More Fun in the Triangle

Non-food-related stuff that we did:

We read about this secret castle on Trip Advisor and had to go check it out. It's home to a secret society of UNC students and faculty (boys only), and the grounds are supposed to be haunted.

Nor was a bad influence and convinced Em to trespass for a picture.

Jordan Lake

Raleigh Temple (under renovation)

Chapel of the Cross Church on UNC Campus

(Here's a better picture that I stole off the internet.)

Coker Arboretum on UNC Campus (Do you see the deer?)

Nor said she'd be my maternity photographer, ha ha. 31 weeks pregnant.

Old Well on UNC Campus... The drinking fountain wouldn't work for Emily, but Nor got it on her first try! It's a campus symbol. Tradition says that a drink from the Old Well on the first day of classes will bring good luck (or straight As).

Found this awesome acromantula statue on campus and had to send a picture to Lizzie and Heidi
(We were attacked by one of Aragog's kids!) #harrypotternerd

UNC Botanical Garden

We missed the carnivorous plant exhibit at UNC Botanical Gardens, so we made sure to catch it at Duke Gardens:

(We were underwhelmed.)

Duke Gardens, overall, were pretty darn awesome. And we didn't even get to see everything because the place is so big.

Duke Chapel was probably the coolest thing we saw. They have the kind of gothic architecture that you only see in Europe. #wow

This time Nor couldn't light a prayer candle, but Emily got it on her first try.

Ok, I didn't take these next few pictures, but to give you an idea of just how awesome this building is:

Finally, we checked out a bunch of animals and insects at the Life and Science Museum in Durham

With Emily the Alpaca

Chapel Hill Foodie Tour

Emily took a three-day "Babymoon" to Chapel Hill to hang out with Nori. We tried 10 different restaurants in 2 days. Here are our recommendations:

Merrit's has the Best BLTs. We just got singles, but you can order a double or a triple--which means they double or triple the bacon. They also get bonus points for ambiance, because we ate outdoors by an open-air arbor.

Sutton's has the Best Ice. They also had good shakes and cherry limeades, but the pellet ice really hit the spot. ;) They also get bonus points for the most attentive cashier. He gave us a lecture about our unhealthy eating habits; he was obviously very concerned about my unborn baby.

Al's Burger Shack has the Best Burgers. We got the Paco. It had guac, jalapeno, tomato, and habanero cheese. It was super spicy and super good. I have major regrets that we didn't try their "best of Chapel Hill" crinkle cut fries. (Next time!)

We couldn't decide between Al's Burger Shack and Italian Pizzeria for dinner on Saturday, so we had both:

Italian Pizzeria claims to have the Best Pizza in Chapel Hill. Nori says, "Meh." We decided that Chapel Hill needs more pizza restaurants. (It was good but not to die for.) They do get bonus points for having Mexican Coke.

Monday morning we decided we needed to sample all the different chicken biscuit and donut places in order to decide which one was best:

Duck Donut wins for the Freshest Donuts. They made them right in front of your eyes! We tried the maple bacon donut because it was their most popular. But by the time we got around to eating it we were so full that we couldn't fully appreciate it, lol. They also get bonus points for the cutest duck mascot. (Emily was skeptical, but she was won over.)

Jamba Juice wins for Most Nostalgic. They even special made a Citrus Squeeze for Emily, even though it isn't on their regular menu. 

Sunrise wins for the Best Chicken Biscuit. We tried three different places, and it was a close call, but these guys won it. Don't waste your money on the cinnamon rolls though. #disappointing

Sorry, Adam Richman. Time-Out's chicken n' cheddar biscuit didn't place. It was probably the biggest chicken biscuit we tried, though.

Rise Donuts had the Best Donut. The Cronie was yummy: "50% croissant, 50% donut, 100% AWESOME. With vanilla pastry cream and raspberry icing."

Maple View Farms had the Best Ice Cream. We tried "Death by Chocolate," with chocolate creamery ice cream, brownie bites, chocolate chips, and hot fudge. #yummy. (They lost points for all the flies though. We sat on the porch to rock and enjoy the view, but the flies just wouldn't cut us a break. Still a nice view of lush, green farmland!)

Aaaaand... We also ate Travis's crepes, Nori's chocolate cake, Instapot pot roast, Instapot mac & cheese, and burnt smores pie:

We almost set off the fire alarm with this one... Which would have been fun,
because the whole building would have had to evacuate. Lol.