Day 24: Rest Day in Raleigh

After writing my previous post this morning, I rode my bike to Dunkin Donuts to have a cup of coffee, a donut, and a coffee roll. Then I rode through North Carolina State University campus before entering Pullen Park.

I would have loved this park if I was still a kid. The park has many large statues, from dinosaurs to pandas, and even has a train that goes around it. The center of the park is a lake and it makes for great scenery.

Pullen Park

I continued to downtown Raleigh and stopped by Nash Square briefly before arriving at the State Capitol. The North Carolina State Capitol is one of the smaller capitols I’ve been to.

North Carolina State Capitol

I took a self guided tour then talked to the receptionist for a bit. The state legislature actually meet in another building a block north. This build is too small to hold all the government officials. I decided to visit there as well.

The legislature building is shaped like a big square and I like the architecture style. I was able to walk on the roof top, saw some roof top gardens, and got a good view of downtown.

The North Carolina Legislature Building

There were some student tour groups and I thought about how wonderful it is to have the young kids be interested in the government at an early age. The future will be in their hands soon.

I decided to eat lunch at Centro, a Mexican restaurant not too far from the State Capitol. It’s recommended by my friend John, who isn’t able to meet up this time but lives in Raleigh.

After lunch, I walked my bike to Moore Square and heard a busker playing a Cat Stevens song. There was also a place to get a mocha milkshake. I sat on a lawn chair, drank my milkshake, listened to some music, watched some kids playing in the fountain, and enjoyed the great weather. This lovely experience reminded me of the morning I spent in Lisbon, Portugal, when I was traveling in Europe in the spring of 2016. That time, I sat in the city square and listened to a busker performing. It was an ideal day just like today. I guess I’m a sucker for free music in a park on a great day!

Busker at Moore Square

After chilling in Moore Square for over an hour, I walked my bike down Wilmington Street then up Fayetteville Street before making a left turn to visit the Warehouse District. There wasn’t much except for a few breweries and restaurants. I walked up Glenwood Avenue and past the shops and restaurants in a neighborhood called Glenwood South. This area seems to be a good place to live, not too far from downtown. I wondered how much the rent is.

You are welcome!

After going through Glenwood South, I walked on Clark Avenue and arrived at a shopping mall. By now, it’s around 80 degrees and I was feeling hot. I went into The Fresh Market and bought a guava lemonade and sat outside in the shade for a good half an hour. I was going to melt into the chair if I didn’t decide to get going, so I rode my bike back to Akshay’s house.

One of Akshay’s roommates was home. He’s preparing an exam for his PhD so I didn’t bother him too much. I took a shower and waited for Akshay to arrive home from work. When he came back around 6 PM, I treated him to dinner at the Yemen Arab Restaurant not too far from his house. We talked about life and travel. Akshay is trying to get his H1B visa so that he can continue to work in the US. He wants to cycle in Kyrgyzstan in the future.

Akshay

When we came back home, I showed Akshay the Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford speech video on YouTube. I thought it might be inspiring to watch for the both of us.

I will go to bed soon and will cycle to Dunn tomorrow instead of following the East Coast Greenway to Smithfield then to Dunn. I don't see the point of going southeast then southwest when I can just go directly south to Dunn.