A tour of NC with Hop-A-Long Garcia

My friend Leah came to see me this last week. This is my first IA friend that has visited. It sure was nice having her here. I could not be as active as I would've liked but I gave it my all. I was able to show her some of my favorite places and introduce her to new friends. Here are a few things we did during her stay.

Tuesday: lunch at Raleigh Times. I heart their grilled cheese, tomato and avocado sandwich! The building is really cool, built in 1900's, it used to be occupied by a newspaper. 

We decided to stay in for dinner and watch a few movies. We cooked eggplant stacks. YUM! and enjoyed the movie Taken. 

Wednesday: Wilmington Beach day!!! We had a wonderful dinning experience at Elijah's. Learning how to shuck oysters and enjoying a beautiful day on their patio. We ended the day with a walk on the beach. It was not warm enough to swim or lay out. That was cut a bit short due to my bum leg. The ocean was remarkable. I picked up a few shells to add to my collection. 

Returning to Raleigh we decided to try a few new to me places. Busy Bee and Foundation both are pretty neat. Foundation is underground and you wouldn't know it was there except for a small neon sign at the top of the stairs leading down. Check out the photo on their website. They make their own cola and ginger ale. The drinks are a bit pricey $9 average but worth it. Just enjoy one and move on to another local spot is how I like to roll. 

Thursday: I had to work all day :( in Jacksonville. This gave Leah some R&R time. The evening was a bit busy. I made tomato and mozzarella tarts for an snack before going to Tir Na Nog. This is a really cool Irish pub that I found when I first moved here. I really like the scene, there is a good mix of people. Plus they host Local Band Local Beer night every Thursday. How cool is that! A great way to check out local artist for free.  This week Sorry About Dresden was playing. We had a great time with friends and was about to chat with the band after the show. The drummer gave us all the cds they put out. Super cool. Those guys live in Chapel Hill so maybe I will see them around. 

Friday: After a much needed yummy breakfast at Flying Biscuit We laid around recovering from the night before. Staying up until 3 or 4am is harder as you get older. Then ventured out for some Mexican and a movie. 

Saturday: This is Leah's last day. There is a lot of great stuff going on in Raleigh today. What to do What to do!!!??? The Artsplosure was something that I wanted to check out. I didn't get the full effect due to my walking limitations but we were able to see some of it. There were a few pieces that I would've loved to taken home.. but my pocket book wouldn't allow it. dang... 

This week is restaurant week in Raleigh. A number of restaurants provide a 3 course meal for $15 lunch and $25 dinner. I couldn't think of a better way to end a trip to Raleigh then the 42nd St Oyster Bar. We didn't take advantage of the 3 course meal, although it sounded fantastic. We split baked oysters, crab cakes and scallops. We ate at the oyster bar and were able to watch the kitchen rushing around with everyones orders. A gentlemen sitting next to us overheard Leah telling the waiter that she was from Iowa, he spoke up and said I must buy these girls another round of drinks if they are from Iowa. HA! Thanks man. 

We then went to my favorite little mans house for some socializing then off to Big Boss. Big Boss is a local brewery. Its out in the middle of nowhere but as soon as you drive up you know you are in for a fun time. Tasty local brews, ping pong and pool always make for a fun time. 

Leah enjoyed herself and that is all that matters. This is my first time showing off my new city to a friend from Iowa. She wants to come back in Aug. I can't wait! There is still so much we didn't do. The funny thing is she didn't have a camera and I lost mine ... this whole trip was not documented at all. She has to come back just so we can take pictures. 

THE END