I remember my first handful of visits to Raleigh as a teenager and seeing the Cree Shimmer Wall as…read moreI drove down S. McDowell St. as we passed the Raleigh Convention Center and Red Hat Amphitheater. At the time, I had no idea what it was but thought the way it shimmered in the light was beautiful. I've been a Raleigh resident for several years now and I can confidently say that even to this day, I have to stop and admire the wall whenever I'm nearby. "Shimmer Wall is a 9,284-square-foot piece of art adorning the west side of the Raleigh Convention Center. This spectacular piece is made up of 79,464 light and dark aluminum square pixels that change shape and disappear as the squares flap in the wind. The design team, including artistic inventor Ned Kahn, worked to put the thousands of 4-inch by 4-inch aluminum pixels hinged on louvers to allow for free motion on 4-foot by 4-foot grids. To aid nighttime "shimmering," the design team chose to backlight the wall with 56 LED fixtures from Cree, which have a lifespan of 15 years. The LED colors vary depending on the season or celebration. The wall depicts an image of an oak tree and has become a symbol for Raleigh, the City of Oaks." - LocalWiki How cool!!! I have heard that you can get a good nighttime glimpse of the Cree Shimmer Wall at night from the bridge on Boylan Street. I've never stopped to check it out there but that is also a great spot to take a snapshot of the city at night. I love this city.

Mad. Cool. (Of course they were setting Red Hat Amphitheater…read morefor Shinedown concert the day I went to see the wall, so whole downtown Raleigh gone mad hatter, but consider it as part of experience) Over 9,000 sq ft wall designed by Clearscapes with LED lights donated by Cree. It made with 80,000 metal panels, moving in the wind and creating rippling effect. Some panels are fixed, and paint a picture of old Oak Tree, to commemorate Raleigh nickname, City of Oaks. Like a reflection of Oak Tree in the water, rippling and changing, it representing the city that stands for it's past and changing for the future. This is grand.

We all know that the Greenway system in Raleigh has really raised the level of outdoor recreation…read morein the area. And since much of it is centered around the Neuse River, I'd say it's time we all start using and protecting this asset as much as possible. I mostly use the river for canoeing (as I did today), and it's always a blast. For canoes, kayaks, and tubes you have a few options for getting on the river. I bought my own canoe, but you can always rent at Paddle Creek, but honestly, it's over-priced. If you want to go once, then stick with them, but if you like hitting the river with regularity, then buy a boat - they're not too expensive. Or, you can grab some tubes, but make sure you get the sturdy black ones. I generally launch at the dam or, if I don't want to do quite as long of a trip, I'll put in at Capital under the bridge. You can float down to Horseshoe Park or all the way down to Anderson. It's about 3 hours from the dam Horseshoe and about 5 from the dam to Anderson. It's quiet, full of wild-life and wonderfully peaceful.

The Neuse River provides the best route for float trips. Grab your friends, beer, a few big…read morefloaties, and A LOT of sunscreen and you'll be set. The river has miles of slow-moving rapids so you can honestly float for hours. If you want something a little faster, rent a kayak or paddle board from any of the nearby boat rental businesses.

I love cats! Obviously it was required to visit this giant mural while in town. It is fun it is…read morefunky and while strolling along easy to get to and snap a photo of. It was purrrrr-fect!

The American Tobacco Campus was established in 1890 as an industrial center. When the tobacco…read moreindustry left, the campus had to change. The Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the Durham Center for Performing Arts brought new life to the campus. The Old Bull Building is where Lucky Strike was made. Tobacco was a large employer in Durham so when it shut down in 1987 the property started to fall apart and people moved away. Capitol Broadcasting decided in 2004 to purchase the campus and turn these historic buildings into something unique and special. The ATC has offices, apartments, shops and restaurants. There is a courtyard, water features, outside seating and even a train car. It is an easy place to visit with three parking garages nearby and street parking. Then it is fun to walk around and see the remnants of what used to be there.

The limited number of shops and restaurants might not be a bad thing considering how commercial and…read moregeneric many of them felt. Rather than showcasing Durham's unique personality, much of the campus seemed geared toward being a polished mixed-use development that could exist almost anywhere. The bright spots were the nearby home of the Durham Bulls and the iconic Lucky Strike smokestack and water tower, both of which provide a strong sense of place and serve as reminders of the site's history. They were far more memorable than anything I found inside the campus itself. Overall, I found the American Tobacco Campus more interesting as a piece of architecture and historic preservation than as a destination. It's worth a brief stroll to admire the buildings and snap a few photos, but I wouldn't go out of my way to spend much time here.

It was so beautiful and upbeat. Great message too! Having…read moreSanta visit and sit for pictures was icing on the cake of a great experience

What a great, completely free Christmas light show! My boyfriend and I were looking for Christmas…read morelight shows in the Triangle area and came across Lake Myra during our search. The song selection was great and the light synchronization was amazing. Stick around for the finale song because it's really well executed.

There's a giant cat prowling car dealership parking lots in Zebulon NC. I managed to find it! Two…read morestories tall, it's currently mounted on a trailer. Considering that the cougar is nearly 50 years old, it's in amazingly good shape. Originally part of a promotional stunt for the Mercury Cougar automobile, it's worth a stop to check it out and get a unique selfie. Thanks to Atlas Obscura for this one. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mercury-cougar [Review 11744 overall, 1526 of 2019.]

The 2009 race was featured on Man Vs Food. And I think folks may have been wondering how could 2010…read moretop that. But this is just the kind of race that gets better (and more remarkable) with age! What is Doughman? Think Ironman -- but a lot, well, doughier. For those not in the know (and really you should check out that M v F episode -- hilarious!), Doughman combines competitive eating with a 4-person team quadrathlon and crazy costumes. The charities this year were SEEDS and See-Saw Studios -- both Durham youth programs. And the food stops on the race were all Durham restaurateurs with a local focus. I volunteered with some fabulous yelper helpers: Mari J, Helena K and her hubby, Al. We were stationed at the first stop in the race, Hog Heaven. Bikers cycled in and proceeded to wolf down (or try to) a chicken leg, cup of pulled pork and three hushpuppies. Sound outrageous? It is. The next stop involved an inner tube and paddling across a pool. Some of the best costumes were the Stay Buft team (cute Pillsbury hats and shirts!), Inconceivable! (a Princess Bride cast... how the hell they raced in pirate boots and capes is unbeknownst to me), and Breakfast of Champions (Biscuit King and Wonder Bread Woman?? So clever and well-produced!). But of course it was our very own Make Me Yelp team (Tripp W, Jane W, Phil G, and Meghan B) that won first place in costumes this year... for some very homemade Richard Simmons'-inspired outfits complete with curly wigs -- and the jumping jacks and high knees to go along with them! They finished 16th place (out of 70) in the race; and Yelp raised enough money to earn the 10th spot on the fundraising leaderboard. In other words, you yelpers rock! ;) Super-excited for the Doughman Banquet (yummy local food and beer) which takes place this evening. Ticket funds go to the charities. Awesome way to participate in Doughman if you don't necessarily feel like dressing up like superheroes and stuffing your face with a hoagie at 9am. Time to start planning for next year's race! --- So I just has to post a quick same-day update to say the Doughman hEArTs Durham Banquet was so fabulous. Terrific local breweries, great live music, and really good catered food (especially loving the Dolly Mama chocolate; LocoPops; and the bbq). And just swell company. People ate, drank and made merry for sure. Wish I could've stuck around for the dancing but I was pretty pooped after such a big day!

Being a part of the Doughman race is one of the more fun things I have done in a while. What other…read moreevent can you simultaneously dress up in ridiculous costumes, get exercise, act stupid, eat amazing food, get a scenic tour of Durham, meet interesting new people, and dance to 80's music? That's right, no where else but Doughman. We represented yelp proudly and with tons of spunk (can someone say random acts of jumping jacks?). I feel I got the best food draw of the team with local yogurt and a BBQ platter, but with the uphill 10 mile bike ride, I definitely earned every tasty morsel. Fav moments: - Phil G hopelessly roaming around for food prior to the race. Blah blah blah donut blah blah. - Kicking the Biggest Loser team's butt. There was no way I was going to let them come even close. - Meghan B 80's mix. Imagine me rolling through Durham driving the chaser truck, windows down, full Richard Simmons costume, singing 80's tunes at the top of my lungs, and waving to every person that passed me by. Classic! - People mistaking the wig for my real hair - The 3rd place team's coach in short shorts and an armadillo belt buckle - Eating and drinking my weight in food and beer at the banquet that night (still not really sure how I did it) So much fun. I can't wait to do it again next year!

I cannot stop laughing at the viral videos on YouTube of trucks and other overheight vehicles…read morecrashing into the bridge. I don't know whether the driver are dumb or if they are inexperienced or if they just don't care. Lowering the road is not possible because of the water pipes that run under the street, and since it is obviously a railroad bridge, raising it isn't possible either.

Years and years ago, I saw a magic video of an indestructible bridge. In the video, a series of…read moretoo-tall trucks attempt to clear this too-short bridge. And while these trucks got their tops sheared off, air conditioning units ripped off, loads of hale bales shoved off, the theme song from the Rocky movieis played. Hilarious. The bridge is indestructible. I didn't think that I would ever get a chance to visit this magic place for myself and yet... here it is. An honest to goodness real place that I'd seen first on the Internets. The Strongest Bridge in the World. Or, as the locals call it, The Can Opener. Seriously, watch the video for yourself and tell me... you want to see this place for yourself. https://youtu.be/JsAlzV4qSD8 I did stick around for about ten minutes. No trucks hit the bridge. Was it wrong that I was disappointed?