DISQUS

I'm just happy someone else uses the phrase "butt-crack of dawn." Can't wait to tell my husband I'm not the only one.

Aside from that--this is good advice. We have been through the wringer with middle-of-the night sleep horrificness. Gahh.

- Lea at Quick Serve Kids

You know, my daughter's three and a half and I still couldn't trust her not to put those discs in her mouth (and choke...yikes). That's just not good design.

A bike tool would have been so much cooler, or some little basket or bag to attach to a bike. Those things make little kids so proud. Makes me think whoever approved this campaign does not have kids.

- Lea at Quick Serve Kids

LOL, Screwdad!

I'm not going for this booshiznit, either. I'm a big fan of unmedicated childbirth, but I can tell you, after having done one myself, helped my sister-in-law through one last Wednesday, and staring down a second experience in five months: orgasm it is not. Not by a long shot.

If orgasm felt like childbirth, we'd have none of the latter.

Chick-fil-A is handing out disposable placemats. The company\'s intentions are admirable, but I agree with you--these things are not bound to work for any kid with a shred of curiosity.
See http://www.quickservekids.com/2007/01/the_pursu...

We never tried the disposable placemats with Baby A (now three and way too cool for such things, if you ask her). I can guarantee she\'d have loosened it and thrown the whole deal on the ceiling in seconds.

We did buy one of those rubbery ones with the suction cups all around and the crumb-catcher tray that hangs off of the side of the table. The result? See above. It lasted about twelve seconds. It was like a direct invitation: Hey! Kid! Mess with me!

Soooo, back came the Purell and the wipes. And just as you guys believe in Immodium, I decided to believe in the native strength of a kid\'s immune system--with good luck so far.

- Lea

Yes, Trader Joe's made a huge mistake by not going in that space. If I were the new funders, I'd have found a way to sell to TJ's, recover the old debt, and stand back and watch the crowds roll in.
Frankly, what that site needs is a known name like Trader Joe's. If I, as a downtown resident, will seek out a strip-mall location deep in Cary just to get to a TJ's, then that hidden-away CCG location can do great with a big name.
- L

Great news. Thanks, again, for all the work you're putting into this site.
We've been in Raleigh only a little over five years, but lovelovelove it here. It's good to hear Raleighing is back.
- L

We often avoid the kid\'s menu—mostly because the choices are so uninspiring and so different from the rest of the menu, or from the cuisine the restaurant serves.

Why would we go to a great, say, Mexican restaurant and feed our kid chicken fingers or a grilled cheese and fries? My husband and I just make her a plate from ours, and if the restaurant wants to charge a sharing fee, that\'s okay.

And, yeah, one chicken finger (okay, we do order them sometimes) is an awesome leftover. That and a bit of pasta and some fruit is a whole meal for a little kid!

- QS Mama

Actually, McDonald's gave Chipotle a lot of money several years ago, but was extremely hands-off when it came to management and operations. McD's just wanted to jump on the Fresh Mex train, but didn't want to, and could not, run another company. Today they have no relationship.
Chipotle got to take advantage of McDonald's unsurpassed food distribution network--not the foods themselves, 'cause they don't share any, but the logistics. That has allowed Chipotle to expand more rapidly than it would've been able to without that advantage.
Chipotle actually cans or freezes nothing. The kitchens make rice and beans multiple times each day, chops and blends salsas, marinates and cooks all the meats--all on site. The food is really quite good, and we are super-picky about Mexican.
And the company's use of organic and naturally raised ingredients--not exclusively, but they're adding products methodically--is something you'll see few other chains doing. In fact, Chipotle gets its pork from the Niman Ranch Cooperative, which has a farm or two in Eastern NC. Chipotle is actually showing other fast-food chains that YES, you can serve healthy, freshly made foods made from high quality, sustainable ingredients. I'm all about that. Naturally raised pork? Organic black beans? rGBH-free sour cream? In a meal that costs $6? Hallelujah.
The way I see it, the more fresh Mexican and Southwestern choices around here, the better. Mmmmmmmmmm.
And, yes, Baja Fresh is Wendy's, but not for long (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/02/06/ap340...).
Okay, taking off my Chipotle cheerleader uniform now...I just wanted to say they're not the typical fast-food chain, though not perfect, and that some of their policies are commendable.
- L

Sounds amazing. I hope they get the she-crab soup right, 'cause I'd sure love to have some without driving for five hours.
Great to see a fresh post in the same old vein here at Raleighing!
- L

It was closed this past Friday night.
Even though our last several experiences there weren't good, I still hated to see it all dark. Sad. Here's hoping for a resurgence.
- L

Wow, this is really good stuff. Yum.
But, Bruce, Milagro Saints? This is nothing like them.
- L

Holy cow. If the waitress hadn't sealed it, then the health department inspection notes do.
Ugh! Please, someone put some love back into that place. And don't lose the great bar.

My husband and I have always had a soft spot for Vertigo/Poole's. We ate at the Vertigo the night we drove into town, found Boylan Heights, spotted the adorable bungalow that the very next afternoon would become our first and present home. Not only that, but as we sat down at the bar to order, our favorite Whiskeytown song came over the sound system.
We were in love--with each other, the place, and our new city and home. We've been back eight or so times since then.
So it's a big deal when I say we won't be back to Poole's until many things change. The past few experiences hadn't been all that great. We left with the feeling we'd paid way too much money for mediocre food. (The red pepper soup is good, but not as good as it used to be.)
Then, several weeks ago, we went there with friends after one of them exhibited at the Rock n Shop. She had a three-week-old baby who was deeply asleep most of the time, and we had our well-behaved two-year-old. It was abundantly clear the waitress HATED our very presence at her table. (Strange, since it seemed we would be her only source of tip money for the night. It was deserted.) She gave us hateful looks and surly service throughout.
And then the food was mediocre, and the bill was high.
We hope things will turn around soon, and are excited to see what the convention center does for that area. It is practically our neighborhood, after all. But for now Poole's is off our list. That waitress sealed it.

I had to stop Baby A from yanking out my own earrings. Can\'t imagine how quickly she would have ripped out her own...then swallowed or choked on the earrings...then needed plastic surgery to repair her earlobes....

Shoot, it\'s a good day when she doesn\'t (a) move a chair to the counter and eat of out of the sugar bowl, (2) remove the pins from the bottom door hinges, setting 100-year-old, 50-pound doors askew over her head, (3) tear the air-conditioning vents out of the floor and stick arms or toys in the vents. Why would I give her one more hazard? I already need five eyes and eight arms.

- L

Laughing so hard I think I need to sit down for a few minutes. Boy, that brings back memories! I heard a few of the don\'ts.

When my serious, serious labor kicked in suddenly, I told my husband, \"ohjhhUHHHGGH this is really different I NEED YOU NOW nggghhh!\"

His response? \"It couldn\'t have gotten that much worse so suddenly. Tell you what, I have just a few more e-mails to finish up. I\'ll join you on the sofa in a few.\" (Never looking away from his laptop, mind you.)

See? Noodad is right: We do remember every word.

Turns out I was in transition. We got to the hospital with minutes to spare. Wish I\'d stayed home, but that\'s a different post.

Having weathered an intense (which aren\'t?), no-meds labor, I agree: The best things the dad can say are \"You\'re amazing,\" \"You\'re going great!,\" \"Very soon you\'ll get to hold your new baby,\" and \"I love you so much,\" liberally punctuated with sincere, eye-gazing *silence.*

IOW, to end on a more serious note: Your constant presence is what we need most. Worry more about providing that than saying exactly the right thing. :)

- L

Baby A (almost 2.5) looooooves the Little Einsteins, and her Disney-hating mom (me) is fine with that. I\'ve been suprised at just how great a show it is. She pretends \"Rocket\" all the time, sings the theme song at least ten times a day, wants to play the violin like Leo, and ballet-dances around the house pretending to be June.

She also watched a little Sesame Street and SS videos, and learned to count to twenty, could nail the ABCs at...I don\'t even remember...19 months?...and knows every color, shape, and so on, thanks partly to the show. Yes, her dad and I have influenced her, too, but it doesn\'t hurt to have an entertaining backup when there are, you know, meals to cook, clothes to fold, and blog posts to write.

I\'m afraid I\'ll hate the Wiggles, but I hated the Teletubbies, too, before I saw her reaction to them. You\'re on to something when you say it\'s not the characters you hated, rather, it was too early for your child to enjoy them. (Except Barney. Barney deserves hate.)

She is allowed to watch maybe 1.5 hours a week, and it\'s the first privilege we take away when she\'s naughty.

- L

YES on the rail system! Good point.

I'll feel like this is a "real city" if next spring most of the cafe seating on Fayetteville Street is occupied from, oh, 4:30 PM until midinght or one most nights.
That feels like a city--Paris, San Francisco, London. I guess I'm picturing much the same thing as Matt K. The best thing, though, will be when we can quit asking and just know. Personally, I'm getting close to there.

Just took a glance at that current readership on Alexa...wow, you guys! Good for you, good for Raleigh!
When I go visit my parents in the Atlanta area, I sometimes accompany my mom to their Swoozie's location. It's your run-of-the-mill gift shop--current and interesting enough, but not so different from a Charlotte's (Triangle Town Center, others?). So it's not the most exciting addition to Cameron Village, but probably a good fit for the kind of shopping most people seem to do there.
When you get a chance, I'd love an update on the new Chick-fil-A at CV and any news about the HTeeter/Eckerd's switcheroo...and what might become of the old HT site.
Oh, and also...any word on a Trader Joe's closer than Cary? That one's for sure, then I heard Brier Creek was in the running for the second of three locations. Will it be Raleigh or Chapel Hill for the third?

Sounds like I'm preaching to the choir here, but this sounds like a great idea. Here's hoping it comes to fruition. I can't think of much better for the shops, restaurants, bars, and condos downtown.
- Lea

Oooooh, fun! The Pippin reminds me of the Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Georgia. The back car of that ride is amazing.
I grew up in Atlanta, and Six Flags was a summer tradition--truly one of the highlights of being a kid for me. I really do wish we had some parks closer to us.
Wonder if Philadelphia Toboggan made the Scream Machine, too? Hmmm, off to "The Google" (a la Bush) now to find out....

The Comet? Really? If only they had the air hockey table! My now-husband and I played that game at The Comet on our first date. sniff.
It certainly is a great time to live in Raleigh, particularly near downtown. (Boylan Heights, yeah!) I'm glad to hear The Big Easy is open. We couldn't figure out why the hell those places couldn't be open in time for the big parade, when 21,000 potential customers could've been enticed.
Ah, well, their loss, and we'll go check it out soon.

Won't my two-year-old be thrilled! Okay, so will I. Yes, traffic will be awful as a result, at least for a few months while everyone revels in the novelty. Maybe we can convince everyone in the area to walk there.
So a friend told me the CV HT tired of its nightmare parking lot and is moving back down to the Eckerd's site. I suppose they'd scrape and rebuild. Has anyone else heard that? If so, what's the timetable?
(P.S.--What a sad notion--the Person St KK getting torn down. Banish the thought.)
- L

*awesome* game and name: Super Blockmasta Kidestructo. Love it!

Our little tower-shredder is called Ava Monster. \"OH, NO! NOT AVAMONSTER! Don\'t come and destroy my tower!\"

Should we upload some Supadestructa shorts to YouTube and have a contest? Seriously?

- L over at Quick Serve Kids

Yay! yay! yay! I'm taking on more freelance work in anticipation of the hit to my wallet...!
- L