Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Raleigh

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 11 (North Carolina Museum of History – Some Old Shells)

    2022 US Trip – Day 11 (North Carolina Museum of History – Some Old Shells)

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    Continuing on my theme of underselling the post with the title, these are Marginella shells which were used in trade by native Americans, with these ones dating from between 1711 and 1713. They can date this so accurately due to the Tuscarora War, when the Tuscarora people were thrown off their lands by European settlers and I think that these were used as grave goods. This falls into the category of museum exhibit which particularly interested me because of their heritage and how important they would have been to someone at the time. It’s also firmly in the middle of the period of when North Carolina was an English colony, which was between 1653 and 1776.

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 10 (Amtrak Journey from Richmond Staple Mills to Raleigh)

    2022 US Trip – Day 10 (Amtrak Journey from Richmond Staple Mills to Raleigh)

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    For some years, this was the only station in Richmond, until the central station reopened after a period of closure. It was constructed in 1975 to temporarily replace the central station which had been damaged by floods and at the moment some Amtrak services only stop here, but there are plans to ensure trains stop at both stations. There had once been a third railway station in Richmond, from a time when people took trains, but more about Broad Street station at Wikipedia….

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    It was clean and functional inside the railway station, although it all felt a little dated and I’m not sure that the interior has much changed since the 1970s.

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    Mine was the 13:36 Carolinian train service which went all the way to Charlotte, where I was going later on, but today it was just to Raleigh. I was pleased to see that it was all on time.

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    Passengers aren’t allowed out onto the line until the train is ready and all parked up (or whatever the technical term for a train is, perhaps just stopped).

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    Getting ready to board, passengers are shown which carriage to sit in and then a guard comes around to check where you’re going and write that above the seat so that they can ensure you actually get off there.

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    The view out of the window before we set off and I was pleased to see the power and wi-fi were both working as expected.

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    I find it very relaxing to gaze out of the window, looking at the lakes, swamps, forests and so on. However, that is quite hard to photograph and so they don’t really come out very clearly or look anywhere near as impressive.

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    Out of focus, but I quite liked this photo, it felt like a low quality image from the 1950s.

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    My first sight of North Carolina as the train went over the state border, so my second new state of this trip, the first having been Virginia.

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    These crossings look more impressive from the train window than as photos.

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    The train interior and journeys are comfortable, these are bulky and stable bits of kit and unlike many British trains which bounce up and down on the track and where you feel every jolt.

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    The trains are clunky and industrial.

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    Things for children to play with. Or at least, they likely would if left unsupervised.

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    And safely into Raleigh, North Carolina, where I only had one day.

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 10 (Crank Arm Brewing Company in Raleigh)

    2022 US Trip – Day 10 (Crank Arm Brewing Company in Raleigh)

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    I only had one day in Raleigh and also needed to get to my hotel as it was about to get dark, but I felt the need to quickly test one well reviewed brewery out, which is Crank Arm Brewing Company. It’s a bright and cheerful place, with the staff being helpful and friendly.

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    There’s the beer list, but they did a beer flight with smaller quantities of beer which allowed me to try more of them. And extra points for the Untappd screen and their beer list on the app.

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    And there are my options for anyone remotely interested.

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    The brewing equipment all added to the atmosphere and integrity of the venue.

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    And they’ve gone heavily with the bike theme, as can be seen with the array of them hanging on the wall, and also appropriate given that they’re in Raleigh.

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    As one of my occasional reminders, all the beer I’ve tried is listed at https://untappd.com/user/julwhite. I was surprised and delighted with the quality of these beers, they were all decent, but the Attack Position which is the imperial stout at the rear was the best of the lot. Rich, decadent, chocolatey, notes of vanilla and it’s 11% wasn’t too apparent. I very much enjoyed this visit, it was a laid-back and comfortable atmosphere and I liked people watching from the bar. And also, extra marks for the excellent presentation of that cog thing, or whatever it’s called (Liam will know as both an engineer and a bike obsessed person).

  • 2022 US Trip – Day 10 (Free Buses in Raleigh)

    2022 US Trip – Day 10 (Free Buses in Raleigh)

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    I had been pleased to discover that the buses in Richmond are free until 2025, and in Raleigh they’re also free until at least next year. As an inclusion policy it’s quite brilliant, as it is hugely helpful to those residents who can’t afford cars and are reliant on the buses. It’s also a positive way of getting people onto public transport, and it is something being pushed by Luxembourg and Malta in the EU. I hope that there are more schemes such as this, I’m sure it benefits the community. The bus station wasn’t as well signed as I would have liked, but I found the bus that I needed and did just double check that it was free when boarding to avoid any awkward incidents.

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    And dropped off on time at the tree of my choice, just a short walk from the hotel.