Exploring a New Place with Me!

When I travel, I typically enjoy going to places I have already been to and have a thorough schedule. However, recently, I unexpectedly decided to travel to a new city—Raleigh, North Carolina. Before visiting, I knew little to nothing about the city or anywhere around this area of North Carolina. This is definitely a different approach for me when traveling because I usually try to stay in my comfort zone, especially if I am not with my family. However, learning about this area was a really cool experience, especially as I was able to drive through and explore every part of the city. 

On my first day in Raleigh, I decided to tour the college, North Carolina State. I was significantly impressed by the campus, and this was the first time I had ever seen palm trees on a campus I’d toured! As I walked through, I saw many beautiful buildings and college students as they walked through the campus. After this, I went to a part of the city with a plaza of restaurants, and I decided to try Cava for the first time. However, my mistake was ordering one of the most spicy meals on the menu. Although I struggled through the spice, I was still impressed by the great restaurant options around the area! 

After the tour, I went to a highly-rated Italian restaurant in Raleigh. The restaurant was called Cucciolo Raleigh, and I absolutely loved it! I enjoyed this part of the city because it was quiet and more condensed, which I typically don’t see in cities around my home. The pasta I ordered was absolutely delicious and made me wish this restaurant was closer to where I live!! Definitely a 10/10 experience. 

Check this out if you are interested in the restaurant ​​Cucciolo Raleigh

After dinner, I went to an ice cream shop in the heart of the city. It was a really cool experience to park and walk around the city, looking for different places to stop in and try. I eventually stopped at an ice cream shop that serves ice cream cones in the shape of a flower! As I approached, the line was out the door. However, I took this as a good sign and decided the wait would be worth it. And it was. I ordered sorbet for the first time, and it was absolutely delicious. I’d rate it a 9/10. Although I still prefer ice cream, I’m glad I finally tried sorbet because this was definitely something I should have tried earlier. 

Check out the Ice Cream shop here

On my last day in NC, I found the location of a car show and thought this would be a cool experience. I had never gone to a car show before and thought exploring one more area in Raliegh would be the perfect end to my spontaneous trip. Although I wouldn’t consider myself a car person, it was an exciting experience to be part of. It was also nice to see different cars that we don’t necessarily see around my hometown too often. 

Finally, the last part of my exploration of North Carolina was my stop in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill was such a beautiful town and was very different from Raleigh. However, both areas in North Carolina had beautiful views and incredibly warm weather!!

Reflection: 

Overall, this was a great experience, and it was really nice to be able to spontaneously explore a city I had never seen before. More pictures I couldn’t include are below!! 

All the photos present were taken by me!