 Since I had to be in Wilmington for SME Week, it was cheaper and less crazy to simply stay over in Wilmington on Friday night and travel with Aaron and Albert from Wilmington to Munich, rather than try to go back to Austin for 24 hours.  I chatted with my mom, and the got myself packed up and checked out of the hotel. I am now in the airport waiting for the first leg of my flight to board. See you on the flip side!   
 As we approached the pub, I noticed that Dr. Who had also traveled to Wilmington for St. Patrick’s Day, as the TARDIS was parked outside the pub. I got a kick out of hearing people walking by asking, “What is a Police Public Call Box?” I never spotted The Doctor, but I am sure he was there somewhere. We drank green beer, and ate bangers and mash. We hung out with some other friends from work, and generally had a great time.
I traveled to North Carolina from Baltimore today. I landed in Research Triangle Park, or RTP to those of us who frequent the area, which is between Raleigh and Durham, NC, at around noon. I met up with some colleagues from the RTP office and we went to Neomonde Baking Company Cafe for lunch. Neomonde’s is a favorite stop of mine. I really love middle eastern food, and these folks know how to do it right. After a yummy lunch, I spent a few hours working in the RTP office, and then drove down to Wilmington.  My friend and colleague, Amy, had told me that, of the nights I will be in town, tonight is the one that she is available. Amy just got a new place overlooking the Cape Fear River, and we agreed to meet there. We spent some time catching up, and I helped her put together her new dining table. Following crazy, unclear directions in order to assemble furniture really worked up our appetite for some dinner! We drove down to Kure Beach and had all we could eat shrimp. It was a well deserved feast. Today I drove from Wilmington, NC to Durham, NC. I always stay in a hotel in Durham. My co-workers usually stay at hotels near the airport. There are lots of fast food restaurants and business parks. It is not very friendly or welcoming. A few years ago, when I was spending every other week in this part of North Carolina, I discovered that there is a DoubleTree Hotel about a ten minute drive from my office. It is in more of a neighborhood, and not to far from a major shopping center that has good restaurants and stores like Target and CVS. Anyway, I made the drive from Wilmington to my hotel in Durham on I-40. The drive is not too far by Texas standards. It is about the same as driving from downtown San Antonio to North Austin. The major difference is that there are no access roads on I-40. None! You would never know what businesses are at each exit if it were not for the blue signs that list out the gas stations, hotels, and restaurants. This lack of access roads makes it tough if you want to stop, but it also means that the scenery is much nicer! The road is lined with huge trees. The leaves are all turning right now. Don’t ask how I got it, but here is a picture of the drive. I decided to take it easy, and have a relaxing Saturday. I slept in a little bit. I worked on my knitting project.
After lunch we went shopping at Belk. Fun for me because we don’t have this store in Austin. I spent the rest of the afternoon giving myself a pedicure and manicure. I tried to go to the movies, but there was nothing I really wanted to see showing at the theatre. So I spent some more time knitting.
One of my favorite places to go for “not happy hour” in Wilmington is the Cafe Phoenix. First of all, they have a cool name, and a cool logo. Secondly, they have half price wine all day Thursday, by the bottle or by the glass. Whenever I am in Wilmington on a Thursday, Nicole and I try to go over and take advantage of this quirk of North Carolina law.
Nicole and Shelley and I spent a few hours yesterday evening enjoying the groovy atmosphere, watching the pedestrians on Front Street, drinking wine, and eating appetizers. We thought the appetizers were half off as well; it turned out they were not, but they tasted great anyway!
We started with seared ahi tuna topped crisps with greens, bruscetta with pears and brie, and calamari. I had Scallops Florentine for my entree. It had fresh round noodles, small scallops (cooked perfectly), a cream sauce, and warm wilted spinach. I finished off with Chocolate Mocha Crème Brûlée, and a cup of coffee. Yum! Check out the glass above the door in this picture. It made me think of Joey. |
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