Big Spender in Raleigh

Yep, played poker for the first time in years. Years before buy ins and years where it was acceptable if I cried over a hand. Years. A ten dollar buy in for four started off the game, which I had initial hesitations joining. My Valentine’s brother Brain gained a reputation for rough sportsmanship and of course the story from which this was extracted he denied. Here we were in Raleigh with a game ahead of us.

We smoothly drove into downtown Raleigh that morning, found a two hour curb, and began the walk down Fayetteville Street toward a visitor’s center. Maps and guides flooded its side wall. A little old lady sat behind a counter. Exhibitions on the city were down the hall in a large open room. According to the four by twenty foot timeline on its entrance, this state capitol started with a plot of undeveloped nothing to become a city populated by 400,000 people.

Good bye old lady and hello to the State House, which was visible from down the street, fronted by numerous second grade classes. All were about that age to cry over poker hands and hang off of marble statues. Luckily the classes were slow moving and parent controlled. Functional, open, and simple, the State House could be toured with ease and understanding within its circular layout. This allowed ceiling molding, thickly framed couches and chair carvings to grab to my attention and camera clicks.

However, everyone moved out by the 60’s to the State Legislative Building, where we started to walk toward. Another group of second graders lined the outside of the Natural History Museum. Well, if they are there, it must be good. Surprisingly, the free museum earned our time with exhibitions on the different types of North Carolina wildlife, motivating us to consider coming back to North Carolina for further exploration.

City Market carried a name that suggested food, but disappoint settled with a large part requiring renovation and the rest dead with knick knack shops. Although, Artscape, a renovated warehouse with small rooms off of large hallways, welcomed artists to rent multiuse spaces for retail and work. We walked though, enjoyed the displays, drifted upstairs  then down, and outside to go on our way. A talkative off time tour guide pointed us to Clyde Copper’s for a bbq lunch. Can’t beat a 5.50 meal with a vinegar bbq sandwich, accordion fries, pork rinds, and raspberry lemonade in a Styrofoam cup backed by a lively kitchen crew and house staff.

With the predicted rain beginning and our stomachs full, we headed to the car and toured the historical Oakwood, where houses from the late 1800s are maintained for their cultural value and variety. Light lavender, pale yellow, white and sky blue houses complimented the changing leaves and colored cars parked in driveways and on streets.

All talk in this game. My Valentine, frustrated by my winnings, heckled the remaining players after Michelle, Brian’s wife, went off to bed. An hour and another ten dollars added to the pot later, the game ended. No crying on my end with a fifteen dollar net profit for the game.

Let’s recap:

Day’s Spending ($5.50 for lunch) - Day’s Earning ($15.00 for winning) =  Big Spender