This week’s picture captures the great view from the roof of the The Durham Hotel. The rooftop area is fairly spacious and features an indoor bar and both covered and open-air seating. The bar serves cocktails, wine and beer and a small kitchen menu including a raw bar. The rooftop is open to the public and a fun spot to grab a drink and enjoy the Durham skyline. Add it to your list of places to visit the next time you are exploring the bull city!
Filed under Picture of the Week
This past weekend I ventured out on the Neuse Greenway to see if the sunflowers had started to bloom along the lower portion of the trail near the Wake / Johnston County boarder. To get to the fields I parked my car at the the parking lot along Mial Plantation Road, which is a little past mile 26.25 on the trail. I then ran about 2.5 miles to mile marker 23.75 which is where the fields are located. If you don’t want to run or bike there you can pull off the road along Brown Field Road and sneak a peek at the field (to drive there GPS 2600 Brown Field Road – map).
The fields are beautiful but they do look a little smaller than last year, and I think the sunflowers are a shorter variety. I noticed many of them still have yet to bloom. I suspect they will be in full bloom within the next two weeks so try to get out there by July 10th – after that they will start dying off from the summer heat.
Many don’t realize this, but these fields are actually owned by the City of Raleigh and are used to land apply treated wastewater. The plants are grown on the fields to take up the nutrients from the wastewater, which basically acts like a fertilizer for the flowers. Because it is City of Raleigh property you’ll need to enjoy the view of the field from behind the white fences that line the fields.To learn more about the Neuse Greenway and download a full map of the trail visit the Neuse Greenway website here.
Filed under Parks, Picture of the Week, Raleigh
Last weekend at I was at Sola Coffee in North Raleigh checking out their Pop Up Market when this dog walker strolled by with a herd of well behaved dogs in tow. I counted 13 dogs in all. It was quite a site to see. It was a nice reminder that now is a great time to enjoy the outdoors with our four-legged friends.
Filed under Events, Picture of the Week
North Main Street ~ Wake Forest, NC
Lately I’ve been spending some time exploring Wake Forest. The town has a small but quaint downtown area lined with local businesses including antique shops, a hardware store, and the popular White Street Brewery. A recent addition just one block over from the main drag on Brooks Street is the new coffee roaster and pour over bar called Back Alley Coffee Roasters. A place I recommend checking out if you are a coffee lover.
One of my favorite things to do in Wake Forest is go for a run along the stretch of historic homes on North Main Street. Many of these homes date the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. My favorite one is the “Queen Anne” style home pictured above. I love the huge front porch, lattice work, and polygonal tower. The plaque out in front of this home indicated that it was built in 1892. I still have a lot to explore in Wake Forest, but in the meantime I suggest adding it to your list to check out soon.
Also, keep an eye out for Wake Forest’s new spring concert series “Friday Night on White” featuring food trucks and free outdoor music on South White Street the second Friday of each month from April through September. You can view the scheduled performers here: http://www.wakeforestnc.gov/friday-night-on-white.aspx.
Filed under Picture of the Week
Sometimes I bring my camera with me when I go running in case I stumble upon anything interesting. Two weeks ago I switched up my morning run and followed a new route through downtown that took me along Oakwood Avenue. When I came across this row of colorful “shotgun” style houses across the street from the Oak Cemetery I just had to stop and snap a picture.
Based on my research online these homes were all built sometime around 1930 and were most recently renovated around 2009-2010. They were recognized by the Sir Walter Raleigh Awards for Community Appearance in 2010 for “outstanding new contributions to the character, environment and appearance of the City of Raleigh. If you are into unique architecture and older styles of homes I encourage you to get out and explore Oakwood and surrounding fringe neighborhoods.
Filed under Events, Picture of the Week
The Triangle Explorer 