Shops, eateries, railroad are among attractions in historic downtown Apex

Like Garner and Cary previously profiled by Photo Potpourri, Apex, N.C, also boasts a historic downtown.

Its epicenter is along a three-block commercial stretch of shops, restaurants, salons and boutiques on Salem Street, beginning at Chatham Street and extending north roughly to Thompson Street. Town Hall is on Hunter Street, the next street north of Thompson.

I've been to Apex a few times -- mostly passing through. On two occasions, however, I was there to visit the weekend Farmers Market. My visit there Sept. 28 was my first to devote time to exploring it in some detail. I didn't know town hall was so very close to where I had been roaming until after I'd returned home and pulled up the downtown map on the Internet. It was one of those occasions where I should have consulted the map before going there. Oh well ... it gives me a good reason to return another time.

In addition to shops, the historic downtown district features the town's cultural center, which hosts performances, art shows and movies. The volunteer fire department has its headquarters downtown, and across the street from it is a modest plaza and memorial to those who have served our country and their communities.

The town's association with the CSX Railroad is prominent in the downtown area, not only from the tracks and rail cars, but from structures that once served as depots. The older one is north of the tracks, across Center Street from the one which has since been remodeled for Chamber of Commerce office space and to host meetings and modest-sized gatherings. The parking space in front of the chamber building is used for the community's weekly Farmers Market.

For my lead-off photo at the top of this post, I chose a picture of The Beer Dispenser craft beer shop along the east side of Salem. I wanted to go inside and check it out, but I decided not to while I was "working." Hopefully, another time.

As always, to view a larger, sharper version of any photo in this post, simply click on the photo. This is especially helpful if you access the blog using a mobile device. For a full gallery of photos from my shoot in downtown Apex, click on the link in this sentence.

Photo geek stuff: I handled the entire shoot with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3
Di VC PZD lens. I took three exposures of every composition to meld later in high-dynamic range (HDR) Photomatix software during post-processing. I set the camera shooting mode on aperture priority (f/8.0) and adjusted my ISO levels to allow for optimum shutter speeds so as not to blur images.

Anna's Pizzeria (above) is at the intersection of Salem and Chatham street ... and across the street from the scene I photographed (looking north down Salem) in the photo below. 

Storefronts of the Rusty Bucket (above), a country home furnishings boutique, and the Salem Street Pub (below), where burgers and "moonshine" can be had. 
 

A storefront from across the street (above) and an activity for passersby to consider (below).  

Above: A sidewalk view of shops looking south down Salem Street from close to the Peak City Grill and Bar.

Across the street from each other are the Volunteer Fire Department headquarters (above) and a small plaza containing a service memorial to military veterans, emergency personnel and people who lost their lives on 9/11 (below). The memorial, funded by private donations, began with a 6-inch cube of metal beam recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center's South Tower. That cube is atop the stone monument in the center. The nearby 10-foot-tall clock is there to remind passersby to take time to remember.

Above and below: Examples of large store identifications painted on the brick facades of Salem Street. 

The Halle Cultural Arts Center (above) and a closeup of its lighted sign (below). The center hosts an array of art shows, performances and free movies each year. 

Above and below: Two views of the Salem Heritage Plaza, a modest collection of shops at the north end of the commercial district.
 

Above and below: Two views of Salem Street looking south, with the intersection of Center Street visible in the foreground of the photo above and the spire and belfry of Apex Baptist Church appearing above the trees in the photo below.

Above: The facade of the Apex Police Department on Saunders Street, in the first block west of Salem Street. 

The CSX Railroad's history has a prominent presence in the Apex downtown ... not just by the tracks (above and below) or even a cherished rail car (second below), but also by the last depot building (third below), which now serves as the base for the Apex Chamber of Commerce. The building's parking lot is used each Saturday by the Apex Farmers Market.  

Next up: Two Apex churches in the downtown area