Day 2: “This is so awesome”

It’s a brisk morning here in Raleigh at about 34 degrees. Although much better than Connecticut where it’s in the 20s, Izzy’s Floridian blood is freezing. We’re both wearing thermals, pants, long sleeves, and jackets. I also brought some headband ear warmers and gloves. 

First stop for today : breakfast. We found an Einstein’s Bagels not too far from where we’re going so we grabbed an uber and were on our way. 

Our day 1 luck continues as the app brought us to an apartment complex instead of the actual location. After some investigation, we realized Einstein’s was actually on campus at UNC Chapel Hill. Our uber driver was nice enough to drive us around to where we thought it was, until it got to the point that we told him to drop us off where we were since we didn’t want to waste any more of his time. We ended up having to walk around quite a bit before finding out it was in the basement of the business building. 

(Fun fact: I almost went to UNC Charlotte for school before ultimately choosing FGCU)

Of course when we finally made it to the cafe where Einstein’s was we found out it’s actually closed today. Not sure why the campus is closed on a Friday, but we were stuck having to find somewhere new to go instead. I guess that’s what we get for not going somewhere locally in the first place, but had Einstein’s worked out we would’ve been able to walk to our next stop instead of taking a uber. Would you believe that the Einstein’s was actually was pretty close to where our uber initially went? We could’ve saved ourselves a lot of walking and time had we just continued down the road we were getting dropped off at, but at the entrance it hadn’t seemed you’d be able to drive down anywhere. 

Nonetheless, we ended up at Brandwein’s Bagels. After some delicious bagel sandwiches and conversation, we were on our way to our next stop: NC Botanical Garden. The thing about me? I’m gonna find some gardens. 

There is currently an exhibit called Sculpture in the Garden. Artists, primarily from NC, create sculptures or art pieces to be displayed around the garden. They had a total of 86! This worked out since the “garden” aspect is practically impossible due to the weather. They have some plants that thrive outside, but nothing to knock your socks off. 

We saw some very awesome, very detailed, very… unique, and very creative pieces, then made a game into guessing how much they were since they were available for purchasing. Pieces ranged anywhere from $100 to $20,000. Check out some of my favorites below!

Once we wrapped up there, we headed to stop #2: the Museum of Art. The other thing about me? I’m gonna find some art. 

If you’ve been following NYNP from the beginning, you may recall my very first trip where my phone kept dying, leaving me stranded. Well despite having a newer phone, my battery was draining. Ever since that very first trip, I’ve had a portable charger to avoid situations like that. I think the culprit is really the uber app since it’s constantly running in the background when you’re in a ride even if you’re not on your phone, but at least my portable charger was able to get me from 9% to 82% before it died. Now we just hope it lasts the rest of the day. 

Between 2 huge buildings, we saw a variety of exhibits and pieces made from different methods, materials, and inspirations. Art is very subjective and speaks differently to each person, which I think is what makes it awesome. Everything is up to interpretation and interpretation varies person by person. I am always amazed seeing what others’ brains can come up with. 

By now it’s about half day, and we’re headed to one of the most favored activities we have this weekend : the Chinese Lantern Festival. 

This is another activity that just so happened to be going on while we were here. We were already excited to be going, but this completely blew us out of the water. If I had a dollar for every time we said “this is so cool” or “these are awesome” I think I could pay for this entire trip. Mixed in with their setups was so many interactive things! It was the perfect mix for adults and kids, something that truly was for everyone. 

Not only do they have breathtaking, vibrant displays, they also have some performances. We watched hat juggling, aerobics, balancing acts, and more for a little bit before continuing our trek around the event. I could bore you with my descriptions of the displays, or I could just show you. So check out some of my favorites below. 

The pictures look great, and even then, they don’t do it justice. We talked with one of the girls there, and it turns out they travel! See if they’re coming anywhere close to you and GO, you will not be disappointed. We got “glow” tickets, meaning the gates open a little earlier for us at 4:30pm. You’re there before the sun sets which is great for taking pictures in natural light. The later tickets I believe are for entry at 7, after the sun has set. I was pleasantly surprised at how long we stayed given we were there earlier. Throw in the fact that it was about 30 degrees, we were literally frozen. We joked about not being able to feel our toes and fingers and how we’d probably get back to the hotel and have frostbite. It would’ve been worth it though, I mean just look at how great the displays look at night! 

We decided to head out after a few hours once we had seen everything and could no longer feel anything. Next on the list was dinner!

Izzy had found Dos Taquitos in a video on TikTok showing that they have a train deliver your guacamole or queso to your table! There was no guarantee that we’d get sat at a table this was available for, but the host there was so awesome she made it happen (and in half the time she said it would initially take)! 

We both enjoyed some chips with salsa, queso, and guacamole before indulging in some tasty steak tacos. I paired mine with a nice margarita, and it was a great time. Not only did we get to eat, we got to defrost too. 

Once our bellies were full the only other place to go was back to our hotel. Time to decompress, relax, shower, and write this blog! It’s currently 2am, and Izzy’s sound asleep snoring next to me. Our last full day is already tomorrow, so I’d better go to sleep soon. I hope you enjoyed today’s events! See you tomorrow ❤