Ginny from the Blog

In June, Antiques Roadshow rolled into Raleigh, stopping at the Raleigh Convention Center to film three episodes of the PBS series. The second episode airs at 8 p.m. tonight on WUNC. The first episode aired last Monday and featured a woman who was holding onto her carved jade and celadon from the Chien Lung Dynasty that her grandfather had passed onto her. I’m guessing she won’t keep it for long though, as it was valued at $1.07 MILLION!!! The appraiser said it was the highest valued antique he ever appraised on the show.

While wandering around downtown Raleigh during this weekend’s Raleigh Wide Open celebration, I couldn’t help but think that the Capital City has arrived. With the opening of the city’s new $221 million convention center (sorry, I can’t stop dropping that dollar figure) the celebration felt like a debutante ball for Raleigh.

Can you believe that since the beginning of 2006, 53 bars, restaurants and nightclubs have opened in downtown Raleigh? That’s according to the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, which tracks that sort of thing.

Here are the highlights from Raleigh Wide Open:

*Convention Center Opening.

The public got to see what its tax dollars went toward. Residents and out-of-towners alike wandered around the massive exhibition hall and roamed the other rooms and halls. The International Festival shared the hall with local businesses, providing an eclectic mashup that featured everything from Henna tattoos to free Segway demos.

*Street Festival

Fayetteville Street and several of her arteries were lined with vendors selling everything from deep-fried corn to wooden lawn ornaments. Parents pushed kids in strollers, a small circus train pulled families around and a mime entertained passers-by.

*Live Music

Ok, I admit I barely caught any of the bands, so I can’t offer any solid reviews. But Foreigner’s Lou Gramm seemed a hit with the crowd he drew Saturday night. And Chuck Berry’s almost rained-out performance received a favorable review.

*Parade

I’m a sucker for a cliche parade, and Saturday’s march down Fayetteville Street didn’t disappoint. The parade was incredibly short, featuring all the local news stations, a couple politicians, one band and a few businesses and nonprofits.

*The Beer Tent

I can’t believe the beer tasting wasn’t better advertised. Tucked beside the Wachovia building on Hargett Street was a tent filled with more than a dozen brewers from around the country. Ten dollars bought you a sample glass and a hole-punch card that allowed you eight samples. But most pourers weren’t stamping the cards, so the samples flowed.

Check out more of my pics.

I must complain about one small, petty thing. On Saturday afternoon I tried to go into the Marriott to show my friend the fancy lobby. But we were stopped by two bodyguards who looked like they should be looking out for Brittney Spears and not us Raleigh lovers. They told us only guests were allowed (even though I clearly wasn’t a guest when I toured the hotel a couple weeks ago).

Now I completely understand that they probably didn’t want a bunch of drunk people wandering around their halls, dirtying up their bathrooms and the like. But the city contributed $20 million in taxes to help foster the construction of the hotel. So I think that’s enough of a taxpayer contribution to allow the public inside for a quick tour. I’m only slightly bitter though.

What was your favorite part of Raleigh Wide Open (or any complaints that can be used for improvement next year)?

Tomorrow is a big day for downtown Raleigh. The $221 million convention center officially opens. A noon ribbon-cutting starts things off, followed by two days of celebration with Raleigh Wide Open. Check out the full list of free events, which includes a Chuck Berry concert and more.

I’ll pretty much be living downtown for the next two days because I don’t want to miss a thing. If you’re going to check out the convention center this weekend, be sure to stop by the 30THREADS/MyNC.com booths. They’ll be in front of the motorcoaches parked in the 150,000 square-foot exhibit hall.

But if you’re stuck at work tomorrow and can’t see the ribbon cutting, don’t worry, we’re bringing it to you. We’ll be live streaming the event at noon tomorrow on the 30THREADS live page. We’ll also be providing updates throughout the afternoon.

Then on Saturday, I’ll be back again in the morning and early afternoon. So stop by and say hello. Don’t be a stranger.

Workers were testing the LEDs that will back light the shimmer wall that adorns Raleigh’s new convention center on Monday night. They appeared to only be testing one panel, at least when I stopped. So I snapped the photo below.

The plan is to officially light up the entire waving Oak Tree on Sept. 5, when the convention center officially opens.

When fully lit, the wall can shimmer in tons of colors. They can even tailor the colors to match holidays (say green for St. Patrick’s Day) and special events (say red if the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup).

Here’s a sneak peak of a single panel.

Can you imagine how beautiful this will look when it’s all lit up?

The shimmering oak tree that lives on the west facade of Raleigh’s new convention center is simply stunning. The sprawling tree is made up of nearly 80,000 light and dark aluminum squares and was completed a couple weeks ago. When the wind blows, the squares flap and it looks as if waves are rolling over the tree.

Soon, the tree will be backlit by LEDs, allowing the tree to glow and reflect a ton of colors. That won’t happen until the convention center officially opens on Sept. 5.

The success of this public art piece (or design feature, depending on who you ask) is apparently a big deal in Raleigh, which has had some hangups with other public art attempts, the News & Observer reports.

Two years ago, Raleigh officials rejected a hydro-electronic abstract sculpture planned for Fayetteville Street that was designed by Jaume Plensa, an internationally known Spanish artist. The decision led businessman Jim Goodmon to withdraw his offer to pay $2.5 million to help fund the project.

And then, in the mid-90s, there was a debate over the Time + Light Tower located in the median of Capital Boulevard north of the Fairview Road ramp, the N&O reminds us. The 40-foot tower is made up of glass panels that reflect rainbow colors.

I remember riding down Capital with my friend Graham when I first moved to Raleigh and asking him what that tower was. When he told me it was a public art piece, I laughed. It’s actually pretty cool (compared to most things in the Capital Boulevard median, anyway). When the Time + Light Tower went up, it “was called an ‘old derrick with mirrors’ by Tom Fetzer, Raleigh’s mayor at the time,” the N&O reports.

If you haven’t had a chance to see the shimmer wall for yourself, check out this hasty video I made.

The easiest place to pull over and view it is on Cabarrus Street, which is sorta closed for construction right now. Just head down South Dawson Street and turn left on Cabarrus Street to park. Then get out of your car and admire it’s beauty. An oak tree, of course, is a fitting shimmer wall stamp for the City of Oaks.

Have you seen the shimmer wall yet? Do you love it or are you underwhelmed?