I went to Raleigh-Durham this weekend for a catch-up with my college roommates. We all met at Washington University in St. Louis a "few" years ago. Ha! Anne and Tania live in Durham and Raleigh, I live in Little Rock, Kelleen lives in Phoenix, and Josie lives in Los Angeles. We span the country and we haven't all been together in 7 years.
I don't travel alone often so there were some comical moments in the airport - taking off a bracelet and having it bust into 20 pieces, thinking I was connecting through one city only to find out it was a completely different connection (almost missed my flight!). The highlight was this yummy brunch in Baltimore. No complaints about this airport food!
Arriving Thursday night we went straight to late dinner and drinks at Angus Barn in Raleigh . This premier steak restaurant is somewhat of a landmark having been established in 1960 at this location and remaining largely unchanged. We had a selection of bar food bites and "one or two" drinks in their Wild Turkey Lounge! The next day we took a tour around Raleigh including the train station, contemporary art museum and Raleigh denim workshop. Raleigh is high end denim hand sewn in this workshop. You can walk in and watch the designers and seamstresses (don't know the male alternative) at work in a very vintage environment. The shop is cool and funky with a ceiling covered in paper airplanes. Available locally, Raleigh only retailed through Barney's until opening their own storefront in New York City. Right now you can also find some sweet deals on their denim at BarneysWarehouse.com We continued checking out other shops in Raleigh. I was surprised to discover Benetton is alive and well! Probably haven't shopped in one since Wash U. Got a couple of cute purchases and spring styling inspirations there which I'll show in another post.
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| Angus Barn |
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| Raleigh brand denim workshop and store |
Our local hosts husbands' joined us for dinner. Billy and Todd were kind enough to take over the kid duties for the weekend and allow us girls to have a nice long visit.
Brunch Saturday morning at Durham's Guglhupf, followed by a quick tour of Duke's campus. I hadn't been on the campus since 1989 when I toured as a high school applicant! Despite the rain, or perhaps enhanced by it, the campus quad and buildings are just gorgeous. We checked out Billy's office and the bookstore, only feeling slightly older than the rest of the campus tour groups!!
More shopping in Durham commenced. Absolutely loved the high end consignment store Fifi's which has a location in both Raleigh and Durham. Another great store in Durham was Magpie's where I picked up great gifts. And of course a stop at the local pub, Federal for mid-afternoon refreshments! While there I was reminded of the industry that put Durham on the map-tobacco! I, of course, associate Bull Durham with baseball via the movie starring Kevin Costner, and was reeducated on the historical facts tying this famous name to baseball. During this trip I realized I have an affinity for a nice basic bathroom sign. "Women" clear, to the point, no need for questions. This after mistaking a rooster for a chicken at Angus Barn and hiding out in a stall for a few painful moments!
A great big hug to my great friends Anne and Tania for hosting the weekend, to Billy for giving up his home for the weekend so we could crash their house, all the family who helped with kiddos and to my girlfriends for valuing this old friendship enough to keep it going for 20 years. Love you.
