Get your summer reads at Raleigh City Museum

A lot of my friends know I get a physical rush when I’m shopping for shoes or clothes in a store that carries stuff in my style. I have to run my fingers over the fabric, pick up the shoes, ponder the possibilities. I feel more alert, but also a little soothed. I must slow down and take everything in. This is why I prefer shopping alone. I don’t like being hurried.

I get a similar rush when I’m in a book store, particularly a used book store. There’s nothing like thumbing through titles you never knew existed until you wandered down a different aisle. I love the musty smell lingering on the pages of aged books. I read the first pages of many books that will never become my own. I buy books knowing it may be years before I pick them up again. But there’s something about letting them live on my shelves until I’m ready for them … unlike shoes and outfits, they’ll never go out of style.

On Friday, my friends and I stepped into the Raleigh City Museum on Fayetteville Street to see what was on display. I was thrilled to find a used book sale happening inside. The titles were impressive, including many classics, some old textbooks and an impressive children’s book selection that brought back memories of my “Choose Your Own Adventure” and “Fear Street” reading days. I could have spent an hour or more scouring the tables for titles. But not all of my friends were thrilled about spending Friday night browsing used books, so I paid for my 1950s edition of Huckleberry Finn, a biography about Freud and some retro mini-Hallmark greeting books with plans to return.

The sale runs through Friday, according to staff at the museum. You can browse the books (and the historic displays) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. The museum is also open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Hardbacks run $3, paperbacks are $1, and children’s books are 50 cents. The proceeds benefit the museum and its educational programs.

Let me know some of the other non-chain book stores worth checking out in the area. I’m particularly fond of the Regulator Bookshop in Durham and Lazy Lion Used Books in Fuquay-Varina.

If Dwight Schrute were in charge of a Christian coffee shop…

These would be the rules.

This poster was hanging at the open mic event Friday held at a church that meets above Adam Cave Fine Art on Hargett Street in downtown Raleigh. The poster is referencing Dwight from the Office, who is big on rules. I had to give props to the clever person who posted this sign. I wish I had taken better notes on what church is located on the third floor of the building and what their mission is. If anyone is aware, please fill me in. It’s an awesome venue, and an interesting pick for a church.

The only other interesting sign I spied during this month’s First Friday festivities was at Father & Son Antiques. The steamy weather kept the retro shop from staying open for the evening’s wandering art seekers. In case you didn’t know, there are artist galleries/studios on the third floor of this shop that seem to always be open whenever the store is open. If you haven’t made it that high up in the business, I’d suggest taking a peak.

Watch pig races and goat milkings at the Got to be NC Festival

I’m a sucker for a fair. Having grown up in southern Illinois, I’ve been to many 4-H fairs, carnivals, state fairs and the like. So when I found out the “Got to be NC Festival” was free and in full swing at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, I had to go check it out. The festival kicked off last night and runs through Sunday, June 8.

I was surprised and disappointed to see the fairgrounds sparsely populated last night. By 8 p.m. (when I arrived) there was a decent breeze stirring up the steamy day, so it walking around wasn’t too bad. I wonder whether it was the weather or a lack of promotion that kept families at bay. The festival is put on by the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, I’d definitely endorse going. Fireworks will dance in the sky at 9:45 p.m. tonight and Saturday, and assuming the display is anything like last night’s show, then it’s worth going for the fireworks alone. The show lasted about 15 minutes. If you want to watch them shoot up to the sky from the island where they’re shot off of, try parking along Trinity Road near the pond on the state fairgrounds. Here is a 360 degree spin of what you might see:

If your children haven’t had much exposure to farm life, this is an awesome opportunity to let them sample it. I’d suggest taking them to the pig races, where there are multiple shows each day, according to the brochure I was handed when I entered the gates. Watch last night’s pot belly pig race here:

You can also check out rows of antique farm equipment, the BBQ competition, dairy goats milking demonstrations and, of course, a petting zoo and plenty of carnival rides.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen at a state fair? Certainly someone out there has seen a cow give birth or a crazy butter sculpture or something else that’s a little bizarre.

Raleigh is the No. 2 place to get your life on

Raleigh will be named the second best city in America to live, work and play in the July issue of Kiplinger (a personal finance magazine that has a whole section on its website dedicated to the best of just about everything a Kiplinger reader might be interested in). The issue hits newsstands June 10, but you can read the article online now.

It’s always awesome when some place in the Triangle is highlighted as a top place to be. But there are a few things about Kiplinger’s latest declaration that really irk me.

If you read the article closely, you’ll see that technically Raleigh and the “larger surrounding areas” are ranked No. 2 on the list. It’s a fact that becomes obvious only if you notice that the article posts population as 995,662 (U.S. Census estimates for 2006 put Raleigh’s population at 356,321). But really, the whole article focuses on how rad Raleigh is. It doesn’t talk about the merits of Durham, which also boasts a large creative class population (a key criteria the authors said they used to develop their rankings) or make mention of the charms of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Instead, the only other Triangle spot that gets a shout out is Cary.

It goes on to call Raleigh Times the “unofficial cultural epicenter of the new Raleigh” (wonder what the gentlemen running the New Raleigh blog think of that). The article goes on to say:

… (Raleigh Times) sits on a corner of Fayetteville Street, which is the keystone of Raleigh’s Livable Streets project, a plan to bring urban living to a city that languished as its suburbs and exurbs flourished. The bar, which offers 50 Belgian beers, attracts the young and old, hipsters and preppies, plus folks from the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University and Duke University.

First of all, Raleigh Times is not on the corner of Fayetteville Street. It is firmly planted mid block on Hargett Street. I take issue with this only because the Christian Science Reading Room is on that street corner and there is a clearly a huge difference between what’s serve at the Times versus what’s preached at the reading room. Don’t get me wrong, as a former newspaper reporter and beer lover, I love me some Raleigh Times, I just wish the article didn’t use the Times as a crutch for making a greater point about Fayetteville Street.

It’s easy to find flaws when news organizations start making lists of top places. Just look at the scathing comments people posted after CNN Money declared Durham No. 12 on a list of 100 best places to “live and launch” (because you know the Bull City is just a gang-ridden place where you’ll get mugged on the street corner *insert HUGE does of sarcasm here*). And I can empathize with the challenges a reporter faces in trying to capture the feel of an entire community based on a brief visit. I’ve been trying to do that for the community section of the various MyNC.com sites, and it’s not easy.

Do you think it makes sense for the article to declare Raleigh No. 2 without giving additional props to the Triangle? And if you’ve been to Raleigh Times, would you go so far as calling it the “cultural epicenter” of downtown Raleigh?

Paddling away on a sunny day

I think I have more paddle boating experience than most people my age. Growing up, my best friend Kelly and I would paddle around her parent’s small pond in their yellow paddle boat. My dorm at Southern Illinois University was just a few feet away from the campus lake, where paddle boats and kayaks provided ample distractions on warm days.

So I was thrilled when one of my friends suggested we spend Memorial Day on a paddle boat. We rented one from Lake Johnson in Raleigh for $7 an hour then pedaled the next three hours away. We saw a giant snake, a heron and many young couples snuggling along the shore (*gag*).

There are several public lakes in Raleigh and Durham where you can rent boats. It’s definitely worth checking out, especially since these lakes are likely subsidized by local taxes.

I’m also big on swimming holes. I’ve heard there are some good ones around here, especially along the Eno River. If you know of any that are worth checking out, please fill me in. Also, let me know if there are other cool local spots where you can rent boats.

Why would you wear “PoweriZers” to the mall?

I was shopping at Target Saturday, when this man pass me on these bouncy-stilt thingys. I smiled politely and then pulled out my camera and snapped this picture. I should have asked him what, why and how, but I just let him bounce out of my life as quickly as he bounced in it.

 Today one of my coworkers referenced “PoweriZers,” describing something similar to the image above, saying he saw someone wearing them this weekend at The Streets at Southpoint mall in Durham. Apparently, these things can make you jump super high and run super fast.

Poweriser running and jumping stilts will enable you to jump to heights of 5-7 feet and run at speeds of 17-21 mph!

I was about to write it off as absurd and unnecessary (at least inside a Target, right?) but then I remembered my love for the Pogoball in the 80s. But then again, I was also like 7-years-old.

Seriously, why would anyone need to wear these PoweriZers, especially to Target or the mall? Is there something I’m not getting?

Sandy Sculpture doesn’t get knocked down by drunks

I was surprised to see this creepy sand sculpture still standing Sunday, when I was walking through Moore Square in downtown Raleigh.

The sandy sculpture went up for Artsplosure on May 17 and 18.

I can’t believe no one had knocked it down as of Sunday May 25. A full week in the middle of the city with no vandalism.

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, but when you take into consideration that Moore Square is bounded on two sides by bars, a cynic might think some drunken dorks would run into it.

I’ve never been cynical though. So maybe good ol’ fashioned warning signs really work.

(Please don’t take this as encouragement to dive into the sculpture). Are you surprised this sandy creation was still standing a week later? Has anyone been down there since to see if it’s still there?

Happening upon a local arboretum

I like to explore on the weekends. On a rain Saturday last month, I was driving around trying to learn my way around Raleigh a little better, when I happened upon the JC Raulston Arboretum.

It was chilly and rainy, but I went inside the visitor’s center to see what it was all about. I was greeted by a sweet woman who briefly explained the whole layout of the gardens, the mission, etc. She handed me a map and I was on my way.

The Arboretum is part of the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University and is used by students and staff for research and teaching, according to the Arboretum Web site. It’s a neat spot to wander around. Supposedly it’s open 365 days a year (from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during April through October and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during November through March).

I need to stop back by on a sunny day and see what’s blooming. I also need to make a trip to Duke Gardens sometime soon for a picnic. Last week I told you about the hidden urban garden in Durham that I love. Are there any other cool, local gardens I need to check out?

An interview with Chickens in the City

Check out the Hens-side the Beltline Tour d’Coop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday May 17 in Raleigh.

Raleigh’s city chicken owners invite you into their backyards for a first-hand look at keeping chickens in an urban environment. Discover the variety of breeds that might be nesting in your neighborhood, learn about raising chickens, and see how families integrate chickens into their gardening practices. In addition, you’ll be impressed by the ingenious coops that can be devised to shelter these feathered pets.

For information on where the tour stops and how to get tickets, click here.

Did you know there was such a thing as urban chickens? Could you kill a chicken you raised and eat it (I’m not saying thats what these folks do, I’m just curious)?

Here’s why you shouldn’t plan your weekends

I had no plan when I headed to downtown Raleigh Saturday afternoon. I didn’t even glance at the Indy to see if anything was going on. I figured I’d find something on such a lovely day. Here’s how my random Raleighness unfolded:

First I saw signs for the Handmade Market on West Street, so I had to pull over and check it out. I’m glad I did b/c I snagged some rad, crafty jewelry, an awesome piece of art and this cool seahorse shirt from Sew Bliss Sew.

Then right up the street I noticed this huge beautiful American flag dangling over Dawson Street, so I had to see why it was there. Turns out there was a fallen firefighters memorial going on in the little square outside city hall. I was struck with how beautiful this flag looked as it flapped over the cars that passed by. It was entrancing. I started to head toward the Marbles Kids Museum because I wanted to check out that “Kids City Planning Day” meant to teach kids about the revision of Raleigh’s comprehensive plan. But before I got there, I spotted a rally on the Old Capitol grounds. Turned out it was a pro pot rally.

I finally made it over to the museum, and was impressed with the buildings the kids were creating out of boxes. Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver looked like he was having as much fun as the kids building the box city. He’s the adult helping the kid attach the top of the building below: Then it was time to check out Vintage Nation, the new shop on Wilmington street that sells beautiful vintage dresses, skirts, shirts and pants at incredibly reasonable prices, along with houseplants and hip accessories. I was impressed. I’m told by the Raleigh Connoisseur that this marks the beginning of activity-packed weekends in downtown Raleigh. Sounds like it’s going to be a fun summer. See more pictures from my random Saturday on my Flickr.