Bon voyage, baby sis!

My sister, Chesley Paige, departs today for her month-long summer adventure in Australia! My parents are taking her to California to help split up her long trip. They will spend a few days in San Diego, exploring the San Diego Zoo and Sea World (her favorite). Then she is off "Down Unda, mate!" As an aspiring marine biologist, a sophomore at UNC-Wilmington, she has plans to spend her time on the eastern coast doing mission work and research.

She has started her own blog to document her travels. Please visit and comment - I'm sure it will be a fantastic read!

http://cphaussieadventures.blogspot.com/

xoxo
Kat

alivia's

Tonight was a prime example of why I not only love living in North Carolina, but more so why I love living in Durham, North Carolina. My parents, my boyfriend, Eric and myself were at a loss for where to head to dinner. It's about 70's degrees outside, a few clouds, but nothing threatening. And a very important detail: the humidity is low. We decide we want to eat outside.

My parents home is in the dead center between downtown Durham and downtown Chapel Hill. My dad instinctively turned right onto Erwin Road headed toward the Bull City. We ended up parking in the Brightleaf Square lot next to Fishmonger's thinking we'd have plenty of options. We spotted a few tables open in the outdoor patio at Alivia's and gravitated in that direction. I had never eaten there before and was excited to try something new.

We started with a light crab cake appetizer. The cakes were small, but flavorful. I sipped on a Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat (a Chicago favorite) draft. For my dinner I had the ahi tuna with cream caper sauce and fresh veggies. Very light, very tasty. Dish of the night goes to my dad, pork tenderloin with sweet chutney and mashed sweet potatoes. Those potatoes melted in your mouth. We had great, attentive service. I'm not sure if the environment made my food taste better but it certainly didn't hurt.

Downtown Durham was buzzing with people. An opening band was revving up their amps over the wall at James Joyce. The cross walks stayed busy with pedestrians. Alivia's was steady throughout our 2-hour stint on the patio. It was refreshing to see my hometown alive. 

I heart Durham.

xoxo

Katherine