If you’re loco for the Panthers, take your cat scratch fever full steam ahead with NC by Trains fan train rides.
On the prowl for a live home Panthers game without the (hellacious) drive down 85? We’ve got the inside track—Amtrak, that is. Offering fans a cheap, easy, no-muss-no-fuss designated driver—without the hassle of traffic and parking—the train from Raleigh to the Queen City has long-been the go-to for in-the-know Panthers fans who make the mass exodus on game day to get down, get their game on and get back. And, this year, NC by Trains is rolling football trains to transport proud Panthers to and fro select games—with plenty of extra play time. (Our rec: stadium-adjacent tailgate hot spot WFNZ Jack Daniel’s Dog House). Here, your “know how to go.” All aboard! ncbytrain.org
Outbound train: 6:30am, Raleigh Union Station, Piedmont Train 73
Arrival Amtrak Charlotte Station: 9:40am (hey, tailgating time!)
Bank of America Stadium transport: ~10-minute Lyft/Uber
Kickoff:1pm, unless otherwise noted
Departure from Charlotte: 7pm (we see you postgame party!)
Back to Amtrak: ~10-minute Lyft/Uber (allow extra time for pickup)
Inbound train: 10:11pm, Amtrak Charlotte Station, Piedmont Train 78
Football fans, rejoice! Football season is finally upon us! Looking for the best spot to find your fellow fans and catch your team? We’ve done the hard work for you. Whether you’re a Pack fan looking for an away game party with your pack (or find yourself without tix in coming weeks to CF) or you cheer for one of these other teams (but why—jk), game day is at a bar near you. Here’s where to go on *The Big Day* this weekend—and this season—so you can join the huddle with your home team to get blitzed (get it?) with your peeps. Time to put your game face on. Punt, intended.
They say the strength of the wolf is the Pack… and with its highest preseason ranking ever at No. 13, all eyes are on NC State. So if you can’t make it to Carter-Finley—or State is away—and want the fan feel, find your fellow wolves around Raleigh at such go-to game-day hot spots as Brickhouse (home of the Dave Doeren Radio Show), Carolina Ale House, Amedeo’s (swing by this Saturday for drink specials, a celebrity bartender and a halftime raffle!), Players Retreat (s/o to the OG) or Village Draft House for a howling good game day with your pack. #WITH amedeosrestaurant.com; carolinaalehouse.com; brickhouse-nc.com; playersretreat.com; villagedrafthouse.com
If you must watch the Heels or the Blue Devils—we don’t hide our Wolfpack pride at Raleigh Mag—there’s a handful of spots around the Triangle to catch the game. Cheer on UNC while sipping from the signature blue cups at He’s Not Here in Chapel Hill, or, if Duke is who you choose, go “crazie” at Mavericks in the Bull City with a milkshake and BBQ. NTM, word on the street is Brier Creek’s Carolina Ale House is always a good game-watching spot for fans in blue. maverickssmokehouse.com; hesnotherenc.com; carolinaalehouse.com
This is arrrrgh state?! You can’t spell parties without pirates. Hey, #PirateNation! The Pirates are back in action this year at Highpark Bar & Grill, so don your best purple and gold and get that Pirate pride on with fellow fans. #PiratesTogetherPiratesForever! Wake County, NC Chapter, ECU Alumni Association, piratealumni.com; highparkbarandgrill.com
O-H! I-O! Bond over bacon (AKA that ol’ pigskin) and $5 Buckeye bombs—plus $3 Miller Lite 16 oz. drafts, $5 Lunazul tequila shots, and plenty of grub—over at Brickhouse. Ohio’s alum club is bringing those Horseshoe home-game vibes to you via the fighting song playing on every score and DJs on deck for the big games. Go Buckeyes! The Ohio State University Alumni Club of the Triangle, triangle nc.alumni.osu.edu; brickhouse-nc.com
Sammy’s Tap & Grill is the place for Bama fans, friends, food and brews to unite, complete with Bama music, cheers, shakers and more (like, I don’t know, making a drinking game out of the gazillion scores). Don’t miss the weekly raffle (we love some Bama swag!) to benefit the local chapter. Roll Tide! Roll Tide Raleigh,rolltideraleigh.com; sammystapgrill.com
If you can’t be between the hedges swaying to the “Battle Hymn,” travel to Tobacco Road Sports Cafe in Raleigh. Catch the dawg fights all season and keep sniffin’ for some post-season play. Sic ’em, UGA. Good dawg. UGA Alumni Association – Raleigh Chapter, alumni.uga.edu, tobaccoroadsportscafe.com
Share your OSU distaste and shout “Go Blue” with fellow fans at Wild Wing Cafe in Brier Creek. With a fight song dubbed “The Victors,” solo watching is just not an option. Specials will keep you satisfied (plus, Wild Wing donates 10% of food sales to MTAC!) while you bop to beats and let the fight song to transport you to The Big House. And keeping Blue benevolent, be on the lookout for Wild Wing’s MTAC charity nights. Michigan Triangle Alumni Club,alumni.umich.edu; wildwingcafe.com
In Louisiana, the 12th man is food—and Sharky’s isn’t here to disappoint. … Down some drinks (stay tuned for drink specials) and grub on some gumbo and po’boys all football season long. NTM co-owner Simone was born and bred in the Big Easy! So, “hot boudin, cold coush-coush, come on Tigers, push push poosh.” Geaux Tigers!sharkysnc.com
Hotty toddy, gosh almighty! Cheer on those Ole Miss Rebels right down the road at Moe’s Original BBQ in Durham, where the owner just happens to be an Ole Miss alum (!). While Moe’s is no Vaught Hemingway Stadium, there’ll be plenty of barbecue and beer to go around for your whole squad. Game on. Ole Miss Alumni Association,olemissalumni.com;moesoriginalbbq.com
While it isn’t Death Valley, you’re gonna wanna get your roar on with fellow alumni and fans at Lynnwood Brewing Concern at Dock 1053, where, if nothing else, the “Tiger Rag” will never get old. So scoot on in and “hold that tiger” (and find out if QB DJ Uiagalelei can meet those lofty expectations). C-L-E-M-S-O…N! carolinaalehouse.com
The luck of the Irish can be found at Trali Irish Pub—natch. “We are Irish. We’ve got Guinness. We’ve got TVs.” Pop a squat at the bar to watch the Fighting Irish “play like a champion today.” traliirishpub.com
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson discusses the challenges and achievements of her first year at the helm.
Aug. 12, 2022, marked Chief Estella D. Patterson’s one-year anniversary as Raleigh’s 30th police chief. She came here with a vision of making “Raleigh the safest city in America.” In a year marked by a waning pandemic and rapid return to “real life,” rising local gun violence and a concentrated focus on police pay, much has happened since Chief Patterson’s swearing in. In her sit-down with Raleigh Magazine, we talked about violent crime, police pay, the officer shortage—plus bringing nobility back to the police profession.
“Everything we’re doing as a department falls into one of these three buckets, And we’ve made advancements in all three, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
—Chief Estella D. Patterson
Violent Crime
“We are still striving toward Raleigh being the safest city,” says Patterson. While she acknowledges the uptick in violent crime, she clarifies that in her Q2 media rounds she publicly updated that “we’ve seen violent crime go up, but we’re seeing it go back down.” In January this year, we were up 13% in violent crime over last year. We are now still up slightly, but trending down at 4%. “Which is awesome,” she says, “and I credit that to the intentionality of really focusing on our violent crime and then also to the partnerships that we have created, like with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” Clearly federal cases don’t resolve quickly, so “that partnership is huge,” she says, adding to that RPD’s close work with the District Attorney’s office via a frequent roundtable to review the city’s most violent crime offenders and ensuring those cases stick and get the most significant charges.
Salary, Recruitment + Retention
“I think a fair compensation for where we live would be to start our officers at least at $60,000,” says Patterson. “I truly believe the capital city should be higher than anybody else.”
However, she’s grateful Raleigh City Council approved police raises, effective July 30, 2022, bumping new officers from an abysmal $42,300 to $50,301—a jump that, at first sight, may look impressive. But much is at play here. While a ~19% raise is nothing to balk at—and makes major strides in helping to fill the roughly 125 vacancies (~15% of the police force—down from 21% in April)—that salary remains outpaced by other agencies in Wake County and across North Carolina.
While there’s still a gap, the chief is keen on highlighting opportunities RPD has to offer that aren’t afforded elsewhere—think take-home cars, serving as canine and motorcycle officers, or on SWAT or crash investigation teams. But Pattersonisn’t resting on her laurels. “We’ll keep fighting to get more,” she says. “We have to be more competitive than what we are now.”
Raleigh Police Foundation
One of Patterson’s proudest accomplishments has been achieving her goal to start a police foundation in Raleigh. Modeled after Charlotte’s foundation, the Raleigh Police Department Foundation (RPDF, raleighpolicefoundation.org) is comprised of a set of stakeholders who provide financial support and advocacy. After a premiere board meeting in early July, led by board chair and “huge PD supporter” Brenda Gibson, “our foundation is full steam ahead,” says Patterson. Beyond connecting NC’s two major metropolises, the foundation provides extraordinary support for our officers by making high-dollar purchases and equipment needs RPD wouldn’t be able to make within its current budget, she explains.
Noble Calling
As we approach 9/11, emotions and images flood to mind—including the now ubiquitous photo of first responders raising a flag from the rubble. And while we continue to say “never forget”… have we forgotten? Have we forgotten the gratitude, veneration and admiration we felt for the heroes who ran toward known peril, destruction, debris and devastation? In our sit-down with Chief Estella Patterson, we asked her what she thinks it will take to return to a time when police were trusted and respected. “We have to put the nobility back in,” she says. “I think that has been lost. We have to reinstill the ideal that any profession where you’re serving your community or country is noble.” Patterson points out the disparity in media coverage, implying it is part of the problem. “We had that big incident in April where our officers were shot at in the middle of the day, and that didn’t get a lot of media attention because they’d rather talk about us shooting somebody and killing somebody rather than us being shot at,” says Patterson candidly. “But those are the kinds of things our officers are facing on a daily basis. I just ask the public to continue to support the men and women that do this work. It’s a tough job. It’s going to get tougher every single day. We can’t fix it by ourselves,” she says. “We’re gonna need community support in order to do that.”
Breaking down the three bonds: what they are, what they will do and what they will cost
This year, when you go to the polls, you’ll find three bonds on the ballot—the most ever Raleighites have been asked to vote on at one time. What’s at stake? The future of parks (Raleigh Parks Bond Referendum), the future of schools (Wake County Public School Bond) and the expansion of Wake Tech Community College (Wake Tech Workforce Forward Bond). Worth noting, Raleigh voters haven’t voted down a bond in over 20 years.
Not all citizens realize that bonds aren’t about just shifting city money from pot A to pot B. Instead, there is a direct tax impact on taxpayers. To get us all up to speed—as a quick refresh or a sort of “bonds recap”—bonds are the cheapest way for a city or county to raise money and build infrastructure. For example, this year’s Parks Bond means $275 million for city parks—and equates to about a 4-cent tax increase to Raleigh homeowners, explains City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department Director Stephen C. Bentley. Translation: Raleigh homeowners with a January 2021 median tax value of $256,578 would see an estimated tax impact of approximately $103 annually.
So as inflation soars and with so much at stake in a city seeing seismic growth, we take a look at the three bonds on this year’s ballot and break down their potential impact against cost to Raleigh taxpayers. And as you cast your vote this Nov. 8—bonds or not—remember who you vote for determines how our tax dollars are spent.
The bond referendum is an investment in Raleigh’s overall quality of life and community health, including our environmental, social, physical and mental health, as the pandemic has clearly demonstrated the essential value of our parks and recreation opportunities. This bond also provides equitable investments in new park construction and renovations across Raleigh to meet the changing needs in our greater community.
Tax Value
4-cent tax increase to Raleigh homeowners—estimated tax impact on median tax value home ($256,578 in January 2021) is approximately $103 annually.
Projects Included
District A
Big Branch Greenway Connector
Green Road Park improvements
Mine Creek Greenway improvements
Sertoma Art Center improvements
District B
Kyle Drive master plan and implementation
Neuse River Park
District C
Biltmore Hills Tennis improvements
John Chavis Historic Park Phase 2 (Aquatic Center and Heritage Plaza)
South Park Heritage Walk and Top Greene Center improvements
Tarboro Community Center
District B&C
Marsh Creek Greenway feasibility and
preliminary design
District C&D
Walnut Creek Greenway improvements
District D
Devereux Meadows implementation
Dix Park: Play plaza, buildings and operations upfit + Phase 2 design
The bond would go toward 2024–25 WCPSS capital needs, including funds for five new schools and renovations of seven existing schools.
Tax Value
To fund, the county would add 1 cent to property tax, or $10 for every $100,000 of assessed value. Per the County, beginning in the 2024 fiscal year, a Wake County homeowner with an average assessed home value of $337,000 would see an additional $33.70 on their annual property tax bill.
Schools Included
New Schools
Pleasant Plains Elementary School (Apex)
Bowling Road Elementary School (Fuquay-Varina)
Wendell Elementary School (Wendell)
Parkside Middle School (Morrisville)
Unidentified high school (West Cary and Morrisville)
The Wake Tech Bond would allocate money to Wake Tech Community College new buildings and repairs. A national study by Georgetown University’s Center for Education and the Workplace ranks Wake Tech in the top 20% of all colleges and universities in the nation, and the top 10% in North Carolina for student ROI 10 years after graduation. Investments in Wake Tech help provide job opportunities; create the skilled workforce a growing economy requires; and deliver a proven return on investment for students and the whole community. Independent studies indicate that Wake Tech generates more than $1 billion annually for our local economy, with each dollar invested in Wake Tech generating more than $7 in added income and social savings.
Tax Value
As with the WCPSS bond, to fund, the county would add 1 cent to property tax, or $10 for every $100,000 of assessed value.
Aunty Betty’s gin-spert Greg Ewan revisits a classic gin to give us his take—and works up three boozy blends to boot.
We love gin, ginny gin gin. And it doesn’t hurt when Ryan Reynolds’ foxy face is repping it. With so many new gins infiltrating the market (stay tuned to our September issue!), we pondered what it is about a tried-and-true that makes it a mainstay go-to—and in what boozy libations does it best blend? So we called upon local gin guru Greg Ewan of gin-focused Aunty Betty’s Gin & Absinthe Bar to give us his take on the staple and work up some concoctions. “This was a fun one to dive into because Aviation American Gin has been on the scene for so long and there are new gins popping up every day that I had forgotten to revisit and properly judge it,” says the managing partner after his deep dive. “This was probably the first of Aviation I’ve poured for myself since opening Betty’s, and I was truly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for anything with lavender, but am even more impressed when a product has lavender in balance in a way that won’t rile up the ‘tastes like soap’ crowd, and I was very impressed with the balanced application. Being an absinthe junkie, the clean star anise on the finish sealed the deal for me.” Here, Ewan’s Aviation-crafted cocktails. @spillonpurpose; @auntybettysbar
Boosty Collins
Bootsy Collins
When I took my first sip and got that star anise note, I immediately reached for my bottle of absinthe. One of my favorite classic drink modifications is split-basing the Tom Collins into (nearly) equal parts between gin and absinthe. It’s clean, vibrant and refreshing—and highlights the features of both spirits without them stepping on each other’s toes.
1 oz. Aviation American Gin
3/4 oz. Lucid absinthe
3/4 oz. Alley 26 raspberry syrup (too lazy to make my own, and if there’s anyone you can trust, it’s them)
1/2 oz. lemon juice
Shake and strain into a Collins glass; pack with ice; and top with Topo Chico (or sparkling water of your choice). Express a lemon twist over the drink and you’re in business.
Negroni
The real test of a gin is: How does it ’groni? The answer with Aviation is well. Very well. Being a bit quieter in terms of juniper, the classic 1:1:1 structure, while still delicious, didn’t quite stand out. But at a 1.5:.75:.75, we found ourselves with an absolute crusher.
3/4 oz. Punt e Mes (not quite an amaro, not quite a vermouth, but damn if it doesn’t make a good ’groni)
This drink is great up, stirred and strained over fresh ice, YOLO dumped into a bucket full of hotel ice—no wrong answers. For garnish, either twist if you just want the aromatics and rounding effect of the oil, or a wedge if you prefer the way the juice tames the Campari. I always like to leave a bit of room for people to feel comfortable having the drink the way they like it. I’ve got all the time in the world for standards—but none for strict rules.
4:1 Blanco Martini
The drink I probably drink more often than any other. In pop culture, martinis tend to be either bone-dry booze bombs or overbrined salt bombs. While I enjoy both, my true love will always be a martini with a Bianco/Blanco/Blanc (Italian/Spanish/French) vermouth at a ratio in the 2:1–4:1 range (gin:vermouth) with a harmonious bitter pairing. Aviation absolutely shined in the format, and I selected a bitters that would highlight the light lavender of the gin.
2 oz. Aviation American Gin
1/2 oz. Yzaguirre Blanco Reserva Vermouth
2 dashes Scrappy’s lavender bitters
Stir and strain into a chilled martini glass. Express and discard lemon twist.
