View of the Raleigh skyline from inside the Amtrak passenger car as we pulled up on Sunday night. I was with my girlfriend, Jennifer, who writes about the train ride on the Raleigh Public Record.
Benelux Cafe Coming Soon
Spotted this on First Friday. Benelux Cafe will be in the same City Market space that Metro Cafe was in before on Blake Street. From their website:
Benelux Café is a Grand Café in Raleigh, NC and the perfect place to enjoy handcrafted espresso drinks and delicious pastries. We offer a selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads and of course Belgian ales and Dutch lagers. A cozy atmosphere to sit back, relax and enjoy. The ultimate combination!
Benelux Café is a mix of European adventures and American experiences. We welcome you to come visit us and stay a while.
Its nice to see another coffee shop that will have longer hours, and especially decent hours on Sundays. Looking forward to it.
Weekend Exposure: Staring Contest
Staring Contest by dtraleigh, on Flickr
This photo of mine was picked as part of the Raleigh City Museum’s Portraits of Raleigh 2 digital gallery on display now.
Calendar For 2010/2011 Burning Coal Season
Just like last year, I’ve updated the same calendar to reflect this year’s shows at the Burning Coal Theater. I went to two shows last season and I loved them. I will be attending more this year for sure. Here are the links for your date keeping, calendar of choice.
[Update: The Google Calendar has been taken down.]
Downtown Raleigh Ice Cream Roundup
Alright people, we still have about two months before Fall starts and there’s bound to be some more hot weekends until then. Staying cool in the shade or in the air conditioning is a must but for those that still go out to enjoy downtown Raleigh during the warm nights and sunny days, ice cream makes a great treat. As a slight addict, I give you a list of some places in downtown to treat yourself.
Turkish Delights
Located in a purple house in Glenwood South, Turkish Delights serves a ton of flavors of ice cream. You can sit on the couches inside or the shaded tables in the front lawn. There are also many different types of Baklava here. The best part about Turkish Delights? They are open late.
Summer Business Hours
(April, 1st – October, 31 st.)
Sunday – Thursday: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm
Friday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 12:00 mid.
Hours change slightly in the winter.
Crema
Is Crema an ice cream or coffee shop? Who cares cause they have both. You’ll usually hear jazz playing over the satellite radio in this shop on Fayetteville Street. With lots of flavors of ice cream, Crema can make some wonderful combos for you to take on a walk through town.
Hours:
Mon-Thurs (7 am-7 pm)
Fri (7 am-10 pm)
Sat (10 am-10 pm)
Sun (11 am-5 pm)
Other places to get cold, awesome treats
The Diner has all kinds of shakes, floats, and sundaes. Enjoy them on their spacious outdoor patio.
Krispy Kreme has a doughnut/ice cream combo that looks very interesting. Anyone tried this?
Milkshakes from Char Grill is a tradition. Dipping fries into them is an experience,
Raleigh Wide Open 5 Picture Recap
Raleigh Wide Open 5 took place this past Saturday, July 31st, and the free event on Fayetteville Street had shows, live music, and vendors open almost all day. Even with questionable weather, downtown Raleigh was swarming with people. Here are some of my own pictures as well as links to more around the web.
Click on any image for a larger view and gallery.
Crowds pack Fayetteville Street for Raleigh Wide Open in downtown Raleigh on July 31st, 2010.
A parade down Fayetteville Street kicks off Raleigh Wide Open 5.
Contestants shove doughnuts in their mouths during the Krispy Kreme Doughnut eating contest.
A stunt BMX biker flies off a ramp and performs a trick in front of a crowd outside the Raleigh Convention Center.
Crowds moved up to the Alexander Square parking deck to get a better view of the mototrials demo on Fayetteville Street.
A skater performs flat land freestyle tricks on a skateboard in front of a crowd at Raleigh Wide Open 5.
Kids play inside inflatable plastic balls in a pool.
Motorcycle rider Geoff Aaron performs stunts around a course on Fayetteville Street.
More Raleigh Wide Open 5 pictures on the web.
- Here is a great gallery of shots from the News & Observer.[update: broken link]
- Pictures are slowly coming in on Flickr, see the “Raleigh Wide Open” tag.
- WRAL has a gallery of photos on their website.
Read RalCon On Your Phone
By the power of WordPress, I now give this blog mobility beyond its wildest dreams! Yes, that is right. The Raleigh Connoisseur is now mobile friendly through the power of a slick WordPress plugin.
I’ve been messing with a lot of side projects and back end tweaks on this site. If you’ve noticed a slowing in posts that is probably why. Either that or the hot temperatures in Raleigh this summer. Have no fear as I’m still 100% dedicated to continuing to grow this little hobby, even if it takes only baby steps.
And now, back to regularly scheduled programming…..
Canes Reveal 2011 All-Star Game Logo – Carolina Hurricanes – News
The 5,000 square-foot, 2011 NHL All-Star Game window treatment will be displayed on the West side of the RBC Plaza, facing Fayetteville St. The graphic includes images of perennial NHL All-Stars Eric Staal, Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Patrick Kane, along with the 2011 All-Star Game logo. The window treatment will be applied throughout this week, and completed during Raleigh Wide Open 5, to be held on Fayetteville St. on Saturday.
via Canes Reveal 2011 All-Star Game Logo – Carolina Hurricanes – News.