Trick or Treat: It's Here.

Trick or Treat is upon us.  Are you taking your little ghost or goblin somewhere to walk around, knock on doors and get candy?  A word of advice:  make sure I can tell what your kid is for Halloween.  I once got yelled at by an uppity four year old because,  "I'm NOT a DINOSAUR!!!  I'm an ALLIGATOR!"  Sorry, kid.

I realize that this looks like an Alligator.  But, I SWEAR that other did didn't look like this.

Here's a list of places you can take your kids if you don't want to freeze your butt off tomorrow night walking around the Triangle's neighborhoods.

 Raleigh:

North Hills:  5pm 

Crabtree Valley Mall: 6-8

NC Museum of History:  Safe Trick or Treat 6-9pm. Free for kids under 12.

Cary:

Cary Towne Center:  6-8 pm

Cary Crossroads: 6-8 pm

Chapel Hill:

University Square:  10am-4pm

University Mall:  5:30-7:30

Smithfield:

Carolina Premium Outlets 4-7pm

 But, let's say you're not a Trick or Treater, but you ARE a Mexican food fan.  Head to any Chipotle from 4pm to closing IN YOUR COSTUME and you can get any menu item for just two bucks.  Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

As for me, I'll be on the porch with hot toddies and candy. If you're an adult, perhaps I'll give you a hot toddy, too.  And, I'll try not to irk any little kids by being confused about their alligator costume.

Alli

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When your favorite restaurant closes....

You could say I'm picky when it comes to selecting a Chinese food restaurant.

Ever have Chow Fun?

Most Americans have not, simply because it's a more authentic Chinese dish than, you know - Sweet & Sour Pork - and is difficult to find round these parts.

But I found it - and a myriad of other amazing dishes...like the greatest spring rolls ever, a 3 Cup Chicken that was to die for and a spicy shredded pork appetizer that knocked my socks off.

It was Fortune Palace, it was only 10 minutes from my home, and they even delivered! (sound of the heavens parting).

Alas, one day Alli told me she rolled up for take out and my beloved Fortune Palace on Brentwood Rd. was closed.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/fortune-palace-chinese-restaurant-raleigh

I've had other decent Chinese in Raleigh - notably 5 Star - but most take out places don't float my boat.

Any recommendations?

Foster
Radio 96.1

State Fair With Kids

I told my neighbor I was going to the Fair, to which he said, "We go no more than every other year.  When they bring it up I shut it down".

I get it.

The Fair is crowded.  The Fair is traffic.  The Fair is noisy.  The Fair is smelly.  The Fair is expensive.

But you know what?  I LOVE the North Carolina State Fair.

I think we picked the perfect time on Sunday afternoon to go - around 4:30 - between the daytime and nighttime crowds, the lines weren't bad, the traffic was easy and the weather was sublime.

My kids are 6 and 9, and my recommendation for kids of that age is to avoid "Kiddieland" next to Dorton Arena where the lines are outrageous.  If you walk down the midway just a bit on the other side (by the funhouse), you'll find many age-appropriate rides without the Kiddieland congestion.

Most importantly, make the walk to the area with the Pig Races and the Petting Zoo.  The best dollar you'll spend at the Fair is for the bag of carrots the kids can use to feed Camels, goats, cows, and Alpacas like my son did yesterday.

The handwashing station is right there, it's excellent, and the kids went crazy for this area.  One piece of advice for my friends at the Fair though - if you really want to ensure that disease doesn't get spread, make sure handwashing is available at all the portable toilets - or at the very least, that the sanitizer is refilled regularly.

A Ferris Wheel, Crazy Choppers, Train ride, funhouse, and World's Smallest Horse exhibit later, the Fair was as fun as ever.

Foster
Radio 96.1

ZZ Top Review

I'm sure I don't have to tell you that ZZ Top is from the old school.

The first indication of that is watching drummer Frank Beard (you know, the one without the beard) moving his microphone/headset back and forth to his mouth, alternating between chain smoking and singing.  Beard's style is even old school - while many drummers today are intent on attacking the kit with reckless abandon, Beard's drumming is so slow and deliberate you wonder how he's keeping such a perfect beat.

Then, there were the old dogs up front, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill.

The little ol' band from Texas sounds better than ever, especially vocally.  When I heard their recent "Live In Texas" CD, I wondered if they'd lost a step or two (or a two step, as it were) but those fears were put to rest quickly at DPAC Wednesday night.  Both Gibbons' and Hill's voices were in excellent form, and the new material (like the opener "Chartreuse" and "Gotsta Get Paid") held up surprisingly well next to the old material.  And if it was classics you wanted, it was classics you got - after starting with a new song, they went right to "I Thank You" which segued right into "Waitin' for the Bus" straight into "Jesus Just Left Chicago".

A few moments felt a little too staged, like when they brought a woman up from the front row and, after complimenting her outfit and making it clear they thought she was very good looking, Gibbons intro'd the next song by saying "I think we need to play the blues".

One thing I found very refreshing about the show was ZZ Top's embracing of their post 70's sound.  When I saw Steve Winwood at DPAC, I was a little disappointed that Winwood refused to play almost all of his 80's catalog, despite the fact that it was his best selling decade.  ZZ Top's career took a similar path, in that rock fans adore their early sound but it was the 80's that shot them to superstardom.

In this show, dripped in plenty of nostalgia (complete with the original MTV videos on the screen behind them), the Top covered all their decades, including a couple of surprises - 1994's "Pincushion" and 1985's "Stages".

You've got to admire ZZ Top's staying power.  As Gibbons remarked at one point, "We've been comin' around for four decades.  Same three guys, same three chords".  When so many other bands have broken up, reunited, replaced members, broke up and reunited again, ZZ Top is an example that great rock n roll never goes out of style.

Foster
Radio 96.1

**Pic courtesy of Culture Map**

Let's hear it for BEER!

Did you know the Triangle has a world-class beer festival?

When I moved here 9 1/2 years ago, World Beer Fest was the only game in town.  These days, it's difficult to find a weekend in which there isn't some sort of beer tasting, cask event, flight sampling, keg tapping, or festival.

Back then, there were barely any microbreweries in our area - now there are many great ones.  Also then, the World Beer Fest had one location - every Autumn at the Durham Athletic Park (the old one where the Durham Bulls used to play and at which Bull Durham was filmed).

These days, the World Beer Fest is held at the larger DBAP (current home of the Bulls) and the organizers, All About Beer Magazine (a terrific publication, BTW) added a spring edition of the festival in Raleigh's Moore Square.  They've even added "World Beer Fests" in Illinois, Nebraska, South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida.

Personally, I prefer the Durham version by a mile.  There is much more space to stretch out and walk around  and the tents aren't as shoulder-to-shoulder.  Here's an insider tip: assuming you aren't there just to get blitzed so much that you can't see straight or feel your legs and actually want to appreciate what you're drinking, attend one or two of the seminars.  Sessions I've attended in the past like "Beer and Chocolate" and "Brews in the News" are not only fun and informative, they bring the beer to you while you rest your tired feet!

The World Beer Fest will be held Saturday, October 6 from 12n-4p and 6p-10p at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.  Tickets and info at www.worldbeerfestival.com.

Foster
Radio 96.1

New York, But In Durham

I have to say, that we're pretty lucky here in the Triangle.

You've heard both Foster and me go on and on about the Durham Performing Arts Center, how it's got great sight lines and acoustics.  (No, really, it does.) One of the things I love best about DPAC is that they continually bring cool Broadway shows right here.  Their tagline of "New York has never been so close" is really true.

I took the opportunity this past week to see War Horse again.  I'd seen it this summer in NYC with the folks from DPAC, and was excited to see it here.  It's still visually stunning with an incredibly compelling story about a boy and his love for his horse.  What really captivated me in New York and again at DPAC were the incredible horse puppets:

It's crazy how you forget that there are people with the horse, and you just fall in love with the way the horse moves, breathes, runs, eats, and responds to Albert, his owner.  These alone are worth the price of admission.  Go be stunned yourself, and if you've never been to DPAC, you're in for a treat--because no matter where you sit, you'll have a great seat.


Tickets for War Horse are on sale now, at dpacnc.com.  War Horse runs until Sunday, October 7th.


Alli


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