I Need to REALLY Discover Raleigh

I have been living in Raleigh for three years now, and I have come to realize that I don't really know Raleigh like I feel like I should.  Given, I have only been 21 for a year and seven days so going downtown hasn't been available to me the entire time I have been living here, but I need to get out more.  Of course, most of it has to do with money.  Bars are expensive and I often wonder how other people afford it.  Then I realized, they just do.  I used to "just do" also, and I should relearn how to do that.  I mean, I saved more money by "just do"-ing years ago than I did in the past year! Well, I take that back... I did go on a ski trip and a cruise, but still.

Anyways, back to Raleigh.  I went downtown for a short while during St. Patty's day to Tir Na Nog.  We sat outside at long tables with beers when we see an Irish bagpipe-and-drums band (I assume they have a real name) line up.  Amid the drunk cheering and green fabric everyone donned, men huffing bagpipes wearing kilts marched through the crowd.  I was actually surprised at the amount of happiness it gave me to watch them.

How could this not make you happy?

Obviously I had to get a picture with them.

Lovely boyfriend and I.  We stressed over that tie of his.

The beautiful Haley, who understands Raleigh.

As much fun as it was, it made me really get motivated to go out more.  Raleigh is an awesome place, it is just a matter of getting to know it.  I mean, you can't say you hate living somewhere if you never experience it, right?