Expanding what is humanly possible while flirting with danger and living life on the edge (literally) is Bandaloop, a 31-year-old woman-founded dance group that uses climbing technology to defy gravity and challenge what is possible. Bounding into Raleigh from their Cali home base, the internationally recognized troupe made symbolic leaps and bounds to fete real estate development firm The Fallon Company’s grand opening of the 301 Hillsborough tower at Raleigh Crossing, aka a dynamic addition to DTR’s skyline serving up 19 stories of striking design via its angular glass facade—NTM 280,000 square feet of office space (currently leasing floors to Pendo) with 12,000 square feet of ground floor retail—to the budding Capital District.
“They say what we do is death-defying. I’d say it’s life-affirming.”
—Amelia Rudolph, founder, Bandaloop
“This building is the reason we are here,” says Bandaloop Artistic Director Melecio Estrella. “It’s an honor to work with The Fallon Company, especially with someone like Joe Fallon who understands the power of public art and dance, and works with artists to champion public art. Bandaloop has danced on 330 sites worldwide, and these glass buildings with such height are one of our prime stages because of the reflection and how they become almost part of the sky.” Clearly the sky is not the limit. bandaloop.org
We don’t know about you, but we’re exhibiting a whole lot of excitement for International Museum Day May 18. And what better way to prepare yourself for a museum-hop than to check your knowledge on Raleigh’s must-see museums. … You’re gonna have to really use-eum your brain for this one!
1. Raleigh has been dubbed the “Smithsonian of the South” thanks to its abundance of museums and historical attractions—NTM passion for art, history and science. Which of these Raleigh museums is the oldest, built in 1769?
a. North Carolina Museum of Art
b. Pope House Museum
c. NC Museum of History
d. Joel Lane Museum House
2. We hope you’re not scared of ghosts! One of the most haunted homes in North Carolina, the Mordecai House was featured on what popular paranormal TV show?
a. Ghost Hunters
b. Ghost Adventures
c. A Haunting
d. Haunted History
3. A dino-mite exhibit is coming to Raleigh’s NC Museum of Natural Sciences Museum in 2023 and the hype is real. What two dinos will Dueling Dinosaurs put a spotlight on?
a. Triceratops and velociraptor
b. Velociraptor and spinosaurus
c. T. rex and triceratops
d. T. rex and velociraptor
4. The only African American house museum in North Carolina, Pope House Museum explores the life of Dr. Manassa Thomas Pope, the only African American man to run for which office of a Southern capital during the Jim Crow Era?
a. City manager
b. City council member
c. Mayor
d. City planner
5. Children have been flocking to Marbles Children’s Museum to “use their marbles” and play to their heart’s content since 2007. How many marbles are wrapped around the museum’s night-lit three-story marble wall?
a. 500K
b. 1 million
c. 1.5 million
d. 2 million
6. Located on the second floor of one of the largest Harley-Davidson dealerships in the U.S., Raleigh is home to the ___ Harley-Davidson drag racing museum in the world.
a. Only
b. Second
c. Third
d. Fourth
7. Don’t go chasing… rivers? The NC Museum of History’s current exhibit River Bridge: Sunken Secrets examines the history of a trade port on what NC river?
a. Neuse River
b. French Broad River
c. Pasquotank River
d. Cape Fear River
8. CAM Raleigh was originally a warehouse built for Allen Forge & Welding Company before it was purchased and revitalized by the contemporary art museum in 1997. How much did CAM pay for the building?
In honor of National Bike Month, check out this app for Raleigh biking and some stats/info on how and where the bell to get a bike.
Ditch the four wheels and go for a ride for National Bike Month! It’s apparent that the City of Oaks is growing more and more bike-dependent (we see you bike lanes and trails!), so we’ve done the legwork of gathering all the info necessary to help you become an in-the-know Raleigh cyclist in no time. Whether you’re already a big-time biker or you’re just looking for a wheelie cool way to navigate the city (hello, summer!), we’ve got you covered—as your official 2022 spokes-person.
There’s an App for That
Navigating Raleigh by bike can be tiresome, but, luckily, there’s an app for that! From where you can bike safely on the road to the City of Oaks’ many bike trails to where you can find a bike—plus plenty other burning questions/concerns you may have about the local cycle scene—the official BikeRaleigh app has you covered. Making cycling more convenient, comfortable and cautious for Raleighites, this app has biking down to a cycle-ology so you can safely (and smartly!) navigate the city. Wheel, yeah!
Bikes = The New Toilet Paper
Had trouble finding a bike? You weren’t alone. Like toilet paper, they became a hot commodity propelled by the pandemic—which, in this case, really changed people’s cycling habits, and thus the demand for two-wheelers. A chain reaction if you will. But as we emerge, local shops are returning to stock and regular “service.” So, whether you fancy a ride or have one that needs fixin’, we rolled together a host of local spots with good-quality bikes and service that won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Oak City Cycling
Pop in for a tuneup or repair, or shop among nine different brands of bikes to find the perfect fit—and price!—for you. Pros to amateurs can find their match among Oak City Cycling’s various price ranges, colors and models, ensuring you’re ready to ride no matter where the road (or trail) may take you. oakcitycycling.com
Cycle Logic
Raleigh’s oldest bike shop wants to be a part of your adventure—whether it’s to revamp your bike or get you ready to roll on a mountain, street, greenway or anywhere in between. Shop bikes, parts, wheels and accessories, or just stop in to ask your burning bike questions. cycle-logic.biz
John Bicycles
Need a tuneup? Grab your chain gang and head to John Bicycles for same-day service (!) that comes with a personal, judgment-free process of fixing your ride.johnbicycles.com
Trek Bicycles
“Ride bikes, have fun, feel good.” If you’re tired, start with an online assessment, or head to Trek’s location in Holly Park to find the perf ride for your level of skill, comfort and versatility. trekbikes.com
10th safest city for cyclists in 2021
31 Citrix Cycle stations (and 336 bikes!) spread out around Downtown core and Hillsborough Street.
80 mile of bike lanes in Raleigh
Raleigh was ranked the No. 114 best biking city in America in 2021.
New study explores the gender gap in the housing market.
It’s 2022 and gender inequality is still an issue. And now, it’s affecting the already ubercompetitive housing market, as evidenced by real estate provider PropertyShark’s recent study exploring the gender gap in real estate—which has grown exponentially over the past five years.
According to the study, single women can only afford a home in 17 out of 51 top U.S. markets while men can buy in 29. Lucky for female Raleighites, however, the City of Oaks is one of those 17 affordable markets.
To conduct the study, PropertyShark used data on median incomes for men and women from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 statistics, and then applied it to a calculated average monthly mortgage payment. (Affordability was defined as the “upper limit on monthly mortgage payments at 30% of monthly income.”)
When looking at our fair city, PropertyShark found that Charlotte is unaffordable for single women, requiring female buyers to put 35% of their local median income toward a mortgage, while male buyers only put 26% (so much for the Queen City nickname, huh?).
The City of Oaks, on the other hand, only requires 22% of the local median income to be put toward a monthly mortgage for female buyers and 17% for male buyers, making it affordable for both single male and female future homeowners—a stat that makes Raleigh the No. 5 most affordable city for single female buyers! (Though we still acknowledge the 5% disparity, ahem.)
BTN
34: Number of cities single women cannot afford to buy in today. (This number is 10 more than just five years ago.)
22: Number of cities single men cannot afford to buy in today
49%: Amount of median national income single women have to spend to pay a monthly mortgage payment
32%: Amount of median national income single men have to spend to pay a monthly mortgage payment (aka men are barely over that affordability threshold nationally while women are almost 20% over it.)
22: The number of cities where male and female buyers can’t buy, which has risen from 14 since 2017
7 egg-cellent eggs Benedicts in Raleigh to celebrate National Eggs Benedict Day.
Scrambling to find a primo eggs Benedict in Raleigh? We’ve gotcha covered with these seven egg-stra-special Bennys at popular brunch spots around town in honor of National Eggs Benedict Day, Saturday, April 16. So whether you’re looking for a pick-me-up at the crack of dawn or a leisurely 2pm brekky staple, these restos are sure to eggs-cite. (All yolks aside, make those rezos stat!)
Mornings got you feeling a little crabby? Let the early birds have the worm and indulge in a fried green tomato and crab Benny on Plates’ greenery-filled patio that’ll (hopefully) save you from the morning grouch—and maybe a hangover. (Plates menu is ever-evolving so get it when it’s on offer!)
Happy hollandaise indeed as Midtown Grille takes it back to the basics with its classic country Benedict with your choice of smoked salmon or country ham, garlic spinach, and hollandaise. Enjoy that side of home fries too—because brunch calories don’t count.
Farm to table to belly. Poached eggs (from chef Sean Fowler’s Mandolin farm!) and Johnston County Country Ham are the star in this breakfast staple. It doesn’t get much better than that!
You can’t go wrong with any of Famous Toastery’s Benedicts (despite the name, the Bennys are equally deserving of a nod), but the avocado Benedict—made up of a split avocado baked with Cajun seasoning and topped with two eggs, melted pepper jack cheese and pico de gallo—is sure to fill that pit in your stomach come brunch time.
Regardless if you’re a meat-eater or a pescetarian, you can enjoy National Eggs Benedict Day at Irregardless, thanks to its brisket Benedict and salmon Benedict—both of which are topped with poached eggs and hollandaise. How eggs-quisite!
Going green never tasted so good. … Order up NOFO’s fried green tomato Benedict with pimento cheese, smoked bacon jam, two poached eggs and tomato relish on a buttermilk biscuit (!) for your daily dose of veggies. Still counts, right?
Choose your fighter: the veggie Benedict (served with spinach and Piménton hollandaise) or the serrano Benedict (with pan tomate and hollandaise). Either way, it’s a brunch win.
