Beneath the busy streets of Hillsborough, Morgan, and Boylan lie dark, dirty corners of Raleigh. Large pillars of concrete rise out of packed mud ground to lift these thoroughfares and allow for rail traffic to pass beneath. The spaces created by these elevated roads are a home for the homeless, a canvas for graffiti writers, and a departure point for freight riders. Covered in graffiti of varying qualities and strewn with artifacts of all types, the underpasses hold a thousand different stories. A hobo moniker left by some traveler years ago, an empty purse with a torn strap, remnants of campfires, old trashy romance novels; each of these gives one an idea of somebody who was there before them, clues to stories never told.  Once I stumbled onto a message spelled out in rocks set on the dirt telling a friend goodbye and to be careful “on the road.”

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Chances are you’re familiar with what is arguably the most prominent icon of downtown Raleigh’s resurgence: The Raleigh Times Bar. You may also be familiar with the namesake of that bar, The Raleigh Times, which served as the city’s afternoon newspaper for more than 100 years, spanning the period from 1879 until 1989. What you may not be familiar with is the building the paper occupied after it moved in 1920 from its original home on Hargett St. The second Raleigh Times is located on W. Martin Street, facing Nash Square.

Historical photograph by Barden, Ellington’s Studio, Raleigh, N.C.

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In the past week I’ve found that I’ve recommended my favorite Indian restaurant to at the least 10 separate people, so I figured that the next time I stopped by for dinner I’d bring my camera and spend some time talking to the staff.

From left to right: Salman, Abdul, Aisha, Sultana, and Mariam (note the 102 Sanitation Grade on the wall)

Laziz Biryani Corner has been in business for around a year or so. It’s a complete family-run operation out of the back corner of GoPaks Bazaar on Hillsborough St., next to I Love NY Pizza. Yes, it is a restaurant run out of a convenience store, but the meals you get are always of the greatest quality and taste as well as at a fantastic price.
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