A Week Out; A Week About
I took an impromptu week off last week. I looked at the lab calendar and saw it was empty so, I said I wasn’t coming in. Fortunately, everyone I work with is really kind and when I said that I can come in if they need me and they all said NO. So, I had a week of free time in Raleigh. I think I really needed this time off. Firstly, because everything in Raleigh happens in the working week and the buses don’t run at the weekend I hadn’t experienced much of downtown. Secondly, I was getting more and more snappy and waspish as time went on. I hadn’t had time off and on my own since I arrived in America and I felt unproductive and demotivated. So, a week off is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Obviously, I had designs to work on some writing for work; work on my blog and explore a bunch of downtown Raleigh. I did at least two of those three things. Of course, I planned out a rough schedule for the week because I know myself and I know that if I don’t plan anything then I won’t do anything but lay in bed watching movies. Now I understand that I need that sometimes but not for an entire week. So, with a plan in mind I was all set.
To say I ate out a lot is an understatement. I probably ate out at least 5 times over the week. Monday was City Barbecue, which I would recommend. Lots of food choice and really good quality food. I went with a friend from work (Shout out to Shiva, Look you’re in my blog!). I ate so much I had to go home and have a nap, tragic I know. I also ate at Big Ed’s Marketplace in Downtown Raleigh. This was on a Tuesday and the place was still packed, and for good reason. All day breakfast and some classic southern foods. I had some grits (rough oats and cornmeal, with butter) and a sausage biscuit. Both were delicious and I would also recommend as the wait staff are lovely and the food is reasonably priced. It is a little dirty but that just adds to the overall atmosphere. I went to Mellow Mushroom on Thursday. A typical build your own pizza place but the restaurant has a very psychedelic theme. A bit over priced but a good experience. They have a bunch of delicious starters and a range of pizzas as well as the build your own option. I went with some friends (Katy and Emily) and it was a really fun experience. Following that Katy and I went to Goodberry’s, a frozen custard place. That’s right for all you Brits out there, FROZEN CUSTARD. It was wonderful. It was creamy and had a strong flavour, different to ice cream and frozen yogurt. Of course, I got M&Ms in mine. More pizza with Katy on Friday; we went to NY Slice of Pizza on Hillsborough Street. It was really reasonably priced and they had a great range of pizzas. I got a slice of white pizza, the slice was nearly the size of my head, and some fries which I dumped parmesan on. It seems weird and dangerous to me to have a shaker of parmesan on the table but maybe that is just me and my lactose intolerance speaking. Finally, Sunday I went to Guasaca with a friend from work. They sell arepas and rice bowls. Of course, I had a crispy chicken rice bowl and then I had a plain arepa, a flat bread made of corn, and stuffed the contents of my bowl inside the arepa because I am a savage. It was really delicious and maybe slightly too much food but isn’t that the case in America. Clearly, I ate plenty during my time off but I also did some activities as well, even if it is surprising that I could move.
On Tuesday, I had the busiest day. I travelled Downtown via Lyft (as the GoRaleigh bus is super unreliable) and got dropped at the Capitol building. After wandering to the History Museum and going to the Tourist Information desk I managed to get a map for Historic Oakwood (more on that later). I went back and toured the State Capitol building which was really interesting. They had statues and books from when the building was built. Originally, the first Capitol building burnt down, and this was a rebuild. It’s actually quite a tragic story so if you are interested you should look it up, worth a read. After a self-guided tour of the building and the weaving around of 1 million school children I went and browsed the City of Raleigh Museum. Although important sounding it is small and not very exciting. There was some interesting information and they had a brilliant photo exhibition which changes regularly but overall more of a brief interlude than a day’s experience. After this I had lunch and wandered over to Historic Oakwood. This is a large neighbourhood of original buildings that were constructed when Raleigh was first established. Houses of senators and headmasters and railway owners and doctors. All the houses were different, and all were beautiful. People live in them currently, but they are not allowed to change the exterior. There is also a little bit of history on where grocery stores and stables were; the cemetery is still in use and beautiful. They have a brook that runs through the middle. I spent some time there enjoying the sunshine.
On Thursday I went to the NC Art Museum which happens to be close to where I work. They have a huge art trail outside which I have seen a small portion of but, I wanted to go inside the museum and it was definitely worth it. They had several galleries ranging from medieval Religious paintings through to modern feminist art and all of it was beautifully preserved and displayed. It was interesting to note that the gallery containing the British and European portraits had specimens much better preserved than what we see in many British museums. I have a feeling that this is because in the UK paintings were often kept in houses and not cleaned properly whereas in the US they are a novelty and were either carefully stored or carefully displayed in museums and exhibitions. Katy joined me at the museum coffee shop where we hung out for a while and I drafted some blog posts while she did actual homework. We wandered round the temporary exhibits in the next building over and took some pictures. We also had a candid and very funny conversation with one of the museum guards. It was a long productive day.
Apart from the above, I chatted with friends from home; relaxed on my balcony and napped regularly. It very much helped me find my equilibrium and made me excited to go back to work. I’ve been back a week and I definitely feel much more motivated and productive. Always remember to take time for yourself, it helps in the long run!
