Greensboro Daily Photo

The Snowy Day

Yesterday, in Greensboro, as the sun was setting, the snowflakes started sticking. The above photo shows the intersection on West Market Street, where it intersects with Friendly Avenue. Temperatures hovered in the low 30s. For a few hours after dark, it started raining melting the snow that was sticking. Then about 10pm, it started getting colder again. GCS schools were 100% remote today over concern of the impending inclement weather. It did arrive, albeit a little later than anticipated.

Usually, when the first snow comes, regardless of how short-lived, people rush out to get sleds. A good place to look is at any hardware store. If you are downtown, last time we checked, Hudson's Hill (527 South Elm Street) had them. Do you have a favorite place to sled ride in Greensboro? We often see children on the hill at Brittish Woods, near the pond at Battleground Avenue. In the event there is enough snow for sled riding, here is a 2015 News & Record article about some other good places to go sledding in the area.*  If there is a snow day and you can't get out, consider listening to this classic from 1962, written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, 

 

*Terrific Sledding.

 

Hamburger Square: What a Great Backdrop

Hamburger Square, at the end of the 300 block of South Elm Street, is where many community events take place. There have always been businesses here, especially sandwich shops. In the time of WWII, soldiers gathered here to travel by train. Currently Natty Greene's, Just Be, and Little Brother Brewing surround the square. The Southeast corner, just below the railroad tracks, doesn't have a business; it has some green space. The above photo is of Natty Greene's in December.

In January of 2019, an article in the News & Record stated that The Christman Company, located nearby in the former Cascade Saloon, donated $50,000 to help rejuvenate this area* It looks like at least some of the work has been done. To be sure the overpass got painted. Next time we're downtown, we'll look more closely to note changes. In addition to sprucing up the area, one of the goals is to make it more pedestrian friendly. Today is Friday; weather permitting, it could be a day to explore the Hamburger Square area.

One of the perks of taking lots of photos of Greensboro is that we have plenty to choose from for Zoom backdrops. We are currently using the above photo and the "zoomer" (person), is nestled snugly in the middle with the blue sky overhead and the lights in the background. Doing something silly, like trying to find a good Zoom background adds a little levity to the day. We've even had a request for a photo with trains as a Greensboro-themed background. Well see if we can take one this weekend for our science-teacher friend. Enjoy your weekend!

• read the article, here. 
• more information about Hamburger square from the 1940's, here. 

Guilford Court House in Greensboro

The above photo is of the Guilford Courthouse, built in 1917 at 301 Market Street. It replaced the courthouse building at the corner of Market and Elm Streets as, in the days before air conditioning, that location was too noisy to when windows needed to be open for ventilation. The Jefferson Standard building of the Lincoln Financial complex is no located on the site of the courthouse that pre-dates the above location.

The building material is  Mt. Airy granite and textured terra cotta tile that has the appearance of granite. Harry Barton was the lead architect. The style is Beaux-Arts/Neoclassical Revival.* The government complex has expanded quite a bit since this building was constructed. If you have ever had to go to the Clerk of Courts office, you have been to this building. This is also an early voting site. Often, these buildings go unnoticed, until we need the services therein. This building exudes strength and stability. The doves of peace are a symbol of love and peace and are symboled in many religions. Today we wish you peace and love, whether you are conducting business at the courthouse, or elsewhere. Happy Thursday!

* read more about the courthouse here.

Boxcar Pizza at Boxcar Bar + Arcade

Ten years ago in 2011, when we interviewed Greensboro entrepreneur,  Dennis Quaintance, we talked about "small" being the new "big".  After years of biggie sizes, smaller glasses, plates, and portions have gained popularity. Today's post is one such example. Boxcar Pizza is a tiny space, specifically boxcar-sized, in the South Elm/Lewis Street area. This outdoor pizza kitchen is the perfect place to get some hot food quickly, whether you are in one of the South Elm establishments or just out walking. It is a way to eat without having to go inside an establishment. You can, however, eat inside the Boxcar Bar & Arcade. It serves as the kitchen for the bar and arcade.

This outdoor pizza kitchen serves Neapolitan style pizza with traditional toppings. It also serves unique toppings like bison sausage and pickles. Savory and sweet soft pretzels are available, too. The boxcar option has been popular with people skating at the adjacent pop-up ice rink. On the day we were on site, the Boxcar employee (in the window) was so busy, we didn't interrupt for an interview.  Boxcar is a unique addition to the downtown Greensboro landscape. See the hours, menu, and more, here.

Triad City Beat & Thomas Sayre's Greenway Art

Today is a special day on so many levels. First, a loyal reader suggested we photograph the above Greenway artwork and mentioned that it is especially attractive near sunset. Second, we serendipitously met up with Carolyn de Berry, staff photographer for Triad City Beat (TCB), who was on location taking photos for TCB. Carolyn was with her son, Lliam Robinson.  Third, we found something new being constructed downtown, fulfilling the request of a loyal reader.

Carolyn and Lliam: Carolyn relocated from Connecticut to Greensboro to attend Guilford College, where she majored in psychology.  Also trained as a commercial photographer, Carolyn has been a photographer at TCB since the paper was first established seven years ago. Carolyn looks for good, interesting, and newsworthy Triad subjects to feature. Her photos are published in TCB weekly. The intellectually curious, outdoor-loving Lliam is a student at New Garden Friend's School.

The artwork: The earthcastings, the trio of sculptures to the righ,t are by Raleigh artist Thomas Sayre. Sayre and his team installed them in late November. They are located near Guilford Avenue and Westerwood Tavern on the path of the Downtown Greenway. In the News & Record article about these concrete structures, Sayre is quoted as saying, "The greenway is about finding your way through downtown Greensboro [and i]n some ways I see the cairns as stacked stones that for centuries humans have used to find our way" (Kane, Nov. 17, 2020). The greenway project is progressing nicely and is anticipated to be completed in 2022.

If you are looking something fun to do, you can't beat urban exploring. And, who knows, you just may run into Carolyn and Lliam or David and me! It was so special finally meeting each other.

Tanger Center For The Performing Arts

We love it when readers engage with Greensboro Daily Photo. As an example, yesterday, a reader helped us get to the bottom of the #seethegood initiative that we featured yesterday. See the good  was an idea brought to life by Mary Crowder and her teammates at Barbout Spangle Design in High Point. Initially, they made and attached a sign, with the slogan, on the side of their business. See the Fox 8 segment here.  Another example of reader engagement comes from one of our faithful readers, who doesn't get out as much as she used to. She suggested we do more to feature the growth and changes in Greensboro, and to feature the downtown more. We realized we tend to zoom in on people and one place at a time, but the next sunny day, will head into town to get some skyline shots.

As for today, this is the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, a big change in downtown Greensboro. Tanger Center had to delay its 2020 opening due to the pandemic and is currently scheduled to open in April. The Tanger Center has been in the making since 2012 and, while some were against tearing down the War Memorial Auditorium at the Coliseum Complex, many in the city were ready for a change. Over 35 million dollars in private donations were received to make the Tanger Center a reality. This spectacular, $85 million facility is now complete. It was named after Steven Tanger, president and CEO of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers. The Tanger family has donated so much to community resources in Greensboro. Tanger Center seats 3,023 and is anticipating being able to open April 2021. The schedule of events is robust; many events are rescheduled from 2020.  You can see if any interest you by perusing their website. Tanger Center is located at the corner of North Elm Street and Abe Brenner Way. Brenner, another local philanthropist, helped establish Brenner Children's Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

See The Good

Are you ever driving along and see something so inspiring that you have to pull off the road and photograph it? Such was the case for us last week when we were driving along Spring Garden Street at Pomona Drive when we saw this billboard. See the good. If you search that phrase, you will actually find an initiative started by a person named Kathy. Her goal is for people to see the good in each day. It doesn't say where Kathy is from, but surely, there is a Greensboro connection as the billboard is in our city. Her blog encourages people to contribute a paragraph about something good. 

As we look ahead to 2021, the notion of seeing the good, in our local community and the people around us sounds like a meaningful way to approach life. Perhaps this could be a New Year's resolution. It is easy to see the good in Greensboro as the weather is not too extreme, there is a good greenway system for walking and bicycling; there are many parks; good schools and several universities, colleges, and community colleges- to name just a few of the good things. If you are looking for a religious community, there are multiple churches of just about every faith.

Our motto has always been to see the good in Greensboro and to feature as much as we can. We thank you for starting your year out with Greensboro Daily Photo and hope you will stay with us for this new year of exploring the people and places of our city. Happy Sunday!

Update: Thanks to a reader, we've learned that the #seethegood initiative recently started in High Point. Bob Buckley at Fox 8 reported on it, here.

Happy New Year 2021: Reflecting On 2020!

 

Happy New Year!

On Greensboro Daily Photo, and throughout the entire City Daily Photo community, New Year's Day is when we share the most memorable photo of the previous year. We also like to feature one photo from each month. January 1st is always our favorite post to prepare because it gives us time to reflect on the great people, places, and events of the past year. The above photo of the year for 2020 is of Dr. Doris Henderson, who was originally featured, HERE, July 15, 2020. Dr. Henderson was an easy pick for the best post of 2020 because she is such an inspiring person, and in her 90+ years of living and working in Greensboro, she has touched many lives. Her photo was the most viewed in our 12 year history of GDP and it received the most comments in 2020. We are so grateful for all of the work Dr. Henderson still does for the community. She is a role model to many- including us!

For each month, we have selected a photo, putting together a diverse lot, to provide a good overview of life in and around Greensboro.

 

January: The Piedmont Old Time Society's Open Jam at Horigan's House of Taps. Hopefully music events can start up again in 2021

February: Common Grounds Coffee Shop. A Lindley Park neighborhood favorite!

March: Horse Farm on Pleasant Ridge. Of the 100 counties in NC, Guilford is one of the top equestrian locations. We have lots of horses!

April: Bees Swarming in Greensboro. Quite a backyard adventure!

May: Proximity United Methodist Church. So much history here. We try to pose something spiritual every Sunday. 12 yrs of Sundays = 624!

June: Bungalow on Percy Street. Greensboro has some really beautiful houses. This one is in the Dunleath (formerly, Aycock) neighborhood.

July: Kirkwood on the Fourth of July. After all, it is the people and sense of community & neighborhoods that makes Greensboro special.

August: Rotary Club Carousel. The carousel at the Greensboro Science Center is a tremendous community resource; so many made it possible.

September: Trains in the Gate City. At one time, trains were a main way to transport people and goods and Greensboro was the main crossroad.

October: Fall Fun at Lake Brandt. 2020 was a great year to rediscover Greensboro natural resources!

November: Peace- A Quaker Core Value. We featured Guilford College three times in November. We have got to find a way to sustain this college!

December: Sunny Winter Days. A landscape photo showcasing the natural beauty of Greensboro.

 

If you are interested in scrolling through the year, and pick favorites for yourself, this link should get you started.