Tuesday, January 1

I went to work today....and what did I see?



My city, Raleigh, laid out in front of me! Everywhere you look in Raleigh lately, there are cranes and high rises going up. At least what passes for a high rise here. So far, the tallest building in Raleigh has 29 floors, but one is being built that will be much taller.

The top two photos were taken from the Capital City Club and the others were taken from the Cardinal Club, atop the building on the far right of the second photo. I intended to put links to these clubs, but Blogger is not cooperating tonight.

In the pic above, you can see another crane just below the horizon. There are seven of them in use just now. I have never seen so many at one time around here. Several high-rise condominiums are being built, each one fancier than the last.
The building in the shape of a cross with a dome below, is our State Capitol. The other white buildings are various state offices.

The round building on the left below was for many years the tallest one in Raleigh. I think it has 20 floors. It was a Holiday Inn when we moved here, but has since changed hands.

The photo below shows an area just a litle to the left of the one above it.

And this one is even farther to the left.
I didn't have time to go all the way around each club to show you the eastern aspects. Most of what you see here is to the north and west of the main downtown area. I hope you enjoyed this miniature tour.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of Chrissie Hynde's song "My City is Gone." She was singing about Ohio. I don't remember if I've ever been in Raleigh. Oh yeah, a Grateful Dead Concert. Michele spun me this way.

kontan said...

love the minitour...

Sorry to hear about Mr. Kenju. I hope 2008 will bring blessings and smiles.

Thanks for stopping by!

OldHorsetailSnake said...

Portland, OR, also has gone crane crazy.

Thanks for the story about kissing the balls. That clears it up nicely (really!).

Anonymous said...

These are views I get to enjoy on a monthly basis, and it still takes my breath away. One of those major construction sites is being built by my company, by the way. A little thing called new Convention Center... ;-)

Anonymous said...

Great job, Judy! I have never seen Raleigh in that way. I hope that the remaining gentility of the city doesn't leave with the development.

Betty said...

Thanks for the tour. Looks like a nice town.

Anonymous said...

Hello, Michele sent me tonight to say that your city looks so Green! It is very white up here in Massachusetts these days. Happy New Year!

Maya's Granny said...

In Juneau our tallest building is 10 stories. It is built on a hill, so that from one entrance there are ten stories, but from the other there are only seven.

When I lived in Fairbanks, the tallest was six.

Anonymous said...

I am just amazed at the amount of growth happening, despite the crash in the housing market, although I suppose many of these projects were on the table beforehand.

I well remember Raleigh and it is surprising to see all the high rise construction. I'm sure it is still just as beautiful though! :)

Michael K. Althouse said...

Nice panorama, Judy. Happy New Year! I hope yours is filled with peace and serenity!

Michele sent me for the first time this year.

Mike

Peter said...

Looks like Raliegh is fast outgrowing
its charm Judy, the price of progress can be VERY high indeed.

Kay Dennison said...

Urban sprawl goes upward when it can't spread on the flat anymore.
Sigh. I mourn the burning need to ruin perfectly good vistas.

Eddie said...

Hey!
I got lost in downtown Raleigh when we drove through it last year.
It was a beautiful city to be lost in.

Dianne said...

I'd like to visit Raleigh. Beautiful photos. And the commentary was interesting. You could sell your work to travel magazines.

Maria said...

Our little town is not showing much growth these days. The Navy is not moving to bring in the new folks that they had promised during the Base Realalignment process.

Two new buildings on the horizon are a Marriot hotel (Looks like six floors and will be our only high rise) and a new Rite Aid Pharmacy.

All new home construction is at a halt and some houses are on the market nearly a year before selling.

Your photos were great.

Blonde Goddess said...

I enjoyed the pictures!!!

JeanMac said...

Looks like a lovely city with interesting older buildings.

Bobkat said...

Thanks for the photo tour. It was great to see the place where you live. I don't know if it's because these photos were taken heigh up looking down but I got a great sense of space from them. I do hope that the new buildings don't take that away and alter the nature of your city.

LZ Blogger said...

Growth of a city is good and it looks like you've got a bird's eye view of it! Have a GREAT 2008! ~ jb///

whimsical brainpan said...

NC is one of the fastest growing states in the US right now. All that construction does not surprise me. We have the same thing happening in my city.

Anonymous said...

I drive through downtown almost every day, and thank you for a better perspective. I'm getting lost less now, which is nice - I for one am not a fan of being lost in Raleigh. Especially when there's traffic. And I'm in the one-way neighborhoods.

It is a beautiful place and full of lots of interesting folks & things to see!

kenju said...

Thanks for the comment, db grin!

Joy Des Jardins said...

Thanks Judy...great pictures. I guess these sites are going up everywhere...I see them all around me too. Raleigh seems like a great place.

Hale McKay said...

My Judy, I wouldn't recognize Raleigh now - it's been so long since I was last there - 1964? - maybe?

I hope you had a HAppy New Year and that '08 is a great one for you and the fam.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Great view. I've never been there, so it was fun seeing a bird's eye view. :) (if you were British, that would be a pun).
~S

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I DID enjoy this little tour, Judy! I've never seen any pictures of Raleigh before...especially an overview like this....! It is amazing that so much is being buolt ALL at the same time. Your City is Expanding...Big-Time!

Anonymous said...

Judy, I've never been to Raleigh, although I have been to other parts of NC. It is such a beautiful state. Raleigh is frequently mentioned in the news here, as the banking capitol of the South East.

Last year, the Mayor of Tampa visited Raleigh, along with several other key people from our area, in order to take home ideas that they could implement here as well.

I enjoyed this photo tour... it was a great idea!