleigh.

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