Method Rd Playground Update

This post originally appeared on Southwestraleigh.com where you can learn more about how to live, work, and play in the Creative District.

If you’ve been waiting for the Method Road playground to be finished, now is the time to check it out!  The playground underwent renovations during the Fall and the work was finally completed last week.

Method Road Park is located at 514 Method Rd.  The playground area is completely fenced in with equipment grouped according to the age levels: 2-5 year olds and 5-12 year olds.  

Toddlers will enjoy the tot swings, mini climbing areas, and music making equipment while the older kids will enjoy the slides, jungle gyms, and racing up the ramps. Each play area also has some fun educational items about shapes and animals. The spongy surface is also great exercise for the little crawlers who aren’t quite ready to play on the toddler equipment yet.

Parents will appreciate the benches and picnic tables inside the playground area, making it easy to keep an eye on the little ones.  The fence around the perimeter of the playground will also put parents at ease given that the playground is so close to Method Road.

Other than the playground, Method Road Park has a community center and many other features to offer.

Thumbs up: fenced-in play area, equipment grouped by age group, tot climbing area, variety of slides and ramps in older kid area

Thumbs down: lack of landscaping

My Raleigh Bucket List

Most of us have a bucket list of some type.  Whether it’s a list we’ve written down or something we recall from memory, it’s something personal to everyone.  Since moving to Raleigh nine years ago, my bucket list has always been a random list of things I remember only when I’m passing by a certain place.  At that time I’ll think, “Oh, that’s on my list of places to try” or “What did I want to try the other day”? So many times I’m reminded of these places or ideas, but I’ve never actually written them down until now.  Walking around downtown Raleigh the other weekend with the family and going to Side Street Restaurant last weekend reminded me that I should write down my list, refer to it, and start checking items off.  So, here’s my little Raleigh Bucket List (that will grow and shrink over time, I’m sure):

  1. Eat at Side Street Restaurant (completed, April 14, 2012)
  2. Eat at Second Empire
  3. Visit Jordan Lake Park (completed Father’s Day, 2012)
  4. Run the Krispy Kreme Challenge (run completed, 2010)
  5. Take a day trip to Charlotte via train
  6. Find the perfect turkey burger
  7. Visit Falls Lake
  8. Visit the biker bar on US-64 (completed pregnant, circa Feb 2011)
  9. Go to the Goat (completed, circa summer 2010)
  10. Go to the Raleigh Drive-In (completed, circa spring 2011)
  11. Eat at The Rockford (completed, circa 2009)
  12. Eat at Clyde’s
  13. Eat at Mecca
  14. Visit Father & Son consignment
  15. Visit the Eclectic Furniture Garden (completed, May 2013)
  16. Eat breakfast at Finch’s aka “The Feed Lot” by friend, Steve (completed, circa 2007)
  17. Mother’s Day brunch at Rose Garden
  18. Visit Historic Oakwood Cemetary
  19. Take the Historic Oakwood Christmas Candlelight Tour
  20. Take the Governor’s mansion tour
  21. Ride down Fayetteville St in a rickshaw (yes, Bill, I’m that simple) (completed July 6, 2012)
  22. See a race at Wake County Speedway (completed, circa 2008)
  23. Eat at Crowley’s (completed, February 2012)
  24. Eat at Glenwood Grill (completed, June 2013)
  25. Sell a house, btw cute cape cod for sale! (completed Sept 2012)
  26. Dinner at Angus barn (completed several times over the years)
  27. See an IMAX movie at Marbles
  28. See “A Christimas Carol” at Theater in the Park
  29. See a concert at Lincoln Theater
  30. Watch the Canes play (completed several times over the years)
  31. See a country concert at Alltel Pavilion (completed several times over the years)
  32. See a ballet at Memorial Auditorium (completed, circa 2009)
  33. Attend First Friday in downtown Raleigh (completed several times over the years)
  34. Watch the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra
  35. Eat at Berkeley Cafe
  36. Visit all the Raleigh parks
  37. See a concert at the downtown Raleigh Amphitheater
  38. Take a ride on the Pullen Park carousel (completed, Nov 2011)
  39. Take a day trip to New Bern, NC
  40. Visit the Smithfield outlets
  41. Eat at Hayes Barton Cafe (completed, June 2013)
  42. Have drinks on Raleigh Times Bar rooftop
  43. Visit all Raleigh breweries (Big Boss, Gizmo, Crank Arm, Boylan Bridge, Trophy, Lonerider, Raleigh Brewing Company, Natty Greene’s, Nickelpoint Brewing, Sub Noir Brewing)

Are there items not on my Raleigh Bucket List that I should add?

Joslin Gardens

Bill being in Blacksburg this past weekend meant that Ashley and I were on our own for a girl’s weekend!  Years ago, a girl’s weekend would’ve been much different than what it is today, but nevertheless we had a fun weekend.

img_1037First we visited the Joslin Gardens in Raleigh.  The gardens were part of a private residence that Mr. & Mrs. Joslin donated to the city and established the City of Oaks Foundation.  The gardens sit on a 4+ acre lot at 2431 West Lake Dr.  Not knowing what to expect once we arrived, I carried Ashley in the baby bjorn, which proved to be the right choice.  The paths throughout the property were very clear, but narrow.  There is a small stream running through the rolling hills on the property, so we had several bridges and steps to walk on.

img_1038We started the self-guided tour by heading north along the trail through the pine woodland area.  There were several helpful maps highlighting the suggested tours throughout the gardens.  I was amazed at how many plants and shrubs were identified.  We slowly made our way over the rolling hills, across bridges, around the streams and eventually up to the formal gardens next to the house.  The formal gardens were my favorite, maybe because they had the most flowers in bloom, but also because it seemed very whimsical.  The pergolas were covered in vines with new rose buds, the gorgeous irises were in full bloom, and the vegetable garden was in the middle of preparing for a busy summer.

It was pretty amazing to witness all the flowers, plants, and shrubs this couple had cultivated over the years.  It truly is a secret garden in the middle of an enchanting city.

Carrying Ashley up and over the gardens exhausted me, so we headed down to the Historic Oakwood area for an early lunch. Ever since I can remember first spotting the restaurant, I’ve been wanting to try Side Street Restaurant.  It’s an adorable neighborhood restaurant with a great selection of sandwiches and desserts.  Ashley was an angel and devoured her first grilled cheese sandwich.  It was very much the perfect mother-daughter lunch spot!

A lot of what Ashley and I did on Saturday morning reminded me so much of my grandma, Mimi.  Maybe it was the quiet creek flowing through the gardens of the Joslin residence; Mimi was infamous in her neighborhood for having a gorgeous water feature and surrounding it with her neighbors.  Or maybe it was the gorgeous spring weather; Mimi’s birthday was April 1st and until a few years ago, she made an annual trip with my aunt to visit us during this time of the year. Or maybe it was the neighborhood cafe with its white-linen tablecloths and regular customers that Ashley and me had lunch at; Mimi loved getting to know her servers and would’ve loved Side Street’s selection of sandwiches.

For more information about the inspiring work Mr. & Mrs. Joslin have done for the City of Raleigh read about their 2011 induction into the Raleigh Hall of Fame.

Thumbs up: quiet girlie weekends, peacefulness of the gardens,

Thumbs down: wished the gardens were open at the peak of the Camelia blooms

Hokies 3.2 Memorial Run on Crabtree Creek Trail

img_1767This past weekend, we explored part of the Crabtree Creek Trail greenway with over 50 fellow RTP Hokies for our annual Hokies 3.2 Memorial Run.  Our friends Becca and Brent organized the run, which started and finished at Big Boss Brewing Co.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day for the run and such a great reminder that Hokies are awesome! We even started the race with some Enter Sandman blasting from the car radio!

img_1770Like I said, we started the race at Big Boss Brewing Co, which is located at 1249 Wicker Drive in Raleigh.  Btw, they started a weekly run club about a year ago that you should check out! We headed north on Laurelbrook St and then made a left onto Hodges St, which runs parallel with the greenway.  Just east of Atlantic Ave, we jumped onto the Crabtree Creek Trail greenway and headed west.  This section of the greenway parallels Crabtree Creek so you have a nice view of the rapid flowing creek and several major overpasses and train tracks to cross under.  Being that we were pushing a stroller and not in our usual William & Kate shape, we lost sight of the group a few times on the way out.  Luckily some of the trail became familiar to me and at the fork in the road we headed right instead of left towards Kiwanis Park. We ran until we reached Oxford St and then turned around and headed back for a total of 3.2 miles.

Overall, this stretch of the greenway is nicely shaded, paved, and flat!  And, the best part of all was finishing the race with some much needed local beers at Big Boss with some awesome Hokies!  Ut Prosim!

Thumbs up: flat and shaded greenway, passing by the RTP Hokies hangout Carolina Ale House @ Creekside Dr, cold water and beer at Big Boss

Thumbs down: lack of signage or maps at forks in the greenway

Ashley’s First Birthday @ Laurel Hills

One month ago (yes, I’m so behind) we celebrated Ashley’s first birthday with wonderful family and friends at Laurel Hills Community Center.  Since we were in the middle of selling our house (btw, great house still for sale) there was no way I could plan a party around potential showings at our house.  And yes, of course, there happened to be last minute showings that day.

Laurel Hills is a great place to have a party.  We rented the dance studio on the bottom floor, which holds up to 30 people.  It has large windows on two sides of the room and mirrors on another side, which made the room seem larger than it was and gave the babies extra entertainment.  We brought a large basket of toys from home to keep the babies entertained and everyone played a part in the setup and cleanup.  My mom/aunt were in charge of toys/balloons, my mom-in-law was in charge of the flowers, and my sister had the decorations.  My wonderful neighbor who has a side catering business (and who has even done small events for VP Joe Biden) made delicious salmon and chicken/sweet potato sandwiches, salad with homemade balsamic vinegar dressing, and homemade iced-clove tea.  And everyone else either set-up food, hung streamers, hauled things to/from the car, hauled chairs/tables, or kept an eye on the birthday girl!

The celebrations really began on Friday night when we all met for dinner at Crowley’s, our neighborhood restaurant.  Saturday night the festivities continued at our house with more cake, grilled meats, potato casserole, yummy drinks, a bon fire, interesting political discussions, and Trivia Pursuit! Then, we finished up on Sunday with a yummy breakfast at the house organized by my mom-in-law.  We had wonderful family come from all over (CA, KS, MO, MD, and VA) to celebrate her little birthday; we were completely overjoyed and overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity.

Thumbs up: great party room for small events, close proximity to restrooms, free tables/chairs for self set-up/clean-up

Thumbs down: nothing at all 🙂