what's good : [downtown] Raleigh
A little Southern comfort
I recently spent my third weekend in 12 months in Raleigh, North Carolina and while the weather was slightly different each time (sweltering humidity; sunny + freezing; balmy thunderstorms), the hospitality, history, shopping, and meals have been consistently marvelous. Previously, I had the sublime joy of eating/drinking/buying clothing at a few places in town. I’m looking forward to my future visits, hopeful that eventually I will be able to visit the Pope House Museum1 as well as more places outside the downtown blocks.
In poetry + history: Let us begin at the end [but also beginning] with an excerpt from a poem by Sir Walter Raleigh2, the handsome favorite confidante3 + rogue explorer/soldier/poet of Queen Elizabeth as well as the eventual state capital namesake. This was written during the last year of Raleigh’s life when he was imprisoned [and ultimately beheaded] by Elizabeth’s cousin King James I.
I love the image of a scallop shell of quiet and am contemplating it as a new name for my office. If you read my footnotes about Raleigh’s life (particularly dealing with the monarchy), his desire for a peaceful place of his own makes much more sense than mine; I have not and probably won’t ever need to repeatedly account for my travels by presenting spoils of pillaging to a mercurial queen or king, hoping they continue to trust & praise me. As a man choosing to write in verse rather than only journal entries and letters, he strikes me as someone who needed to make some spiritual sense of all he undertook in his 66 years on Earth. And, as a fantastic postscript to that life, it feels fitting that Raleigh’s wife kept his embalmed head (an everlasting head ?!) for the last 29 years of her own life.
from The Passionate Man’s Pilgrimage by Sir Walter Raleigh [Supposed to be written by one at the point of death] Give me my scallop shell of quiet, My staff of faith to walk upon, My scrip of joy, immortal diet, My bottle of salvation, My gown of glory, hope’s true gage, And thus I’ll take my pilgrimage. ... And this is my eternal plea To him that made heaven, earth, and sea, Seeing my flesh must die so soon, And want a head to dine next noon, Just at the stroke when my veins start and spread, Set on my soul an everlasting head. Then am I ready, like a palmer fit, To tread those blest paths which before I writ.
In history: As much as I try to plan my travel outings, sometimes I miss a place on the map but stumble across it while simply wandering streets. The City of Raleigh Museum is one of those places that drew me in after I had stopped to take a photo of its building façade. It brings to life the story behind that building - the old Briggs Hardware Store - including a fun interactive quiz about items once sold there; there is a section highlighting the people, businesses, education, and culture of Raleigh through the years, with deliberate emphasis on the non-white individuals who played significant parts in building the town. The COR museum also has small but fascinating rotating exhibits about the capital’s connection to other US histories: civil rights, politics, sports, and when I was there last July, hunting dogs.
In foods: For a quick & inexpensive but spectacularly tasty lunch (or late night bite - we visited this little restaurant across from our hotel twice in three days, a move we rarely make when traveling in the interest of trying a variety of places), get to Chido Taco. Their barbacoa and carnitas street tacos - self-garnished with a spicy salsa verde & fresh cilantro - made me close my eyes to relish the tastes; the tortilla chips with queso were perfection. On our late night visit, my husband ordered a tamarind margarita & I got a mojito to elevate dinner even further.
If in the mood to spend a bit more on bougie but delicious eats, head over to Poole’s Diner. Local chef & community activist Ashley Christensen opened this restaurant in an old Raleigh space where John Poole established his Pie Shop and Grill in 1947 and has maintained the retro vibe with red booths, chalkboard menus, and horseshoe bar. We chose to share ‘macaroni au gratin’ (baked mac & cheese), pan seared scallops [with field peas & sweet pepper chow-chow, which I had never in my life heard of but could not scoop into my mouth fast enough], and a side of sauteed bok choy. I had to restrain myself from ordering one [or more] of their desserts at 10pm but have no doubt it would have been worth the stomachache and disrupted sleep.
If you’d like to spend a bit more on authentic Laotian dishes with a North Carolina spin, run to Bida Manda. It is a gorgeous space with gorgeous foods; the only thing I didn’t like was having to choose among the variety of options. Since I went with a friend, I was able to share crispy spring rolls & purple rice dessert and have a bite of her pad Thai with its unique tamarind & paprika sauce. For my meal (and the next day’s still-heavenly lunch), I had stir-fry cashew ginger chicken. That we were seated near a group of women joyfully celebrating someone’s 40th birthday made it all extra festive.
In shopping: The friend I had dinner with at Bida Manda gleefully told me about a silk shirt she’d gotten at a local thrift store for only $20, so I added that place to my map and headed out the next afternoon. On the way, I first stepped into Munjo Munjo, a tiny corner shop featuring a variety of work from local artists: zines, stickers, t-shirts, jewelry, and other quirky items. I chose some affirming air fresheners, a mug I’m forcing myself to give away even though I really really love it because I admit I am running out of cupboard space4, and took a 50-cent chance on the vending machine. Also visited briefly with the store mascot, a precious Pomerianian who approached me and pranced around but wouldn’t let me pet him; the clerk said he was being salty because his lunch was late that day. I then spent a half hour next door browsing Unorthodox Vintage, hopeful I would find something wonderful like my friend but unfortunately left empty-handed - only because of sizing, not selection: there were a number of Lilly Pullitzer-esque shirts & skirts and a stunning kimono-style robe I would have taken home if they had fit me. Luckily their hours allow for me to check in after work the next time I’m there.
WHAT is our life? The play of passion.
Our mirth? The music of division:
Our mothers’ wombs the tiring-houses be,
Where we are dressed for life’s short comedy.
The earth the stage; Heaven the spectator is,
Who sits and views whosoe’er doth act amiss.
The graves which hide us from the scorching sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus playing post we to our latest rest,
And then we die in earnest, not in jest.
So far I have only been able to read about Dr. Manassa Thomas Pope, a significant civil rights activist & leader and the first Black person licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina, and wander around the outside of his preserved home taking photos as it has only been open while I’m working in town.
I find it fascinating that this is the spelling we landed on when it likely wasn’t one he ever used. #Go’merica
…until she discovered his secret marriage to one of her ladies-in-waiting and imprisoned him in the Tower of London for a few months, but she let him out to go on some more expeditions because #Colonization. Then James I did essentially the same thing (his reasons for imprisonment were more fear-based than jealousy though), only to eventually execute him for treason after all.
…for now…