Why You Should Always Compliment Someone on Their 1920s Dress

At the last minute, work decided to send me to North Carolina for a conference, so I made it a road trip and stopped in two places I had never been. One of those places was Raleigh, North Carolina. Everyone told me this is a quiet city, and I should go to Charlotte for a bigger city feeling.

For whatever reason, I kept with my original idea for Raleigh and headed there; I didn't have a set list of things I needed or wanted to do. So naturally, when I arrived in Raleigh around dinner time, the only goal I had established was to have BBQ for dinner!

While having hella good BBQ at Sam Jones (it was perfection!), I was googling and asking a server for their opinions on what to do. Finally, I found this cocktail bar that piqued my curiosity. 

So, right after dinner, I wandered to Watts and Ward, a sexy, moody 1920s underground bar named after the Watts Act of 1903 and the Ward Law of 1905. You guessed it—Prohibition legislation!

I have always loved theme bars, but I also love how historical this one felt. When I arrived, this random girl greeted me, commenting on my outfit as she left. I thanked her and thought it was a sweet and innocent comment, but I didn't know that would be a foreshadowing of my night.

While waiting at the bar to order a drink, I scoped out the place and noticed I was the only solo person next to a bridal party. Since the night was still young (for a bar like this), the place wasn't crazy. I was able to enjoy my drink in their oversized chairs.

That’s another thing I love about this bar, besides the dark, moody lighting: their oversized dark blue suede chairs and leather couches. The leather and exposed pipes on the bar create a touch of masculine flare.

But if you want to skip the moodiness, you can enjoy your drinks under the stars by heading out to their big patio, where most people were hanging out.

I debated what to do that night. Should I book my hotel and head off or find another bar before calling it a night? I kept questioning what I wanted to do since it wasn't even 7 p.m., but I was tired after driving from DC and exploring Richmond before driving to Raleigh.

I felt like this night would be a mellow one. Maybe I’d head to another bar, hope to talk to someone, and then head to my hotel. Because sometimes, when you travel, you don't always meet people or gain a new story of an epic night with strangers who become friends for just that night or a few days.

But this time, the travel magicians gave me some good old-fashioned, lighthearted 1920s fun in Raleigh, North Carolina. My new friends even offered excellent recommendations for my next-day adventures, extending my good time in this city.

As I dealt with my first-world problems and got ready to book my hotel, I looked up from my phone, and there was a couple dressed up in 1920s fashion. Like the girl who commented on my outfit, I said, "I love your 1920s dress! You are killing it!"

She stopped with a huge smile and said thank you. I thought she would just move on with the guy she was with. But nope.

Travel magic happened.

**Travel magic, in my own definition, is meeting a total stranger and spending the day(s) or night(s) with them—and you become this family even if its for a few hours. You will always have a bond with them even if you never see them again.

This is closely followed by my second definition: when something good unexpectedly happens while traveling.

***It should be noted that this only sometimes happens when traveling. Ergo, it's magic!

She started talking to me while her husband was getting drinks for them, and she yelled to him to order me a drink as well. We went from strangers to friends in three seconds. She asked me if I lived in Raleigh, and I said no. I'm here for a conference and to do some additional solo traveling. She told me they were dressed up in 1920s fashion because she and her husband had gone to a 1920s event earlier that night.

We sat at a different table and chatted the night away until we ended up in an arcade bar called Box Card, playing Skee-Ball, air hockey . . . pretty much all the games. This wasn't the night I had planned, but it was the night that I needed.  You see, I have been traveling for years, and for the most part, I can tell how a day or night will end while traveling.

I should have known there would be a little travel magic when that random girl commented on my outfit; because of her, I commented on someone else's and had yet another night to put in my little travel magic box of random people I met and the stories and memories we shared.

I urge you to comment on someone's 1920s dress or that awesome Melly, share food with someone, or ask a person to play a card game. That is when the travel magic happens.

That's when you will create epic memories. Even if you never see those people again, you will bond for life over that day or night.

After all, traveling makes us storytellers.

And since you are a storyteller, let me know about the times when you had some travel magic of your own in the comments!