9 posts tagged “wilmington”

I just purchased a train ticket, and will be headed to Wilmington via the railroad of lies [aka Amtrak - they are never never ever on time, hence the nickname...] on Thursday at 6:15am.  Not for any reason in particular, but I need some sun and ocean and fresh air.  [AND TEA!]  I need to get away from work for 10 days, and see my family and friends and all our animals. 

I'll be in Wilmington on Thursday and Friday, and then Saturday my family is headed to the Outer Banks for a few days.  It's just about my favorite place in the entire world, so I'm pretty happy about that.  We're staying south of Kitty Hawk and all the tourist stuff, so it should be fairly quiet.  Especially this time of year.  Then Tuesday or Wednesday, we're going back to Wilmington, and I'll be there until Memorial Day, when I ride the rails northward again. 

I need a break so bad.  I asked off from work about three weeks ago, and no one's said a word about it.  No yay or nay.  My feeling is that we all dislike one another so much, they'll probably be happy to have me gone for 10 days.  At least, that's how I feel about the whole thing.

I am really excited.  Excited for the short week at work, and excited to be in North Carolina for 10 days.  As much as I love New York, I miss North Carolina like crazy.  And despite the fact the train takes forever, I'm kind of looking forward to the ride.  It's kind of fun to watch the country pass by, and best of all, I'm not in the air.  No planes for me! 

Show us the best beach you have visited.
Submitted by Marko.

Ain't nothing better than a North Carolina beach...

Show us a picture of where you used to be.

I'm alive!  The plane was, however, extremely bumpy.  And I did cry like a little girl when we took off.  Luckily I had my wonderful Russian to take care of me for the duration.  I am now in sunny, fantastic, WARM North Carolina. 

Thank you all for your kind words concerning my fear of flying.  I'm still terrified, and I will still freak out when I have to get back on that plane again on Friday, but what can you do? 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!  I am thrilled to be spending the holiday in one piece.

Show us what autumn looks like where you live.
Submitted by Miss Parker.

What a lovely surprise to wake up this morning and find that my Vox Hunt had been chosen! 

Technically I've already answered this question with my Autumn in Central Park post, which is actually where I got the idea for the question in the first place.  It doesn't look like it did in those photos anymore.  The leaves are almost all gone, it's getting cold and grey now, and the Christmas lights have gone up all over the city.  It's still incredibly beautiful, but fall is just about over here.

So here is autumn in New York:

Autumn in Wilmington, where I moved here from:

And autumn where I was born, in West Virginia:

Show us why you love the city you live in.
Submitted by meg.

This question came at a good time for me.  Had it been asked in July or August, I'd have very little good to say about New York, but I have recently fallen hopelessly in love with this city.  I don't expect it to necessarily last, as I'll forget all the good again when it's July and the city is crowded and steaming; but at the moment I think John and I are the luckiest people in the world to live in Manhattan, even if our apartment is the size of my former bedroom.

Why do I love New York?

[I do, however, miss Wilmington too.]

Tonight I went to an art show at the Williamsburg White Room in Brooklyn, and much to my shock and amazement I ran into four people from high school.  I went to high school in Wilmington, North Carolina.

There's more to say, but this has to be one of the weirdest nights of my life.

Hoggard High is representin' in Brooklyn. Word.

What's the most memorable building you've lived in?
Submitted by Shelly.

The favorite of all the houses I've had - and I've had a lot - would have to be 414 Walnut Street, in Wilmington. The house I will forever affectionately refer to has "the giant purple house."

I moved into 414 Walnut after the end of a two and a half year relationship. My ex-boyfriend and I had lived in a nice - but souless and unremarkable - two bedroom apartment near UNC-W, where he was going to school, and where I had recently quit going to school. It wasn't bad, just your average squat apartment building near a university. You know the type.

After the break-up, I was ready for a huge change. I wanted a house and a yard, and I wanted to live downtown. I found 414 Walnut right away and instantly fell in love.

The house was built around 1910 or so; I never got an exact date. The outside was bright purple, and it had once been one huge house, but had been divided into duplex in the 70s or 80s. There was a small backyard which both residents could share. The walls inside were all painted different colors; it had two huge bedrooms and one small one, which I used has a "book room" and glorified closet. I took the upstairs of the duplex, which was slightly larger. At $700/mo for 1500 square feet, it was a steal. [It was in a slightly sketchy neighborhood, next to a halfway house, but I never had any problems with crime.]

There were always problems: my landlord was crazy, the plumbing was faulty, it was incredibly haunted. But I learned how to deal with the landlord; got used to the plumbing; and made friends with the roaming spirits. It was the first place I lived that was completely MINE. I was twenty and newly single and completely free. There was art on the walls and rugs on the wood floors; twinkle lights around the fireplace and lanterns in every room. My friends and I spent so many happy nights in that house, hanging out on the front porch, sharing a bottle of wine and talking until 6am.

The seven months I spent in that house were some of the happiest times of my life.

The November after I moved in, however, there was an accident. While I was at work one day the house caught fire. I came home to firemen beating down my door. It was probably one of the worst days of my entire life. The landlord went crazy, and although she didn't evict me, I chose to move out anyway. It was just easier. The fire wasn't anyone's fault; just one of those things. The house wasn't destroyed; it was repaired and new people live there now. I know because when I lived in Wilmington I would go by a lot after I moved out, just to see how it looked.

I moved in with my mother for a little while after that, and then into a house on 2nd Street and Castle with my friends Pete and Punk Rock Mat. The new house was old, and quaint, but never the same. It wasn't mine.

To this day I still haven't felt that way again about a house or apartment. Everywhere I've lived has been just that: a place to live. 414 Walnut Street was a home.

What was the highlight of your summer?
Submitted by ladym.vox.com.

I should say moving to New York City, but that's not really true. This has been a very bumpy summer for me, for a multitude of reasons. Moving is incredibly stressful: finding a new job, a new apartment, unpacking, missing friends and family. No, moving was not my highlight, even though I moved to an amazing city.

I can think of two highlights. One: going back home to Wilmington in July to visit. I took a train from Penn Station to Fayetteville. The train ride was really fun, actually. The whole east coast flew by, so green and warm. I watched the country transform itself, from factories and train yards to the green of the South. It was a long trip, but I loved it. Seeing everyone was so nice; going to my old places. It was a strange trip, but probably the best part of my summer. Two: The second highlight of my summer was actually just one day. Ken and Jordan came to visit me for a week, and one day we spent the day in Central Park. We took pictures of ourselves all over the park and then rented a row boat, enjoying the late July weather. It was a beautiful day, and I was just really happy to be with two of my best friends.