Raleigh/Durham area is considered to be one of the top places to live in the US. It is relatively inexpensive, yet diverse and has lots of things to do. I wanted to see what's it like living there, so I decided to explore a bit. On my agenda were the Downtown of both places, parks and hiking trails, and food. Usually, this type of itinerary gives me a good idea of the town. Not during the pandemic!
Duke Gardens, one of the botanical gardens that I wanted to see, was closed until the end of the year. I knew that in advance during the planning stage of my trip, but was really disappointed regardless. My first stop after a decent cup of coffee at New World Cafe was William Umstead State Park located about 13 minutes from my AirBnb. Company Mill Trail was the trail I planned to hike. I didn't expect much since I knew it was a "city-like" park. Could you even call it hiking? Yes, you could!
The park was real woods that you could find after driving for an hour to find a remote place! I could not believe how green the park was. I guess I am not used to greenery anymore, just "golden hills" of California. Don't get me wrong, I love California, but I realized how much I missed the East Coast.
 |
| This bird was definitely fishing for something... |
After a peaceful 6 mile hike, I decided to see what Raleigh downtown looked like and grab lunch. It was an actual city! With high risers and $1 every 30 min parking. I stopped by Manhattan Cafe and got a BLT that was raved about in reviews. Unfortunately, it was average at best.
My next stop was
Eno River State Park and
Cox Mountain Trail. Again, I was among trees with a few more people hiking in the afternoon. The swaying bridge made my fear of heights kick in, but it was a cool experience!
And the woods were all-consuming... Density of trees covered up any sun's attempts to peak through. Clean fresh air, crisp, yet very comfortable - several times today I thought this was a perfect hiking weather. I was really lucky that there was no rain in the forecast.
The foliage was still green, but some trees started to show signs of seasons transitioning. I knew that in Asheville in the next few days I would see some change in color just because of the elevation gain. Here, the weather was still 75F. And did I say fresh air?
I was done with my hike, and headed to
Brightleaf Square in Durham, supposedly a hustle and bustle dining neighborhood, to get lunch/dinner before heading to Charlotte. It did not look like anything on the pictures. With the pandemic closures, many restaurants were closed as well or offered takeout only. Today was the first day when restaurant were allowed to open some indoor dining at 5 pm, but it was still too early for that. I was disappointed and saddened that I did not get to experience this neighborhood's vibe. Maybe next time...
I did get a baked scone and stopped at Whole Foods to buy some food before driving to Charlotte. The drive was rather pleasant, and I really enjoyed this car. I've never driven an SUV, so it was really fun. Plus this was probably the first new car I've driven as well.
I got to Charlotte, and my AiBnb was about 20 min from the city. My hosts were watching Trump getting in the car on his way to the hospitals. He was just diagnosed with COVID-19. I had to listed to them talking about the whole thing while I swallowed the salad I bought at Whole Foods. No food was allowed in my room. This experience was pretty miserable, but soon enough I was relaxing on a comfy bed after a great shower. I finally had a good night of sleep!
No comments:
Post a Comment