by Leo Suarez

Pic of the Week

Here’s a photo (click for larger) through the construction fencing at the GoRaleigh Transit Station. You can see the foundation (if that’s the correct term) for the bathrooms on the left and the start of the crew kiosk in the center. The kiosk will have the ticketing/information window, the office for the crew and security.

You can see more details on the city’s project page. They have a link to a webcam that’s set up across Hargett Street also.

If you were a fan of the large brick “facade” on Hargett, it was recently removed and really opens up the space in a big way now.

A video posted by Leo Suarez (@dtraleigh) on

by Leo Suarez

One Month Away for The Gramercy Apartments Opening

The Gramercy Apartments

The Gramercy Apartments in Glenwood South is marching along and is planning to open in late June. In addition to the apartments, the retail space at the corner of Glenwood and North Street will have a grocery store and pharmacy. The plan is to open that close to the building’s opening so work inside that space is taking place now.

As always parking will be a concern to most folks but there is a plan for that. The parking lot across North Street, behind the building with Plates, Sushi Blues, and Thaiphoon, will be converted to a public lot run with Passport Parking. The first 30 minutes are free and you can use it any time for stopping by in the area.

It’ll be great to see some real resident-based services like this. The 7,000 square-foot grocery, the entirety of the retail space in The Gramercy by the way, will also have weekend farmer’s markets.

by Leo Suarez

Market and Exchange Plazas Now Complete

Exchange Plaza

Setting up for the official opening of the new Exchange and Market Plazas

The new Exchange and Market Plazas are finally complete and the city held a ribbon cutting ceremony for them in late April. To the best of my knowledge, the last traces of the former Fayetteville Street Mall are now gone.

The plazas really are a fantastic space and for those that don’t know, these areas are city right-of-way and not privately owned. At one point in time, they were streets connecting Fayetteville and Wilmington Streets but have since been converted to pedestrian-only areas.

Below are five before and after photos. Enjoy!

Exchange Plaza
Excchange Plaza
Exchange Plaza

Exchange Plaza
Exchange Plaza

Exchange Plaza
Exchange Plaza

Market Plaza
Market Plaza
Market Plaza

Market Plaza
Market Plaza

by Leo Suarez

Artsplosure Starts on May 20

This year, Artsplosure is taking place May 20-22 in downtown Raleigh. The 37-year-old “art for all” festival will, as always, be free and aims to have something for everyone. Between the Fayetteville Street Art Market and the Moore Square festival area, there will be plenty taking place that weekend.

The stage on Fayetteville Street will feature performances each night including Futurebirds, Zack Mexico, Doyle Bramhall II, and Sonny Landreth. There will be plenty of other performances throughout the day on both stages on Fayetteville Street and Moore Square.

As you wander around the event, be on the look out for the artlets. These pop-up artistic experiences will be seen around each cross street along Fayetteville Street and should get you stopping to watch.

Moore Square will have Art Putt open all weekend. Each hole was creatively designed by local artists and you can experience them by putting through all nine holes.

Does anyone know all of Raleigh’s sister cities? At Artsplosure, you can see art inspired by the cultures from each of those cities. They are:

  • Xiangyang, China
  • Compiegne, France
  • Rostock, Germany
  • Nairobi, Kenya
  • Hull, UK

Kidsplosure will be just as great as always this year. It includes a variety of activities and crafts for children to play and learn from. It all starts on Saturday May 21 with performances by Meredith College’s Suzuki Violin group, One Tribe Drum Circle and lots of other talent from around the Triangle.

For me, there will be the hundreds of stalls showcasing local art and crafts to walk around and look at. There are always the nicest artists from around North Carolina with their crafts. With great May weather, it’s a great time to be in downtown Raleigh and “window” shop.

For all the details, check out the event at raleighartsfestival.com

Artsplosure 2016

Fayetteville St. Art Market and City Plaza Stage:

  • Friday, May 20: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 21: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Sunday: May 22: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Moore Square and Park Stage:

  • Saturday, May 21: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Sunday: May 22: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

by Leo Suarez

Charter Square North Changes Looks Yet Again

Charter Square North

More matching the already built south tower, the Raleigh appearance commission will be reviewing the latest renderings of the Charter Square north tower with this rendering above. The 23-story, mixed-use tower has been in the planning stages for quite a few years so could this finally be the final design?

I personally was a fan of the previous renderings. This newest one “smooths out” the edges a bit by removing the vertical “fins” which I thought added some upward “interestingness.” (sorry for all the quotes)

Should make for a great project though.

by Leo Suarez

Weekend Exposure: The Boiling Wye

The Boylan Wye, April 2016

The Boylan Wye, April 2016. Click for larger

I call it the “Boiling” Wye as the activity has really heated up!

The photo above was taken from the Boylan Avenue bridge and ahead of the Raleigh skyline, you can see the construction site of the upcoming Raleigh Union Station. More than the building itself, work is/will be taking place for the parking lot, concourse, and new platforms at the tracks.