Office Talk with Raleigh Magazine

A fabulous holiday party shouldn’t require a second mortgage or storage unit. Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam talk pulling it all together, from borrowing those party essentials you’ll only use once to pouring bubbly with a backstory to finding local gifts that earn you an invite back. Plus, hosting regrets, overrated traditions and go-to hostess gifts for when you’re already running late. Consider this your permission to entertain smarter and still be a little extra.Why Buy When You Can Borrow?Stay in the Know Follow AlongMeet Our SponsorsSwim Woodhouse Spa RaleighCocktail ClassicGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Dark wood, stiff martinis and a little swagger, or wagyu, luxe interiors and dinner as theater? Raleigh’s steakhouse scene serves it all. Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam dish on seven standouts, from old-school institutions like the Angus Barn and The Peddler to modern heavy hitters like Crawford Brothers and Franko’s Prime. Find out which spots deserve your next splurge.Stay in the Know Follow Along Meet Our SponsorsSwim Woodhouse Spa RaleighCocktail ClassicGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Ten bars, ten cocktail heavyweights, and one seriously spirited night. Raleigh Magazine’s Cocktail Classic returns to The Exchange Nov. 14, and we’re spilling everything you need to know before you go. Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam talk dress code, safe rides, can’t-miss pours and how to cast your People’s Choice vote. Plus: live mixology demos, elevated eats, a bubbly room and a few surprises worth exploring between sips.10 Reasons Cocktail Classic is a Must-GoStay in the Know Follow AlongMeet Our SponsorsSwim Woodhouse Spa RaleighCocktail ClassicGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Your license plate could be getting more screen time than you are. Flock cameras help police find stolen cars and missing people, but their growing presence in Raleigh raises questions about who’s tracking your movements and who can access that data. Gina Stephens and Melissa Howsam talk public safety, privacy and the fine print of living in a world that’s always watching.All Eyes on Flock Stay in the Know Get Social  Meet Our SponsorsSwim Woodhouse Spa RaleighTimber Pizza Get the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Gen Z wants flip phones, digital cameras, paper maps and a life less online. But can you really recreate the analog ’90s when the internet is always one person—or one emergency—away? This week, Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam unpack why a generation raised online is desperate to log off, what they’re actually nostalgic for—and why voluntarily ditching your iPhone isn’t the same as growing up without one.Going Analog: Living Like It’s 1992 for a WeekendStay in the KnowGet SocialMeet Our SponsorsSwimWoodhouse Spa RaleighTimber PizzaGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Raleigh’s long-promised hotel boom has officially arrived. This week, Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam unpack the new wave of stays reshaping the city—from the just-opened Hotel Indigo and Village District’s Oberlin to the massive Omni and forthcoming Westin—and why Raleigh’s growing hotel inventory is about much more than where visitors sleep.Raleigh’s Hotel Boom Is HereStay in the KnowGet SocialMeet Our SponsorsSwimWoodhouse Spa RaleighTimber PizzaGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Want to taste your way through Raleigh's cocktail scene in one night? Cocktail Classic returns Nov. 14—and tickets are officially on sale. Tune in for what's new this year, how you'll get up close with RM's Best Bartender nominees and when voting for Raleigh's best bars and bartenders begins.The Cocktail ClassicStay in the KnowGet SocialMeet Our SponsorsSwimWoodhouse Spa RaleighTimber PizzaGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

You paid hundreds of dollars for the ticket, so why are you watching the concert through someone else’s phone screen? Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam talk concert etiquette and the little things we can all do to make live music better for everyone.How to Not Be That PersonGood Content Lives HereMeet Our SponsorsSwimWoodhouse Spa RaleighTimber PizzaGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Downtown Raleigh is full of ambitious renderings—but some of the city's biggest redevelopment sites remain empty years after businesses packed up and left. Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam unpack why major projects stall, who gets caught in the middle and what these vacant blocks say about the realities of growth in Raleigh.Why Raleigh's Biggest Development Projects Are Sitting EmptyStay in the KnowGet SocialMeet Our SponsorsSwimWoodhouse Spa RaleighTimber PizzaGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now

Raleigh has added roughly 150,000 residents in the last 20 years—but today RPD has essentially the same number of officers it did in 2006. Publisher Gina Stephens and Editor-in-Chief Melissa Howsam unpack the department's 93 vacancies, rising response times and a surprising retention problem that's sending Raleigh-trained officers to neighboring towns. As the city races toward its next quarter-million residents, can its police force keep up?Growing Population. Shrinking Police ForceStay in the KnowGet SocialMeet Our SponsorsSwimWoodhouse Spa RaleighTimber PizzaGet the issue to your door! Subscribe Now