As soon as we returned from our California vacation, we made a beeline for the Bull Moon Rising event at CCB Plaza. A few hours later, it was time to set our clocks back and fully realize the change of the seasons.
My husband and I recently got away for almost a week to vacation in sunny and warm Palm Springs, California, and within hours of our return flight landing at RDU, it was time to set our clocks back an hour.
You know what followed: Days of thinking it was 10 p.m. when it was really 6:30 p.m. An immediate instinct to hibernate. An anxiety-inducing walk into the closet. (What exactly do I wear this time of year? I can’t seem to remember one outfit from last fall!)
We moved downtown on March 23, a couple of weeks after our clocks had “sprung ahead.” This is new territory. How will these darker, cooler months affect our day-to-day downtown lives?
In the spirit of “to everything, there is a season,” we’re saying goodbye – for now – to rooftop concerts, early morning tennis sessions, Durham Bulls games, and drinks with friends on restaurant patios. It’s time to embrace winter in Durham. Here’s what’s in store:
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If you find yourself irritated that you’re leaving your office and driving home in the dark each evening, throwing axes at Urban Axes is a highly recommended form of stress relief.
Indoor activities. We’ve already thrown axes at Urban Axes this week and taken a champagne seminar at The Wine Feed. I’m also going to check out the list of upcoming classes at Durham Spirits Co. Maybe we’ll tour Durham Distillery, and I’m eyeing a return to Beer & Hymns, a community singalong at Fullsteam. Plus, it’s been too long since I visited The Nasher or 21C Museum Hotel to check out the art, and I also want to tour Durham’s galleries, like 5 Points Gallery.
- Shopping. For my holiday shopping, I’m going to hit up Vintage Home South, Chet Miller, Parker & Otis, Dolly’s Vintage, Indio, Letters, and Bungalow. I am super excited about the Haand pop-up store that’s on West Parrish Street through Nov. 18. And there are so many holiday markets, from the Durham Night Market on Nov. 21 at The Wine Feed to the Holiday Patchwork Market at the Durham Armory on Dec. 1 to the Durham Village Holiday Market at The Rickhouse from Dec. 15 to 17.
- Live entertainment. I already know I’m going to see “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas” on stage at DPAC with my sister. And I really want to see “Mean Girls” in February – it’s just a matter of finding tickets because that one has sold quickly. But it’s also a perfect time of year to look into Carolina Theatre tickets, check out jazz at The Fruit for the first time, and witness the Tuesday Blues Jam at The Blue Note Grill while enjoying a bowl of chili.
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Located on Ninth Street, Vintage Home South is so light and bright that you’ll feel your mood improve just by walking through the doors.
Food and drink. As bonkers as it may sound, I have yet to set foot in many restaurants/coffee shops since moving here, despite being out and about all the time. At the top of my list: Jeddah’s Tea, Convivio wine bar, Counting House at 21C, Cloche Coffee, Boricua Soul, The Federal, and Toast. Because I am self-employed, I am likely going to take extended lunches on sunny days and stay in more at dinnertime.
- Drive more. We have two cars, but it feels ridiculous to utilize them on days when the weather is perfect for walking around downtown. So darker, colder days gives us the perfect excuse to get in the car when we’re craving a different Durham meal (like Picnic, Sister Liu’s Kitchen, or Gocciolina) or when we want a new type of adventure (for example, I’m hoping to get to the NC Museum of Art very soon).
- Enjoy the hibernation. Winter forces us to slow down a bit. Watch Netflix. Journal more. Play board games. Clean out closets. There’s nothing wrong with that!
After a decade as an editor with various NC magazines, Andrea Cash launched her own creative services company, Andrea Cash Creative, in 2017. She helps small businesses and organizations in Durham and Chapel Hill with content strategy and creation, branding, PR, social media, and video and event production.
Andrea is passionate about community building, doing work that benefits the greater good and helping entrepreneurs grow their business in a purposeful way. Outside of work, Andrea sings in her cover band Penny’s Bend, plays tennis as often as she can, volunteers with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County and Book Harvest, and runs communications for grassroots progressive group FLIP NC.
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