INC NEWS - What I love about Durham (Indy Weekly)

[John Schelp]

What I love about Durham: The readers write
The Independent Weekly, 24 May 2006

It's the brick and the kudzu. One a victim, the other
a victor. Never in my life growing up on the West
Coast have I seen a city so full of red and brown
brick both subsisting and disappearing. It marvels me.
The brick in Durham remains a poignant symbol in the
history of the tobacco industry. I hear locals
expressing a discontent for its gentrification. There
seems there's no stopping it. One of my favorite
things to do in Durham is ride my bike through
downtown to the old Tobacco Trail. The sprawling,
dangling kudzu makes me feel like I'm in some
enchanted dreamland. There seems to be no containing
it. One day the subsistent brick factories may all be
turned into offices, boutiques and fancy restaurants.
But at least later, who knows how soon, they will not
be able to withstand the relentless, ravishing kudzu. 
--Carmela Meehan 

There is lots to love about Durham, but race and class
are the words most associated with our city of late.
What some call racial "tension" in Durham, we call
honest discussion. Durham is one of only a handful of
cities in this country that has historically had a
strong black middle and professional class. Because
political power here rests with black as well as white
people, race issues are an open and important, if
sometimes painful, part of political debate, rather
than being buried by a white economic and political
majority. The racial debate enriches our city and puts
us at the forefront of wrestling with a fundamental
part of our country's history.
--Mike and Mig Sistrom

I moved back to Durham after five years in New York
City. The reason: There are millions of interesting
people from all walks of life in New York, but somehow
you never get to meet that many of them. And there are
thousands of interesting people from all walks of life
in Durham, but somehow you get to meet a lot of them.
I feel my life has been enriched even more by living
here than by living in the largest city in the
country, just by showing up at the grocery store, the
coffee shop, the Y, the neighborhood.
--The Rev. Catherine A. Caimano

A few years ago during a morning stroll in downtown
Durham, a young man approached and with great
enthusiasm told me about his new restaurant, the Cocoa
Cafe. He urged me to give it a try. I agreed. We
walked a few blocks and to my surprise entered another
business, Mr. Shoe. In the back of the store an old
man waited on a customer. Near the front, amid the
racks of repaired shoes, was a table and two chairs
and a counter with several packages of store-bought
cocoa. I smiled as the young man boiled some water. He
asked how I liked the cocoa. I told him it was great.
I left the Cocoa Cafe, amused by Durham's quirkiness.
Later that evening I spotted him handing out business
cards on Ninth Street. 
--Bill Pope 

Some towns display their jewels in showcases. Durham
casually conceals hers in old cigar boxes and brown
paper bags. Behind a storefront, a riveting production
of Chekhov. In an apartment over a Main Street office,
a collection of antique harpsichords. Next to a
parking lot, down a narrow path, a graceful garden
with sculpture. On a residential street (no sign out
front), a celebrated restaurant. When our treasures
are too big to hide, we have other strategies. The
lofty building that serves as our community's
cathedral? We call it a "chapel."
--Allen Wilcox

Durham has an authenticity and integrity that other
communities couldn't buy if they wanted to. Durham's
problems are real, but unlike the typical
dysfunctional Southern community, Durham doesn't hide
its problems behind social or political comfort. The
conversation in Durham is out, and is getting air.
Durham is attending these issues ... the big issues
... that other communities are ignoring: race, crime,
poverty, equality, violence, privilege and class.
Durham is a place for people who love their community
almost more than anything else. The tide of this
community is rising, and it is lifting all the ships,
and that's why Durham is going to succeed in ways we
can't even imagine.
--Scott Harmon

When my parents divorced in 1965, we were living in
suburban Chicago. My mother, determined to start her
new life in a new town, spread out a map of the United
States and we made a short list of requirements:
cheaper cost of living, warmer winters, four seasons,
near mountains and sea, university town. This narrowed
it down to the southeastern Piedmont, and we picked
Chapel Hill because we'd heard of it, and agreed to
look at Durham because we'd heard of Duke. So she
packed us four youngest kids in the Rambler and headed
south to buy a house. It was soon clear that Chapel
Hill did not have a cheaper living cost. Our real
estate agent, Ms. Ivey (who summed up Carrboro by
saying, "Well, I just don't know how to explain
Cahbruh to you") was shocked that we were also
considering Durham. "You don't want to live there,"
she said. "People in Durham scratch." We all looked at
each other and burst out laughing. We knew that it
would be Durham for us.
--Jan Martell

I fell in love with Durham in 1971. I was a hippie
attending art college in Philadelphia. I drove down in
my VW microbus to visit my girlfriend, who was
attending Duke. I was impressed with the humble and
gracious way people here lived together in a patchwork
quilt of neighborhoods. Intellectuals and illiterates,
hippies and squares, blacks and whites coexisted with
surprising respect and equality. Durham was blessed
with natural beauty, arts, education and a mild
climate. Now I'm a Methodist minister. I finally got
to move here two years ago. Durham has only improved
with age.
--the Rev. J. Robert Kretzu

It was the first month we'd moved into the Duke Park
neighborhood by way of Manhattan. My husband was
thrilled to have a lawn. We'd been sent to Stone Bros.
and Byrd for supplies. I was fascinated by the seed,
hanging country hams (at the time), garden ornaments,
bottled pickles and peanuts. "Country and quaint" was
how I'd described it. When we went to pay, we had
neither cash nor checks and they didn't accept credit
cards! The man behind the counter told us they'd send
us a bill. I was incredulous. "Don't you want to see
my license?" "Nah, you look good for it." It was a
startling introduction to the ever-present small-town
feel of a city we've come to love.
--Melanie Mitchell

I love Durham--it is so vibrant ... vivid and
throbbing with true diversity of residents who are
proud to share who we are with each other. We have our
differences, but in Durham, we struggle openly in a
healthy microcosm of citizenship and democracy. Durham
has good neighborhoods, lots of artistic, educational
and business opportunities, and no more random crime
than anywhere else. Treating people with respect is a
great way to disarm them, so I look people in the eye.
I greet them, and am usually rewarded with a smile and
greeting in return. This is Durham!
--Diane Wright

I love zipping to work in minutes: no highway driving,
no traffic jams. (My husband can bike or walk on the
American Tobacco Trail to his office.) I love seeing
movies at the Carolina; sipping a latte at the
Guglhupf Cafe; hanging out at Foster's Market; eating
at the Thai Cafe, Sitar Indian Palace, Bahn's and
Saladelia's. I love readings at The Regulator and
shopping at Vaguely Reminiscent. I love walking in my
neighborhood of Forest Hills. I love fresh eggs and
flowers from the Farmers' Market. I love that lonesome
whistle of the freight trains in the night; I love
"Hit Bull, Win Steak." I love concerts in Duke Chapel,
the wisteria-covered pergola in the Gardens, the new
Nasher Museum; Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Blue
Devils. I love the Eno and the dancers who come to
town every summer. I love the emerging art scene. I
love being part of a community where people of all
colors work and play alongside one another and I love
that the only people who move here are ones who feel
the same way. I love living in the best-kept secret in
the state.
--Christina Askounis

I grew up in an Eastern North Carolina tobacco and
peanut town (pop. 7,000--yeehaw!). After living in
Raleigh, Boston, Asheville and Bellingham, Wash.,
places where something seemed to be missing, I ended
up here and have no wish to ever live anywhere else.
Durham fills my need for an authentic locale that
hasn't forgotten its roots, as well as the culture and
"neat goings-on" that only more "hip" and, well,
larger cities usually have. I could mention many
places, such as the Starlite Drive-In, Sennet's Hole,
the Ringside, but mostly, Durham needs me, and for
that, I love her.
--Elizabeth Peel

One of the many things we most love about Durham is
its wonderful music and arts culture. In late March we
noticed an ad in the Indy announcing a chamber concert
by the Durham Symphony to be held on a Sunday
afternoon. This reminded us of the many happy musical
moments we shared in the 1980s when we lived in the
metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. The quality of
the performance we enjoyed that afternoon was as good
as it gets, easily on a par with the best available in
any other city in the country. What a great pleasure
it is to live in a small city that consistently
presents and maintains such a rich and diverse
offering of music, film, dance, and indeed all of the
arts at the highest level.
--Anne and Bill Moscrip

Some of the things I love most about Durham are things
we take the most heat for in the media. What the media
often represents as squabbling, in-fighting,
special-interest politics and government ineptitude I
see as open and accessible local government and
diverse citizens who care deeply about and participate
actively in local political and community affairs.
What the media represents as racial discord I see as
the healthy conflicts and disagreements that arise
when the diverse groups that make Durham home work
through issues together for the good of the entire
community. While the media often represents Durham as
gritty and crime-ridden, I see strong, organized,
vocal communities of people who love their neighbors
and their neighborhoods and work together to make all
of Durham a better place.
--Kelly Jarrett

It is very simple! When walking down the street and
you say good morning to someone, the reply is a good
morning back.
--Bob Appleby

You know what I love about Durham? I love that there
are more people in Durham doing stuff to make it a
great place to live than there are people kvetching
about what's wrong with Durham. Everyone from
semi-anonymous city and county employees, to community
activists, to volunteers in after-school programs, to
downtown business owners, gets out of the house and
does something. I love that Durham is not a town for
whiners. Oh, yeah, and the Duke Park traffic circle.
That rocks.
--Barry Ragin

Durham is our newly elected home, although we had not
planned on living here. Durham presents life on a
neighborly scale; no more anonymity of being one among
hundreds squeezing into the metro to go to and from
work. Durham does not feel like an un-human machine.
There is a true sense of community here, yet there is
not the oppression of being hedged in by a homogenous
society. Durham has not lost the authenticity of the
neighborhood business to that same anonymity that
pervades McDonald's, Wal-Mart and Starbucks. Those
ubiquitous big names are just on the outskirts, but
tucked in Durham's inner business centers are some
wonderfully intimate shops, cafes and restaurants. The
Broad Street Cafe epitomizes what I love about Durham.
It is all about possibilities, creativity, diversity,
community and proximity. Turn up at the Broad Street
Cafe, and you are sure to run into someone you know
... if not, you'll meet someone new there. 
--Amy Howell

What I love about Durham is all the foodies. You know,
people who are somewhat food obsessed. They love to
eat good food, they love to talk about cooking food,
they think about what they are going to eat for their
next meal while still digesting the meal they just
had. Foodies are all over Durham. Everywhere I go I
run into people who are more than happy to talk about
where they had a great meal in many of our fine
restaurants, or where they found the best produce or
meat, or what fabulous cuisine they made at home. The
stimulating discussions and occasions of and for food
abound here in Durham! Food = Love, feel the love in
D-Town.
--Esther Bent

Going to Locopops isn't a trip to get a frozen treat.
(Chocolate Chile. Mojito.) No, it's become an almost
sacred ritual. (Clementine Thyme.) Here's how it's
done: First, case the joint. (White Chocolate Peanut
Butter. Blackberry Sage.) What new flavors are on the
menu? (Sweet Louise.) How many Must Haves? (Almond
Cardamom. Chocolate Ginger.) Map the landscape, then
get down to business. (Pomegranate Tangerine.)
Water-based first. No question. (Hibiscus. Grapefruit
Basil.) Anything else would be uncivilized. (Lychee
and Lemongrass.) Ideally, go with a friend. Order two
paletas. (Plum Black Currant. Pear cardamom.) Sample.
Trade, if mutually agreeable. Close eyes. Savor.
Breathe deeply. Then repeat with cream-based
(Pistachio. White Chocolate Almond Kirsch)--for
dessert.
--Lanya Shapiro

A coffee gelato with hot fudge sauce at Francesca's.
The gazebo at Duke Gardens when the wisteria is in
bloom. Zydeco at the Durham Blues Festival. A line of
turtles sunning on a log in the Eno River. A cold beer
and a Flying Burrito at a Bulls game on a sultry
August night. Working out at the downtown Y. A picnic
with friends in Oval Park when the symphony comes to
town. The black bears and the red wolves at the Museum
of Life and Science. Fresh asparagus and local
strawberries at the Farmers' Market. My wonderful
neighbors in Duke Park.
--Maria Mangano

The sunsets are sneaky in Durham, like a lot of the
beauty. You have to be in the right place at the right
time and remember to look. Just before dusk, go to the
top of the field on East Campus that slopes down to
the intersection of Markham and Broad. The huge willow
oaks become backlit with orange, fiery red and pink,
then purple, as dog walkers, runners and
Frisbee-tossers pass by. The greens of the grass and
trees become deep, rich and finally, dark, as
everything quiets into night and the lights of the
corner tavern come up.
--Sherri Zann Rosenthal

What I generally love about Durham is what I sometimes
hate about Durham. I have lived near drug dealers and
prostitutes, thieves and addicts. That part I hate.
Many of my neighbors are the working poor. We are
white, black and Mexican. We are young and old, and
straight and gay, and tolerant and not. Our
differences have created some problems. Our
differences have brought understanding and acceptance.
I love that. Sometimes I think: I just want to live
around people like me. But if I did that, if I lived
in a fortress of sameness, I would forget.
--Diane Daniel

The friendliness of the people. I escaped from Cary in
2001. I met more people in my first few months in
Durham than I had met in over five years in Cary. When
telling people about Durham I often describe it as
"gritty" and "tasty." The breadth and depth of
textures in Durham life sometimes remind me of
Chicago. And politics as a spectator sport.
--Chuck Davis

Durham is a place where people care. Whether it's
crime, education, culture and arts, housing, or any of
a myriad of other issues, people get involved. Maybe
we aren't all reading the same script when an issue is
debated, but debate we do. In the end, Durham is
healthier for the effort. I've noticed a sharper focus
on issues lately. That suggests a higher probability
of resolution. What I love about Durham is seeing
people from all walks of life pulling together.
--Barker French

I love Durham because we're like a dysfunctional
family trapped around a holiday table for all
eternity. We take turns erupting like emotional
volcanoes, hurling accusations, revealing
disappointments--and arguing for a bigger piece of the
pie because, back in 1972, David got the last slice
and it just wasn't fair. How is this good? I'm an
optimist. I believe honesty is the first step toward
change. I believe that wiser leaders could use our
passion to shape Durham into a strong community--one
that makes room at the table for everyone because
we're all part of the same family. 
--Katy Munger

I love the social environment of Durham and the
individual communities. When issues arise, neighbors
of the community stand up and unite for the good of
the city. When there were crosses placed on the land
to burn in the night, the next day people of all races
and color stood together to unite for peace and
liberty. Our neighbors are not strangers but our
friends whom we rely upon in time of need and worship.
Nowhere have I seen the warmth and sincerity towards
newcomers as I have in Durham. 
--Sylvia J. Williams

Two 100-year-old legendary sports programs call the
Bull City home: one coached by a devil of a Hall of
Famer, the other the subject of a major motion
picture. Both within a three mile radius of each
other. Only in Durham.
--Charlie Watson

In Durham, you can learn on Monday that one of the
world's largest cement companies plans to build a
plant in a less affluent community. Concerned about
the health effects of cement dust, a coalition forms
and mobilizes citizens across town. By Thursday, the
chair of our county commissioners raises the
possibility of moratorium on cement plant
construction. (The cement batch plant was later
stopped.) I really don't think such quick citizen or
government responses would have happened in Raleigh,
Greensboro, Winston-Salem or Charlotte. We don't just
celebrate democracy in Durham, we live it.
--John Schelp

With a growing economy and one of the largest urban
renewal projects this country has ever seen, Durham is
much more than its stereotype of a major university
surrounded by a dangerous city. Durham's "creative
class" and entrepreneurial spirit attracted us to
relocate from Manhattan, and its diversity made the
transition easy. From the Full Frame Documentary
Festival to the locally owned restaurants and
businesses, Durham has a character and allure like no
other place we have lived. We are proud to call it
home!
--Whitney Wilkerson and Raven Manocchio

I love Durham because we are a big chunky stew of
cultures, races, socioeconomic levels, and interests.
I love the potential; everywhere I look new roads are
being built, new developments are sprouting, new
businesses are opening. I love that we have so many
choices in education for our kids. I love that we're
all intermingled so that I see mansions and boarded-up
houses just driving to the store. I love that even
though all the differences make us argue, it also
means we care enough about our town to have the
argument.
--Valerie Parham-Thompson
(My son adds: "I love my neighbors."--Miles, 5)