Archive for Fayetteville Street
Your Face Here! Step into history at the Virginia Dare Ballroom in the Sir Walter Raleigh in the heart of downtown
Picture yourself in this 1930’s scene, waltzing across a ballroom floor, greeting legislators and lobbyists who have ambled here from their customary hotel rooms, winning this hotel the affectionate title of the “Third House of the Legislature.” Where are you? You’re in the Sir Walter Raleigh, which remains to this day downtown Raleigh’s oldest surviving hotel building.
From its opening in 1924, this setting was Raleigh’s premiere hotel for nearly four decades. Updated in 1938, the 400-room facility became the largest in the state at that time.
Located at 400 Fayetteville Street, the privately owned building was converted in 1979 to an income based senior apartment community.…
[ Read More → ]Packed house at the DLA Mixer at Coglin’s
We love our mixers! Over 100 downtown friends and neighbors joined the DLA to check out the NEWEST 80′s & 90′s bar: Coglin’s Raleigh.
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“Generation Rent” pushing demand for Downtown apartments
You’ve probably noticed the constructions sites that have sprung up everywhere you look in downtown, from Cameron Village to St Mary’s, to Hillsborough Street. Having seen past booms that saturated the market with too much office space, too many spec homes and condos that sat empty, some are questioning the wisdom of developers who have jumped into the present apartment building craze. Here is some perspective for the next time this comes up in a conversation with other downtowners…
This time is different!
Developers and the banks behind them are not taking risky bets this time. Developers are focusing only on rental units, catering to ‘Generation Rent’. And Raleigh is part of a national trend, as downtowns have begun growing faster than suburbs for the first time in 100 years!…
[ Read More → ]Raleigh Winterfest is Coming – Volunteer to help and skate free!
The Raleigh Winterfest returns to Downtown Raleigh on December 3rd, transforming City Plaza into a winter escape. And while the ice skating rink serves as the centerpiece for Raleigh Winterfest, the two-month celebration also includes carriage rides, sledding ramps and performances by local musicians and dancers.
An estimated 15,000 people visited last year’s Winterfest, and it takes a lot of volunteers to make it work.
Ready to volunteer and earn some free skate passes? Sign up on line
Here’s the schedule and shifts …
Raleigh Holiday Parade, Nov 19
When: Saturday, November 19
Tasks: Handing out Winterfest flyers during the parade – meet at the DRA office (120 S.
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28 Floors, 56 Flights, 1019 Steps, 1 Reason: Cure Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis Climb for Life
Where: Wachovia Capitol Center (now Wells Fargo)
When: Saturday, October 29th
Registration 9am / Climb Starts 10am
The Cystic Fibrosis Climb for Life event is challenging you … “to go beyond ordinary expectations, to take steps toward a personal victory and to play an important role in the victory of others”.
Join the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and climb your way to the top of the Wachovia Capitol Center in downtown Raleigh.
Once you reach the top, look out at the breathtaking panoramic view of downtown Raleigh. Then, enjoy a celebration with food, drinks and entertainment at the survivor’s party.…
[ Read More → ]Park(ing) Day: Friday, September 16th
Park(ing) Day is a worldwide event that encourages city residents to transform metered parking spaces into mini parks for the day to draw awareness to the need for more urban open space.
In support of the annual PARK(ing) DAY, greenSPARK is calling for designers to transform parking spaces along Fayetteville Street into mini-parks or “SPARKparks”.
The Downtown Living Advocates will transform two parking spaces along Fayetteville Street into urban open space during the festival. Our theme will be education and awareness of the amount of land currently used as surface parking and how these surface lots can have multiple uses.…
[ Read More → ]New study provides evidence of Downtown Raleigh’s booming pedestrian traffic
The Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) and the City of Raleigh Planning Department recently examined pedestrian traffic in key downtown areas. The pedestrian study was conducted to support economic development programs and infrastructure planning initiatives in strategic areas. The objective of the study was to develop a tool that downtown stakeholders and City officials could use to more accurately target growth areas and help resolve design issues with sidewalks, streetscapes, and pedestrian connectivity to on- and off-street parking locations. It will also serve as a baseline pedestrian count data for future trend analyses.
Fayetteville Street District
According to the report, a large pedestrian population uses and navigates the Downtown area.…
[ Read More → ]Meet Jerome Lauck, Owner of Sosta Café: You’ll love the perfect simplicity of truly fresh ingredients, as well as the artful atmosphere.
Jerome Lauck and his daughterJerome Lauck, now the full owner of Sosta Café, was born in the French Provence region in the South of France to Alsatian parents, who were raised in the wine and cheese region of the North of France. During our conversation, Jerome recalled his childhood, watching as his young mother mastered the allure of Provence style cooking. Jerome explained that in Provence, you rely on what he labels, “a master simplicity” to bring out and highlight the individual tastes of a long list of excellent regional ingredients.
This philosophy continues today at Sosta Cafe where Jerome extends this simple perfection to his sandwiches, coffee, lunch offerings- and even beverages.
I understood Jerome’s comment because I grew up in Geneva, finding Provence with its extended shores on the Mediterranean a lovely and exciting summer destination. It is accurate that this region champions culinary simplicity, especially when it is measured against the neighboring Lyonnais region. The complementary natural ingredients typical of this region make the culinary experience remarkably memorable. I asked Jerome how he managed to find ingredients from a several mile radius of the region where he was born, and he admitted that it is now slightly easier than when he started 6 years ago. He says that boutique suppliers are willing to make a small profit to support a number of culinary establishments in the area.
The name “Sosta” means “a restful break” and that truly captures the cafe’s philosophy.…
[ Read More → ]Foundation: Artfully Crafted Libations
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Faces of Downtown Raleigh: Jerome and Luciano of Sosta Cafe
When I first began blogging, I talked about food. It’s what I know and love, and my first post was about Sosta Café. At the time I was visiting them about once a week, and to this day I still go there quite frequently and order the Poulet (curried chicken salad sandwich), although the Piedmont (Prosciutto and taleggio cheese with tomato and lettuce on ciabatta bread) is a close second. I think Sosta is a true neighborhood hangout. Spend any amount of time in there and you’ll hear Jerome or Luciano greet almost everyone by name.
Luciano behind the counterLuciano hails from Southern Italy and Jerome from southern France, so it’s not too uncommon to hear multiple languages spoken in the café, quickly transporting you to another place.
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