Raleigh recap
Raleigh recap
The abridged version.
Left b-mo about 5:30 friday. Our mapquest had us getting off 85 at 70 in durham (since that's glenwood), not 1. That's all construction and I got totally lost about 11:30 at night. the detour signs just disappeared at one point. I finally got on a big road heading east that I just figured was 70. I didn't see a sign for about 5 miles but it was 70.
I think people LIVED at our hotel.
The show really sucked. Wife's jewelry is mostly "high-end" stuff and we got a lot of raised eye-brows that you don't see in NYC. She had higher hopes since she did pretty well at a show in Cary last year. I don't know what people in Raleigh expect to pay for hand made one-of-a-kind solid gold earrings with diamonds set in them but I guess $550 ain't it.
But it was fun. We were set up right in front of "Peche De Chocolat". A high-end chocolate shop with a real funny owner. We got kind of buddy-buddy with him and at one point he even had us watch the store for him while he went in the back to, as he put it, "use the bathroom and pray to mecca". Honestly. He was a muslim from Jordan (who didn't like Saddam at all). Nice shop if you're ever looking for a gift.
Also, I got a haircut right next door at a place that could have been where "barbershop" was filmed. Got a decent haitcut but I don't think they cut too many "honky's" hair there.
Went to tailgaters about 7:30 sat. and saw the Winston Open. No one was there. Got a BBQ sandwich and beer and headed back to the hotel (wifey was tired). Well, the hotel had no F/X so no race, so I left the wife there and went to find a bar. Found the "lone star saloon" right across the road which was a totally lame bar but it was close by and had a big TV right behind the bar with the race on. So I stayed there, swilled some Budweiser, and watched the race and chatted with a couple other guys at the bar.
Maybe I went to the wrong places but so many of the bars were located in little strip malls (like tailgaters and lone star). I thought I'd find Raleigh more "down home" but, for instance, Glenwood was all Applebees, Chilis, Bojangles leading into the city. Not much local color. I got some sandwiches at Cooper's in the city which were pretty good.
So, we had a good time, though we didn't make much money. I was expecting a little more honky-tonk than I saw. The race was decent. I wish I had a 'net connection because I was going to Piggyback Humpy on this one and go with Jimmie Johnson.
It was also cold and drizzly. Unseasonably cold according to the news guys.
No complaints, but no raves either.
