Ginny from the Blog

It snowed in North Carolina overnight. And since everyone else seems to be posting their snow photos on their blogs, I figured I would join them. Here’s my snowy back porch scene:

But of all the snow entries I read today, none were as interesting as the post made by Durham resident Sonja Foust. She woke up to a car filled with snow. Here’s what happened.

I love journalism. So I defend the craft as often as I can, particularly local journalism. As a former reporter for the Durham Herald-Sun, however, I’ve heard countless times that local media only focuses on crime stories in Durham. This, of course, isn’t entirely true.

Still, the Bull City doesn’t seem to get as much positive press as its Triangle siblings. That’s just an observation, of course. I’ve never charted out all the local media coverage. If someone wants to take the time to do that and share the results, I’d love to publish that on my blog.

Meanwhile, here’s a screenshot from today’s News & Observer’s Durham news section. This is probably why Durham residents feel cheated out of positive local coverage. There are six crime stories, and one story about a proposed bill that could help reduce crime:

By no means am I saying the media should ignore crime news. And I’m sure if you dig around on the N&O’s website you can find some happier Durham stories. But this caught my eye this morning and I had to share it with you all.

Do you think the local media provides well-rounded Durham coverage?

A lot has changed in downtown Durham since 2004. The nearly-complete Durham Station Transportation Center is just another gleaming example of the transformation happening downtown.

Back in 2004, the glass-encased building had not even been sketched by an architect. The site the new bus station now occupies on Chapel Hill Street used to be the home to the dilapidated Heart of Durham motel. The motel, built in the late 1960s, was once a cool place to stay. But after it turned seedy after it changed ownership, reports Endangered Durham. The motel sat empty for about 12 years before it was condemned by the city and seized through eminent domain. The city later bought the property to house a new bus station.

On Sept. 30, 2004, the city staged a cheesy demolition ceremony. Here’s the lead I wrote for the event (which had the theme “Jump Start the Heart”) when I worked for the Herald-Sun:

Three firefighters armed with a heart defibrillator dashed through the parking lot of a dilapidated downtown motel Thursday, but they weren’t there to rescue anyone. Instead, they used the device to jump start changes at the Heart of Durham motel, releasing a large, heart-shaped balloon into the sky. The scene was part of a city demolition ceremony that was more symbolic than destructive.

By February 2005, the site was cleared and designs for Durham Station were complete. At the time, the transportation hub was expected to cost $15.3 million, but that price has since climbed to $17.6 million, the N&O reports.

But the new building is probably worth the wait for DATA bus riders. Here’s how N&O transportation guru Bruce Siceloff recently described the current bus station:

The transfer center is crowded, littered and chaotic. Its unisex toilet is filthy and seatless. … The buses are packed headlight-to-taillight at the curb, so they cannot come and go according to their timetables. Ready or not, each driver begins a new circuit through town when the bus at the head of the line starts rolling.

Here’s a sneak peak of the lobby of the new center:

And, as you can see, there are plenty of terminals where the buses can line up:

It’s a shame that the planned February opening has been pushed back to March so the city can tackle some nearby street improvements required by the NCDOT. But when it opens, we can all look back on the Heart of Durham days and realize just how far downtown has come (even if it took more than four years).

I was wooed by the RENT cast last night at the Durham Performing Arts Center. They put on a hell of a show despite performing in front of a somewhat sparse audience. Yesterday’s wicked winter weather prompted DPAC officials to let ticket holders swap out seats for another performance (with the caveat that they may not receive as good of seats the second time around). I would later find out that the gesture was just one of several examples of the DPAC staff providing excellent customer service (but more on that in another paragraph).

RENT

I first saw RENT in the late ’90s at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. I was in high school and the edgy musical wedged its way into my heart. I bought the soundtrack and memorized the songs, pretending I was each of the characters when I belted out the lyrics. Years have passed since I broke out the soundtrack, but it all came back to me last night (and luckily for my date, I chose to only sing them in my head). I had not seen a performance of the musical since, and I was happy the cast (which includes three original Broadway cast members) didn’t disappoint. I don’t feel comfortable critiquing the show like mad because I probably would have loved it even if half the cast were off-key and stood still. But I can assure you that the cast was incredibly dynamic and energetic. (Guys if your girlfriend drags you to the show, just wait for Mimi’s performance of “Out Tonight” in her electric blue liquid lycra pants).

DPAC

Tuesday was opening night for RENT, and the debut Broadway performance at the DPAC (which will also bring Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, Legally Blonde and the Color Purple to town). The venue, which is the largest indoor theatre in the Carolinas, is gorgeous. I toured it during the public open house, but the experience is entirely different when there’s a show going on.

I was most impressed with the staff. Despite the freezing temperatures, we were greeted by a doorman in a top hat who warmly welcomed us into the theatre. The staff member charged with directing women into open bathroom stalls offered to hold glasses of wine and programs for women waiting to use the bathroom. At least three ushers sweetly and sincerly thanked us for coming. At a time when it feels like customer service is fading, it was refreshing to experience service that’s better than what I consider acceptable (have I mentioned I’m a huge customer service freak?).

Here’s a video from my November tour of the theatre:

RENT runs through Jan. 25 and there are still tickets available! Also, for my fellow Tweeple, you can find @DPAC on Twitter.

A thin, blue light will regularly be jutting into the downtown Durham skyline. The light sculpture by renowned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa is the newest piece of public art in the Triangle, making its home outside the Durham Performing Arts Center. It was unveiled Monday during the ribbon cutting for the new theatre.

The beam of light is not without its critics, including astronomers and other pro-environment types who see it as light pollution. Capitol Broadcasting Co. (which seems to own everything in Durham’s tobacco district) agreed to pay for the sculpture if the city of Durham agreed to maintain it for 25 years. The News & Observer reported that the annual utility bill for the light will cost an estimated $3,350, along with an additional $4,415 being spent on annual maintenance.

Those of you who pay attention to the local art/development scene may remember that this isn’t Capitol Broadcasting’s first attempt to bring a lighted Plensa piece to the Triangle. The Independent’s David Fellerath explained the failure of that effort in this article:

In 2006, Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen, after civic debate and feasibility studies, recommended the city reject an ambitious Plensa project that would have brought a dizzying matrix of overhead water and lights to the re-opened Fayetteville Street. The rejection came in spite of $2.5 million proffered by Goodmon that would have covered a quarter of the initial cost.

So now that you have context for the Raleigh v. Durham Plensa debate, watch this video from the Plensa unveiling.

If you’ve had a chance to see the new blue light beam in downtown Durham, tell me what you think about it.

I was cruising down the Durham Freeway this morning when I spotted some sort of green mural on the side of the new parking deck that adjoins the Durham Performing Arts Center. At first I thought the Chapel Hill mural bug must have bit the Bull City, but I as I got closer, I saw that they were mesh panels hanging from the top of the deck.

I was so glad to see these panels camoflaging the concrete deck.

In July, I wrote a spokeswoman for the city of Durham and asked whether there were plans to conceal some of the concrete. Here’s what the parking deck looked like then:

She responded saying the banners were forthcoming. Eventually, there will be a building adjacent to this parking deck, which will block the deck’s view from the road. In the meantime, I applaud the city for taking steps to spruce up a generic parking deck. I hope the folks building the parking deck for the new Hue development in downtown Raleigh take a similar approach.

Don’t forget, tonight is the official ribbon-cutting for the Durham Performing Arts Center. The public event starts at 5:30 and includes the lighting of the light sculpture “Sleep No More,” by artist Jaume Plensa.

You might think nothing can stand between a gal and her beer. That is, unless you take that gal to World Beer Festival in Durham. Hundreds of people stood in my way as I attempted to enter the festival Saturday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The line snaked around the ballpark from the entrance near the third-base line all way to centerfield. We took our spot in line at 6 p.m. (the scheduled start time) and didn’t get in until 6:45 p.m. A line is to be expected, but one entrance seems absurd. Rant over … now on to the goodness.

The beer, oh the sweet, wonderful beer. The IPAs, stouts, pale ales and fruity concoctions. I sipped on oh so many. Sadly, I forgot to write down the name of the IPA I was truly enamored with, but it’s hard to take notes when there’s so much going on.

Typically, Durham’s World Beer Fest is held at the Durham Athletic Park, the older of the two Durham Bulls ballfields. But that field is under renovation, so this year’s event was at the newer ballpark, where plastic flooring covered the field to prevent it from being stomped by drunken festival-goers. The location meant that some of the bathrooms in the concourse were open to us beer-drinkers, which eliminated the need to use the Porta-Potties (always a plus).

I was impressed with the number of Tweeple who were there (people who use Twitter). We managed to find each other without sending a single tweet. I was with @wiggitywack and we ran into @joesumney, @jefftippett, @taylorbarr (all of us are pictured here courtesy of @dgtlpapercuts). We also saw @thedynamo, @brianchappell, @paynetrain and possibly more. That’s a pretty impressive group of Tweeps to encounter in a ballfield filled with tipsy folks. And it also just goes to show why using Twitter in the Triangle is a fabulous way to meet new people. You can even follow the folks who organized the event, @allaboutbeer.

I was also impressed with the variety of food and how inexpensive it was. Two dollars bought you a fabulous taco from Chubby’s Tacos, which has received rave reviews in the Durham food blog world. Then there were the fabulous beer-fried jalepenos with cheese sauce, and much more.

You may remember from my post about the World Beer Festival in Raleigh where I fell in love with the Vanilla Porter by Breckenridge Brewery. Well, the brew was also available at the Durham festival. And when I made it to the booth, the guy pouring announced it was the last one. But he wouldn’t pour me more than two ounces, even though I declared it was my absolute favorite and that I even blogged about it (I’m not sure this guy even knew what a blog was, to be honest). So I tried sipping it down quickly so he’d refill my glass with another precious two ounces, but instead he handed it to the woman beside me and she poured the final ounces of tasty goodness into some random chick’s glass who I’m sure didn’t appreciate it as much as I would have.

So with the exception of the long line and the stingy Breckenridge pourer, the festival was completely worth the $45 ticket price.

Were you there? Share your experiences, photos and links with me. To see more of my pics, click here (look toward the bottom for the latest).

Cheers.

I’ve been honing my thrift shopping skills since fourth grade, when I used to pick through the boxes of a corner store thrift shop in Chicago looking for something trendy that I could afford with money I earned from doing household chores and from our regular summer lemonade stands.

In high school, we had about 50 minutes to leave campus and scarf down lunch somewhere (because eating in the cafeteria at a school that opens its campus at lunch was so uncool). During my freshman year, when I had yet to make friends with anyone who could drive, my friends and I would occasionally walk to the Rescue Mission and Bargain Box to shop instead of eat.

So I was a little disappointed in myself when my best friend asked me where the good thrift shops were around here. I told her about my personal favorite, Thrift World in Durham (pictured above). In Raleigh, I’ve been to the Goodwill on Hargett Street and Cause for Paws on South Saunders Street.

As for vintage shops, I’ve been to Time after Time on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Dolly’s Vintage in Durham’s Brightleaf Square. And Vintage Nation (anyone know if this place still open, BTW? It has looked closed the past couple times I’ve passed by) and Father & Son Antiques. I would recommend all of these places in a heartbeat as they are reasonably priced and have eclectic selections.

(I snagged this 101 Dalmations dress at Vintage Nation for $20 earlier this summer).

There’s also Everything But Grannies Panties in Durham, which I haven’t been to in years. It’s not the best place to snag clothes, but if you’re looking for some awesome kitsch and aren’t clausterphobic, then go get lost inside (although maybe it’s not open anymore either).

So please help me beef up my Triangle thrift shopping skills. Tell me all the thrift shops I must visit and why (do they have crazy kitsch, cheap retro clothes, more modern, trendy stuff?). And let me know which ones aren’t worth my time.

If you still haven’t been to Durham’s American Tobacco complex, you might consider checking it out on Labor Day. There will be a free concert in the lawn from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday featuring John Brown & The Groove Shop Band, an R&B and funk band that are likened to Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder and KC and the Sunshine Band.

It’s a good opportunity to explore the restored tobacco warehouses while enjoying some free music. Bring a blanket or some lawn chairs, a cooler with snacks and make a Labor Day evening of it. American Tobacco is a must-see for Triangle residents who don’t visit downtown Durham as often as they should. My favorite part is the urban stream that runs through it and the strategically placed concrete slabs that allow you to cross it.

A place worth checking out in Durham is the Scrap Exchange. It’s a nonprofit that sells the most random stuff that factories and businesses probably would have thrown away. Instead of going to the landfill, Scrap Exchange volunteers pick up the eclectic materials and take them to the the nonprofit’s 13,000-square-foot warehouse in downtown Durham.

If you have a penchant for exploring, it’s easy to spend hours in there on your first trip. Blue barrels line the front of the store and are filled with everything from puzzle pieces to leftover lapel pins. There’s also an art gallery that always features unique pieces. The latest exhibit is the $20 art show, where everything in the gallery is for sale for $20.

At NBC17, our reporters have been exploring ways to save money, something we’re all trying to do a little bit more of given the increase in gas and food prices. I told our news director how rad the Scrap Exchange is, so he sent me there with a photographer, who helped me put together my first-ever package for TV. I also took my own camera and produced a story for Durham.MyNC.com, a community news site that our station also produces. Here’s the resulting video or you can read the full story here.

I’ve asked some of you this before, but what are some of your favorite places in Durham (or around the Triangle for that matter) where you can spend a lot of time without spending a lot of money? Who knows, maybe I’ll have a chance to feature it.