Raleigh’s New Trail, Courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC

Since moving to Raleigh in October, the North Carolina Museum of Art has quickly become one of my favorite places in the city. I love the rotating collection and the brightness of the West Building, but I’m obsessed with the Museum Park and the art housed there. Trotting around outdoors is relaxing to me, and the art hidden throughout the trails makes it even more so. I’ve dubbed Museum Park my “happy place.” Judging by how many people I see using the space, there’s no way I’m the only one.

Earlier this week I noticed some new wayfinding signage along one of the trails highlighting something called the Blue Loop. The signs stuck out because they had mileage on them, and I never know how far I’m running (err…slow jogging?).

As it turns out, the Blue Loop is being officially unveiled this weekend with an awesome sounding event at the NC Museum of Art. Sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, attendees that complete the 1 mile Blue Loop on Saturday, April 13^th will get free admittance to the new, 0 to 60 exhibit.

A few weeks ago I was surprised to see an artist placing desks and chairs among some trees in the middle of the park. After some quick Twitter investigating, I discovered that I had viewed an installation of one of the 0 to 60 pieces. There’s nothing better than watching contemporary art in action!

Tom Shields, Forest for the Chairs

The Blue Loop was constructed as part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC’s GO NC! initiative.

For full information on Saturday’s event, visit the museum’s website for more info.

Bayer CropScience Shows Their Patriotic Side

The Gadsden flag on display at the State Capitol

For all you history buffs out there – you’re in good company with some of RTP’s finest. But who in RTP would you expect to be an avid collector of early American flags? The answer, as it turns out, is ag-bio giant Bayer CropScience.

Beyond its core mission of providing sustainable crop solutions from seed to harvest, Bayer has many initiatives that demonstrate its commitment to the community. This includes charitable endeavors, educational programs, and also less tangible community involvements – in this case, a collection of nine historical flags of the United States. Read more »

North Carolina Strives to Stay on Top

It’s only been a few months since we did our round-up of the latest praise and accolades for the Research Triangle region and the state of North Carolina. Well it should hardly be a surprise that we already have more “great reviews” to report on.  And this time, there’s plenty to be shared statewide. So without further ado:

At the beginning of May, Site Selection magazine put out it’s rankings for Top Competitive States. North Carolina appears at #5, based on measurements that focus largely on capital investment in company facilities, along with job creation and tax climate. This ranking forms one component of Site Selection’s annual report on Top U.S. Business Climates. For 2011, North Carolina was recognized as having the #3 Business Climate.

And Site Selection isn’t the only publication that thinks so! Read more »

A Round of Applause for the Research Triangle

It’s no secret that the Research Triangle region is a great place to live and do business. Folks in RTP and the surrounding area know that first-hand. But when it comes to spreading the word, we’re also fortunate to be frequently recognized by some major publications.

We try to keep track of these accolades, as you’ll see in the scrolling news crawl at the top of this post. Here are details on some of the recent “great reviews” the region has been getting:

Perhaps the most exciting honor to share is Raleigh’s #1 ranking as America’s Best City by Bloomberg Businessweek (September 2011). Read more »

Raleigh Leads the Charge for Electric Vehicles

PEV at a Downtown Raleigh charging station

This Wednesday at Marbles Museum in Downtown Raleigh, several RTP staff had the opportunity to attend Plugging In: Progress and Opportunities for Electric Vehicles. The forum, presented by The City of Raleigh, Progress Energy, and Advanced Energy, intended to raise awareness of opportunities and successes in electrified transportation technology.

As the event began, one thing that was quickly apparent was that Raleigh is in the cutting edge of the national rollout of plug-in vehicles. The forum was MC’ed by Paula Thomas, the City of Raleigh’s Sustainability Initiatives Manager, and featured remarks from Mayor Charles Meeker, Assistant City Manager Julian Prosser, and several other City staff. All expressed their eagerness to get Raleigh prepared for electric vehicles.

Read more »

CityCamp Raleigh – building leadership to create change

You know when headlines promoting CityCamp Raleigh include “Techies beckoned to Raleigh for CityCamp”, I was a little uncertain as to what role I play as a self-proclaimed non-techie, especially since the ‘camping gear’ for the event listed items other than marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers.

CityCamp Raleigh, the ‘unconference’ aimed to connect Raleigh to its people by re-imaging how technology can empower communities and draw connections for a more participatory and transparent government.  Bringing together government, business, neighborhood, non-profit, and academic communities, the 3-day event kicked off with speakers from the government perspective and the business perspective. This provided a working foundation and understanding of technology, transparency, collaboration, and open source in government, while at the same time highlighting the importance of citizen participation. Doing just that, the floor opened up for comments and questions – providing a foreshadowing of the types of solutions that fueled the following days ideas and work sessions. Read more »

Broadway of the South

Durham Performing Arts Center

The Triangle Region’s diverse culture is one of the many reasons that people who move to RTP for undergrad or that great job opportunity end up staying in the area and deciding to raise their family here.  I’ve talked a lot about the Research Triangle’s great restaurants, the abundance of outdoor activities, and fun activities to do on a weekend like going to a Durham Bulls game.  The opportunity to take in a show fresh off of Broadway is just another reason to love RTP.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Broadway shows.  I have a vivid recollection of my first trip to New York when my parents brought me to see Cats and I sat in awe on the edge of my seat throughout the show as I watched the actors run through numbers such as Mr. Mistoffelees. (And yes, I am aware that the previous comment somewhat reveals my youth).  So when I first moved to the area and a friend told me about Progress Energy Center’s Broadway Series South and Durham Performing Arts Center’s Suntrust Broadway Series, I was very excited for the opportunity to take in some Broadway shows without having to make a trip all the way up to the “Big Apple.”

Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts

While the Triangle might not have the big city feel of New York, the line up of Broadway shows is impressive.   The Suntrust Broadway Series at Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) finished up last night with Hair, but they have a lot of great shows scheduled for the 2011-2012 season including Memphis, West Side Story & Wicked.  With 150 events per year, there is something for everyone at DPAC, even if Broadway shows aren’t your thing (like the upcoming Al Pacino event which sounds ah-mazing).

Progress Energy Center’s line up for the coming year includes Les Miserables, Oliver, and Legally Blonde. There are four separate venues within Performing Arts Center:  Memorial Auditorium, Fletcher Opera Theater, Meymandi Concert Hall, and the Kennedy Theater.  This allows for them to host a wide variety of events throughout the year.

And i’m clearly not the only Broadway fan in the Triangle, DPAC is the #2 theater in the country based on attendance, according to Pollstar. 

What Broadway shows are you looking forward to seeing next season?

For DPAC’s 2011-2012 SunTrust Broadway Series schedule, click here.

For Progress Energy Center’s Broadway Series South schedule, click here.

13 million more will know…The Triangle featured in Delta Sky Magazine

…what we know and have come to love. Our state. The Research Triangle region. Our communities.

In July 2011, Delta Sky Magazine will be producing a major feature on the Research Triangle Region that will run over 45 38 pages on business and tourism. The magazine will reach over 14 million passengers on-board Delta Air Lines 13,000 daily flights, online at deltaskymag.com and in select bookstores throughout the United States and Canada.

The editorial feature will highlight business, entertainment and education leaders; with several sections dedicated to the region’s existing and emerging growth industries, the RTP, tourism, cultural arts, quality of life, higher education, healthcare and the neighborhoods in and around Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh.

Read more »

Google Fiber for RTP Communities

Google has launched a new “Google Fiber for Communities” project, planning to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the United States. Google will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections.

Please click here to nominate your town or learn more about the project. http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi

To learn more about how your corner of the Research Triangle is positioned to become the next “Google Community”, please visit their facebook group:

Chapel Hill/Carrboro Google Community Facebook Page

Durham Google Community Facebook Page

Raleigh Google Community Facebook Page