Biding Time in New Bern

Well, we've arrived at another Spring Break, so Team WestEnders followed the usual drill: the Male Trio geared up for their annual Easter visit with Husband's parents in South Carolina, and I orchestrate some kind of daytrip for myself while they're away. This time I had to put some extra thought into where to go, since we've been having such an unusually chilly March, and I definitely didn't want to travel anywhere colder. This unfortunately ruled out the mountains to our west, which although it was my first choice, I had to hastily discard when I looked up the forecast for that part of the state...and the temperature numbers in the forecast began with "4s". No. Thank. You.

So I regrouped, and turned my attention in the exact opposite direction, towards the coast. While I didn't quite feel like trekking all the way to the beach (my apologies, Mother Ocean--another time, for sure), I could make it to the Coastal Plain region in a little over 2 hours, which sounded perfect. Once I had identified my compass point, I selected the town I'd be exploring: New Bern, North Carolina. It sounded like it'd be entertaining, with an interesting mix of history, scenery, and maybe a little quirkiness thrown in for good measure.

To start off on the right note, it certainly turned out to be an easy drive. Yep, flat, open highways...for 145 miles. Seriously, the only mildly negative factor was the extreme windiness, which kept buffeting the Subaru as if we were under some kind of...I don't know...Interstate Small Craft Warning, or something. Otherwise. as long as I paid attention and kept a tight grip on the steering wheel, I enjoyed...smooth sailing--ha! (Sorry...)

I cruised into town and stopped by the Visitor's Center first for a handy-dandy street map, which would prove particularly useful, since the friendly, helpful employee assured me that the entire small city was completely walkable. (My fave--park once, then meander for hours. So far, so good...) Even better, when I inquired about where I could legally leave my vehicle--since I'd already stationed it in a lot with a green Parking sign--she looked briefly perplexed before chuckling gently, lowering her voice confidentially, and replying in the sweetest Southern drawl, "Well, I've never known anyone to just...get a ticket right away." I must have appeared skeptical, because she added, "They'll leave a note first, kind of like a warning, so you can move and avoid a fine." (Can I just say: Wooooow. Loving this place already, y'all.)

Armed with all of this knowledge, I set off on foot to get the lay of the land. One of the first things I noticed was the prevalence of...bear statues. I mean, EVERYWHERE. Ursine specimens included  plain wooden, sculpted metal, and brightly painted costumed ones. Over the course of the day, by reading the enchanting informational signs scattered throughout the city, I pieced together a theory: New Bern was founded by a Swiss man (which in retrospect should have been obvious, yeah? Berne...Switzerland? What can I say, it escaped me for a while...). So I wondered if, perhaps, the word bern translates to bear--and Google later assured me that it does, in fact. So that's one mystery solved.

Anyway, I had a lovely time wandering around the Riverwalk, directly next to the water, and admiring people's docked sailboats (as it was much too breezy for anyone to actually be out on the river, as I might have mentioned...). I eventually made my way to Tryon Palace (a very lofty word for the house, in my opinion....mansion would have sufficed), which served as the royal governor's home, when New Bern was the original capital of NC in British-ruled, pre-American-Revolutionary times. From there, I meandered to the Cedar Grove cemetery--because graveyards inexplicably fascinate me.

After that, I ambled the downtown streets--filled with boutiques, restaurants, MANY churches, and historical buildings galore. In case you think I'm exaggerating--just about every structure has a wooden plaque attached to it, stating the date it was erected, and most of them are from the 17-or-1800s. Eventually I was drawn--magnetically, you may suspect--to Bradham's Drugstore...which proudly proclaims itself (wait for it) the Birthplace of Pepsi (or, you know, "soft drink nirvana" to some of us). It seems that Caleb Bradham (who incidentally attended both UNC and the University of Maryland) invented the drink right there in his shop in 1898. The rest, as they say, is...pure refreshment. (Okay, they probably don't say that...but they should!)

At this point I was getting a bit weary--and hungry...and thirsty--so I decided to go find my Air Bnb, where I could rest and recover a bit. Now, about that...the apartment I'd attempted to rent fell through, since the host never responded to confirm the booking. Plan B, selected for its similar cost and location, was a room in someone's house. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure about this, but it was only one night, and just me, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I found the home tucked back into a large, attractive neighborhood, and when I pulled up, all of the windows and doors were open, presumably to allow the balmy air to circulate indoors. I rang the doorbell several times, but it didn't seem to work, so I knocked...and called "Hello"...and then proceeded to repeat these steps, feeling increasingly ridiculous, until the retired gentleman who owns the property finally saw me and came out. Awk...ward.

But once we introduced ourselves, he was perfectly pleasant, and hospitable...and chatty. He showed me around, told me his life story, introduced me to his cat (Benny), and probably would still be talking my ear off if I hadn't asserted my need for a quick nap. Don't get me wrong, he's quite nice, but it's a wee bit more...interaction....than I was perhaps looking for in terms of sleeping arrangements. (Which explains why I'm currently ensconced at a Starbucks, writing this.) We're just gonna go ahead and chalk this one up to a "Lesson Learned". 

But all in all, it was as lovely a sojourn as I'd hoped, when I embarked on Friday morning. Bonus: I stumbled upon a Panera where I could get my favorite salad for dinner...and in doing so, I passed by a Dunkin' Donuts, which will allow me to get my hands on some java in the morning to fuel a couple more hours of tourist-ing before heading back to the Triangle. For now, I need to sneak back into "my room" to relax for a couple of hours before bed...okay, maybe after petting the kitty one more time...shhh!