Food

History, hidden tacos and Detroit-style pizza in Raleigh-Durham

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Raleigh – part of the Triangle area of North Carolina – seemed far away for us. For quite some time, my husband and I would say we’d go, but each time, something else would come up.

WRAL azalea garden
WRAL Azalea Garden

However, history, the promise of a taco crawl and North Carolina’s azalea season were calling.

In April 2022, we made the short trek (3 hours from Myrtle Beach) to Raleigh for spring break.

The space between Myrtle Beach and North Carolina is full of history. Don’t be surprised if driving down a side highway you stumble upon a Civil War site or upon an old church or cemetery that’s been around since Pre-Civil War times. One of those pre-war sites was our first stop at the Old Bluff Presbyterian Church, a historic church founded in 1758 and built in 1855 near Godwin, N.C. The grounds even have an old spring that “quenched the thirst of the Highlanders, both Patriot and Loyalist,” according to the church history website.

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A road trippin’ summer and fall and looking ahead to 2017

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Leaf peeping off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville

My, oh my, has it been a while since I took a moment to reflect (and write) about our recent travels. It has been a very busy year. This summer and fall, we took quite a few road trips to escape the summer heat of Myrtle Beach and to go leaf peeping in the mountains. Continue reading →

A July weekend in Richmond, Va.

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Beautiful cast iron in Richmond

Virginia’s state capital, Richmond, is often over looked for the more touristy destinations like Arlington, Williamsburg and Virginia Beach.

However, not considering this revitalized city would be a mistake.

We chose to go to Richmond for many reasons including the chance to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Peter Chang’s.

Richmond is full of history and many pieces of that history are on full display throughout the city, but some are more subtle like the cast iron handrails in the picture to the left and need to be found to be enjoyed. Continue reading →

Summer vacation in Asheville

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Sunset in Asheville

It is no secret that we love Asheville — this is not the first post, nor will it be the last. Asheville just has something about it that attracts me. I don’t know if it is the eclectic atmosphere, the food scene, the proximity to the beautiful mountains…just something about that place keeps me coming back for more.

In June 2016, we decided to take our summer vacation there. We found a pet friendly hotel (since we always travel with Piggy nowadays) and headed to the mountains.

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Piggy’s birthday in Charleston (and tips for traveling with pets)

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Piggy

If you know me, you know I have a dog named Piggy. He is an English Bulldog/Boxer mix and a very special boy. Because of Pig, most of our recent trips have been nearby and ones where he can go along.

In April 2016, we decided to celebrate Piggy’s 8th birthday in Charleston.

When we travel with Piggy, we try to make sure that he has plenty of time to explore and get tuckered out before we leave him to sleep in the hotel room. Continue reading →

Don’t do that, do this in Barcelona

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A quiet corner of Barcelona

Some news organizations recently stated that tourism numbers in Barcelona are skyrocketing. With that, the city’s mayor said he didn’t want Barcelona to become like Venice and The Guardian recently wrote that some locals don’t want tourists anymore.

Seasoned travelers may be turned off by the idea of visiting Barcelona because the city may seem like a tourist trap and all the streets could be packed with people donning selfie sticks.

While that may be true is some areas of every major tourist destination, there are places where you can enjoy the real Barcelona, like the locals do.

Here are some tips to see the area with A Local’s Look: Continue reading →

Foodie finds in Myrtle Beach

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Myrtle Beach is a tourist destination. People come from all around to enjoy the beach, sun and fun.Farm Fresh produce

In a tourist town, it is sometimes hard to find a restaurant doing something different or a place where you can get items actually grown/made with love and care instead of for the masses.

When we first moved here in 2008, there were only a few places that really took pride in locally-sourced foods and homemade recipes. Continue reading →

Music city is more than just music

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Nashville is known as Music City. The bars downtown are full of country music lovers and musicians hoping to make it big. I am neither of those. The best part of a country song is when you play it backwards and the singer gets their car back, their dog back and their girlfriend back. (yes, I know that is a horrible joke.)

But, when the opportunity to stop in Nashville on the way home from Bourbon Country arose, we jumped at the opportunity. Continue reading →

Making dreams come true: a trip to Dublin, Ireland

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Wicklow Mountains

For as long as I have known my husband, he has talked about getting to Ireland some day. I kept that in the back of my mind and when we were saving for a big vacation, I made sure to save just enough more so that we could go to Ireland sooner rather than later.
The “sooner” came earlier this year with a week in Dublin. Continue reading →