Author / Leo Suarez

by Leo Suarez

Martin Street Pizza

Have you peaked into Martin St. Pizza lately? The place looks like it should be opening soon and the new signs out front might be supporting my claim. There is also a huge sign inside waiting to be strung up. Will MSP finally satisfy our pizza cravings?

This is just one more spot to tack onto the Martin and Fayetteville St. intersection activity. Although the Downtown Events Center is closing down, there are more spaces coming. RBC Plaza will offer retail here as well as the renovated spaces next to Port City Java. Exciting things are a coming.

by Leo Suarez

Worth Bagley Statue

On May 11, 1898 Ensign Worth Bagley , a native of Raleigh became the first casualty of the Spanish American War when a Spanish shell hit his US Navy ship, the Winslow, during the ship-to-shore Battle of Cardenas, Cuba.

Ensign Bagley was given a hero’s funeral in Raleigh and his memory preserved in a statue located on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol.

Historical details are found at:
http://www.spanamwar.com/bagley.htm

On May 11, 1998 Ernesto De La Fe and Leopoldo Suarez, natives of Cardenas, Cuba along with their friend, Hernando Ovies native of Guines, Cuba marked the 100th anniversary of Ensign Worth Bagley’s heroic death by placing a wreath at the statue on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol and smoking Cuban cigars lit be the NC Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Graham, who has a building named after him on the NC State Fairgrounds.

This coming Sunday May 11th will be the 110th anniversary of Ensign Worth Bagley’s death and this hero is but a faint memory in the minds of the Downtown Raleigh denizens.

The Ensign Bagley statue on the grounds of the North Carolina State Capitol is not even mentioned in the Walking Tour of the popular informative website called the Raleigh Connoisseur on all things relative in Downtown Raleigh.

Who will place a wreath at this hero’s statue for the 110th anniversary of his death?

Thanks, Padrino!

by Leo Suarez

BeerCon: The Flying Saucer

The online activity about Raleigh has really been picking up lately. It is obvious I love to discuss downtown Raleigh happenings with anyone. Blogs and forums are getting more traffic and interest as downtown grows. But the conversations do not stop there. They continue offline in the coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. So as part of my continuing effort to promote downtown, I’m starting a BeerCon series that will highlight the many watering holes in the area.

The Flying Saucer is not a Raleigh original but with about 80 beers on tap, you cannot say that there is not a beverage that meets your taste. Claiming to have over 200 beers total, the saucer hits every angle on the beer lover’s spectrum. With a new menu updated each season, they are one of the more reliable places to get your favorite seasonal ales. One of my favorite things to do is to jump into a new beer simply because it has a funky name. They also have memberships and after consuming 200 different beers, you will be immortalized with your own plate on the wall.

Wifi
Food
Some wine
A couple TV’s for games
Outdoor seating (dog friendly)

Website: www.beerknurd.com

328 W Morgan St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(go to map)
(919) 821-7468

by Leo Suarez

Waiting For The L

The parking deck at the corner of McDowell and Davie St. is starting to rise out of the ground. This is also the site of the future ‘The L’, office over retail building, which will hide the deck from the sidewalk.

At this pace, do not expect it any time soon because this deck will be nine stories tall and they are not building it lego-style like RBC’s deck. At least we will all feel safe parking in this slowly built deck.

by Leo Suarez

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

One of the big downtown attractions is the Museum of Natural Sciences. Some of the wildlife facts you will read here make North Carolina pretty significant. For example, the only place in North America that emerald is mined is here, which is actually rarer then gold. We also have the highest density of salamander species then anywhere else on earth.

The museum has four floors of exhibits covering the piedmont, mountains, and the coast. What looks to be the main attraction here is the Acrocanthosaurus skeleton on the third floor. The skeleton and the skull are the most complete ones ever found. The real skull is not in the picture below but housed in a display case right outside. Make sure and see this exhibit next time you are there.

Admission is FREE!
NCMNS Website
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9 am – 5 pm
Sun: noon – 5 pm
Address: 11 W. Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27601