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All right, some of you want to see the progress made on Two Progress Plaza, a mixed use development, by Progress Energy, which will consist of a 19-story tower and 3-4 8-story condominium buildings. (The number of residential buildings may be 2, but they will occupy the entire section of the East block, facing Blount Street.)

Here is the plan:

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Pictures I took on October 3, 2003:

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Thanks for your comments; I am glad y'all liked the pics. Something is finally going up, Downtown Raleigh, and that means a lot for this city. Renovating older buildings is OK, but without new buildings filling the empty spaces, Raleigh's center has little chance of providing the lively place we all want to see here.

On a very positive tone, Charlie Goodnight's is [most likely] moving downtown. If you look at the 4th picture from the bottom of my initial posting, you will see (to the right) the new location of that comedy club/restaurant. Initially, the city had thought about putting retail on the ground floor of that parking deck, or even rent the space to Progress Energy, but the latter was not interested. The City Council will finalize the deal on the 21st of October, and if everything goes as planned, DT Raleigh will gain one major attraction. Charlie Goodnight's is currently located West of downtown, near St Mary's College, on the beginning of Morgan Street. That area has a few night spots, but it is not an entertainment district. The new location will be near Lincoln Theater (a live music hall), between City Market & Fayetteville Street Mall. Considering that Charlie Goodnight's has attracted great comedians, such as Jay Leno (early days), Chris Rock and Robin Williams, you can imagine how important the move to downtown is for both sides. It is going to be a win-win situation, as the city will provide free parking (at the deck) for Charlie Goodnight's customers.

Also, the 2nd picture from the bottom shows the location of the proposed [by Progress Energy] 10-story mid-rise. Not visible in this photo (on the left) is a single story building, currently hosting 2 shops, that will be substituted by the proposed mid-rise. Here is a better picture of that location:

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You can easily see the back of that single story building, to the left of the photo. I consider the proposed building more like infill, but I must say that the height leaves a lot to be desired, and I hope they reconsider. A 15-story building would have made a lot more sense, just like 333 Corporate Plaza, to the North of that location (seen on the right side of the photo). To give you a clear idea of the height, look at the building across the proposed mid-rise; it is the famous Sir Walter Apartments, standing at 10 to12 stories high. The proposed building should be somewhere around that height, making NO difference, whatsoever, to the skyline. I'll take it over nothing, but it is a shame to see such a prime location being wasted to mid-rises. They could very easily go 20 stories high. Am I too greedy? :D

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  • 2 months later...

PART I

Welcome to the first part of the tour to Glenwood South (Raleigh, NC). For those who are not familiar with this area, Glenwood South is one of the primary entertainment venues for the city of Raleigh, along with the City Market and the Warehouse District (there will be another tour for those). Glenwood South is located on the north-west side of Downtown Raleigh and this is simply the section that separates the center from the rest of the city. Several years ago Glenwood South was nothing but a "gritty" area, nearly isolated from the rest of the city and a far cry from what it is today. With the city's help and the hard work of Raleigh's Downtown Alliance, Glenwood South came back from the dead and today it is THE place to be if you are looking for good dinning and entertainment venues in Raleigh. The south-east section of this district functions as a link to the Warehouse District, but still remains integral part of Glenwood South.

The following photos have been arranged in chronological order, so please forgive me for the redundancy. In fact, I took many more pictures of that area, but had to choose the ones that represent Glenwood South the best. In the second part of this tour, you will also see some of the unsuccessful evening shots I took recently. Forgive me for including them in these threads, but I had to show something. Let's begin the tour:

Right before the intersection of Glenwood Ave and Jones Str.

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At the intersection of Peace Str and Glenwood Ave, right where Glenwood South begins (from the North).

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MoJoe's Burger Joint.

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Mellow Mushroom.

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Havana Deluxe (green door)... for those who like cigars and good wine.

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The Creamery: home to Sullivans Steakhouse, April and George's Wine Bar and Stool Pigeons.

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Armadillo Grill.

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Retail, with residential on the top.

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Aura Club.

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Helios Cafe.

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Enoteca Vin... Great selection of wine.

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Hibernian Irish Pub and Sunflower's Cafe.

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Rockford's... on the second floor.

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Hard Times Cafe.

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Armadillo Grill... again.

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42nd Street Oyster Bar... Once was THE only place to go in that area.

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Ri-Ra Irish Pub.

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Southend Brewery.

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PART II

I am always happy to take photos around this area (Glenwood South). The possibilities are almost endless, if you have the time and energy. While this area is not a large one, anyone interested in taking photos will find it hard to resist filling up the entire memory card. Unfortunately, before the rebirth of Glenwood South took place, digital cameras were not as popular, or they were extremely high-priced. Well, today we have the privilege of taking the pictures and within minutes (or hours) the whole world can see them. So, here is the second part of the Glenwood South (Raleigh, NC) tour. Let's see this place today and revisit it a year from now... just out of curiosity.

518 West.

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The Company Store... They have a nice little patio that allows you to sit down and watch the trains go by.

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Southend Brewery.

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Ri-Ra.

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Blue Martini's future location.

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Blue Martini "under construction". A friend of mine's parents are opening this place and I expect to make it one of my favorite destinations, although I am a Jack Daniels/red wine fan.

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Cock-eyed Chef, Sushi Blues and Cody's Chinese Restaurant are located here.

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Enoteca Vin, with residential units to the right.

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This mixed-use project (510 Glenwood) offered more boost in this area than most other projects... in my opinion. On the ground floor(s) you will find Bogart's and Vivo restaurants, and Hi-5 Sports Bar and Restaurant.

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Bistro 607.

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Mellow Mushroom.

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Don't be fooled, these are not residencies.

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YES!!! Here is a Starbucks... for those who like chains.

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Construction for a 10-story condominium project (The Paramount) has begun.

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The Creamery.

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A few samples of my [unsuccessful] evening photography. Except for 2 of them, the rest were taken while the car was in motion, which cancels out the settings for evening photography, where hand-shaking is not "allowed". Anyway, here they are:

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All of you who know little about Raleigh, may not appreciate the strong come-back of this area. Having lived in New York City and visited several of the world's greatest cities, I could never compare Glenwood South with what Athens, Paris, or Madrid have to offer. Yet, I always feel great to be around Glenwood South. It has a nice feel to it and I highly recommend this area to everyone who plans to visit Raleigh. I hope that you all enjoyed this first tour and that you will drop off a few lines, to let me know what you think. Any similar places in your city/town?

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That's awesome man! Thanks for taking the time to snap the pics and post them.

I wish the night shots had come out better. As one would expect, Glenwood changes character quite a bit at night especially on the weekend.

The new digital camera I've picked out allows me to manually adjust the aperture (limited number of settings though) and shutter speed, so I hope night shots turn out with it.

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Thanks guys... Raleigh doesn't have much of skyline to share, anyway, but it does have a few interesting areas, where older and newer developments co-exist peacefully. As a bonus, since I got my own digital camera, I have discovered better ways to present Raleigh [in pictures], without the hype that follows the frequent debates. I am really happy that you all enjoyed this thread.

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Yes, my evening pics from Glenwood South really sucked, but taking photos while driving over there is not an easy task, especially when it is dark and the camera settings require a more stable hand. Here are some clearer evening shots, although not from Glenwood South, and still without a tripod:

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Moving "objects" suck :)

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Please allow me to clarify something about the very last pictures I posted (the ones from Fayetteville Street Mall, NOT from Glenwood South)... This is NOT how DT Raleigh looks at night, unless there are special events, such as New Year's Eve, or Alive After Five. The only reason why I posted them was because I wanted to share some less unsuccessful evening shots of mine and I had no intention of misrepresent DT Raleigh's image at night. Frankly, I wish that was the norm, but I am afraid it's not :(

Last night (Saturday) I went with my wife to Lincoln Theater, a live music venue in DT Raleigh, where a neighbor of mine played with his new band. The show finished a little after 1am, but I was shocked by the small amount of people around downtown. Even Glenwood South was a bit quiet... something unusual for that area around 1am. I attribute this to the New Year's Eve events, two nights before; everyone was broke. Anyway, what I want to say is that you should not be misled by the very last photos I posted and I apologize if anyone thought that I was trying to "show off" or exaggerate Raleigh's evening street activity.

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Yeap!!! Mellow Mushroom has a great location, right on Peace Street and Glenwood Ave. That place is PACKED when the weather is nice and the temperature is reasonably comfortable. I think most people go there for beer, rather than food, and for the outdoor seating. It's a great location, indeed. As far as pizza is concerned... Piccola Italia in Cameron Village is a hands-down winner... OK, I work there part-time, but I am not kidding about the best New York style pizza. Too bad Piccola Italia is not located somewhere around Glenwood South.

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Great photos!

I haven't visited Raleigh in a long time. I sometimes go there for concerts and always enjoy my visits. It's just as great in person as it is in the photos.

I go out without a tri-pod often. It is possible to get great photos without one and they are often times more trouble to carry and set-up than they are worth. At least that's my opinion. Some of the best photos I've taken are night photos without a tri-pod. Your night photos around Fayetteville Street Mall are nice and I like the Capitol Building photo. There aren't many good photos of that building on the web and it's one of the more important buildings in the state, both architecturally and as a government building. :huh:

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Thanks, Matthew. I agree with you that Raleigh feels as good (or bad) as the photos show. Actually, you raised a VERY important point: how many cities look great on photos and feel different when you get there? Raleigh is the kind of a city that feels the way you see it in the pictures, or better... in my opinion. Glenwood South is definitely a place that makes you feel good and pictures will not make it look better, at all. It feels as good as it looks in the pictures, at worst. Wilmington is another place that is VERY under-rated in the photos.

As far as the tripod is concerned, I have had no luck (or skills) with good quality evening shots, so I need a tripod. Especially with my digital camera; it is a small Nikon Coolpix 2100... a very light and small camera. While easy to manage, it is not great for evening shots, unless you have a VERY stable hand. I do know that some people have done well without a tripod... but I am not one of them :(

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That's what I like about photos. They don't lie. Beautiful cities always impress in photos. I also like to take photos with friends and family. I like to experience the city I photograph with others. It makes the trip fun and the photos more fun! I always take better photos when I'm with a friend or family member. I have a friend in Charlotte who likes to photograph old store fronts. He usually goes with me around Charlotte and Winston-Salem when I take photos. When I visit family in Rochester and Birmingham - Montgomery, I sometimes take amazing photos of my family with buildings and city attractions. My grandmother's hallway is a museum of my work. :D

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