A Weekend in Raleigh

When my 22-year-old son told me his company was moving from Roanoke, VA to Raleigh, NC and they had made him an offer he couldn't refuse, my emotions ran wild. Although I was thrilled he would be advancing in his career, I was worried about him fleeing the nest so soon, and so far away. Deep down inside I knew Roanoke would not be the place for him to carve out a career, but it's hard letting go of your first-born. Well, after spending an extended weekend in Raleigh with him and his girlfriend I am so happy he jumped ship!

Although busy, he seems very content with his work environment, and I absolutely love his home environment! Besides the affordable, clean, safe, amenity-filled apartment complex they live in, I found Raleigh itself to be so much nicer than Roanoke. Frankly, since it was further south, I expected it to be filled with confederate flag waving rednecks. Nope, not at all. Ok, so the drivers stink, and much like Roanoke drivers, do not know how to use a signal, and come to practically a complete stop when making a turn, that's not enough of a reason to dislike Raleigh.

Pretty much everyone I met was friendly, although Roanokers were as well, before I actually moved here, so that's not a reason to love Raleigh. What I really was impressed with was the amount of culture that is available in Raleigh. Of course my son and his girlfriend hadn't been to any place I wanted to visit, so the out-of-towner, me, showed them what's right under their noses.

The museums rock! We visited the science museum first, and didn't spend nearly enough time to see the entire complex because I wanted to visit the history museum right across the street before it closed. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences puts our science museum to shame. Four stories high with a bridge to another building it has so much to offer, especially for kids of all ages. Without going into everything I highly recommend it to anyone who has children. Oh, and did I mention it was free? Here's a couple of pics...

You are allowed to go inside the butterfly exhibit, it was cool

Right across from it is the North Carolina Museum of History. It's not as large as the Science Museum, but I found it quite interesting as I stumbled upon some exhibits regarding slavery that will come in handy for my book. The reason I was so gung-ho about going was I had seen a Pharaoh sign and assumed they had Egyptian exhibits, but no, they didn't, that was a misleading sign for the restaurant inside. It was still worth the price of admission, which was free!

We parked in a lot downtown that charges $2 per hour...very reasonable for a downtown lot. And had it not been, 97 degrees out we would have done some more exploring. I'll save that for the next visit.

I did find my Egyptian art the next day at the North Carolina Museum of Art. I couldn't even begin to list all they have in the two buildings and the 160 acre outdoor museum park, which again, was way too hot to explore. After visiting this museum, in case you already haven't, you will realize what a joke the Taubman is. Oh, and did I mention the admission was, yup, free!

Many Rodin works of art were on display

A Nick Cave creation, yes that Nick Cave

I think this was called Bridal. Something similar happened  to me with my first wedding bridal gifts

There is no shortage of restaurants or shopping centers in Raleigh. We hit a Trader Joe's,  passed numerous Ross's (my favorite) and every other department store you can think of. If the girl was with me on this trip I imagine we would have entered Sak's, Nordstrom's, and the malls. Instead, I brought my husband to this antique-type farmer's market/village right down the road from the apartment. He found four different metal bases that he is going to re-finish to make either granite tables or wooden ones. What a score! When we had gone to Black Dog a couple of weeks ago they wanted $185 for he most rusted piece of crap you could imagine. Yeah, no. Here's a couple of what we could fit in the car. Had we had the van we would have brought even more back. Can't wait to see what he will do with them.

I also saw a sign on the same road for a Durant Nature Park so I talked them into checking it out. We drove down a dirt road to a parking lot and walked through the woods on a trail and found this lake. It was so peaceful, and once again, if it wasn't 97 degrees I would have loved to walk around it. I'm sure it's gorgeous in the spring and fall.

Raleigh has a lot of natural parks, lakes, trails, etc. My son is not the outdoors-type, but I plan on checking them out next time I go. And what was great after a hot day of sight-seeing was taking a dip in his complex's pool. Nope, neither he or his girlfriend have used it. Crazy! I wouldn't leave it!



I couldn't believe how quiet it was by him. You couldn't hear the neighbors at all. No screaming kids, no power tools 24/7, just the sweet tweet of birds. If it all works out and my son decides to stay in Raleigh (he's waiting to see which neighborhood Google is going to lay its fiber optics in before deciding where to buy a house) this could be my future hometown. Although the beach house was always the dream house, I don't think it's doable. So...I told my husband that I would settle for an in-ground pool instead.

I think my daughter would really like the area too and perhaps she will ask for a transfer to the television station there in a couple of years. I think I prefer her to be in Raleigh before heading to Manhattan. Only time will tell if Raleigh is "the" place, but as long as my son is happy, I'm happy. Leaving Roanoke was the smartest move he could make. Now, when am I going to be able to do that????

Father and son reflecting...

Historic Tredegar in Richmond

After I decided I'd seen enough plantations we headed back to the city and spent a Sunday night in Richmond. We had a delicious brunch at a restaurant I can't remember the name of, but it was on a corner and right across the street from the Farmer's Market in the Shockoe district. The food was excellent, but my mimosa was disappointing...not the right mix, too much juice.

From there we headed to Historic Tredegar Iron Works which houses the American Civil War Center. It also is the welcome center for Richmond National Battlefield Park.

Although I wasn't allowed to take photos inside, I did scribble copious amounts of notes and if I could decipher my handwriting I'm sure they will prove most helpful. Here are some photos of the grounds. Wished I would have had more time to explore them further, and still kicking myself for not visiting the battlefield.

For more information on Tredegar's history click here.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the museum. It is laid out really well, and through videos, photos, interactive displays, letters, artifacts, etc., the Civil War story is presented from both "sides," before the beginning, and further than the end. I highly recommend it. Tredegar is located across the street from the James River. The shores of this branch certainly look different from the ones further south.

O. Winston Link Museum

O. Winston Link and George Thom with Flash Equipment, New York, NY 1956

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that it took me ten years to visit the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke. I visited it on Saturday and have to say it is now my favorite museum in Roanoke. I'm a huge fan of black and white photography as well as steam engines so this was right up my alley. His photos are magnificent and the three I'm showing in this blog post were taken from postcards I had bought and believe me they do not do him justice.

Gooseneck Dam on the Maury River with Train No. 2 near Buffalo Forge, Virginia 1956
"It required six full days to set up and complete. To get the flash units across the river a person had to cross on a two-wire span, one for your feet and the higher one for your hands, as there were no boats or bridges nearby. The uptilted strata with water rushing between the plates of rock in the set-up area was so confusing at night that we set up guide ropes to get to the light stands and cameras. It was a great challenge, and a satisfaction to see the negative of the first exposure, without any test, was as it had been calculated to be."

One of my favorites...The sign for Solitude caught Link's eye as soon as he started the N&W project. Link noted that "This place was out in nowhere, and the more I studied the sign, the more alone I felt. I twas eerie to be in total darkness in that place. It was well-named Solitude!" It was also one of the few photos he shot totally by himself with no assistants.
 

I caught the end of a film on his life and wish I had had the time to see it from the beginning. O. Winston Link was born and raised in Brooklyn. Ahem, yet another talented, creative genius that shares my hometown. Although he was a life-long New Yorker, he said he always felt like he was "home" when he came back to Roanoke. He loved this city, its people, and especially its trains. We are indeed a most fortunate city that he chose us to host his museum when I'm sure he easily could have found a home in Manhattan.

Although photographs are not allowed in the gallery, the yard was opened where the 1218 stood majestically on the tracks. One of his stipulations on having the museum built here was to have the 1218 permanently placed there, and although that was an impossibility as the location is too small for a roundhouse, he was instrumental in Norfolk & Western's decision to restore and donate the locomotive to the city of Roanoke. The 1218 usually stands next to the 611 on the tracks of the Virginia Museum of Transportation which is a couple of blocks away, and the reason my family ended up in Roanoke. My son was a train fanatic and we wound up in Roanoke to visit the museum 20 years ago and ended up staying. Best decision ever. It's definitely worth a visit, especially if you have kids, and even if you don't.

Here's a couple of shots of the yard and a couple more of Downtown Roanoke...

 And just think in a couple of years y'all be able to visit us via Amtrak which is getting a station downtown. Choo Choo, all aboard!

25 Years Later & in The New Museum

So the other day I get an email from a friend of mine -- "Congratulations! The "Squat or Rot Documentary" will be shown at The New Museum on 8/22." I had no idea what he was talking about. All I know is that a couple of weeks ago, the said documentary, along with a video I put together from a show my friend curated in 1988 called AttackArt, was shown as part of MoRUS first annual film fest. Two and a half years ago, I wrote a post entitled The Year Was 1988 which explains more about the videos. Before its recent stint at MoRUS, that was the first time the videos had been shown in decades.

Anyway, living in the valley of Virginia, I had no idea what MoRUS was, and found out it was the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space located on Avenue C. Well, it seems that MoRUS is now having an exhibit at The New Museum on the Lower East Side Squatting Movement. At first I was annoyed. "Shouldn't I have been asked first???" I'm so out of the NYC loop that I didn't realize The New Museum was not only totally legit, but a pretty big deal.

It took a couple of emails back and forth, but my friend assured me this was a good thing, and nobody was making any money off of it. We have never made a cent off the documentary, and the one time there was admission charged back in 1988, the money went to the homeless. He said it would be really great if I could be there on the 22nd and talk about it in front of the audience. Nothing like giving me some notice. That's impossible, but if it does make the cut and becomes part of The New Museum's film archives, I will definitely check it out. Who would have thought something I helped create 25 years ago would one day wind up in a museum?

I wonder if that's what's going to happen with my writings? Will it take 25 years for my books to finally become best sellers? I figure 25 years from now I'll probably be dead so that's highly likely. After I die, the old chest filled with all my words, words, and more words will be discovered. Someone, probably my daughter, will publish them, alongside what I already have out there, and I will become famous. "She was so far ahead of her time!" Ha! Isn't that the way these things happen?

Here's the AttackArt video and the opening of Squat or Rot.

Trouble Don't Las' Always

I've really learned to listen to the little voice that sometimes whispers inside my head. This past Saturday, it screamed. Who would have ever thought I'd find so many links for my tale in Lynchburg? But there I was in the hilly city attending Paraquest. There were three events I wanted to attend, yet I didn't attend any of them. One speaker cancelled and a spontaneous distraction took up a couple of hours.

We registered on-site, attended three other sessions and then broke for lunch. Rather than eat the usual catered Holiday Inn cold-cut fare, we chose to explore Lynchburg's Main Street in search of a restaurant. A local advised us to walk a couple of blocks to the right. Except for some workers blocking part of the sidewalk, and the happy homeless, the streets were desolate. If there was a business, it was closed, but mostly there were empty storefronts.

I saw a sushi buffet for $5.99, but my fellow companions said they didn't eat bait. They probably did me a huge favor. Ahead was a bustling restaurant, Market At Main -- a warm, comfortable establishment that has a long counter with stools, booths, and tables. With such a huge and diversified menu it was hard to choose something. I went with their duo pick-two -- a trio of hummus with warm pita points and tuna salad on a bed of lettuce. It was only $5.99 and the portion was not a stripped down version. I will definitely go back if I find myself in Lynchburg again.

Lunch took a little longer than the hour. The next speaker would already be underway, and the following one we wanted to see wasn't showing up, so I asked if anyone wanted to come with me to check out the Legacy Museum. It's been on my research list for a couple of months now, and since we had already traveled to Lynchburg it would save me another trip. There's an exhibit going on now "Trouble Don't Las' Always." I was interested in seeing up close and personal remnants from African American Life in Central Virginia during and after the Civil War 1860-1890. Looking at pictures is one thing, reading words another, but seeing and handling three-dimensional artifacts is a whole other thing...a really good thing.

Although the museum is only 7 blocks away from the Holiday Inn, we were advised to take the car and not walk as I thought we would. There's a reason Lynchburg is called the hill city and those seven blocks were all uphill. We were the only car in the tiny parking lot of the small museum which is housed in a beautifully refurbished Victorian home. We rang and bell and was greeted with a smiling face and an "I was expecting you" after she asked if I had called earlier in the week. I had.

For me, what the museum lacked in size, was made up for in its exhibits. I read everything I saw and took plenty of pictures.
















I also picked up a list of additional recommended books. You know, I keep thinking, "I'm almost done" researching, but clearly, the universe has other plans, one of which was to direct us to visit the Old City Cemetery. We had seen it after parking and wondered if we could walk in there through this gate.

The museum worker told us to drive up the block and into the cemetery. As we drove to the visitor's center we were surprised at how large and pretty it was. I had never heard of this cemetery before I printed out a Google map of the route from the hotel to the museum. It's a very popular place. We joked there were more live people in here than down Main Street. We even saw a bridal party and guests in one location.

While we were there I discovered what I never imagined would be, but what I needed. I cannot elaborate as it's going to play an important part in my book. I wish we had had more time to explore Old City Cemetery, but we had to get back to the conference. Here are just a couple of shots.

I didn't see  as much as I would have liked, but what I did see was what I was meant to see, and I thank the little voice that nudged me there.

"Keep yo' eye on de sun
See how she run
Don't let her catch you
with your work undone
I'm a troubled,
I'm a troubled,
Trouble don't las'always."

Aint that the truth...