Raleigh Times is probably the best beer bar in town and would work well if
they could get you into either the "dining" area (westernmost section) or
the upstairs of the "new" Times area (easternmost side).  These two areas
are more self-contained than the other areas.  The bar has four parallel
downstairs area: "dining", "old", "smoking" (there's not actually smoking
there anymore but it's still called that), and "new".  There's an upstairs
area above "new", and an adjacent rooftop area. They basically tunneled
through three old 1906-era buildings, including the old Raleigh Times
newspaper building, to put the thing together.  They did a nice job
preserving the old structures.   The "old", "smoking", and "new"
(downstairs) areas will tend to be busier and louder, so try to get in
"dining" or upstairs.

Tir Na Nog, an Irish pub, has two large open areas with a large oval bar
separating them, all in one large space.  Tir Na Nog has space and
configurability going for it.  Raleigh Times has a more eclectic beer
selection and probably better food (IMHO) than Tir Na Nog.  Tir Na Nog
*might* be a little quieter than Times, which elevates the music volume as
the evening goes on (maybe not so much on Tuesdays), but if you get one of
those self-contained spaces in Times the noise shouldn't be so bad.

Other spaces for 30+ people I can think of: Sitti (Lebanese) has a
downstairs private room area with space, but not as much atmosphere as its
main upstairs area.  Centro, a very nice Mexican restaurant, might open up
their upstairs area for you.  The Oxford has a lot of space, with a large
dining area separate from the bar area, but with a Canes game going on that
night might have more of a sports bar vibe (I've never tried the food).

Steve



On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 10:02 AM, Lisa Rabey <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Good morning!
>
> I've had nearly 30 people get in touch about the #libtechwomen
> meet-up. If you have NOT gotten in touch, but wanted to join -- the
> more the merrier! I just wanted a general head count for space.
>
> With that in mind - I've been in touch with a few locations near the
> hotel, Raleigh Times Bar (http://raleightimesbar.com/) and Tir na nOg
> Irish Pub (http://tnnirishpub.com/). Both are willing to accommodate
> us, but I wanted to see if anyone/locals had a preference of one over
> the other? Or might have another recommendation within walking
> distance?
>
> unfrozenly yours,
>
>
>
>
> Lisa M. Rabey | @pnkrcklibrarian
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> An Unreliable Narrator: http://exitpursuedbyabear.net
> Cunning Tales from a Systems Librarian: http://lisa.rabey.net
>



-- 

Steve Morris
Head of Digital Library Initiatives
North Carolina State University Libraries
ph: (919) 515-1361
fax: (919) 515-3031