September 22, 2008

There were 4 posts published on September 22, 2008 (this is page 1 of 1).

RBC Plaza

Walking around downtown this past Friday I came to a realization about the RBC Plaza. In essence, Raleigh’s tallest building comes up short in a few important ways.

As some have mentioned before, the setback from the street is far too narrow. Pedestrians never get a feel for how tall it is because from the street level it looks like any other dull building in downtown Raleigh. It might look unique from the top but it certainly doesn’t look unique from the bottom. You could walk right by and miss it.

Part of the problem is the lobby of the building. A large, open lobby would’ve conveyed the building’s grand height to those entering it. Instead the building has a modest lobby with modest ceilings. It doesn’t have the lobby of a 33-story building but the lobby of a five-story building.

One day downtown Raleigh will get the flash it needs to get noticed. The RBC Plaza misses the mark.

Tour de Turner

Yesterday the family went on a mammoth bike ride: probably 25 miles! We rode our Middle Crabtree Creek greenway all the way to Crabtree Valley Mall, then up to Shelly Lake where we rested and snacked, then back down the greenway to our home. The kids rode the Trail-A-Bikes as usual, though I’m itching to get them firmly on their own bikes (and I worked with Travis on that a bit Saturday).

I was glad to see so many other cyclists out, too. Probably more than we’ve ever seen. I’m glad the greenways are getting the proper attention.

I also saw a woman with an unleashed spaniel dog at Shelly lake. The dog repeatedly charged into the lake chasing ducks and scared the turtles away. The next time I see something like this I’ll remind him or her of the rules of proper dog-walking in the city park.

We got back around 2:30 in the afternoon and didn’t have much energy to do much else, though I managed to wash the CR-V. It was still caked with mud from Kelly’s trip to the coast, so I guess you could say it needed it!