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Perhaps the reason you didn't see a lot of folks outside is that they were at church. Very popular Sunday activity around here.
I agree that you may need to lump "the Triangle" together in order to assimilate it to Tampa.
Good point about church! Yes I agree about clumping them together. It takes 45 minutes to cross Tampa, is probably why Durham seems so compact! I really liked the houses in the Trinity area, but don't see much for rent. I don't want to be brandished to suburbia. Will stroll down Club as advised. I have a budget of $2K for a 3/2 SFH but needs to be updated. Rental market seems to be tight. Are there nice parks nearby as I have a toddler and want to spend more time not being a prisoner of Tampas heat and humidity?
Good point about church! Yes I agree about clumping them together. It takes 45 minutes to cross Tampa, is probably why Durham seems so compact! I really liked the houses in the Trinity area, but don't see much for rent. I don't want to be brandished to suburbia. Will stroll down Club as advised. I have a budget of $2K for a 3/2 SFH but needs to be updated. Rental market seems to be tight. Are there nice parks nearby as I have a toddler and want to spend more time not being a prisoner of Tampas heat and humidity?
I think that Durham has a number of great parks to check out. Some of my kiddos are favorites are Duke Park, Oval Park, Whippoorwill Park, Trinity Park, and Little River Nature Center. You might want to check out the Stir Crazy Mom's Guide to Durham blog as well. Its a bit more South Durham centric, but will give you a good overall flavor of some of the things to do around here.
Hang out at Full Steam Brewery tonight. (Will and Pop's food truck will be there until 8. Terrific burgers.)
Or stop by Pizzeria Toro. Absolutely the best pizzas we've ever had anywhere. Wonderful, wood-fired crust. Tasty toppings. Unique place.
Have breakfast tomorrow morning at Guglhupf. (Pick up some pastries to take back.) Drive around Hope Valley. You'll get a different view of Durham.
Stop by Parker and Otis and grab a sandwich for the drive home.
Durham is a community that grows on you. Food trucks. Farmers' market. There's even an 80 piece community band (I'm nto kidding), that will put on a Veterans Day concert at the VA.
You might need to spend more than a day to see if it's a good fit for you though.
I visit downtown Durham on a regular basis. Sunday mornings are the least busy time of the week....many people at Church. Late morning/early afternoon, people start showing up for brunch (many great options). Fri/Sat are quite busy downtown and at Brightleaf. After living here for 4 years, I would say Sunday is probably the worst indicator of what downtown is really like.
Fullsteam brewery is a great suggestion for something to do on a Sunday night (laid back, but not a sure thing for finding food..you have to rely on food trucks). You could also try Bull City Burger & Brewery (great burgers) or Dos Perros (Mexican food...Sunday night is Taco Night!)...these two restaurants are right next to each other. There are also a number of bars/restaurants at American Tobacco campus (Tylers, Tobacco Road, etc) that might be good for some food and football watching.
We were in Durham yesterday (Saturday) morning and I actually commented on how much busier it was than I expected. There were more people than I expected to see in the vicinity of Brightleaf and at the Farmer's Market.
All of the food places recommended above are great. Although for lunch tomorrow I personally would skip Parker & Otis and try Q Shack, Nana Taco or Foster's Market.
I prefer st. Pete to Tampa. I'm thinking Sunday just isn't the best indicator. I am remaining optimistic!
Yes 1 day is definitely not enough. The VA just notified me and wanted an answer right away. So here I am!
I prefer st. Pete to Tampa. I'm thinking Sunday just isn't the best indicator. I am remaining optimistic!
Yes 1 day is definitely not enough. The VA just notified me and wanted an answer right away. So here I am!
Hot diggity! Congratulations.
Hope this is works out for you.
Definitely go the Veterans' Day concert at the VA.
Yup - Durham is definitely more St. Pete than Tampa. I live in Durham and lived in both St. Pete and Tampa - Sunday morning downtown Durham is very quiet. Honest, downtown Durham, even as far as its come, is still going to be more quiet than downtown St. Pete.
The joys of Durham are more spread out. There are a LOT of good restaurants, but they're all over the city.
OP, it'll grow on you - depends on how much you miss the water. Arts/culture/foodie wise there's a lot more here than Tampa - but you may greatly miss good Cuban food (as I do).
Check out Indyweek - our version of Creative Loafing - for happenings. Congrats!
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