Raleigh News Blog

Jerimee on 02/08 about Red Hot & Blue on Hillsborough Street Closes, Again

I feel bad for the employees, otherwise this seems like good riddance to bad rubbish.  Here’s hoping RH&B corporate has the decency to do right by their workers.

JP on 02/08 about Red Hot & Blue on Hillsborough Street Closes, Again

Its true that they did a lot for that space, and it is a shame to see any business on Hillsborough fail. But you can’t put so much blame on the construction, which is 2 months ahead of schedule by the way. It was likely a factor, but there is still parking behind BB&T. Instead of fixating on the construction, how about a few real reasons this was inevitable:
- They don’t have any reputation for their food. Maybe it was OK. The one or two meals I had there were completely forgettable. You need a destination restaurant there, they don’t seem to be one.
- No draft beer. Flame away teetotalers, but in a hot microbrew market like Raleigh, not serving craft beer or even Miller Lite on tap is suicide. Thats another big reason I never bother to walk past the PR’s door.
- No outdoor seating. They couldn’t help this of course, but now with the wider sidewalk the next tenant ought to be able to get in the game.

Something else will go in there and will flourish, in time. And I bet they will serve beer on tap. Bring on some live music - that space could have a great setup for that.

Betsy on 02/08 about Build the Lightner Center? Mayor Meeker Says Yes, Dude From N&O Says No

Beg pardon, “priority of honoring and embracING the public park across the street”.

Betsy on 02/08 about Build the Lightner Center? Mayor Meeker Says Yes, Dude From N&O Says No

There is an essential conflict here between a building that needs to be hardened and secured, and the priority of honoring and embraces the public park across the street with a porous, activity-generating streetfront.  The art lobby will accomplish the second goal only poorly and will likely end up being closed as a public venue at some time not too distant in the future as a security risk. 
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Skim off the fat from the building’s architectural program and build it in a different location.  There are a zillion asphalt parking lots downtown that need a structure like this.
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The south-facing frontage is the best street frontage of any block facing the park.  Use it for uses that can capitalize on and complement the park—high-visitation uses with many openings onto the street.

Tall Buildings Make Me Excited!! on 02/08 about Build the Lightner Center? Mayor Meeker Says Yes, Dude From N&O Says No

Matt W at the top of this string and Matthew Eisley are the only sensical folks on this string.

The 12,000 people figure is laughable. It is a city of nearly 400,000 with a small small small percentage living in downtown.

The point is not to not build the thing, it is to actually think about it and see if savings can be found. And for all of you LYAO at the unlikely event of someone wanting to cause mass destruction, I would think less of 9/11 and more of Oklahoma City.

Safety should be a more integral design aspect than trendy green roofs and the aesthetics of having another tall building.

When you get right down to it, that’s all most of the people commenting on this blog want anyway. An “improvement to the skyline.” Kind of an expensive solution to that made up and superficial problem.