It has been awhile since I last checked up on Peace China over in Seaboard Station. The once empty space now only needs the food to finish it off. The signs are up on the building and a visual menu is displayed inside. The website for the shops at Seaboard says it is coming soon. However, since they still encourage people to come out and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day; I’d take that information with a grain of salt.
The Solas outdoor patio.
Alibi is a cool, hidden spot that is truly just around the corner. The downstairs bar has set its ways underneath the future Martin St. Pizza and former Downtown Events Center. All the beverage essentials are served here so the party never stops. Alibi is a reliable bar and you can always count on them being open until 2 am. Stop by with a group and open ears because you’ll be sure to hear something new through the speakers when you go.
Pool table
Darts
No TV’s
No wifi
No BS
Website: http://www.myspace.com/alibibarraleigh
14 W Martin St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 834-4792
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.
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
Inspired by the popular post “The State of Glenwood South”, I decided to hit Fayetteville St. and break down “North Carolina’s Main Street”. With the weather warming up, there has been more activity on the sidewalks and restaurants are serving it up outside. Also, I’ve noticed a jump in nightlife and weekend activity this year as compared to last. There is still a bit of a problem; a significant amount of places are not supporting downtown traffic at night and the weekend hours. Here is a block by block summary.
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100 Block
The 100 block of Fayetteville St. offers a random assortment of shops for pedestrians. You can park here, get your eyes checked, plan a trip to that exotic country you’ve always wanted to go to, and all with a coffee in hand. The work week keeps this block alive, with lunch traffic and the Alexander Square parking deck full to the brim.
But when rush hour traffic dies down, this block mostly closes shop. Crema is a great place to for some food and coffee with the best hours here, open everyday. Café Carolina and America’s Pita Grille have yet to experiment with night and weekend hours. The Justice Building, Court of Appeals building, and Wachovia tower eat up a lot of space too, offering nothing to those walking by.
This block needs work.
200 Block
We are now getting into the meat of Fayetteville St and its 200 block is shaping into something really exciting. So far The Big Easy, The Mint, and Port City Java are open close to everyday. If you still have not been to the Raleigh City Museum, take the time and get out there. There is plenty of room for more and there are two renovation projects currently underway.
CVS still does not have a clue what is going on and has the worst hours. I have really noticed a significant amount of people that walk up to the door and are surprised that it is closed on the weekends (no, 9-1 on Saturday does not count). No kidding, I e-mailed them about this location’s hours, the downtown growth, and the constant complaints. Here is their response:
Thank you for contacting the CVS/pharmacy website. I am in receipt of your e-mail regarding the store hours at our Raleigh, NC CVS/Pharmacy. I am forwarding your comments to James Barefoot, the District Manager. He will review this with his staff at their next meeting.
We appreciate the time you have taken to share your comments with us.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Azevedo
CVS/pharmacy
Customer Relations
This was three months ago and I see no changes. Come on CVS, get with the times.
This block is improving and showing growth.
300 Block
The 300 block is the tallest block in Raleigh all thanks to RBC Plaza. This building offers a lot of ground floor retail space and will hopefully be occupied when the building switches on later this year.
The 300 block is also the brightest block with the ABC news station on the ground floor of The Hudson. Sono and Yancy’s also add to the activity inside.
The weekday work crowd will always own this block because on the opposite side of the street, the courthouse and post office are buzzing during the work week only. On nights and weekends, you get a one-sided view with lights and activity on one side and closed up buildings on the other.
This block has shown the most growth.
400 Block
Right now, Fayetteville St. ends here as we wait for the Marriott Hotel to open and then it will continue to Lenoir St. This block supplies a lot of visitor traffic from the Sheraton. Chick Fil A offers weekday lunch and the Sheraton also has a restaurant and bar inside.
City Plaza will hopefully save this block from being voted most boring block in downtown. The barber and flower shop are in a very small building on prime land. I would not be surprised if this small parcel along with some of Progress Energy’s land behind it is razed for something tall but that is just my prediction.
Besides the NC Opera Company moving here, there has been little change. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens throughout the year.
This block has shown no real change.
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So there it is, covered fully from end to end. To sum it up shortly, I think the government buildings are an obstacle to downtown growth and pedestrian activity. Still, Fayetteville St. is growing, slowly, and going through a painful process to get away from the 9-5, Monday to Friday scene that it has become so accustomed to for over 30 years.
Spring is here and we should all have our eyes on Solas. The three story restaurant/entertainment building was reported back in February of 2007 as having a spring 2008 opening. Progress has been steady over the past year and I’m looking forward to this one.
Use your downtown connoisseur skills to imagine the view from the top. You should get a wide view of Glenwood and be able to look over The Creamery across the street. I think the nightlife will eat this up. However, if I’m looking at this right, the core of the downtown buildings along Fayetteville St. will be southeast. If you look southeast from the top floor, you will get a nice view of a gray, brick wall. Did not think that one through did we now?
Thank you Solas for not putting up a boring wall. This one is subtle and not as bland as other walls around DT.
The space next to the WTVD studio on Fayetteville St. has now been taken over by Sono, downtown’s newest sushi restaurant. The owner and I shared a couple common interests; we both are not into sushi and are excited about being downtown. The food seems to speak for itself however. I was out last Friday with a group of Campbell law students and they all gave the sushi two thumbs up. Make sure to check out their website if sushi is on your mind this weekend.