Port City-Big City

The Fuzz and His Sweetie had decided to have a bit of Big City time, just for fun.

Wilmington, N.C. is not far from Topsail Island, and in comparison to Topsail Beach, certainly qualifies as a Big City.

But it is a bit of a "you can't get there from here" situation.

The Fuzz does realize that this simply means that one must first get someplace else from here, and from thence, to there.

Topsail Beach is of course located on Topsail Island.

And Topsail Island is of course, an island!

Whereas the "Port City" is in fact, not.

So  this will require either a ferry, or a bridge.

The closest actual bridge is located up the island at Surf City.

And so we have this situation.

First a drive up to Surf City and across the drawbridge over the ICW.  Then out to the highway and south towards the Big City.

The first stop was the "Goodwill" store, and then, while The Fuzz still had a bit of his sanity left, downtown.

 

The traffic in Wilmington can get a little unpleasant at times.  But The Fuzz's Sweetie grew up in a Big City and handles it pretty well.

Finding a parking spot on Front St. can be a problem.  So they just decided to bite the bullet and pay for a spot on a parking deck...

With a view.

There are a lot of shops and all in this area.  In fact it's sort of the Tourist Destination while at the various beaches.

The Fuzz's plans called for a stop at

"Old Books on Front St."

The Fuzz highly recommends a stop here if one is inclined towards these things-

But be prepared to spend some time!

The Fuzz and His Sweetie were not particularly interested in the other shops, as they had been through here during summer beach trips before.

But a bit of lunch was called for.

So they walked up the street to the Front Street Brewery, and had some lunch and a pint.

It was very good.

Besides the beer, they seem to have quite a bar going on.

The Fuzz was tempted to use this for a Mystery Pix, but managed to get over it.

After taking care of the hungries, it was time to go down to the Riverwalk for some fun.

Whilst His Sweetie amused herself with her sketching, The Fuzz got out his camera and took a walk.

Here's a look at a bit of the waterfront.

And since this is the "Port City"...

Here's a look down river toward the "port."

Wilmington is also home to the Battleship North Carolina -

Which is right across the river.

The Fuzz could have stopped here...

But didn't!

If the reader is inclined so...

They may continue for a bit below

☟

 

The Fuzz saw these tugs tied up below the drawbridge.

And here's just a few pix, of the many more he got on his way along the Riverwalk.