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We were a little later getting off on our trip back to Raliegh than expected, but it wasn't too bad a trip. Of course, as we're pulling into Raleigh I took a wrong turn and it started to rain hard. I don't think the two were related, but you never know. Anyway, we found the hotel where we would be staying (The Velvet Cloak Inn). It was nice, not super elegant or anything, but it was nice. We were tired and didn't really feel like going out for dinner, so we decided to order room service. We got settled into the room and promptly discovered that the room service menu had been removed from the room. After a quick trip to the front desk to get a menu, we realized nothing on the menu really sounded good. So, after a quick look through some travel guides for restaurants (the phone book was missing from the room as well) we decided to just go drive until we found something. We figured that since we were practically right next to NC State, surely there would be someplace to eat. And as we drove we both realized what we were really in the mood for: pizza. As we realized this a Papa John's Pizza came into view over the horizon. We eagerly dashed in and ordered our pizza to go. We returned to the room with pizza and drinks in hand to watch VH1's special on the 100 Greatest Music moments on TV. After that, we went to sleep. Wednesday we woke up and headed off for the planetarium in Chapel Hill on the UNC campus. We ate lunch near campus at a little place called Spanky's. It was good, not great but good. Afterwards we walked down Franklin Street to window shop. Ruth spotted one of her favorite childhood spots and so we dashed in to take a look around the Whistestop. From there we headed back to the UNC campus. We wondered around for a little bit and stopped by the library to check our email. Afterwards we headed to the planetarium to catch a show, just in time to be joined by a group of kids from the YMCA. After the show we wandered over the psychology department and home of the L.L. Thurstone Institute. It really made me feel better about the conidition that the Psychology Building at SWT. From there we got back in the car and headed off to visit some with Ruth's Aunt Peg. From there we headed back to Raleigh via Durham. We drove by the Duke campus, but made it a quick trip since it was starting to get late. It was then back to the hotel, just in time for another thunderstorm. Luckily, the storm passed quickly, so Ruth and I headed out off to Lucky 32 for dinner. Great atmosphere, great and very diverse menu, and a banana bread dessert that was truly wonderful. From there it was back to the hotel to call it a night. The following day was our last day in NC. We got up early, packed all of our stuff, and loaded the car. We then headed off to see the North Carolina Museum of Art. Afterwards we went to Lunch with my friend Cat who now works for SAS Institute, Inc. We got a brief tour of her office and the SAS (sorry, it's now sas) campus before lunch. It was nice to see that Cat has all of her ducks in a row. And if you are ever on the sas campus, be sure to watch out for the 23 MPH speed limit. Anyway, we went to lunch at a little restuarant/bar located under a gentleman's entertainment club. It was Cat's first time there as well. After lunch, we headed off to do some last minute window shopping before going to the airport. We found a nice outlet mall close to the airport. We found some things we liked, but decided it was kinda silly to buy them. After that we returned our car to Hertz and hopped the shuttle bus to the terminal at the airport. There was a slight delay (~10 minutes, plus about 15-20 on the runway) for our return trip to Nashville, but everything went smoothly. Then we landed in Nashville. Everyone who was cutting it close for a connecting flight made a mad dash from the plane to whichever gate they were suppose to be at. Ruth and I just strolled off the plane and to our gate. We were there a bit early, but decided to start the line for boarding passes anyway. Sure enough, we got boarding passes #1 and #2. Of course, they also announced a 45 minute delay. It seemed that the plane was still on the ground in Baltimore. So, Ruth and I took a leisurely stroll around the airport, and found a little restuarant hidden away behind a place that was closed. The food was better than we expected. Afterwards, we discovered that our 8:20 flight was not scheduled to leave around 9:50. So, we wondered around some more, bought some magazines, and just sat at the gate waiting. We finally got on the plane and were on our way back to Austin. We were suppose to land at 10:15, but of course we didn't actually land until about midnight. Still, it was a great vacation, and we stopped by the store on the way home to get some ice cream as a reward for not loosing it at the airport given all the delays. And that, my friends, is the story of our year 2000 annual vacation.
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