So, the
first part of Team WestEnders’ historic exodus…to Raleigh…came off without a hitch. I mean,
how difficult can it possibly be to chuck a few items into a bag--for a journey
of 30 miles, that’s going to last approximately 24 hours? (Keep this thought in
mind, however, as it will come back to bite us in the patootie later in the
story. Yep, that’s foreshadowing, y’all…are you proud of me for utilizing a literary
device? Or have I just been spending too much time discussing homework with my
Middle and High School sons? Yeeeaaaah, that sounds about right…)
I have to
admit it was a little bit weird…and somewhat disorienting…to stay in a hotel this close
to home. For example, we were within shouting distance of PNC Arena, where the
Carolina Hurricanes hockey team plays, so the lobby was decorated in club
colors, and displayed framed jerseys and other related memorabilia. Initially we were like, "Hey, we recognize that stuff!" Which was quickly followed by a sheepish, "Oh, right...never mind..." It made me
more aware of the fact that typically when we travel, I’m paying attention to
my physical surroundings, as well as the other vacationers, looking for
anything interesting or unusual or otherwise noteworthy. But this time it
was like we never left…literally!
Anyway,
when we arrived after our arduous 35-minute trek (ha!), the first order of
business was obviously SHOWERS. Everyone luxuriated in the free-flowing water,
the incomparable feeling of being squeaky clean, and the joy of donning fresh clothing.
Thus rejuvenated, we had the energy to face down our (by-now-familiar) dilemma of the
evening: where to dine. It was the unavoidable debate—how to feed both a
pack of carnivores…and one gluten-free vegan…in the same venue.
A little
bit of searching on the Internet yielded a couple of promising options in the
city…for ME, anyway…but they sounded just a bit too…hmm, how would Derek put
this…”hippie fried tofu” for the guys. So I went with the most mainstream path,
a Mexican-themed café whose menu had at least one thing I could eat. However,
it turned out to be a muy popular Saturday night destination, as we found out
when we showed up, crammed ourselves into the packed lobby, and were told it
would be a 45-minute wait for a table. Um, no…gracias. Adios…
The backup
plan involved one of those crunchy-granola joints I previously alluded to…but I
was hoping that everyone was hungry enough by now to just go with it and not
give me any guff. I think it helped that the Remedy Diner was located in the
heart of downtown Raleigh, so we got to drive right by the capital building on
our way, which was super-cool. And...how to describe the place itself?
Quirky…funky…cute all sprang to mind as we walked in the front door. Or, as they are fond of saying on HGTV, "It was full of charm and character"--with features like eclectic
artwork all over the walls, a handful of red vinyl booths, a wooden bar taking
up the rest of the space, and a small pass-through window where the food
appeared for delivery.
But the
absolute best part as far as I was concerned was that, for ONCE, there was a small section of the
menu devoted to sandwiches made from meat, and the REST of the offerings were
vegetarian or vegan. Plus they made gluten-free bread available, for no
additional cost. Nirvana, I tell ya! It was a novel concept for me to actually be able to
make a choice among several delicious-sounding selections—I ended up going with
the Reuben, made with tempeh in place of corned beef…since I used to order
these All. The.Time. before going veg, and hadn’t had one since then (that would
be “2008” for anyone who’s curious)! Happily, everyone was pleased with their
meal, so it was an unqualified success, I’d have to say.
We then
returned to our slightly-out-of-town HQ to rest up, as the next day we planned
to do some touristy things in Raleigh before heading back to Chapel Hill...by
which time we hoped the H2O issues would have been resolved. Some of our ideas
included walking around the campus of NC State (not that Derek’s expressed
interest in this particular university, but it’s here…and so are we…so it seems
silly not to at least give it a quick stroll), taking in a museum, and/or
meandering the area around the State House.
The next morning
dawned overcast and damp, as if it had rained overnight—but the clouds quickly
dispersed, giving way to a bright, sunny, mild day. In short, it looked
picture-perfect for sightseeing. I made my way to the lobby to check out the
coffee situation, and quickly discovered—not unexpectedly—that the breakfast
buffet contained nothing that was friendly to my dietary constraints. And since
we’d flown the coop so suddenly, I had forgotten to grab anything from my stash;
therefore I went out in search of a store before anyone else was stirring in
our room.
When I
returned (triumphantly waving Kind breakfast bars) I found that the Male Posse
had emerged for sustenance. While Derek and Riley were industriously tucking
away eggs and bacon, however, Husband sat in front of a plate of barely-nibbled toast…and wore a decidedly greenish countenance. Aaaannnd, speaking of vacating the premises without one’s
supplies: he had a migraine…and had left his meds in the pantry (where they obviously were...less-than-effective...siiiiighhh...)
Oh well, so
much for the day’s fabulous agenda. Of course, we can go back to Raleigh any time we
darn well please, since it’s practically right around the corner--so it’s not a
major deal…just a minor bummer. On the plus side, though, shortly thereafter we
received a notification that the water had been deemed safe, the restrictions
had been lifted, and it was permissible to resume normal consumption. So we
turned around and headed back to Casa WestEnders, where upon arrival the very
first thing Riley announced was that he had to pee…and he was going to flush
the toilet… just because he could. Another reminder that it’s the little things
that matter most, yeah? I’ll drink to that…(perhaps a
nice, tall glass of agua--ha!)
No comments:
Post a Comment