city pimpage
Oct. 10th, 2006 06:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fleaPimping Durham NC for b/org F2F, Spring 2007
Date considerations: earlier is generally better, for weather; by mid-May we risk 90 degrees. Avoid Mother's Day/local college Graduation weekend. My "test" weekend was May 4-6, 2007.
Localistas: 3 Durham, 2 Chapel Hill (20 minutes away), 1 Winston-Salem (1 hour away). Note we all live in small places (not a lot of room for sleepovers) and between the 5 local households I think we currently have only 4 cars.
Airport: RDU. Test flights on Travelocity: from SF, ca. $350 RT; NYC, less than $200 RT.
Other transport: ca. 5 hours by car from Washington, DC; similarly from Atlanta. Greyhound Bus and Amtrak both service Durham.
Car rentals: Using Travelocity, from the airport, daily rates ca. $35. Most major rental agencies are available.
In-town transportation: several local taxi companies are used to ferrying Duke students around on weekend nights.
Public transportation: TTA Transit buses (www.ridetta.org; includes airport shuttles), DATA buses (http://data.durhamnc.gov/Index_DATA.cfm). Cheap, but not, shall we say, wildly convenient.
Hotel possibilities:
-Durham Marriott Convention Center, downtown (http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/RDUCV). Free parking, free wireless internet, non-group rate for king/2 doubles is $109; assume group rate will be better. Used to doing events, catering, have a variety of public spaces and in-hour restaurants.
Walkable (within 15 brisk minutes, possibly a little sketchy at night, depending on how urban-oriented you are) from downtown Durham:
-Carolina Theater, art movies and live performances. http://www.carolinatheatre.org/
-Farmer's Market, also crafts, 8-12 Saturdays. http://www.durhamfarmersmarket.com/
-Durham Bulls Athletic Park, AAA Baseball, schmancy new stadium. On the road 1st weekend in May, but at home last 2 weekends in April. http://www.carolinatheatre.org/
-American Tobacco, renovated warehouse space, restaurants, outdoor dining, free summer evening concerts sometimes. http://www.americantobaccohistoricdistrict.com/
-Brightleaf Square: similar to above, but less corporate, more funky. http://www.historicbrightleaf.com/
-Ninth Street, shops and restaurants: http://www.ninthst.com/
Short Drive (in Durham):
-Museum of Life and Science, kid-oriented, hands-on: http://www.ncmls.org/
-Duke chapel, big, 1920s Gothic: http://www.chapel.duke.edu/home/
-Duke gardens, gorgeous: http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/
In the region:
-UNC Campus. www.unc.edu
-Morehead Planetarium. http://www.moreheadplanetarium.org/
-downtown Chapel Hill http://wikitravel.org/en/Chapel_Hill
-Raleigh (state capitol, art museum, history museum, science museum)
-Historic Hillsborough (colonial period capital)
Good general resources:
-Durham Arts and Business Coalition (links to stuff to do): http://www.abcddurham.com/
-The Independent, free weekly paper with events: http://www.indyweek.com/
-Durham Convention Center, for corporate pimpage needs: http://www.durham-nc.com
Date considerations: earlier is generally better, for weather; by mid-May we risk 90 degrees. Avoid Mother's Day/local college Graduation weekend. My "test" weekend was May 4-6, 2007.
Localistas: 3 Durham, 2 Chapel Hill (20 minutes away), 1 Winston-Salem (1 hour away). Note we all live in small places (not a lot of room for sleepovers) and between the 5 local households I think we currently have only 4 cars.
Airport: RDU. Test flights on Travelocity: from SF, ca. $350 RT; NYC, less than $200 RT.
Other transport: ca. 5 hours by car from Washington, DC; similarly from Atlanta. Greyhound Bus and Amtrak both service Durham.
Car rentals: Using Travelocity, from the airport, daily rates ca. $35. Most major rental agencies are available.
In-town transportation: several local taxi companies are used to ferrying Duke students around on weekend nights.
Public transportation: TTA Transit buses (www.ridetta.org; includes airport shuttles), DATA buses (http://data.durhamnc.gov/Index_DATA.cfm). Cheap, but not, shall we say, wildly convenient.
Hotel possibilities:
-Durham Marriott Convention Center, downtown (http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/RDUCV). Free parking, free wireless internet, non-group rate for king/2 doubles is $109; assume group rate will be better. Used to doing events, catering, have a variety of public spaces and in-hour restaurants.
Walkable (within 15 brisk minutes, possibly a little sketchy at night, depending on how urban-oriented you are) from downtown Durham:
-Carolina Theater, art movies and live performances. http://www.carolinatheatre.org/
-Farmer's Market, also crafts, 8-12 Saturdays. http://www.durhamfarmersmarket.com/
-Durham Bulls Athletic Park, AAA Baseball, schmancy new stadium. On the road 1st weekend in May, but at home last 2 weekends in April. http://www.carolinatheatre.org/
-American Tobacco, renovated warehouse space, restaurants, outdoor dining, free summer evening concerts sometimes. http://www.americantobaccohistoricdistrict.com/
-Brightleaf Square: similar to above, but less corporate, more funky. http://www.historicbrightleaf.com/
-Ninth Street, shops and restaurants: http://www.ninthst.com/
Short Drive (in Durham):
-Museum of Life and Science, kid-oriented, hands-on: http://www.ncmls.org/
-Duke chapel, big, 1920s Gothic: http://www.chapel.duke.edu/home/
-Duke gardens, gorgeous: http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/
In the region:
-UNC Campus. www.unc.edu
-Morehead Planetarium. http://www.moreheadplanetarium.org/
-downtown Chapel Hill http://wikitravel.org/en/Chapel_Hill
-Raleigh (state capitol, art museum, history museum, science museum)
-Historic Hillsborough (colonial period capital)
Good general resources:
-Durham Arts and Business Coalition (links to stuff to do): http://www.abcddurham.com/
-The Independent, free weekly paper with events: http://www.indyweek.com/
-Durham Convention Center, for corporate pimpage needs: http://www.durham-nc.com
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no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 03:33 pm (UTC)(Not trying to dissuade, mind, because I always preferred earlier.)
no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 03:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 10:01 pm (UTC)Oh wait, that never ends well.
no subject
Date: 2006-10-11 11:36 pm (UTC)