Mar

Camille’s Closes in Triangle

The new cafe chain that entered the Raleigh market a couple of years ago has closed its doors. Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe has closed locations at both Brier Creek and in Cary (next to Trader Joe’s).

Posted by Dana on March 19, 2010 | Tags: Food . | ( 0 ) Comments

Mar

Brigs Expanding in Macedonia

brigs Brigs , home to one of the best breakfasts in the Triangle, will open their fifth location this summer in the shopping center at Walnut and Tryon in Cary.

map it

Posted by Dana on March 19, 2010 | Tags: Food . | ( 1 ) Comment

Mar

Phish Returning to TWC Pavilion

On July 1 Phish will bring its tour back to Raleigh’s TWC Pavilion.

Posted by Dana on March 18, 2010 | Tags: Music . | ( 1 ) Comment

Mar

Time For The Madness

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

For some reason that Andy Williams classic got mislabeled as a “Christmas song”, however no time of the year is it more applicable than March. With new growth appearing on plants and lawns, warmer temperatures, and the playing of the 2nd greatest event in sports, who would possibly call that a “Christmas song”?

The games begin at Noon, and WRAL is the source for all of the TV coverage. Their signals 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 will be carrying every game of the tournament once again. Time Warner Cable customers will be able to tune these channels in SD on channels 1061, 1062, 1063, and 1064 while they will carry the games in HD on 1051, 1052, 1053, and 1054. Also CBS College Sports channel on 1065(SD) and 1055(HD) will carry interviews, coaches’ shows, and other tournament coverage.

It should be noted that because these are channels that are not normally active, customers tuning in any of these channels with anything other than a TWC box will need to rescan their channels in order to pick them up. That means that CableCARD customers and clear QAM customers (those who tune their TV literally to 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4) will need to go into their tuner or TV’s setup, and do another complete scan of the channels. This process is one that can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes depending on the device, so my recommendation is to do this before 11:00am today. The channels have a signal now and will be picked up on a scan now.

Also just one more reminder that the complete NCAA tournament schedule is available for free subscription on Google Calendar. In order to subscribe, simply visit the calendars page and follow the Google Calendar link beside “NCAA Tournament”.

Posted by Dana on March 18, 2010 | Tags: Sports , TV . | ( 0 ) Comments

Mar

Mason’s Chophouse Replacing Uno’s in Brier Creek

TBJ is reporting that the owners of the Brier Creek former location of Uno’s Chicago Grill are converting the restaurant (as well as many other former Uno’s) to a new concept named Mason’s Chophouse. The restaurant will be casual dining and priced similarly to Mimi’s. Apparently all staff is being retained, and the restaurant has been through an intense renovation and plans to open this afternoon for dinner.

Posted by Dana on March 17, 2010 | Tags: Food . | ( 3 ) Comments

Mar

Raleigh Named 8th Best Value Destination

TBJ is reporting that Raleigh has been named the 8th best value destination for visitors. Raleigh beat out Chicago and Miami. Atlanta, Orlando, and Phoenix were the top 3 on the list.

Posted by Dana on March 17, 2010 | Tags: Honors . | ( 9 ) Comments

Mar

Time Warner Remapping Channels in Charlotte

Time Warner Cable recently sent a notice to all customers in the Charlotte area notifying them of a massive channel remapping for digital channels (.pdf) . Time Warner is grouping all digital channels into logical categories in the alignment, and assigning them numbers above 100. All local programming will appear the 100’s, Kids & Family in the lower 200’s, Learning & Discovery in the upper 200’s, etc. The beauty here is that ESPN appears on 500, ESPN 2 on 501, ESPNU on 502, and other ESPNs follow on adjacent channels.

Perhaps the best aspect of the move is that all HD channels will appear on a channel that is 1000 higher than its SD counterpart. TNT is on 301, so the TND-HD is on 1301. Local ABC is on 110, so the HD version is on 1100.

The analog channels, while they still exist, will still be found below channel 100, and will not require a converter box. However there will be a day down the road where those enormous bandwith hogs will be shut off to accommodate more services, and every subscriber will require a converter box of some sort to tune channels. (Digital channels are brought to you in encrypted QAM, unencrypted QAM, and SDV. Old TVs cannot tune these types of channels. So when you tune to ESPN SD with on “31” on your TV – no box – you are tuning the analog version of the channel). It seems that TWC’s logical lineup is a move to get customers accustomed to using these 3- and 4-digit channels, making the removal of those 1- and 2-digit channels down the road go unnoticed.

…and certainly we have this move coming to Raleigh, as all recent TWC moves in Charlotte have been directly mirrored here.

Posted by Dana on March 16, 2010 | Tags: TV . | ( 9 ) Comments

Mar

Pair of Restaurants Closes in Brier Creek

Things have certainly flatted in Brier Creek recently as both the Uno’s Chicago Grill and Salsarita’s have both shut their doors. As of yesterday, though, the Salsarita’s at Crossroads was still open.

Posted by Dana on March 16, 2010 | Tags: Food , RTP/Dur/CH . | ( 14 ) Comments

Mar

St. Timothy’s Spring Sprint Honors Ham

Raleigh recently lost a gem. Lisa Permar Ham, a 1988 Broughton graduate, died of cancer. She was widely loved, as more than 1,500 people crammed into every corner of the 1st Presbyterian Church complex a couple of Sunday’s ago to pay their respects.

Lisa was instrumental in starting the St. Timothy’s School Spring Sprint, and rightfully, the school is dedicating the Sprint in honor of her. The event will take place April 17. Here is the press release about the event:

The St. Timothy’s Spring Sprint is an annual 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Fun Run and NEW this year, a 50 Yard Dash. Adults and children from the school and the community participate in this event. The race course winds through the North Hills neighborhood (NEW FLATTER COURSE this year), beginning and ending at the school.

Registration information:

**Complete registration by April 1, 2010 to guarantee a Spring Sprint t-shirt.

**T-shirts are available in the St. Timothy’s School front office to try on for sizes.

Log onto www.sportoften.com to register online and pay by credit card, or
Complete an entry form and return it with payment to St. Timothy’s School

Click here for a full Brochure or Click here for an Entry Form only

1st Drawing will be on Wednesday, March 17: All St. Timothy’s students, faculty and staff who register before 9am on Wednesday, March 17 will be entered into a drawing. Click here for the list of prizes
2nd Drawing will be on Tuesday, March 23: All St. Timothy’s students, faculty and staff who register before 9am on Tuesday, March 23 will be entered into a drawing. Click here for the list of prizes

Posted by Dana on March 16, 2010 | Tags: North Hills , Sports . | ( 0 ) Comments

Mar

Metro Magazine Opens Up Voting

Raleigh Metro Magazine has officially opened the voting for the monthly magazine’s sought-after “best of” Metro Bravo Awards showcasing reader preferences in categories ranging from favorite people, places, restaurants, retail selection and professional services.

Since 2000, Raleigh Metro Magazine has invited readers from the Triangle area to the coast to vote in the popular annual poll. Last year, Metro’s 150,000-plus readers cast over 4000 ballots.
“It’s great fun every year, but it’s also very serious,” said Metro editor and publisher Bernie Reeves. “We work hard to assure accuracy because we know how important it is for area businesses, restaurants and organizations to win.”

The Metro Bravo Awards evolved from the first “Best In The Triangle” readers’ poll Reeves initiated in the 1980s in his weekly Spectator Magazine, a cultural and general interest news magazine and the first city-weekly in the South. Spectator was the first publication to cover the emerging Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill “Triangle” community.

Voting for this year’s Metro Bravo Awards will end May 15. The results will be published in Metro’s July and August editions. Readers may vote online or by filling out the ballots in the March edition now on newsstands. The 2010 Readers Poll also includes a Facebook page where “fans” can share ideas about new categories and note updates and other details.

Posted by Dana on March 16, 2010 | Tags: Entertainment . | ( 0 ) Comments

Mar

Raleigh 3rd Best for Young Adults

Porfolio.com has ranked Raleigh third in a list of best metropolitan areas for young adults in a recessionary economy. The survey considered factors such as population growth, employment growth, share of total population, jobless rate for people ages 18-34, and homeowners younger than 45 with annual household incomes over $100,000. Austin and Washington came in at #1 and #2. Charlotte was the only other city in the Carolinas, ranking at #28.

Posted by Dana on March 16, 2010 | Tags: Honors . | ( 0 ) Comments

Mar

Segway Tours of NCSU Coming This Weekend

Exploring the North Carolina State University Campus just got more fun and a lot more high-tech with Triangle Segway’s brand-new guided Segway tour, which focuses on the Main Campus of the university. It will be the first Segway tour of a university campus in North Carolina. The Segway tours begin March 20 and will be offered on select weekends and during school holiday breaks.

The 1.5-hour narrated Segway tour will be led by a Triangle Segway guide, and participants will learn about the evolution of the 123-year-old public institution, punctuated by interesting anecdotes, while gliding right up to landmark buildings and structures on eco-friendly Segway Personal Transporters.

“Segways are ideal for touring the expansive grounds of the university,” says Todd Masinter, owner of Triangle Segway. “You can cover a lot of ground in less time than a walking tour, and it’s a phenomenal way for anyone, including alumni, current and prospective students and their families, to discover the great history of NC State and explore the campus in a whole new way.”
The Segway PT is a self-balancing, two-wheeled electric mobility device, powered by lithium-ion batteries, that gets up to 24 miles per charge.

Tour highlights include the Historic Reynolds Coliseum, home to Wolfpack Sports for over 60 years; the Free Expression Tunnel, a graffitied pedestrian underpass connecting North Campus with Central Campus that’s been a monument to student free speech since the 1960s; the Memorial Bell Tower, a World War I monument that’s served as the heartbeat of campus for decades; and the early military history of the college, including the old barracks and campus stories.

No Segway experience is necessary to participate. Triangle Segway staff will train all riders at the start of each tour. Guests must be at least 14 years old and weigh between 100 and 260 pounds. Riders ages 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets are $55 per person. Advance purchase is required. The tour is available now for online booking on the Triangle Segway website or by calling 919-828-1988 or its ticketing service at 800-979-3370.

Posted by Dana on March 16, 2010 | Tags: Entertainment . | ( 1 ) Comment

Mar

World Beer Festival Tickets Go On Sale Today

The World Beer Festival returns to Raleigh’s Moore Square on Saturday, April 24. This will be the 5th installment of the festival, which features over 250 beers, educational seminars, local cuisine, and music. There will be two sessions: Afternoon (Noon-4pm) and Evening (6pm-10pm).