A little disappointed with downtown Durham (Charlotte, Raleigh: home, neighborhoods, school)

[aldamon]

Seems to me you picked out a good time to go to Brightleaf for dinner. I hate crowded restaurants. If you had gone there for lunch, you would have found most places closed. That's just Sunday in Durham.

[Francois]

I agree with the others who say the Sunday night factor was the biggest element. I for one LIKE to go to restaurants when it's quiet, and Sunday nights is one of the times I choose for that reason!

Also, someone mentioned church--African-Americans in the South as a rule are very church-centered, and I imagine most of the churches have "Sunday night suppers" or similar, catering to family and church activities. Finally, as someone ELSE said, Brightleaf Square is indeed kind of a "yuppie" area.

So, all of these factors combined meant you didn't really see anything like the demographics you'd see in Durham on, say, a Wednesday night at a restaurant somewhere away from Brightleaf.

[danadana]

Friday nights in Brightleaf are usually more hopping. I don't know if it is going on during February but there is usually a cover band there on Friday nights. You will see a lot of middle class married and single folks dancing to 80's music. It makes for very nice people watching.

Sunday nights don't give you a good idea of the demographics in Durham. My partner and I stopped going out on Sunday nights. Most of our friends like to do household chores and keep low key on Sundays. At 9pm on Sunday, I am surprised Pop's was full.

Ninth street is pretty quiet on Sundays too. You will see many Duke students studying/cramming in most of the eateries.

American Tobacco and Brightleaf area might be hopping tomorrow night. Durham Performing Arts Center sent me an email recommending restaurants in those areas before Cirque tomorrow. I am sure there will be a fair amount of people out and about before the show at 7 p.m.

[MrsSteel]

Dana, tell me what you think of Cirque!

I agree with many of the posts above - especially Francois & Dana. Things are really quiet around the whole Triangle on Sunday evenings - especially after 9pm. If I remember correctly, a lot of restaurants are closed by that hour on Sundays. It's rather strange if you aren't used to it, but in time you learn to adapt.

[memorytheatre]

Zitsky,

I definitely didn't mean to offend and my assumptions were off-base upon reading your second post. I still stand by my post for people who've only lived in major cities and come expecting an independent coffee-shop on every corner, but there are more than enough cool things to do in the triangle and Durham for most people.

One of the things about the interesting spots in Durham are that they can feel somewhat like you have discovered them and that can induce a sense of ownership or camaraderie in the clientele. Like others have said Sunday night is as much a factor for the dead feeling of the place than anything else.

Durham does have its hidden gems, they're somewhat hidden but worth it.

[Sant]

There's good diversity in Durham but you have to go to it, it won't come to you. So if you want good Mexican, Peruvian, etc. food you will need to go to, for exampe, Roxboro Rd. If you want good soul food, you will need to head to, for example, Fayetteville St.

Here's a great website that blogs about various out of the way place to eat in Durham:
Carpe Durham

[mdp_az]

Originally Posted by Sant

There's good diversity in Durham but you have to go to it, it won't come to you.

I wouldn't say this is entirely true. In my small northern Durham neighborhood with about 35 households we have the following: white, black, latino, asian, mixed race, straight, gay, single folks, married couples, retirees, families with children, Jews, Christians, etc... Considering that the price points of the homes aren't terribly varied, there is not tremendous economic diversity in the neighborhood, however compared to my former street in north Raleigh where it was almost all white families w/ kids, its quite diverse. Additionally, going out almost anywhere in Durham brings greater diversity than what we typically encountered in north Raleigh.

[he's so hott]

Originally Posted by chuckreis

Durham has a diverse mix of people on paper, as does the Triangle as a whole, but those people don't mix too much socially.

From what I've seen, I would agree with this statement and apply it to the whole Triangle area.

[chuckreis]

Originally Posted by mdp_az

I wouldn't say this is entirely true. In my small northern Durham neighborhood with about 35 households we have the following: white, black, latino, asian, mixed race, straight, gay, single folks, married couples, retirees, families with children, Jews, Christians, etc... Considering that the price points of the homes aren't terribly varied, there is not tremendous economic diversity in the neighborhood, however compared to my former street in north Raleigh where it was almost all white families w/ kids, its quite diverse. Additionally, going out almost anywhere in Durham brings greater diversity than what we typically encountered in north Raleigh.

Bennett Pointe Grill is a great place to dine, diverse menu and crowd.

I grew up in Northern Durham and agree with you, it is a mix of people, I compare the living there to ITB in Raleigh, only it is of course more rural, but the mix of people and selection of local businesses are great.

[mia78]

My general take on Durham diversity is that I see that people do mix socially, but when it comes to nightlife and dining things may be segregated as certain people tend to gravitate towards homogenous types of food, atmosphere, music, etc. People from more liberal parts of the country might find this strange, but like the pp said segregation is still a work in progress here in The Bull City. For me, it's a welcome change as I grew up in a very segregated area in the NE. I almost never saw any type of social mixing. This is a welcome change for my family. It's all relative.