INC NEWS - Why We Love Durham: A List

[John Schelp]

After an opinion column that was critical of Durham
appeared in the Duke Chronicle, a Trinity Ave resident
started a list of reasons why she loves Durham. 

Many in the community provided input, sewing their own
patches into a growing quilt. Here's the quilt...

Why We Love Durham: A List

*The Arts:*
Local music scene
The Music Maker Relief Foundation (Keeping the bluest
of the blue alive)
The Durham Symphony (and watching the children dance
at the pops concert)
The Carolina Theater
Full Frame Documentary Film Fest
The Nevermore Film Fest
The American Dance Festival
The Starlite Drive-In
The Scrap Exchange
The Durham Freecycle Listserve
The Durham Arts Council
The Durham Arts Walk
The Center for Documentary Studies
Art galleries
Jazz at NCCU
Claymakers Art Studio
Manbites Dog Theater
Durham Jazz Festival
CenterFest
Walltown Theater (and Joseph and Cynthia Henderson)
Scott Hill and Ronnie Lilly and all they have done for
the arts
Random art in central park and in the traffic circle
in Duke Park
The Nasher Art Museum
Durham Savoyards
The Duke Coffeehouse which showcases local bands
nearly every weekend
African American Dance Ensemble (and Chuck Davis)

*The Outdoors:*
Biking the American Tobacco Trail
The abandoned dinosaur on the greenway (and all the
wonderful stories people—myself included—have about
discovering it)
The Eno River
Jordan Lake
You can go skiing one weekend, and go to the beach the
next.
All the trees: magnolias, dogwoods, redbuds
Lots of places—urban and rural—to walk
Durham Central Park
Natural wetlands
Master Gardener Volunteer Program
The view from Red Mountain
Bike friendliness
The Flat River
The Little River
Falls Lake
Duke Forest
NC State Forest
Lake Michie
Duke Gardens

*The Food:*
Dale’s
Sitar
Torero’s
Wimpy’s Grill
LocoPops
Banh’s
Guglhupf
Blue Nile
El Cuscatleco
China Buffet
Bali Hai
Nana’s
Parizade’s
Elmo’s
Anotherthyme
Cook Out
Bullock’s
Fowler’s
Magnolia Grill
Blue Corn Café
Bean Traders
Safari Cuisine
Fishmonger’s
Counter Culture Coffee
Tosca
Francesca’s
Asia Market
Whole Foods Café
International Delights
Safari Cuisine
Bojangles
Hog Heaven Bar-b-q
Dim Sum at Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant
International Delights
Bread and Kabob (I know it closed years ago, I’m still
mourning)
The Farmer’s Market (Especially Amy the pickle lady
and Miss Emma the fried pie lady)
Durham Catering Company
Rick’s
Pop’s
Mt. Fuji sushi
Dillard’s BBQ
Jamaica Jamaica
A Taste of Durham
Madhatter Bakery
George’s Garage
Cosmic Cantina
The Co-op
Devine’s
Starlu

*The City:*
The Triangle. Raleigh and Chapel Hill are right next
door.
RTP
Durham has great weather, mild winters and gorgeous
summers.
Durham is almost never affected by tornados,
hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, or blizzards.
Medical care
Adaptive use of old buildings—converted warehouses and
tobacco factories
Duke Street
Gregson Street
Club Blvd.
Magnet schools (Watts)
Listening to the freight trains
NC Central University
EK Powe
Bright World Daycare
Erwin Mills
A revitalizing downtown
Summer camps
Erwin Square
Historic Preservation Society of Durham
Schoolhouse of Wonder
Triangle Land Conservancy
Self-Help Credit Union
TROSA
Durham Rescue Mission
Durham Crisis Response Center
Durham Literacy Center
Habitat for Humanity
Curbside recycling
Full of possibilities and nurtures a creative spirit
Affordable housing
Job opportunities
Trinity Park
Parking spaces
No traffic
Independent Weekly
Skywriter
Fire trucks
Front porches
Vegetable gardens
Shady streets
Young, entrepreneurial real estate
development/downtown renaissance types
The crazy entertaining politics
The crazy entertaining crime log (not the bad
ones--just the ones about people fending off naked
intruders with pans of hot gravy--true story)
It's a place that loves underdogs and turns itself
inside out to include them in town, its politics, and
its culture
The new developments on East Main Street just east of
downtown Durham being built by the Durham Housing
Authority for the Hope VI project
Durham Bulls (and the fireworks)
ACC Basketball
The Pride Parade
The Great Human Race
The Duke Chapel
Easy-to-deal-with airport

*Educational Stuff:*
The Hayti Heritage Center
The Museum of Life and Science
The Butterfly House
Bennett Place
Staggville
The Carnivore Preservation Trust

*The Bars, Clubs, and Beer:*
Joe and Jo’s
Club Maraka
The Federal
The Green Room
The best bar food I’ve ever had
The World Beer Festival
Devine’s
Sam’s Quick Shop.

*The People:*
The people are friendly, helpful, tolerant, diverse,
and involved
There is a real feeling of community that I never
experienced on campus
Mr. Wall the lawn man
Sgt. Gunter’s emails
The nice people at the main Post Office
People from all over the world, working together
Nancy Tuttle May
Duke students, professors, and workers
Locals who call it Drrrhm
The talented and interesting people: artists,
engineers, musicians, community activists, etc
Merchants who remember and look out for you
The Durham Police Department

*The Shopping:*
Brightleaf Square
American Tobacco Historic District
Morgan Imports
Thrift World
Pennies for Change
Public libraries
9th Street
The Regulator
Vaguely Reminiscent
Know Bookstore and Restaurant
Tattoo Asylum
Dogstar Tattoos
One World Market
Books on Ninth
West Durham Tire
Fisher Signs
Tackle Design
Books Do Furnish a Room
Nice Price Books
The Book Exchange
Baby Bear
Kangaroo Pouch
Encore
Just Your Style
New Beginnings
Twice Remembered
Classic Treasures
Trash & Treasures
Everything But Grandma's Panties
Knick Knacks I & II
Peter's Design Works
Durham Building Supply Recycling Center
Hamilton Hill
The Playhouse
Stone Brothers and Byrd
Meadowsweet Gardens (Rebecca and Jonathan)
Durham Garden Center
Offbeat Records
Northgate Mall
All the Goodwills and Salvation Armies (heh)