Greensboro Daily Photo

Hanging Flower Baskets Downtown

Summer is quickly winding down in Greensboro. There are two MUSEP concerts remaining, and traditional public schools start on Monday, August 26th. Downtown still looks beautiful with the hanging baskets of purple flowers on the streetlights. The arms of the lights look as if they were made for the baskets. A 2013 article from the News & Record indicates that the flower basket program been a downtown tradition for over 15 years.

The baskets are environmentally friendly with the selection of drought resistant plants and the use of gray water for watering. There are 245 baskets and they were installed by Downtown Greensboro Incorporated. They are installed in the heart of the business district around Elm Street, McGee Street, S. Greene Street, February One Place, MLK Drive. Barring any unforeseen weather events, they hang from May to October. While the article we've referenced if older, we haven't seen any updated information to say that anything has changed. Regardless, they are super beautiful and well cared for. Have you noticed them?

Reference and read more about the baskets, here.

Joel Crafton, Singer/songwriter

This past First Friday, international recording artist, Joel Crafton, played at the gallery opening in the Greensboro Cultural Arts Center. Joel,  also known as Black Pinoy, plays quite a repertoire of sounds and songs. He combines R&B, soul, and pop. This singer/songwriter is originally from New York, but fell in love with North Carolina and calls Greensboro home. What a gain for Greensboro!

Black Pinoy takes his sound worldwide. He sings in English, Spanish, and Tagalog and  identifies as American Ilocano, (The Ilocano inhabit Luzon, in the Philippines). He is a nice person and gifted at conversing with people from all walks of life. In the above photo, he is seen on the left with a keyboard against a backdrop of art. His saxophonist to the left is putting away his instrument as it was the end of the set. What a wonderful addition they were to the August First-Friday events.

 

Happy 50th Anniversary, Charles Aris

Charles Aris is an international executive recruiting firm, located at the intersection of North Greene Street and Battleground Avenue. Last night, they were celebrating their 50th anniversary. Founded by Charles "Mitch" Oakley in 1969, the organization has grown not only in number of team members but also in the size of the building. The corporate headquarters is 24,000 square feet.  Last night, they celebrated fifty years of the firm's success.

As seen in the above photo, the the 50th anniversary event was beautiful. The ground floor of the corporate office and the tent directly outside were filled with fine food, catered by UNCG. There was beautiful lighting and fabulous live music that could be heard throughout the block. Everyone was dressed in their finest and the mood was festive and celebratory. It is so nice to see businesses reach the fifty-year milestone, knowing that they are Greensboro-based with a global presence.

Tanger Center, Elm Street Side

 

Blink and the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts is up, at least great progress has been made. The above photo features the Elm Street side of the building, which has this magical feature where the reflection off of the building across the street almost looks like an ancient script. They could project some interesting projects, movies, sayings, etc. onto the side of the building.

This 85 million dollar 3,000 seat facility is scheduled to open in the spring. Do you have your tickets? Season ticket sales have been brisk. This will be a wonderful facility for Greensboro. Somebody appears to be interested as their Facebook page already has over 6,000 "likes" and the building isn't even complete. Stop by 300 North Elm Street and check out the progress, or check back here and we'll post more photos as progress is made.

Smith Street Diner

The Smith Street Diner boasts serving breakfast all day long, eight days a week. The locally-owned diner opened in 2005,  serving fabulous, homemade food. It is getting harder and harder to find a good, fresh breakfast, but not on Smith Street. They are known for their giant biscuits and fresh orange juice. It takes six whole oranges to make one glass of juice; it takes someone with a mighty appetite to finish one of those plate-sized biscuits..

As you can see from the above photo, the counter is a very popular place, especially on weekends. Seating capacity is sixty five, and they don't take reservations. The restaurant actually modeled its business after Robinson's Restaurant, giving the current residents of Greensboro a chance to enjoy the great food, service, and location that Mr. Robinson kept hopping for over two decades. 

International Civil Rights Museum

The International Civil Rights Museum, located at 134 South Elm Street, was founded in 2010.   The first Woolworth opened in 1879, and the Greensboro Woolworth in 1929. The Greensboro sit-ins took place there in 1960, when four NCA&T college students weren't going to take no for an answer with respect to their being able to order from the lunch counter. 

In the above photo, the museum looks quiet and empty. However, during special events, the building is packed. It gets over 70,000 visitors annually. Greensboro played an important role in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's. It is important that this history be remembered. If you have never visited the museum, you owe it to yourself to do so.  Happy Monday!

Christman-Cascade Building

What was once the Cascade Saloon at 408 South Elm Street is now owned by and has been redeveloped by the Christman Company. They have completely renovated the interior and left the exterior in its original form. The building dates to around 1895, around the same time the Christman Company was established. 

If you like history and preservation stories, follow this link to Christman's website and read all of the details. There is even a 16 minute documentary (here). This preservation of Greensboro's heritage is an example of what happens when the City, Preservation Greensboro, and private enterprise collaborate.

The above photo was taken on July 4th, hence the red, white, and blue balloons. The police on bicycles just happened to be patrolling the beat.

Weddings on Elm Street

In the above photo, Rev. Liz Grimes is officiating a wedding on Elm Street on the Fourth of July. Mike and Gina are exchanging their vows as their witnesses look on. Nine couples had the opportunity to get married. Altar Ego, a division of Sharpe Pursuits, put on the event in conjunction with other sponsors.

Rev. Jac Grimes, Liz' husband, also performed ceremonies that day. Liz and Jac were the perfect couple to officiate the ceremonies. They have been happily married for years, and are firm believers in the inherent worth and dignity of all. In 2011, they formed a company, All Faiths Wedding Officiants of the Triad  and have performed over 600 beautiful, custom ceremonies over the last eight years. To add to the specialness of the weddings on the Fourth, the very spot where the marriages were performed is precisely where Greensboro splits from north/south to east/west. Everything about the day was special.

 

Greensboro Roller Derby

The above photo features Greensboro Roller Derby members promoting their organization during the Fun Fourth Festival. When you see women skating up and down Elm Street on skates with four wheels, chances are very likely that they are affiliated with Roller Derby. This non-profit organization is committed to promoting fun and fitness on skates.

The Greensboro chapter of this organization was founded in 2010. Join now and you can be part of the 10-year celebration. You may want to watch a match or two before joining. If you love to skate and are interested in learning more, consider joining their boot camp and information session on Wednesday, July 17th. The event will be held at 208 West Fairfield Road, High Point.There are over 1,200 leagues worldwide. So, if you join, you will be part of a large network of women who like match-ups on a track! 

Fun Fourth, Greensboro 2019

Fun Fourth in downtown Greensboro was, indeed, fun! The above photo, taken in the 200 block of South Elm Street shows people walking past the cool-water mister in front of Jimmy John's. Fun Fourth has been a Greensboro tradition for forty-five years. Yesterday, streets were lined with activities for young and old alike. Many of the brick and mortar businesses were closed since there were so many food and shopping options in the streets. Happy 243rd birthday, America. Happy 211th birthday, Greensboro.

If you peek to the right, beyond the group walking towards the camera, you can see the building of the old Ellis-Stone Department Store- long gone, but not forgotten. Greensboro and Elm Street have changed a lot over the last two centuries. However, one thing hasn't changed, the great spirit of the people living here. The Fourth may be over, but hopefully friends and families will be able to carry the celebration into the weekend.

Happy Fourth of July 2019

The Fun Fourth Festival has been going strong in Greensboro for forty-five years. Last night the town kicked off the celebration with a free block party, and with fireworks at the baseball stadium. The above photo was taken on the Eugene Street side of the stadium, one of many fabulous vantage points for viewing the fireworks. With all of the new construction in the area, the fireworks were very close to apartments, as well as the new Hyatt. As you can see from the photo, Eugene street was blocked off and several people gathered right at the street.

Today will be equally fun with the Freedom Run that starts at 7:30 am and the Fun Fourth Festival downtown,  billed as the largest July 4th event in North Carolina. This year, activities are divided into "pods" with pods for play, history, music, food, and more. At the pod on the corner of Elm and Market Streets, wedding ceremonies are being held. The downtown parks and history museum have events throughout the day (check the above link). From 1pm-8pm, Greensboro will seem like a giant playground, all to celebrate the USA. Let's spend the day enjoying each other and imparting random as well as not-so-random acts of kindness, and the holiday truly will be fun!

Barefoot Modern Indie Band

Barefoot Modern is a young, energetic, four-piece band from Greensboro. In the above photo, they are featured playing live and singing, on Tuesday, during the taping of NPR's "The State of Things" at Triad Stage. They played between segments and closed the show.

Lead singer, Tegan Dean, attends Lees-Mcrae College. The other three members are at Appalachian State in Boone. They classify themselves as a indie, with pop and rock mixed in. To be sure, when drummer, Caleb LeJeune and Dean sing, their sound is polished and powerful. LeJeune writes most of the lyrics on the topic of what is happening around them.

Barefoot Modern is getting quite a lot of publicity as well as opportunities to play. If you want to hear them while they are still in the Greensboro area, Barefoot Modern will be playing tonight at the Oak Ridge Town Park Amphitheater at 6:30 pm.

The State of Things

Frank Stasio hosts his National Public Radio show, "The State of Things" for WUNC once a month from Greensboro. The live show is on air on Tuesdays, broadcasted from the 3rd floor space at Triad Stage. Attendance is free, as long as you send in your ticket request and space permitting. The venue is intimate and the cafe seating adds to the charm.

One of the topics addressed on yesterday's show was housing insecurity in Greensboro. In the above photo, Stasio (left) is photographed with Richard Barron, a city reporter for the Greensboro newspaper, The News and Record. They discussed the situation that over 26 thousand people in Greensboro pay more than 30% of their income on rent. When this much of the household income goes to rent, tenants are considered to be rent burdened. Also, there are over ten thousand people in Greensboro waiting for low cost housing. Greensboro has a mere 3-4% housing vacancy, with much of that availability on higher-end properties. 

Attending "The State of Things"  is yet another great way to stay informed about issues, meet people in Greensboro,  and do something fun, for FREE, in Greensboro! Frank is taking some time off this summer, so the next time he broadcasts from Greensboro is Tuesday, August 20th. Bookmark this link, if you are interested in attending later this summer.

 

St Benedict's Catholic Church

 

St. Benedict's Catholic Church is located on North Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. Built at the end of the 19th century, it is the oldest Catholic church in Greensboro. The sanctuary is small, but oh so beautiful. Recently, it underwent extensive renovation and is absolutely breeathtaking inside. See, here, where we featured the interior last year.

However, this past week, we were driving by and noticed some exterior work being done. Possibly the brick was getting pressure washed. Since St. Benedict's  is just down the street from the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, it is nice that it looks beautiful inside and out. It is a good sign when a community maintains its buildings and builds spaces open to the public. Greensboro is doing just that.

Have a relaxing Sunday!

Old Train Depot

Today's view is from Hamburger Square downtown, looking over at the building at 400 South Elm Street. This building is the Old Southern Railway Passenger Depot. It dates to the late 1800's when it was filled with people and goods coming and going, back when Greensboro was known as the Gate City.

The depot used to have a pointed, chateauesque roof on it.*  The building has not been a passenger depot since 1927, but has been used by Norfolk Southern Railroad as office space. It is a glorious, historic structure that will hopefully get some new windows and be restored to its original glory. Greensboro can be proud with the extent to which original building exteriors have been retained.

*see photo and more information from Preservation Greensboro, here.

Tanger Center

Here you see crew working on the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. The photo was taking last week and, as you can see, they are making great progress. Tickets are now on sale for the general public and they are selling well. This venue will do to the performing arts and indoor performance what nearby LeBauer Park has done for outdoor performing and gatherings. For the Broadway series, the packages are really reasonable considering you get passes for free parking and you get to see such great productions. Locals will no longer need to drive to Durham or Charlotte to see the Broadway performances. 

If you are traveling to an appointment downtown, please allow a little extra time. There is so much construction, you can expect delays. However, be patient. Greensboro just keeps growing and getting more resources.

Happy Wednesday, the day before Thursday- which is the new Friday!

Downtown DGSO Road Repair

The McGee Street bridge is getting repainted and will be closed until June 17th. This is located at Hamburger Square, with Natty Greene's to the left. It is hard to believe that this is one of the main areas of downtown. Without any traffic, it almost looks like a country road. Unless you are a cyclist, you probably haven't noticed that the bike lane goes right down the middle of the road.

The railroad tracks are above the blue tarp and the part being painted. The main inconvenience is when a train crosses South Elm Street; McGee is a main cut through to avoid waiting. Pedestrians and drivers alike often choose the loop under this bridge. Some trains passing through can be very long, so if you drive a lot on South Elm Street, plan accordingly .

 Let's hope all is in good order by the Fun Fourth events.

Hamburger Square in Downtown Greensboro

This is a different view of the intersection of South Elm and West McGee Streets, taken with Natty Greene's behind the camera. This area, known as Hamburger Square is a vibrant part of downtown with thriving businesses on three of the four corners and the fourth is green space. It is a fun part of town to explore on foot. If you want to know more about Hamburger Square, read this article archived at the Greensboro Public Library. One interesting fact is that at one time, in the early 1940s, there were eating establishments on all four corners and none was segregated.

Happy Saturday and Happy June 1st. Let summer begin!

Kontoor, the New Name Around Wrangler

This is the Wrangler building on North Elm Street as it looks today. The word "Wrangler" remains and "Lee" has been added below, since Kontoor owns both brands. We don't know if Contour will add a sign more permanent than the vinyl banner, but for now, this is the view from the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. Kontoor already has a box for special performances at the Greensboro Coliseum. We're wondering if they will have one at the Tanger Center. We already have an idea where employees will park while they go to performances across the street!

Have a happy weekend and try to carve out some time to explore Greensboro, especially downtown. It is changing before your eyes. Tonight's  free, outdoor movie at LeBauer Park is "Ralph Breaks the Internet."

Tanger Center at Night... More Downtown Beauty!

Since the interior of the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts was featured in the News & Record, we thought it would be fun to post a photo of the outside. Above you see the exterior construction in progress, plus the posters for the Year 1 plays that will be performed. To the right, you can see the reflection of someone looking at the building. Even under construction, it looks so beautiful at night.

The builders are hoping to have the space, located on North Elm Street at LeBauer Park, finished by March. It will be wonderful to have a performing arts center in Greensboro. And season ticket reservations are selling even better than expected. Do you have your order placed yet?

Cafe Europa

Cafe Europa is such a charming place to dine, especially on a warm evening when the weather is perfect for dining outside. The location at the Cultural Arts Center, between LeBauer and Center City Parks is perfect.

You may remember last year how the community rallied to keep the current owner there, someone who has a 16 year history with the establishment that opened in 2000. Before downtown got all of these great public spaces and new apartments, Cafe Europa was a destination. Let's  hope  Jakub Pucilowski and the City of Greensboro continue to work together and Cafe Europa remains for a very long time.

Even though this is a very poor cell phone shot, you can tell that the restaurant has great atmosphere- especially at night. Were O. Henry still alive, Greensboro's little slice of Europe would be a perfect place to get ideas for a short story! 

 

Picture Perfect Night in Downtown Greensboro

Last night was magical in downtown Greensboro. The above photo features LeBauer Park during the family movie night on the lawn. Greensboro Downtown Parks, Inc. and UNC-Greensboro have partnered to bring the community  free movie Friday.* You bring the picnic and the chair, or blanket. Also downtown, Cafe Europa was filled with diners enjoying the al fresco experience under the strings of lights. The Greensboro Bound Literary Festival held a session in the cultural arts building. The Girl Scouts held a campout in the First National Bank Field, and the weather, dry and mid-80s, was perfect for these outdoor events.

If you want to start your weekend with some great fun, invite a friend or some family members and head downtown. Greensboro is so beautiful, especially when people from all walks of life come together and enjoy the company of each other. The above scene evokes simpler times, harkening back to the day when we sat around watching network TV together with no opportunity to record, fast forward, or watch a movie privately on one's phone. Don't you think the screen looks like a giant, console TV!

 

* Remaining schedule: May 24: Isle of Dogs; May 31: Ralph Breaks the Internet; June 7: Avengers: Infinity War; June 14: Ferdinand; June 21: Bohemian Rhapsody; June 28: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald; July 12: Mary Poppins Returns; July 19: Small Foot; July 26: The Meg;Aug 2: The Princess Bride;Aug 9: The Greatest Showman;Aug 16: How to Train Your Dragon 2;Aug 23: Aquaman; Aug 30: Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse

Greensboro Bound Literary Festival

These puppets in the window of Scuppernong Books are there reminding us that the Greensboro Bound Literary Festival begins tomorrow. This second annual event is sure to have something for everybody. The opening event will be a reception, a presentation about an interactive art project and a film screening at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the corner of Spring Garden and Tate Streets.

There are so many great offerings. To name a few, author Wiley Cash will speak, There will be a response to Hillbilly Elegy. There will be a session on contemporary Muslim writing, spoken word, and a concert by Ani Defranco with Rhiannon Giddens. We predict that some of these events may grow so large in the future that they will be held in the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. This is a fabulous, diverse event for the Gate City! You owe it to yourself to attend at least one session. While all events are free and open to the public, many have already distributed all of the tickets.

To learn more about the festival and to see the schedule, see, here and  here.

ALS Association Walk

Saturday, in Center City Park in downtown Greensboro, the ALS Association held the Greensboro Walk to help defeat ALS. Friends and families put together teams to help build community, heighten awareness, and fundraise for ALS. Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerves in the spinal cord and the brain. Muscles can't get the nourishment they need and the person gets progressively weaker. 

The above ALS Team, "Team Roxie", supports Roxie Shelton, who died after a courageous battle with the disease. It was so inspiring to see these teams cross the finish line and spend this quality time together. Often,  teams crossed the finish line a team member in a wheelchair on the walk with them. Events like the ALS walk provide a sense of accomplishment and joy and a brief respite from all of the serious conversation about the disease that people with ALS face daily. If someone ever asks you to donate, give what you can- from cash to time to emotional support and everything in between.

 

Pizza & Pooch

Pizzeria L'Italiano, located at 219 South Elm Street, has been a downtown institution since 2002. For being such a small shop, they have an extensive menu of Italian food. In the above photo, the owner is busy making pizza on a quiet Saturday as a women walks her big white dog down the street. When you walk with a dog that large, people stop to talk to you. Pooch (probably a labradoodle) and owner were very cheerful and accommodating. 

A downtown is such a dynamic, interesting place, be it Greensboro, or elsewhere. Downtown, people's lives intersect, sometimes without their knowing it. The lady did not seem to be aware of the man making pizza and he did not seem to be aware of her. However, they both caught our eye, and, together in their respective parts of the photo, create nice visual interest. 

Have a happy Monday. Consider taking a walk and seeing what interesting sights come your way. Maybe even stop in Pizzeria L'Italiano and grab a slice of pizza. It is really good.

Government Plaza

Government Plaza on South Greene Street is so inviting this time of year. As you can see, the trees now have leaves and are creating quite a canopy on the perimeter of the plaza. The plaza is not only the place you go to enter the government building, it is also a place where many gatherings take place. In the above photo, people were downtown for the Food Truck Festival this weekend.

The next event will be the Picnic in the Plaza. 98.7 radio radio station will be hosting the event to support the local Make-A-Wish foundations. Peppermoon Catering will be there from 11:30 to 1:30 serving very tasty food at super reasonable prices. If you are in a position to be at the plaza on a Wednesday, during the day, this is a fabulous event for a good cause. While you are there, have a look at Millennium Gate, the arched sculpture in the middle of this photo. Jim Gallucci was the lead sculptor, working with 17 artisans to produce the 106 icons that make up the piece. To be sure, there is plenty to look at in this spot!

Food Truck Festival

Today's photo features the Food Truck Festival from Sunday. Elm, Market, and Greene Streets were lined with people and food trucks as far as the eye could see. This event is wonderful for bringing people together, from all walks of life. It is a chance to try new foods. Many of the trucks are affiliated with a brick and mortar store giving customers a chance to visit them later. The Buddhalicious Food Truck in the front of the photo sells Southeast Asian inspired food. You often see their truck parked in Midtown parked across from Red Cinema. 

In the above photo, the Lincoln Financial Group building is featured prominently. It is as if the festival is centered around Greensboro's most iconic skyscraper.

 

Downtown Food Truck Festival!

Yesterday was a glorious day in downtown Greensboro.  The streets were full of people not only enjoying the weather, but also trying out the food of over fifty food trucks. The trucks were set up on Market, Greene, and Elm Streets. The above photo was taken on Market Street across the street from the Lincoln Financial Group's building.

While the trucks are barely visible in the background, what is visible are people out on the streets enjoying the day.  In addition to great food for sale, there were plenty of free activities for children, including this giant Connect 4 game in front of the Stumble Stilskins Sports Bar.

These ever popular food truck festivals are held on Sunday afternoons so that they are not in direct competition with the brick and mortar establishments, many of which are closed on Sundays; although, if you notice, Stumble Stilskins was, indeed open. Hopefully, the day was profitable for them too, as they have great food!

Gate City Candy Company

There is a new business downtown, Gate City Candy Company, located at 529 South Elm Street. It is located in the space recently occupied by Glitters.

All was quiet after hours when this photo was taken. However, by day, Dan Weatherington stays busy selling, restocking, and telling customers about his products. Opening a candy store has long been a dream of his. He likes the nostalgia factor, evoking memories of childhood vacations. The candy store store in downtown Lexington and the candy corner at Mast General Store in Winston-Salem have both built quite a following. If you visit Times Square in NYC, the M&M Candy Store is always busy. Speaking of M&Ms, Gate City Candy Company now has 18 flavors of M&Ms. 

Everybody likes candy and fudge. We predict this business will grow and grow. What is your favorite candy? Dan likes talking candy and would surely be interested in hearing about your favorites.

 

*reference and more information, here.

Easter Look Brought To You By Dudley Cosmetology University

The Dudley Cosmetology University of Greensboro has been has been helping cosmetology and barber students since 1972. They have an iconic presence in the 500 block of South Elm Street. At Dudley,  you can learn to care for and braid hair, do nails, and so much more. Apparently, you can also learn to embellish beards.

The above photo reflects Dudley's current window display where Easter includes adding a little holiday spirit to beards. If you have a beard and want a unique look for Easter, consider adding some plastic eggs to your facial hair!  Unlike New York City, Greensboro does not have an Easter parade. If they did we're betting some men would be sporting decorated beards. Anyone interested in starting a local Easter parade?

Stepping into the Weekend

Last night was a very busy one in downtown Greensboro. You would have thought it was already the weekend. There was a Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game last night. Plus there are extra people in town for the World Championships in Irish dancing, which is currently happening in Greensboro. That event alone has brought as many as 5,000 dancers and 20,000 spectators into town. 

 

Those public school families who did not leave town, for their long-awaited spring break, seemed eager to get out and spend time with friends and family. Temperatures accommodated, being close to 70 degrees and with clear skies. In the above photo, several young adults, possibly here with the Irish dancers, are heading south on Elm Street, about to wait for the train to pass.Their clothing is as colorful as a bag of Brach's jellybeans! For those who celebrate Easter, we hope the holidays over the next few days are filled with spirituality, tradition, prayer, music, and maybe even a little Easter candy.

Pretty in Pink

Sometimes, it may seem like we're a bit serious on Greensboro Daily Photo. Today, we'll infuse a little humor into this ten-year-old blog. Today, we ask if you know where this "Pretty in Pink"  bathroom is located. Here is a hint. This Pepto-Bismol, unisex bathroom is located downtown. It is a locally-owned business and the owner is very committed to making downtown a great place to shop.

Maybe you can find this bathroom, when you are out shopping this weekend. Between shopping at farmers markets, attending UNCG's International Festival, watching one of the final four basketball games, and running errands, try to find time to seek out this Andy Warhol pink bathroom. 

If you just can't stand it, you can find the answer, here.  Happy Saturday!

Lincoln Financial Group

The Lincoln Financial Group building has changed owners and names more than once, but it continues to be the iconic skyscraper of downtown Greensboro. The gothic revival style architecture of the taller building, built in 1990. fits in with the older, Jefferson Standard building that dates to 1922. It is hard to believe that they have a 68-year age difference. This mighty fortress at the corner of Elm and Market Streets is built from marble, terra cotta, and marble. Julian Price, president of Jefferson Standard Life Insurance, paid in full for his company's headquarters, because he didn't believe in carrying debt. Do you know of any business executives today who espouse the same philosophy?

The orientation of this photo is from the parking lot behind the Grasshopper's baseball stadium. You can tell from the trees that it is early spring. 

Autotrends on the 400 Block of Battleground Avenue

 

Autotrends is a full-service auto repair center in downtown Greensboro. It is located on a relatively quiet section of Battleground Avenue, just down the street from Smith Street Diner. The above photo was taken at the end of a rainy day last week. On the day it was taken, it seemed as if Greensboro would be eternally wet. However, already this week, with the cool, sunny days, those soggy days are beginning to fade.

Rainy days and wet streets have a way of bringing out the beauty in even the most mundane scenes. If you look behind Autotrends, you can see some of the newer housing that overlooks the ballpark.

Happy first day of Spring!

Crafted Art of the Street Food

It is always fun to find places to eat in Greensboro that are visually appealing. Crafted The Art of the Street Food has a bright mural above the bar that really makes the restaurant look cheerful and upbeat. Often, designers have a lot of color on the bottom half of the room with the top fairly plain. This restaurant is just the opposite, and the decor works. The menu is filled with food from around the world. The flavors are many; from mac and cheese to spicy chicken sandwiches to ramen noodles, and then some. Some of the foods are spicy; all are flavorful.

The restaurant opened in 2012 and, over the last seven years, has been a great addition to the northwest corner of downtown Greensboro. Preyer Brewing Company is right next door. The two establishments share a common wall, creating a sort of "Great Gatsby" experience. You can be in one space, looking out over to the people in the other establishment. Almost always, you can be sure people are getting good food and having a great time.

Another Rainy Night

Last night, the weather was rainy and dreary. Downtown, First Friday was not very well attended, possibly because of the weather. However, even though it is hard to get crisp, clear photos at night, the overall feel of a rainy evening can be quite intriguing. The 300 block of South Elm Street looked quite beautiful last night.

Greensboro has experienced record rainfall this season. However, given the fact that this is the last weekend before Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, likely, tonight will be a busy night out on the town. May everyone enjoy the weekend, responsibly.

Mystery Bus

Do you ever go exploring in Greensboro (or your own city) and uncover things that are a mystery? The above photo features a bus parked off of Gate City Boulevard at Tipton Place. It is back there, all decorated, looking like a mobile mural. We're guessing that it is somehow related to the property at the corner of West Gate City Boulevard and Eugene Street, formerly Brooks Lumber. That area has so many murals, lights, and outdoor art, likely the but is part of that venue.

Do you know about the bus? On the day we were on the photo shoot, we didn't see a single person on that street and there wasn't any kind of signage. There was, however, a fence preventing curious street photographers from getting closer. Happy Thursday, which they say is the new Friday! 

Brian Jones at Scuppernong Books

On Saturday, Brian Jones spoke at Scuppernong books. He is the Associate Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York. He spoke about the radical legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.  About one of the best things someone can do to understand fully what was happening at the time while Dr. King was alive is to listen to his speeches and to read his 1967 book, "Where Do We Go From Here?".

The talk was sponsored by the Greensboro Socialists and approximately 40 people were in attendance. Regardless of political beliefs, it was so informative.  Greensboro has many interesting guest speakers, through the Bryan series, the presentations at all the local universities, and the speakers of special interest groups and organizations. Check in with Scuppernong often as they are always hosting informative events.

View of Downtown: Lincoln Financial Group

This view of downtown Greensboro was taken from inside a building on West Gate City Boulevard. The sky was beautiful, and bright. Lights inside the store reflected off of the front of the store window. The top of the Lincoln Financial Group was peeking through the window, situating the photo in Greensboro. On a clear day, the time and temperature can be seen from several blocks away. Have a great weekend. We hope you have a chance to explore Greensboro, finding new vistas and different perspectives, making something old look new.

Bike Patrol in #DGSO

It is becoming increasingly popular to see police patrolling on bicycles in Downtown Greensboro, or #DGSO. In the above photo, two policemen are heading east on McGee Street, about to cross over Elm Street. This part of town is known as Hamburger Square and, while Elm/Market is technically the point where the city spits north/south, east/west, Hamburger Square is equally famous for being a point of much activity downtown, especially during festivals.

The bikes are a convenient way to get from Point A to Point B, or around Point C, quickly, especially during times of high foot and vehicle traffic. Another great benefit of the bike patrol is that it gives officers a chance to stop and interact, positively, with community. Unless they are in pursuit of something urgent, they are encouraged to take time to build community with people along the way. According to the city's website, the Greensboro Police Department has 673 sworn law enforcement officers. According to a 2014 article in the News & Record, 70 officers have been trained to ride bicycles on patrol.