(maybe this time The Veldt will actually SHOW for a gig they $%^&ing BOOKED…but I’m not one to hold a grudge…for decades…)

It is disappointing to see the project being scaled down, but frankly, with the bath that Sandreuter ended up taking on the oversized West at North Project, it is obvious that banks are putting pressure on Sandreuter to do something with the land. The truth is that the economy is worse than the media is portraying, and a project like the one originally proposed for The Edison is now probably more than 20 years away for Raleigh. In fact it will be at least 12 years before anything changes the Raleigh skyline.

With conditions as they are, we are lucky to see something proposed for this land. As it stands now, the block stands as a blank and a few run-down old buildings in the middle of a downtown that has much organic energy. We are now at the 3-year mark of a development drought in downtown Raleigh, and if we get too arrogant, we will lose all of the roaring momentum that Raleigh had six years ago. In other words we cannot afford to be too choosy now about downtown projects. Given the number of empty lots in downtown, we can afford to put up some bad projects because the momentum is what will eventually bring good projects, not our own stubbornness. Too much of that will make us a has-been. We need energy on the street, and this project does that.

Much hand-wringing has been going on over the last two days regarding the design of the project. I will caution readers, though, that the proposal looks more like a massing portrayal than a specific design, so even with this sized project, it can be something appealing. That said, the images look waaaaay too much like the horribly bland project on Glenwood where Tobacco Road is.

Hopefully the mass of building can be broken up with varied materials, colors, window frames, and window heights. Designers at North Hills East attempted this kind of breakup with windows and color on an EFIS-faced building, but forgot that relief also has to be in the design. Some sections should set back, others protrude. Another facet ignored is massive projects is the window height. North Hills is a godo project, but could have been great if the windows for each section were at differing heights. IT would have added some authenticity badly needed over there.

Nevertheless, I’m glad to see something going forward. I just hope that developers will still have some sense of pride in their developments while they try to please banks. Perhaps the name of the project should be renamed The Gillette, as the focus has clearly gone from being a brilliant idea to being something serviceable that we will one day throw away.

Friday

• BJ Barham (tir na nog)
• J Timber (tir na nog)
• Cowtown String Band (Pour House)
• Nests (Pour House)
• Old Bricks (Pour House)
• The Larchmont Trash (Slim’s)
• The Hell No (Slim’s)
• Static Minds (Slim’s)
• Hooray for Earth (Kings)
• Double Dare feat. Apple Juice Kid (Kings)
• Nick Catchdubs (Neptunes)

Saturday

Lincoln Theatre Outdoor Stage Street Party

• Jack the Radio
• Lord Walrus
• Urban Sophisticates
• Thien
• Patty Hurst Shifter
• DJ Forge
• Free Energy
• Lord Walrus
• Wye Oak
• DJ Spclgst
• Active Child
• Chocolate Rice
• Surfer Blood

Lincoln Theatre Inside Stage Dance Party

• F#@% The Biters
• Nixxed
• Thien & Lord Walrus
• AC Slater

…Since 1985, Gallery C has been instrumental in North Carolina’s art scene featuring contemporary artists as well as historically important North Carolina art, Haitian art, folk art, animation art and antique prints.

The new gallery will be located at the corner of Blount and Peace streets in the
Historic Russ-Edwards House c. 1901. The property has served as the development and
sales office of Blount Street Commons Redevelopment project which is creating a rebirth of
one of Raleigh’s most prestigious historic streets and neighborhoods. Located just blocks
from the Governor’s Mansion, the Capital, and the museums, the neighborhood vision is
focused around integrating 25 historic homes, dating from the late 1800s, with newer urban
living concepts. The new space will allow owner Charlene Ferrell Newsom to expand the
gallery’s services and to feature outdoor art while providing an aesthetically prominent
anchor to the Blount Street Commons project.

• Raise funds for ongoing April 16 tornado relief;
• Honor the First Responders and volunteers who saved lives, offered comfort, and are helping move people from victims to recovered lives. First responder and emergency vehicles will be on display at the ComeUnityNow Festival; and,
• Celebrate the community spirit of togetherness that makes Wake County a great place to call home, especially in the aftermath of a disaster. Local nonprofit organizations and service organizations are encouraged to contact festival organizers to be included under the "Big Tent" ComeUnityNow is organizing on behalf of local charities.

The event features a pig pickin’, the second annual ice-cream eating contest with Lumpy’s Ice Cream, and bluegrass music by Old Habits. Aspiring pitmasters will have the opportunity to learn from the best—expert Bob Garner and chefs from The Pit will share seasoning secrets, barbecue history, and chopping techniques during their 11 am demonstration. Festival goers should come hungry for The Pit’s NC style barbecue sandwiches, prepared from pork raised on Animal Welfare Approved farms, which will be available for $5.  Health conscious customers can stop by the WakeMed Center City Physicians booth for a free blood pressure screening.  At 11:30 am, kids are invited to a special EGGstravaganza with egg relays and a special kids ice cream eating contest.  Ongoing kids activities throughout the day include a market scavenger hunt and a farm themed version of Jeopardy—“farmpardy.”  

The event runs from 10am to 2pm in City Plaza.

It appears this will be a 250-unit apartment building.

Mixed Use Project: Tucker/Boylan

Here’s the schedule (most links go to YouTube clips of the bands):

• 5:00 – Marshetta Parker
• 5:25 – Red Sonja Band
• 5:50 – Aunt Martha
• 6:15 – Motor Skills
• 6:40 – Desafiados Musical
• 7:05 – Alissa Moreno
• 7:30 – Young Cardinals
• 7:55 – Kooley High
• 8:20 – The Small Ponds
• 8:45 – Marcy Playground
• 9:25 – The Love Language
• 10:10 – The Connells

"The city’s not making enough off parking and it’s obvious people don’t like paying for tickets. That’s the issue," said City Council member Mary Ann Baldwin.

During the last decade and a half downtown Raleigh has undergone an enormous resurgence that went along with a $2 billion investment from the private and public sectors. In the late 90’s we started to see Raleigh most interesting new restaurants appearing in downtown instead of in the suburbs. Popular bars in the suburbs began to fade as a bustling nightlife emerged in downtown Raleigh. In fact, almost every single interesting restaurant to open in the last 10 years has been in downtown Raleigh.

Apparently the City of Raleigh wants to ignore the role of free parking in that renaissance. The introduction of nighttime parking fees is a huge deterrent for restaurant patrons who have an alternative. If this becomes the city’s policy, expect a renaissance of its own in North Raleigh. Downtown parking fees would be a huge boon to restaurateurs in the suburbs.

Increased parking revenues from downtown lots also would be a big boon to McLaurin Parking Company, the company that operates these parking structures. You may also know that company as…the inlaws of Mayor, Charles Meeker.

Nothing lasts forever. Hillsborough Street’s nightlife scene in the 70’s rivaled Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street. North Raleigh saw a ton of great restaurants open in the 80’s. The popularity of downtown in the last 15 years is a delicate thing. If the City of Raleigh wants that momentum to continue, it must proceed with extreme caution. As it is, downtown is not perceived as convenient to where people chose to live, it isn’t perceived as an easy place to park, and it’s wave is nearing the point where we’ve typically seen nightlife/entertainment cycles end in Raleigh’s history.

Like we couldn’t see this one coming from a mile away. The appeal of Krispy Kreme lies in their hot, fresh product. The greasy, room temperature product has never been appealing, and was set for failure in City Plaza from the getgo. Had the chain focused on delivering hot, glazed doughnuts instead of variety at that site, there was ample opportunity for success. I still adamantly feel that a small, Hot Doughnuts Now stand in the RBC Center would be a booming success.

So what is next for this site? Success in City Plaza will not come from sales during special events. There aren’t many of these kinds of events and the plaza is not interesting enough to be the hangout the city was hoping it would be. It is the business that can attract a steady stream of customers from lunch thru the afternoon that will make it. For sure, the easiest slam dunk is a good, basic, hamburger or taco stand. This facility is essentially a food truck, so the aim should be to serve quick food that is good. Only Burger or Char-Grill would do well in this site because good burgers sell; period. Another idea is a taco stand featuring good ingredients. Chubbys and Los Cuates could handle the job. Food from Fonda Y Birrieria Jalisco would be even better (just get a better name!). The beauty of a taco stand is that it would attract tons of traffic during non-peak hours. There are many like me who could eat a good taco appetizer at any hour of the day.

Raleigh now sits in a position similar, but on a smaller scale, to Atlanta’s once the Olympics was over. The long-awaited event has passed, and it is time for the City to get back to making Fayetteville Street a “sustainable” destination for residents on every day of the year. There still is important work to be done.

The remaining schedule this weekend includes Tron 3D showings today and tomorrow at Noon, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, and 10:00.

[video: NSFW]

The project once showed 157 rooms planned, but now appears to be 126 units. The hotel will not have any special terracing or setback from the Glenwood Avenue sidewalk, but will only rise 5 stories on that face of the building.

Thanks, Chris!

map it

All of that is nice, but what is really worth checking out is the latest generation of the phenomenal Ford Sync system, called MyFord Touch. The new version continues Sync’s fantastic bluetooth connectivity for phone and audio, and expands the abilities of navigation and climate control. Two new features include turning the car into a WiFi hotspot and iTunes tagging support from the HD radio. There is also support for USB keyboards, RSS feeds, an additional USB socket, an SD Card slot, enhanced podcast support, and more. For more information, see Mashable’s excellent writeup of MyFord Touch, as did Joelfeder.com.

Clearly the next battleground for car makers is on the dashboard, and Ford has the early lead here. Be sure to take this opportunity to see what is going on in this space.

Shen Yun Performing Arts presents classical Chinese dance and music in colorful and exhilarating shows. An art form several millennia old, Chinese dance is refreshingly dynamic and expressive. Ancient legends and heroic figures come to life through its leaps, spins, and delicate gestures, accompany with live orchestra

2:00pm:

7:30pm:

Zombie walks have become relatively common in large cities, often becoming annual traditions. During the event, participants are encouraged to remain in character as zombies and to communicate only in a manner consistent with zombie behavior. This may include grunting, groaning and slurred, moaning calls for ‘brains’. The Zombie Walk phenomenon has become an homage to the Romero Living Dead films, as well as recent additions to the genre such as the Zombieland film, 28 Days franchise and The Walking Dead graphic novel/television series.

[Zombie Walk on Flickr]

Raleigh on Ice  will offer families and visitors the opportunity to skate at chopping centers:

• November 20 through January 2 at North Hills Commons. The event opens during North Hills’ annual Christmas tree lighting event.
• November 14 thru December 10 at Brier Creek Commons
• December 13 thru December 26 at Triangle Town Center

Winterfest returns to downtown Raleigh

• Real ice rink
• Opening at Winterfest’s grand opening, Saturday, December 4
• Dates, hours, prices, and policies are still unannounced

Deep South Entertainment will provide musical entertainment ranging from Back Seat Confidential (an all-girl AC/DC cover band) to rising country star Matt Stillwell. In total, more than 16 bands, dance troops, and martial artists will perform on two stages during the two-day event.