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Hi all. I've been accepted to grad school at Duke and looks like I'm going. I was born and raised in one of the buroughs of NYC and have been living in Washington, D.C. for the past 2 years. I love city life, street culture, and general people watching and am afraid I will have a hard time adjusting to NC life. I hope I don't sound like a New York snob, but I'm just afraid of the unknown and it seems like this could be a huge adjustment for me. I've been looking into the "downtown" areas, and right now I'm thinking my best bet would be downtown Durham. What are your thoughts? Raleigh and Chapel Hill seem to have pretty small downtown areas in comparison, or am I completely wrong about this? This is all based on my web research skills, so I could be completely off. I'd really appreciate any/all feedback. Another important thing to note: I HATE driving (I know. I know....typical New Yorker). I plan on having a car to get around and all, but I'd prefer using it as little as possible, which is why I'm gravitating towards the downtown areas. Can anyone help me??
Relax.
Move to Durham.
Enjoy completing your studies.
Stick around if you love it like many do.
Move on after finishing grad school if opportunity knocks or you prefer something else.
It's just a couple of years, not a lifetime commitment, right?
Sounds like a great way to step out and gain confidence in embracing the unknown.
Apprehension about culture shock does not make you a "New York snob", but after you arrive, putting down the area will.
None of the cities in the Triangle has anything CLOSE to the "city" atmosphere of New York nor DC. If you'll be at Duke, choose Durham, because its not worth the commute for the slightly larger downtown to be in Raleigh. Grad school takes up a LOT of your time, at odd hours, and you probably won't have as much free time as you might expect, to be taking advantage of that much "city" stuff. There is not good public transportation between the two cities, especially what you would be used to from NY or DC.
I think you will like Durham. I don't live there, but I am very close by. Durham has a great combination of culture, personality, art, good food, music, etc. It's not like the NY area, but I think it's pretty interesting. Duke has a small, but interesting art museum (the Nasher Art Museum). There are plenty of art & cultural events nearby.
Yes, it will be a small area but for 2 years, it can be a really fun experience. I know what it's like to move away from a big city but I think this area won't be a complete shock. I think you're in for a nice surprise. I think you should do a short visit here if you can, and then make your decision. I don't think you'll regret it.
Duke always has the reputation of having a lot of students from NY and NJ so if that bears out you'll probably have plenty of company from your old stomping grounds. I like Durham, but take that fwiw. I could never live in NYC or DC for an unlimited time, but have visited both and enjoyed it. For grad school I could probably embrace the new experience and go with it.
[SIZE=2]I’m a city girl who lived in Manhattan and downtown San Francisco, and I doubt downtown Durham will be as much of an adjustment as you fear. For sure that’s where to live to keep your auto use to a minimum. The amount of street life – sidewalk tables, pedestrian traffic, etc. – will probably surprise you. Also, the whole Triangle area has so many transplanted residents that it doesn’t seem very "southern", and I bet it’s more cosmopolitan than you expect. Durham is the most heterogeneous city in the Triangle, and the downtown crowd is quite artsy and gay-friendly.
I think you’d particularly like where I live, West Village, a complex of former tobacco warehouses converted to mixed-use lofts. It has an interesting mix of residents (nearly all adults) from all over the US, plus Canada and several foreign countries. Plenty of bars, restaurants, cafes, clubs, a movie theater, the Bulls ballpark, small shops, hair salons, the farmer’s market, and more are within an easy walk – some right within the complex. Duke’s East campus is so close I walk my dog there. On the far side of Duke East, still under a mile, are two more commercial streets, Broad St. and Ninth St., which makes a Whole Foods grocery (with a fine deli), drugstore, bookshop, dance studio, some clothing stores and more restaurants, clubs, etc. accessible on foot.
There are some residential buildings and above-the-store apartments on W. Main St. in the heart of downtown, but rental vacancies there are quite rare. So if a big complex doesn’t appeal to you, your best bet is probably the Trinity Park residential neighborhood around Duke East, which has a lot of rental units in smaller apartment buildings and duplexes.
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