i will miss you.
for the last 11 years, you have been my home. i moved here fresh out of college, mostly hoping for warmer weather than williamstown, MA [check], low cost of living [check] and a friendly calm not-so-urban atmosphere [double check]. little did i know how much i would grow to love you, and how much YOU would grow up around me.
in the early days [circa ’02], josh used to get excited every time we went downtown to see a movie at the carolina theater. he’d say, “you’ll see, it’s up and coming! everyone will want to be here eventually”. and i would reply “HA! no way!” . . .
but he was right. i was wrong — and in this case, that is definitely a good thing. in 11 short years [they really did go fast . . . ] this place has gone from ‘ehhh . . . has potential’ to a destination that even the ny times has noticed.
thank you, durham, for being an amazing place to become an adult, fall in love, learn a trade, and start a family. i will always remember you fondly. and i hope to be back — many times.
things i will miss about living in durham, NC
a culture of kindness. no, it’s not 100%, but the people here tend to be very friendly and kind. and more open-minded than you might imagine.
amazing food. really RIDICULOUSLY amazing food — practically everywhere you turn. there is a huge farm-to-table culture, with a thriving farmer’s market and so many fantastic restaurants that the food got us onto “top 41 places to visit” in 2011. of note, all 4 restaurants noted in the review are habitual favorites for us, and all within easy walking distance.
low cost of living. so wonderfully affordable — perfect for the med school/residency/fellowship years
small-town feel. i regret that josh and i didn’t really develop strong bonds with local stores [coffee shops/wine stores/restaurants]. but i feel like if we had a few more years in the area, we would. plus, i love going out to eat and usually spotting at least one friend and often more.
really accessible shopping! seriously. from groceries [i love the durham whole foods] to local boutiques to southpoint mall, i’ve never felt like i couldn’t find what i wanted. in easy driving distance: nordstrom, madewell, lululemon, anthropologie.
beautiful weather, on the whole. we still have seasons, but the majority of days are sunny and nice. of course, i’m saying this after a gorgeous weekend. i might not include this in mid-july or after a nasty ice storm.
my running routes! east campus and the tobacco trail in particular. since i’ve started logging, mapmyrun claims i’ve looped E.C. over 100 times. i’m not sure of the accuracy, but i’ve certainly gotten to know the little ~1.6 mile stretch quite well.
our apartment, a converted tobacco warehouse. even though i’m excited to move into our miami beach quarters [yes, we did end up buying and i’m thrilled with it] i will miss our ridiculous high ceiling and industrial piping and exposed brick.
our NC friends and my sister! ohh, this part pains me. i met up with the wonderful sue today for frozen yogurt [our custom] and it was almost heartbreaking to realize that our delicious dates wouldn’t be so easy anymore. some of our best friends are also leaving in the near future [k + dr s among them] so at least that’s a bit of a comfort. but others are here for the long haul, and it makes me so sad to leave. hopefully we can entice them to visit miami beach in the wintertime . . .
big changes up ahead. we move in just under 2 months. i FINISH in just under 2 months [josh in 1! HALLELUJAH!!!!]. it’s going to be a crazy summer, but i will just try hang on and enjoy the ride.
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