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Published: April 4th 2010
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Day Twenty Five 9 March 2010
Location: Charleston, Wilmington & Raleigh
Hotel: Marriott Hotel, Charleston & Marriott Hotel, Raleigh
We awoke early as we had a long day of driving ahead of us and we wanted to see a little more of Charleston before heading up the coast.
The night at the Marriott had been enjoyable and comfortable. I often stay at Marriott hotels when I travel for business and I have always been satisfied with the rooms and staff. It was also nice to have a more suitable bathroom and amenities that were not present at the Disney World Resort.
Check-out was a breeze and we loaded our bags into the car and were off towards the historic district of Charleston which we had visited the night before. We managed to find parking, this time not next to a haunted graveyard, and walked down to the river.
The promenade that runs along the edge of the river is gorgeous and Erin and I wandered hand in hand in the early morning chill, out onto the beautiful jetty to enjoy the view. While the jetty doesn’t extend far into the river, it is quite wide and it’s
not hard to imagine that it is a hive of activity on weekends when the weather is warmer.
While on the jetty, we noticed some love seats hanging from the covered area and we thought it would be nice to sit for a few minutes and enjoy the view. It was a great way to start the day and we were happy that we had made the effort to come down and see the area before moving on.
Today’s itinerary was taking us north, towards Wilmington and then on to Raleigh. We decided to stay off the interstate as much as possible so that we could really see the countryside as we drove through the states of South and North Carolina.
Erin and I are both fans of the TV show “One Tree Hill” and we thought it would be fun to see the town where they film the series. Wilmington wasn’t far out of the way and the drive looked nice as it was more along the coast than the previous day had been.
We hit the road and thought we would just make a straight run for Wilmington and enjoy a nice lunch there
before heading up to Raleigh for the night. The drive to Wilmington was about 170 miles and then another 130 miles to Raleigh. Along the way, we passed through Georgetown and given Erin’s family’s name, we thought it would be nice to stop.
While the town did not look big or as pretty as Charleston, we did manage to find a main street that bordered a river where crocodiles are often seen. We parked the car and wandered up the boardwalk for a while, always on the lookout for crocs lurking in the murky water below.
I needed to get fuel before leaving Georgetown and we decided to pull in at a local service station before getting back on the highway. We also took the opportunity to grab some drinks and a few snack items to tide us over until we reached Wilmington.
The drive was fairly uneventful and along the way I increase my Dennys-Punch lead. Erin just couldn’t find a way to get a point and by the time we reached Wilmington she was still on zero and I was fast approaching double digits.
We entered Wilmington a littler after noon and were delighted
to see that the town was very picturesque. The houses that line the streets each have their own character and the river front is just gorgeous. With river boats and the retired battleship in the distance, there is more than enough to keep you engaged.
We found parking right along the river and wandered onto the riverwalk. Across the river we could see the River Court that is famously portrayed in One Tree Hill as the place the cast play basketball. Erin was thrilled and couldn’t wait to brag to her friends that also watch the show.
We decided to wander up the riverwalk and have a look for a place for lunch. There was a variety of restaurants which each had their own charm and style. It was nice to not see any franchises for a change and we were looking forward to dining in a family owned restaurant.
We settled on a restaurant with outside seating and were promptly seated at a table with a great view of the river. We were starving at this point and both ordered some drinks and a serve of fish and chips each. As Australians, we are partial to
a good serve of fish and chips and we had not yet found a place serving decent fish and chips on the trip (not even on London!).
We were happy to find the meal delicious and for the first time in weeks, we didn’t feel completely bloated at the end of the meal. As we were preparing to pay, we were approached by a couple sitting on the next table that had heard our accents and came to enquire if we were Australian. This happens quite a bit and upon further discussion, we found that the woman was actually a kiwi and had moved to Raleigh with her husband. We chatted for about 10 minutes before saying our goodbyes and strolling back along the river and into town.
While we were hoping to see some of the sights from One Tree Hill, we’re not obsessive fans and were happy to just wander through the main streets and see if we could spot anything. After about 5 blocks, we were rewarded by finding the store front that is used for both “Karen’s Café” and the “Clothes over Bro’s” store. We wanted to go over and have a look, but
it appeared that locals used the spot for busking and we didn’t want to get hassled.
After wandering for a while we made our way back to the car and crossed the river to go and see the River Court. Located near the Battleship Carolina, the court is little more than a square concrete patch in the middle of a park sitting on the edge of the river. The court was littered with messages scrawled in chalk by fans of the show and it was amusing to see other people coming and going with the same idea as Erin and myself.
We took some photos and enjoyed the scene before jumping in the car and making our way for Raleigh. It was about 3pm by this stage and we were making good time to get into Raleigh before nightfall. Given our successful stay with the Marriott, I decided to keep things easy and booked the Marriott Hotel in Raleigh as well. It was centrally located and easy to find.
We arrived in Raleigh just as the sky was darkening and Celeste (our sat navigator) plotted a course that drove us straight up to the hotel. We managed
to check-in quickly and were soon draping ourselves over the soft bed in our room. I was pretty tired by this point and was relieved to find that Erin was more than happy to stay in for the night and order some room service.
Raleigh was more a destination to stay for the night, than an attraction for us. I hadn’t read anything that seemed worth doing within our short stay and the couple we had talked to at the restaurant had also said that Raleigh didn’t provide much in the way of fun or nightlife. With that, we decided to kick off our shoes and enjoy some room service in front of the TV. It was great to relax for the night and definitely helped to recharge my batteries before the final days drive to Washington the next day.
Paul & Erin
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