WEB EXCLUSIVE The July/August issue of Raleigh Magazine is on stands around town and will be delivered to your doors and mailboxes very soon! Here’s a quick look at some of the stories we’re featuring in this issue.
Less Frequent Flyers
With everything from sporting events to business conferences to weddings cancelled due to coronavirus, RDU International Airport has seen a drastic reduction in the number of travelers coming through. As a result, the airport has reduced its number of flights daily from 59 to 23 and is currently serving no international destinations. Though big capital improvement projects are on hold, restaurants and retailers in the airport are opening back up and travel is picking up again slightly. Get the numbers and forecasts from tourism experts and the RDU Airport Authority on the airport’s outlook for the short and long term.
In Need of Reform
The coronavirus shutdown shone a light on ways the restaurant industry leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation. Then, allegations of harassment and abuse at the popular Brewery Bhavana in downtown Raleigh shook up the city’s local culinary scene. We spoke with restaurant owners and others about how the food and beverage industry can help make the work experience better for employees going forward, from paying them a living wage, to giving them paid time off when they’re sick to keeping them safe from abuse on the job. Learn which Raleigh restaurants are already putting new, better systems in place.
Reflections On a Movement
Sometimes it’s been peaceful, sometimes painful, sometimes beautiful and sometimes violent. But there’s no denying, the last few weeks in Raleigh and the nation have brought on a reckoning—one that looks, at this moment, to promise lasting change. In a photo essay, we share thoughts and images from those who protested racial injustice and police brutality peacefully last month as well as the faces of those impacted by looting and destruction and the beauty and creativity that emerged in colorful murals on ply board panels all over downtown.
North Carolina Beach Sheet
Before you hit the Carolina coast this summer, use our beach cheat sheet to discover which beach fits in with your idea of a perfect summer getaway. We explore 17 of our favorite North Carolina beach towns and what each has to offer, from famous doughnuts to fireworks on the boardwalk to friendly seafood-focused restaurants. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing escape or a fun-filled family vacation, there’s an ideal North Carolina beach for you.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Many of North Carolina’s exceptional beaches have opened just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Be aware, there are still rules to be followed and precautions to take before you head out. Here, we break down what you need to do know before you hit the coast.
Beaches on the Outer Banks reopened to the public on May 16. Social distancing practices are still encouraged. More non-essential businesses are also reopening in the area and restaurants are continuing takeout and delivery.
North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach reopened parking lots and beach access on Friday, May 8 and allowed short term rentals again. Masks are still required inside of Surf City businesses and social distancing will continue to be be enforced.
Wrightsville Beach relaxed restrictions to allow sunbathing, fishing and games beginning Wednesday, May 20. They’ve also reopened six public parking lots, totaling 329 available parking spaces. All on-street parking will remain closed; only those with parking hang tags and tax decals will be permitted to park on the street.
On May 9, Emerald Isle reopened public parking and water access for swimming, surfing, kiting, kayaking, fishing or boating. Visitors can also walk, jog and sit on the beach while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier also fully reopened on May 15.
Atlantic Beach began allowing recreational beach access on May 8 and reopened about 150 parking spaces. Mayor Trace Cooper says he only allowed a select number of parking spaces to reopen in the hopes that tourists don’t flood to the city. “Our goal….is to primarily allow some locals to get out on the beach and get some fresh air,” Cooper said.
On April 30, Ocean Isle opened beaches for both exercise and relaxation. Public parking is also open and short-term rental restrictions have been lifted.
Emily Neville gives new life to Sunbrella’s leftover fabric.
Most people would assume that leftover scraps of fabric belong in the trash, but Emily Neville, founder of Raleigh-based Reborn Clothing Co., sees their potential to become something new and exciting.
In her sophomore year at NC State, Neville started Reborn as a way to repurpose perfectly good pieces of clothing into pillow cases, blankets and other products that otherwise would be thrown away. Now, Neville is releasing a line of beach totes and zipper pouches in collaboration with the international fabric manufacturer Sunbrella, which specializes in patio furniture, awnings and more. Neville saw how much textile waste Sunbrella was generating at its headquarters in Burlington, NC—only an hour away from her Reborn HQ—and suggested a collaboration. “They didn’t have a consumer partner yet so we wanted to offer this product to their consumers who are already in love with their fabric,” Neville said. Sunbrella’s sustainability director saw how a partnership with Reborn would be a great solution, and so, for the past year, Neville and her team have been working on designs and putting together the final products.
Given Sunbrella fabric’s ability to endure sun damage, and the other potential harms to textiles that can naturally occur from being outdoors, beach totes readily came to mind for Neville as a logical product proposal. Her team selected six body colors that they then matched with the thousands of pounds of Sunbrella’s patterned textile waste, delivered to Reborn’s facility every week. Depending on the size of fabric scrap that comes in, it’s made into either a large beach bag or small zipper pouch, with each piece emerging as truly unique. The bright fabrics from Sunbrella’s colorful spring and summer collections are carried through to the bags and accessories to ensure that they’ll be fun and appeal to both the average Sunbrella and Reborn customer all season long. Neville sees the collection as approachable for all ages; the zipper pouches are great for younger girls while the beach tote is perfect for keeping all the essentials in one place on a family beach trip.
Part of Neville’s passion for the Sunbrella project came from wanting to honor the labor and energy that had gone into making the company’s fabric. “We didn’t want to see this perfectly usable, brand new condition fabric shredded or sold for pennies a pound,” Neville says. “What we want to see is the thousands of gallons of water and energy that went into making this fabric be continued into a new product.” Sunbrella, too, wanted to give its leftover fabric a new life.
“This partnership with Reborn Clothing Co. offers a unique way to revitalize and repurpose what would previously be considered ‘unusable’ fabrics into creative, exclusive tote bags, each individual in its design,” said David Dean, head of research and development for Glen Raven, Sunbrella’s parent company.
Neville hopes the partnership will help show other brands that the idea of repurposing what might seem like throw-away fabric is possible, and that collaborations like these are ideal. Through the collection, she’s shown that the idea is scalable from a manufacturing standpoint and produces a good quality product that consumers love.
Reborn launched a limited release of its Sunbrella products on its website on May 20, with additional limited releases to come throughout the spring and summer seasons.
Boozy popsicles are back in Raleigh bars…or in your own kitchen.
At 10th and Terrace at the top of downtown’s Residence Inn, they are made of puréed fruit, simple syrup and Kölsch beer from White Street Brewing Co. in Wake Forest; what better way to beat the heat while soaking in the best of summer than enjoying one of these beer-infused treats? To make the experience even better, they come served in a glass of Anna de Codorniu Cava, or more White Street Kölsch.
Here’s a visual.
Imagine a traditionally shaped peach popsicle with the slight pear and melon taste of a crisp, German-style beer, slowly melting into a stemless glass of chilled Cava, like a Bellini. Or place a pop in your Kölsch straight from the tap, foam flowing like a fruity root beer float. You can dip the popsicle like an Oreo in a cold glass of milk, or you can let it seep into your drink, slowly transforming the flavor of what you’re sipping on until all you’re left with is an empty glass and a wooden stick. Yes, please!
For a change of pace this summer, 10th and Terrace is also offering a (non-alcoholic) lemon-lime popsicle—there’s actual lime zest in the pop—placed in a mixed drink of vodka, hard lime seltzer, green tea simple syrup, lime juice and fresh mint. Rachael Pair, the director of operations at downtown’s Residence Inn, calls it the hotel bar’s “zen poptail” for those who want a treat that’s light and refreshing.
“We were looking for something out of the box to set us apart,” says Pair, who introduced the restaurant’s boozy popsicles last summer with Chandler Pearce, formerly a business development representative at Lonerider Brewing Company. “The popsicles let us get creative and let your taste buds soar. The motivation for creating the popsicles is like being a kid in a candy store.”
Currently, 10th and Terrace has four popsicle flavor options, with peach and lemon-lime as this summer’s new additions. Last year’s favorites, strawberry and Piña Colada, are back and all four will be available until the weather cools down, likely after the Hopscotch festival in the fall.
While 10th and Terrace was an early player in Raleigh’s boozy popsicle scene, it’s not the only place offering these spiked delights. North Hills’ 41 Hundred Lounge also offers boozy popsicles with ever-changing flavors, so it’s worth checking them out, too. Last summer, 41 Hundred Lounge sold frosty Margarita and frozen Old Fashioned popsicles filled with boozy gummy bears.
Whether you find them at a Raleigh bar, order a box online or spend hours on Pinterest looking up “poptails,” there’s no shortage of ways to find this frozen treat. We tried our hands at making easy, flavorful popsicles we thought would be accessible to boozy pop novices. We think, with enough trial and error, you can make any cocktail into a “poptail.”
After experimenting with six recipes, we landed on three we think are straightforward and delicious:
Coconut Key Lime Pie:
1 part Key Lime Pie Cream Liqueur
1 part coconut rum
4 parts limeade
Spiked Arnold Palmer:
1 part Firefly Sweat Tea Vodka
3 parts lemonade
Splash of unsweet tea
Cucumber and Elderflower:
1 part Cucumber and Mint Kettle One Vodka
1 part Elderflower liqueur
4 parts lemonade
Of course, you can get as fancy as you like with the ingredients, but we recommend starting simple. Liquor doesn’t freeze easily, which is common knowledge, so the trick is to include a flavored spirit with enough juice to freeze the alcohol. Also, choose your mold carefully. A popsicle mold with a plastic pull top can be tricky when you’re trying to pull the popsicle out of the mold—while still frozen and formed, popsicles with alcohol don’t hold up to the yanking that a popsicle full of only juice likely would. If you want to try your own recipe, use an ice cube tray with a silicon bottom to pop out the ice cubes. If they’re fully frozen, you should be able to try something bigger. Stay away from bitter or overly sweet flavors. If you’re doing something fruity, try adding real pieces of fruit to the mix. Happy popping.
This summer, we’re opting to stick around and take a staycation in the City of Oaks’ own backyard. We’ve got some tips on six of the best places to stay all around Raleigh, plus suggestions of where to eat, drink and shop and how best to explore our home city. So ditch the travel time and the hefty price tag; join us for a trip through Raleigh’s most spectacular spots.
