I Run Like A Girl

Our summer has been filled with more travel than usual. Our summer travels continued with a week in North Carolina! Joe and I decided to visit Raleigh, North Carolina to see someplace new and enjoy the summer vibes on the east coast. My brother, Andrew, and his dog, Constantine, also came out for the week. The four of rented a house and it ended up being a very fun, laid-back time together.

Fun fact, Joe used to live in Durham (30 minutes from Raleigh), so he knew the area well and played tour guide for us throughout the week. One of the first activities we did was visit downtown Durham and see all of Joe’s favorite sites.

We started off the Durham tour at an outdoor market with food, small vendors, and live music. It was a warm, humid day, but I wanted all the summer vibes coming from cool and foggy San Francisco.

We continued our walk and made it to the Durham bull statue, signaling the center of downtown. Durham had a hip, industrial vibe and was very walkable.

We made it to the American Tabacco Campus, where Joe’s old job was. He showed us all his favorite spots around campus, and I have to say, it was very cool!

We ended the tour with a walk at the Duke Botanical Gardens. The garden was HUGE and one of the nicest ones I’ve been to. This was right up our alley and a highlight of the trip.

Another day, we did a hike at Eno River State Park. Raleigh is a beautiful area filled with plenty of forests and greenery. Joe knew about this spot from his Durham days, and it did not disappoint! The hike took us through the dense forest along the riverside. There was beautiful scenery to look at throughout the hike.

At one point, Constantine got tired from the heat and suddenly had to stop. Andrew carried him all the way to the riverside. 😛

One of the most memorable parts of the hike was all the mushrooms! There were so many interesting mushrooms of all shapes and colors. I stopped almost every other minute to look at the different species. This hike was another highlight of our trip.

We also did a hike closer to Raleigh at Hemlock Bluffs Preserves. It was a smaller park and well-maintained. We did a short loop and got our nature fix.

Outside of these day trips, most of our week was spent living like locals in Raleigh. We went to the farmers market one day to stock up on fresh, organic fruits and vegetables for the week.

There was a breakfast restaurant at the farmers market with traditional Southern food. Joe was excited to see molasses on the table, as that was a sign of a true Southern restaurant. Overall, Raleigh had more Southern vibes than I expected (I thought it would feel more like east coast culture), but I loved the slow-paced atmosphere and incredibly warm people. 

One of our favorite spots was Komana Brewery. We liked it so much, we visited twice! They had unique themes every day. One day, we visited during their Japanese theme night. They had origami, painting, Japanese lessons, and Studio Ghibli playing on the projector. So creative!

Fun fact, Joe is very good at origami. 😊

The three of us were still working on weekdays, but after work each day, we went out for dinner around town. We had so much yummy food – the food in Raleigh was surprisingly good!

Outside of activities, some of my favorite time was spent back at our rental home. We watched the Olympics, relaxed by the pool, and spent plenty of quality time with Constantine.

I’m very grateful for all the traveling we’ve done this summer. This trip in particular filled my energy meter to the brim – there’s nothing like being with family and soaking in the summer vibes.