Hmm....where to go that's relatively close by...offers an opportunity to walk around and sightsee a bit...and most importantly, provides lunch options, since by now I was starving? Well, when you put it that way, our friendly neighbor known as Durham seemed to fit the bill. Besides, I feel like I almost never go there, which is ridiculous, since it's right next door, so to speak. So I grabbed my camera and saddled up--um, "hopped in the Subaru""--for a short drive to the Bull City.I used my phone's navigation app to direct me to an address "downtown", because the only place Team WestEnders goes on a regular basis is the DBAP for baseball games...but I needn't have bothered, as the parking deck where I left my car turned out to be within sight of the ballpark anyway. (Yeah, it turns out that "downtown" isn't all that big--file that useful little tidbit away for future jaunts!) Therefore I recognized where I was, for sure, but still hadn't actually strolled the sidewalks of that particular area before--so off I went.
Aaaaannnnd, Durham did not disappoint. I think what I appreciated most about it was the charming mix of history--as evidenced by the well-preserved buildings and commemorative statues sprinkled throughout the center of the city--and modern cool, with a seemingly endless variety of hip coffee shops, trendy boutiques, and unique restaurants.
In fact, it was while I was snapping pictures in front of one of the former (a grand, stately post office) that an intriguing sign for one of the latter caught my eye. From a distance, it appeared to show a..blue...chicken?...and I stood there for a moment, pondering out loud several things that were running through my mind. Such as, "Why is the poultry blue?" "Why isn't there a name of any kind on the banner, which might explain...anything at all about it?" And finally, "I wonder what kind of establishment that actually is?"Clearly, I had to find out! (And I also figured it would be best to move on, before people started looking at me funny, since I was standing in the middle of the sidewalk...essentially having a conversation with myself. If I'm being honest, I do this probably more often than is strictly, you know, "normal" One of these days it's probably gonna come around to bite me in the butt. Until then, I'll make the most of my freedom to be out and about in the big, wide world...without appointed supervision...)
Anyway, the answer was: a small cafe called Scratch (which was helpfully noted on the OTHER side of the sign), serving what appeared from the menu to be delicious organic, farm-to-table types of dishes. Um...yes, please--this has ME written all over it! The chili-roasted sweet potato salad (on a bed of local lettuces, with bleu cheese vinaigrette and pecan cornbread croutons) called my name...and it was deeee-licious. (Bonus: my children would have been utterly horrified by the...let's call it "crunchy granola tree-hugger nature" of this place, so the fact that I got to savor a meal here on my own was hugely satisfying...)
And for the icing on the cake, if you will, when I emerged back into the sunlight from my lunchtime rest and refresh and took a good look around, I instantly knew where I was...a mere block or so away from an awesome venue called 9th Street Bakery...where past (scrumptious) experience reminds me that they sell a mouth-watering vegan, gluten free pumpkin bar. But since they make everything in-house, it remained to be seen whether they'd be stocking those fabulous sweets on this given day. Sure enough, when I walked in the front door, holding my breath, I immediately spotted them in the display case...and BOOM, my Durham adventure was...sweetly complete.
Suffice it to say that I was one happy camper as I headed back to my car. Photos, food, and fun...on a free Friday--what more could I ask for...except maybe another pumpkin bar? (Man...next time I'm buying TWO of those things...) Thanks, Durham--and peace out, for now!
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