Alright, so I accepted a job in Durham and I'm moving there on Saturday.
I went to State but for the past two years I've been living & working in Hickory. Can anyone tell me useful info about Durham? The apartment I'm moving into is literally a block away from Duke's campus. It looks like I may be on the "wrong side of the rail-road tracks" but it is all I can afford for now.

Is there a certain "unsafe" part of Durham? Are there any particularly interesting places that I should make it a point to see/ go to? Where do the Duke kids go for drinks & dinner? I don't like to "party" but I do want to interact with people my age.

I will be working a lot and in the fall taking graduate courses (at UNCG) so it is not like I'll have a ton of free time but i'm excited about moving & just wanted to see if my loyal wolf web people had any words of wisdom.

thanks!

3/5/2007 9:55:25 AM

Durham Bulls games. That's the only thing worth going to doooram for.

3/5/2007 9:56:59 AM

try not to get shot

or gang raped

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 10:03 AM. Reason : ,]

3/5/2007 10:03:00 AM

gee, thanks

3/5/2007 10:04:28 AM

Quote :

"Is there a certain "unsafe" part of Durham?"

Anywhere within the city limits.

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 10:11 AM. Reason : jk I don't know Durham.]

3/5/2007 10:11:02 AM

outside of the southpoint area, duke, and the parts of durham near RTP, assume that anywhere else in durham is dangerous.

as for things to do, chapel hill and raleigh are 15 minutes away.

3/5/2007 10:11:26 AM

try not to get shot

or gang raped

3/5/2007 10:16:32 AM

Quote :

"chapel hill and raleigh are 15 minutes away"

3/5/2007 10:21:21 AM

well, in that case... what is there to do in Chapel Hill?? I guess I pretty much know about Raleigh already.

3/5/2007 10:23:27 AM

Depends on where you live. Lots of durham is not unsafe, but don't expect to find a good house in durham that's in a great neighborhood. My gf lives there and the community she's in is nice. It's much easier to find better newer communities in morrisville, chapel hill and Raleigh. The commute is worth it IMHO

3/5/2007 10:27:31 AM

if you are a hippie, they have lots of hippie activities there, but I am not one, so I don't know much about such activities other than when I point and laugh at their non-hygenic ways. I'm sure you can easily find a drum circle if that's your thing.

If you like to drink, there are lots of bars in the franklin street area. He's Not Here is probably my favorite bar there because they have the cheapest beer.

3/5/2007 10:28:14 AM

i don't want to be around a bunch of undergrads, frat boys, etc. but i do want to socialize with people in their 20's...

anyone got anything else? besides bars? or if it is only bars then which ones are the best?

i guess i could just randomly go to some different places but i'd really like to know beforehand what kind of demographic i'd be encountering...

i have one close friend from high school that lives in Durham but he's married & doesn't go out any. & I have an ex that goes to UNC law but he's got a lady & we can't really hang out at this point... & then there is my old roommate in Raleigh, & one of my former TA's that I still keep in touch with.

other than that I don't know anyone so i think basically I'm asking which of these places can a female go to by herself & end up making some decent friends??

maybe i can look in news&observer or INDY for some book clubs? or shit like that. i like politics, books, coffee, history, etc. my idea of fun is working on a local campaign or going to a museum.
& drinks are fun but only if you already have a group that you know to go with.

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 10:45 AM. Reason : ..]

3/5/2007 10:43:49 AM

bttt

3/5/2007 10:54:34 AM

I live in durham as well.

As mentioned before, the Durham Bulls game. James Joyce Irish Pub is right across the street. Its about as authentic of an Irish Pub as you will ever see around here. I have been to Ireland, so I know.

The life and science museum is also very interesting. If you had the time, you can easily spend all day out there.

Quote :

"Depends on where you live. Lots of durham is not unsafe, but don't expect to find a good house in durham that's in a great neighborhood."

WRONG. I live in woodcroft. 27713, near Southpoint mall. Its a great area, respectable community, and most of all very safe. tons of kids and young families.

3/5/2007 10:59:41 AM

get shot at?

3/5/2007 11:00:25 AM

is the crime seriously that bad in durham??? bc you guys are freakin me out with all this talk of getting shot. esp since when i went to sign the lease on my apartment there were mexican guys staring at me but i mean i thought that was normal. there is a pool at my complex & my mom was like "don't go swimming alone" & i said "I won't, I'll invite one of those guys"

3/5/2007 11:06:01 AM

holla @ ya crack smoke

3/5/2007 11:06:31 AM

?

3/5/2007 11:14:10 AM

http://www.familywatchdog.us

sex offenders.

Its free, and good to know who is around you, especially if you have kids.

3/5/2007 11:21:28 AM

ahahahahaha this thread is so full of bullshit I don't know where to start....

first off, south durham, south east durham and east durham and a good chunk of downtown durham are not places you want to bike through or drive through at night for that matter... North durham and west durham and bits down by southpoint are nice and decent

(i've lived in durham for ~20 years)

rent tends to be higher in durham overall for some reason...

things to do.... ninth street, broad street (parallel to ninth) and Brightleaf Square district are all places where you will be in the 20's catagories. be advised to be careful at night in the Brightleaf area...

Durham Bulls AAA baseball
Life and Science Museum - especially in the summer (butterfly house)
there are a ton of art galleries downtown but go only during the day.
Ninth Street and Broad Street have most of the bar's "clubs" and other resturants and stores very close to Duke.
Brightleaf also has numerous eateries and a few sports bars and such, very interesting area, Fowlers (i think) is a nice place to shop.


I do DAMA - Durham Area Masters swimming Association, it's open to all ability levels, practices are at the campus hills pool off of south alston avenue (not the best place but you should be fine getting there) at 6:30pm MWF till 8PM MW and 7:30 F (after fridays we all go out for dinner usually) there are a wide variety of people on the team, Duke doctors, nursing and med students, RTP professionals, etc.

There is also a weekly ultimate pickup game on saturdays at 10:30-11 am at Forest Hills Park.

There is some other stuff but I'll have to think about it some.

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 11:24 AM. Reason : ps I work at Duke off LaSalle Street]

3/5/2007 11:24:18 AM

awesome, Arab13, you're my hero

3/5/2007 11:34:48 AM

The last time I had to drive through durham it was in the middle of the night. If I approached a stoplight I would slow down before I got to it and wait for it to turn green so I wouldn't ever have to stop. I also kept my head on a swivel and was constantly looking around me.

http://tinyurl.com/2xmzty

this link compares crime rates from 2005 between Durham, Raleigh and the National Average. If you'll notice Durham population is less but in this year they had 15 more murders then Raleigh and more rapes. Notice the crime ratios too and how much higher Durham is per 100,000 people

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 12:00 PM. Reason : .]

3/5/2007 11:50:57 AM

well no shit sherlock, Cary it ain't....

but it's not all a Ghetto Battlefield like you turds make it out to be

3/5/2007 11:53:10 AM

9th street is nice - nothing major though - Cosmic Cantina is around the corner, which has the best friggen burritos in the world -they have nice trinket shops around there - theres Francesca's where you can get gellato

I dunno, I used to walk there when I lived at NCSSM, it gave me somethin to do

3/5/2007 12:13:52 PM

American Tobbacco District downtown very near the durham bulls park is another place with a few eateries...

for hiking there is the Eno park

3/5/2007 12:29:22 PM

Durham isn't nearly as dangerous as you suburbanites are making it out to be...

duke garden
foster's
cosmic cantina
bean traders
elmo's diner
george's garage
south square
american tobacco

3/5/2007 12:47:33 PM

^ south square is gone if youre referring to the mall

3/5/2007 12:49:51 PM

No, I'm talking about the "new" South Square - the Super Target and all that stuff.

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 1:03 PM. Reason : ...]

3/5/2007 1:02:25 PM

oh ok - yeah theres the super target and ross - and across the street theres kuramas - mmm yummy japanese

3/5/2007 1:13:24 PM

Quote :

"There is also a weekly ultimate pickup game on saturdays at 10:30-11 am at Forest Hills Park."

If you play ultimate, there is a weekly game on Sundays around noon, too. I think at Valley Springs. One of the guys at my church goes to it.

3/5/2007 2:25:35 PM

If your work is in Durham, then consider getting a place around 540 (brier creek / new parts of morrisville, southpoint) if you really want to live in an area thats somewhat energetic and sociable. The entire triangle area has lots of things to do for people your age such as <insert interest here> clubs, art festivals, academic conferences/presentations etc being that its an area that has three universities.

However, the triangle is also so spread out and public transport so pathetic that you will have to actually go hunt down a lot of these things. If you like Coffee shops, Franklin St and Brightleaf (sp?) Sq have places you can hangout and probably network.

3/5/2007 2:33:46 PM

durham isn't as homogeneous as the rest of the triangle, there are more poor people and more poor neighborhoods interspersed with better-off neighborhoods. it makes the city more interesting, but it also makes it "grittier"--not unlike Harlem actually. i lived there for two years without getting shot, raped, or mugged and you probably won't either, but you definitely have to think proactively about how to stay safe.

3/5/2007 3:03:09 PM

Just don't go to places that are known to be bad, like Northgate Mall.

3/5/2007 3:04:39 PM

i've been here for 20, been approached by more bums on hillsbourro road in my years at NCSU than my 20 years in durham...

never been "shot at, or mugged, or anything of the sort"

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 3:08 PM. Reason : d]

3/5/2007 3:07:24 PM

Things to do while in durham

1. Visit the the various projects

2. See Africa

3. Get jogging excersise

4. Invest in weapon proficiency

5. Get a high paying job in a high class area (that's very likely)

6. Escape

7. Name your Son Jon Jackson

3/5/2007 3:10:41 PM

^^I think that is caused by the amount of foot traffic. Which happened to be too little for Bowls! apparently. At least I don't get approached by bums in random parking lots around the city like other places.

Also, my church is in Durham and has plenty of 20-somethings who get together a lot if you are interested.

3/5/2007 3:15:49 PM

Join Durham's most active social club!

3/5/2007 3:20:39 PM

Quote :

"i don't want to be around a bunch of undergrads, frat boys, etc. but i do want to socialize with people in their 20's... anyone got anything else? besides bars? or if it is only bars then which ones are the bes"

I've been to Tyler's Tap Room (in the Tobacco district). It seemed to cater to a crowd older than undergrads.

[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 4:59 PM. Reason : ]

3/5/2007 4:57:20 PM

leave

3/5/2007 6:01:26 PM

There are tons of things to do in Durham. You can sling crack, gang bang, drink 40's, etc. Who is up for a welcome wagon drive-by?

3/5/2007 6:22:23 PM

^ only if it's coach K's house

3/5/2007 7:10:14 PM

The south square area & shopping centers/places to eat west of there are alright... & theres a walmart there which is nice since Chapel Hill doesn't have one that I'm aware of. I live on the west end of Chapel Hill so its a very short drive there. Also I like the area north of southpoint mall. If you turn north off of 40, instead of south to southpoint, there’s several shopping centers there with like a Baba ghanoush, TCBY, Ultimate Comics, a grocery store & several fast food places.

I don't know much about NorthGate mall, but I'm not sure any other local malls will compare to Southpoint. Although you can take 15/501 right to the university mall in chapel hill which is on its west side, or you can take it as a straight shot, instead of following the curve, right into downtown Chapel Hill/Carrboro where you'll find many a bars. And if you're in Chapel Hill much you'll have to try eating at Time-Out sometime... they never close. The Chapel Hill public library is also on the west end of the city.

I was using this pic to point out where all the branches of Ultimate Comics are in another thread, but its also good for pointing out the local malls I mentioned.


[Edited on March 5, 2007 at 7:28 PM. Reason : .]

3/5/2007 7:12:01 PM

Shooting and raping

3/5/2007 7:12:18 PM

threads like this make realize how boring and frightened most of you must be.

durham is a fun town.

i haven't lived there so i can't give a rundown of all the places. but i have a few friends who live in durham and love it.

chaz's bull city records is good
the federal for good food
there are a number of good venues there
cosmic cantina for burritos. . .

3/5/2007 7:18:11 PM

guglhupf

foster's mmm

3/5/2007 9:32:47 PM

The science museum is awesome...I loved it as a kid, and now we take my 3 yr old nephew there and it is still fun!! ninth street is fun...check out elmo's for a killer breakfast, and george's is a nice bar/dinner place (good sushi, I hear). Check out google...there is lots of fun vintage places for shopping, and if you like books, there is a great used store in Loehman's(sp?) plaza over off hillendale(again, sp?) I found. Durham Bulls games are kick ass, and I don't even like baseball. Um...Duke Gardens is gorgeous anytime of year, and I think are free to the public. Also, a tip...use Regency/White Star dry cleaners if you need clothes done for work, etc. They do good work...random, I know, but great service!

3/6/2007 1:20:55 AM

Quote :

"it's not all a Ghetto Battlefield like you turds make it out to be"

There are just as many places in Raleigh that you don't want to be in at night as there are in Durham.

3/6/2007 8:21:20 AM

haha, dude
i dont want to be in Durham at night period

3/6/2007 10:14:05 AM

wuss

3/6/2007 11:37:57 AM

okay, so depending on who you talk to... Durham is either scary & ghettotastic or cultural & fun?

thanks for the responses!! brightleaf, duke gardens, DAMA swimming, and franklin st, are now all on my list of things to do!

now ....where can i buy pepper spray in durham??

3/6/2007 11:45:43 AM