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Join us for the Downtown Dining Club’s next meeting, March 4th @ 7:30pm, at Solas in the Glenwood South District!
4 course meal for $35! Exclusive to Downtown Dining Club members…includes appetizer, soup or salad, entree and dessert. Catch up with old friends, meet new people, and enjoy a great dining experience at one of downtowns hottest night spots!
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– Downtown Dining Club next meeting: Solas at Solas Downtown Raleigh Live Work Play!
Char-Grill has settled into Raleigh’s culture over the past few decades. Best burger in town?
“Raleigh plans to install eight plug-in stations around the city in the coming months under a program called Project Get Ready. The project was initiated by the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Colorado-based nonprofit that encourages efficient uses of natural resources. Indianapolis and Portland, Ore. are also participating…………….
………Meeker said a majority of the initial stations will be located in the city’s parking garages downtown and near N.C. State University.”
– Raleigh to install plug-in stations for hybrids – Local & State – News & Observer
Note on the door says March 2nd.
I finally got my own version of the classic Raleigh skyline money shot. Alright skyline freaks, this post is for you. Taller or wider?
See it large on my Flickr.
We are getting closer and closer to another day of destruction. Fencing is going up around the parking deck behind the Garland Jones building which is the future site of the new justice center. The new county deck a block down McDowell will open soon and replace the older one.
For what it is, the new county deck is pretty nice. On the ground floor, there is an indoor lobby with city info, mostly maps, of places around downtown. There are also pay stations to make things more convenient.
I had to take a long look at the map that was put up inside the lobby. Here are some things I noticed.
– The new justice center and Clarence E Lightner Safety Center are listed as ‘future’ projects.
– The amphitheatre across from the convention center is listed as ‘planned’.
– Green Square is not on the map.
Interpret it as you will but I’m sure this doesn’t mean much really. I just thought it is a little interesting the things they put on these maps when it comes to ‘future’ or ‘planned’ projects.
This morning, Mayor Meeker and his downtown buddies introduced the R Line, downtown’s new circulator. We have recently talked about this and today is the day that the hybrid electric buses start rolling. Buses stop every 10 to 15 minutes and run during the following hours every week:
Mon-Wed: 7am – 11pm
Thurs-Sat: 7am – 2:15am
Sun: 1pm – 8pm
This week I found out that there will be a route extension after 6:30 pm. Take a look at the google map embedded here and you will see what I mean (shown in red).
View Larger Map
I’m working on a dedicated page for all info that is the R Line. Along with the google map, I have also made a printable map of the route and a few key stops. I’m working on that one too and am trying to make it match the excellent map on the Downtown Raleigh Alliance website. How will you use the R Line?
You might have noticed the construction fencing around some of the walkways on the capitol grounds. If you didn’t know what was going on, allow me to explain. All this information comes from some very informative banners that are hung up against the fence on the northern end of the capitol. Along with the information there is some very interesting history displayed about union square and its evolution to today’s setup. If you are walking by I recommend you stop and read a little. Here is a quote from the banner:
The walkway renovations at Union Square will increase access and safety for visitors. During this project, we will create accessible walks at the south entrance (Fayetteville Street), remove the steps at the corner of Wilmington and Edenton Streets, and replace portions of the pavement between these two points.
So it’s really nothing too exciting except more handicap access. The posted history was pretty interesting. At one point the capitol grounds had fencing all the way around but that has changed (obviously). Anyway, the capitol is hands down the touristiest thing about downtown so of course we are watching what goes on around it.
Rendering of the southern entrance.
Map layout of the affected area.