A Walk Around Downtown Raleigh, NC

Today is a "walk around downtown" and this walk is in Raleigh, North Carolina.

This is a typical walk such as many people can do in their own town or city but also in neighboring cities or anywhere.

You might make inquiries as to the safety of the specific area you're interested in.

It's pretty quiet on this Sunday morning.

I found a spot here on Hillsborough Street and right next to a violin shop!

I just walk toward "town" and tall buildings!

I want to see and take pictures of pretty structures and scenes.

Churches will always provide beauty.

Of course I love seeing the steeples in the distance.

The stone-work is beautiful and magical to me.

This "entrance" really draws one inside.

There are so many churches! Someone should create a "church hub"!

Isn't this a work of art?!

The North Carolina Capital Building lies just behind the Confederate Monument.

This monument is in remembrance of North Carolina's Confederate dead (nearly one quarter of all Confederate deaths were from North Carolina). The three statues on the monument represent Confederate infantry, cavalry, and artillery soldiers. The inscription, "First at Bethel - Last at Appomatox," represents the forwardness and tenacity of North Carolina's soldiers during the Civil War.

This tablet is a tribute to Captain Ashe who, as a captain in the Confederate Army, took part in the defense of Fort Wagner, S.C. He later served as a legislator, newspaper editor, and historian.

Wyatt, from Edgecombe County, was the first Confederate soldier to die in battle in the Civil War. A private in the Confederate Army, he was killed at the Battle of Big Bethel in Virginia on June 10, 1861, as his brigade attacked Union troops.

This is the beautiful Capital building.

This monument honors the veterans of the state who served in World Wars I and II and the Korean War. The base features scenes and lists major battles from each of the wars, and atop a granite shaft stands Lady Liberty holding a palm frond to symbolize peace and victory.

The flags of each of the armed services fly at the rear of the monument.

Battles of WW II

Above is a 3-D plaque depicting scenes of WWII and Korea.

Vietnam Veterans are honored here.

This memorial honors the 206,000 men and women of North Carolina who served in the war of Vietnam.

This monument is unique in that it is the first to be sculpted by a woman, and the first to depict an African American.

The monument depicts two soldiers carrying a wounded comrade to a nearby landing zone to await medical help.

So I'm still exercising and still seeing so much!

This work honors the three presidents born in North Carolina: Andrew Jackson of Union County, seventh president of the United States (1829-1837); James Knox Polk of Mecklenberg County, eleventh president of the United States (1845-1849); and Andrew Johnson of Wake County, seventeenth president of the United States (1865-1869). Although North Carolina claims all three presidents as native sons, all were elected while residents of Tennessee.

Families are out in full force today!

Dr. McIver was a renowned promoter of education in North Carolina in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He is remembered as the founder and the first president of the State Normal and Industrial School for Women (now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro).

Here is a distant side view of George Washington.

A native of Buncombe County, Zebulon Baird Vance was one of this state's most popular political figures during the Civil War. He helped organize state troops for the Confederacy and was promoted to full colonel shortly before his election as governor in 1862. He again served as governor from 1877 to 1879 and was a United States senator from 1879 until his death in 1894.

This bronze statue is one of six cast by William J. Hubbard of Richmond, Virginia, from a mold of Houdon's George Washington which stands in the Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. It was intended to replace the destroyed Canova statue. Unveiled on July 4, 1857, it was the first statue placed on the grounds.

As I walk around the Capital there are other avenues of photography.

Keep an eye on the tall buildings and use them as reference points.

Here is an old side entrance into the State Capital Building.

Born in Raleigh in 1874, Ensign Worth Bagley was the first American naval officer killed in the Spanish-American War.

Bagley was the executive officer of the torpedo ship U.S.S. Winslow. He was killed May 11, 1898, by a shell from Spanish shore batteries at Cardenas Bay, Cuba.

Charles Brantly Aycock was known as the "education governor." Aycock was responsible for beginning the public school system existing today in North Carolina. It is said that one new school was opened for nearly every day of his term, 1901-1905.

The Women of the Confederacy monument was a gift to the state by Confederate veteran Col. Ashley Horne, and was unveiled in June 1914.

It was the wish of Colonel Horne to recognize the suffering and hardship faced by women during this tragic period in our nation's history.

It is great to acknowledge the suffering of all when suffering is acknowledged. I hope to see the statue of the black man who helped build our great nation while chained.

This is very crisp architecture for a new church.

Beautiful buildings and sidewalk eateries abound!

I just loved the bicycle in the window!

One coffee drinker has found a cozy niche and is hidden from most of the world.

There are parked cars but Sunday morning is a bit quiet.

The "Times" coffee shop is just ahead! Watch the calories! You're exercising.

But having an espresso and a crossword puzzle is good.

This or another stop like it could be a great rest.

Or take a refreshment with you to a park and sit under a tree.

This could be a day of exercise, travel, fun, and REST!

Your paths are mostly smooth. The scenery is forever changing.

Just flow with the day and this walk in this "life".

Another beautiful Park! But I started hearing bongos in the distance.

If you put your ear next to this cone you can hear the ocean!

Beautiful streets and I'm hearing beautiful beats!

People are having their Sunday church service right out here.

The preacher and his merry band play sweet music and then our preacher gives us the Word of God. The preacher speaks of hope!

My father told me that a church got colder with every coat of paint.

Here it is. I finally found the statue that was erected for Micky Dee.

I made a loop around this park and find cobblestones and pretty shops.

The little shop of "TIBET"!

A popular eatery is just ahead, but they're everywhere.

Keep your "orientation" by knowing where you are by the "tall buildings".

And another park! There are several of these oases downtown.

Josephus Daniels (May 18, 1862 – January 15, 1948) was a newspaper editor and publisher from North Carolina who was appointed by United States President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I. He was also a close friend and supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt and served as his Ambassador to Mexico.

Josephus Daniels, one of three sons born to Josephus and Mary Cleves Seabrook Daniels, was born in Washington, North Carolina, May 18, 1862. The elder Josephus, his father, was a shipbuilder for the Confederacy and was killed before his son was three years of age.

In 1913, Mr. Daniels was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Wilson.

Daniels, a man of humble origin, undertook to reform the Navy in the interest of the common seaman. He insisted on promotion from within the ranks, inaugurated the service-wide practice of making 100 of the most capable enlisted men eligible for the Naval Academy each year. Daniels fought what he called “the fetish of seniority.”

In his ruling that no wines or liquors be served aboard ships of the U.S. Navy, he ran headlong into trouble with the “gentlemen of the service.” Secretary Daniels stood by his decisions and eventually won high praise from most of the top ranking admirals, as well as with the Navy’s enlisted men.

Naval legend has it that the term “Cup of Joe" began when sailors, now denied of their daily ration of alcohol, raised a cup of coffee in mock tribute to Josephus.

The Memorial Site was dedicated on May 6, 2006, in Nash Square, Raleigh, NC.

This is a great tribute to people who put themselves in harm's way often.

Quite often their own money is spent getting to a traumatic event.

There are many, many hours of training that fire-fighters have to go through.

Firefighters make a lot of sacrifices- including their lives.

Here is a Sunday Morning Chapel for worship, reflection, study, beauty, peace...

So I rested a bit in Nash Park here.

I worked on some sudoku and crypto-quote puzzles.

This young lady and I spoke as I passed.

As I was leaving we spoke again and our conversation grew.

She is Gloria. She is from Colombia. She is a Messianic Jew.

She speaks a couple of languages already and is studying Hebrew.

She is a very spiritual person.

Isn't this a serendipitous world?!

She is delightful!

So you might try a walk such as this urban hike of Downtown Raleigh.

Food will always be close but you might pack some water to take along.

Wear comfortable cushioned shoes suitable for walking on uneven surfaces.

There are parking spots easier to find on Sundays and other times.

Many of the parks offered at least one hour parking.

I parked away from the Capital area and I intended to walk a lot toward my "goal".

Check for local construction or events, or be adventurous.

Look around and take note of the tallest buildings and use them for reference.

Make the trip educational, interesting, and fun.

Sit under a tree, even if just for moments.

Make a point to watch a squirrel or bird being themselves.

Be an active participant in your environment.

Relate to another brother or sister.

Feel free.

Micky Dee

Then try "A Walk Around Downtown Durham"!

A Walk Around Downtown Durham

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