Raleigh, NC

Recently I attended a conference in Raleigh, NC. The city of Raleigh was a weird hybrid of old, dirty, run-down buildings and clean, hip, mostly overpriced food outlets. For example, I found a shop that was very white and clean and shiny (kind of like and Apple Store), but they were selling bottled fruit/Veggie 'smoothies'. I had a free taste of one that was just watermelon juice and basil; it was not unpleasant but I could have bought a whole watermelon and a basil plant for less than the cost of a bottle of this drink.

Before traveling to Raleigh, I was sure that Charlotte was the capital of North Carolina. Turns out I was wrong. This picture was taken inside the capitol building. It was the Senate meeting room for some time, and it was the room in which William H. Holden, the governor of NC at the time, stood trial for impeachment; apparently during the civil war, he was quite critical of the Confederacy's stance on slavery, which made him quite unpopular in Confederate NC. William Holden was the first US state governor to be impeached and removed from office.

 

I visited a number of historical sites, including the capitol building, the Raleigh City Museum and the North Carolina History Museum. Here are two of the interesting facts I learned.

1. The 19th amendment (the right of women to vote) was passed and became national law in 1920. However, NC did not ratify the amendment until 1971. They 'tabled' the bill for more than 50 years!
2. NC would not ratify the US Constitution until the Bill of Rights was added; but this did not occur until after George Washington was elected president. So, NC had no part in electing the first president of America.

I also visited the science museum. Possibly the best thing about the science museum was the presence of actual scientists, in actual white coats, doing actual science in the museum! The other great thing about all the museums in Raleigh was the low entry price of $0; all the museums are supported by generous donations from patrons.

I can't finish a post about 'the South' without mentioning the food. It's very good. They love their barbecue. I went to a renowned BBQ place called The Pit. I got the Carolina Classic

It's pulled pork and southern fried chicken with Brussels sprouts and fries on the side. The sauce you can see is southern BBQ sauce. It would be enough to make a Hobart hipster cry tears of joy.

Portland, OR

Recently, I attended a work conference in Portland, OR. Having seen the show Portlandia, I was fairly excited to see how reality stacked up against the TV version. It was actually surprisingly similar. Portlandia is a caricature of Portland. There were indeed many tattoos, midriff tops, druggies, hipsters, homeless, craft breweries, specialty chocolate shops, farmers' markets and quirky restaurants, bars, and cafes. It was in Portland I finally found a coffee place that comes close to Yellow Bernard Quality. It was called Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and it was almost too portland for Portland.

 I ordered a latte. It passed the test, so I ordered their cold brew. It was also excellent. My only complaint was the vinyl records were playing too loud. The soap in the bathrooms was in a sauce bottle. The hot water cylinder was covered in 'art'.

I also sampled Voodoo Donuts, which was way over-hyped. They were donuts. Good donuts. But not worth lining up outside to get them!

I decided to spend some time in Washington Park. In the Forestry Center, they were having an exhibit of the art of Dr Seuss. It was really interesting to see how his career progressed and learn of his involvement in projects other than children's books.

From Washington Park I followed the 4T trail back to the city and catch the aerial tram down the hillside. It was beautiful, but really poorly signed. It was meant to be four miles. But I think I walked about 10.
I still rode the aerial tram though.

I really like Portland. I could live there.