So, what's our new favorite way to spend a Tuesday?! Take the 3 o'clock train from Raleigh to Durham for $7 a person and explore Downtown Durham! Even if you aren't from this area, it's no secret how much the Triangle area has grown and I think it has been very exciting to see. Especially in Durham! The restaurants, hotels, bakeries, apartments, etc. have played a big role in Downtown Durham’s revitalization. Anytime we get the chance to explore this area, we do to see what has popped up. Heather, graduated from Nurse Practitioner school this Summer and passed her certification exam, and I wanted to do something special for her as we both had off this afternoon. While doing research on what to do, I found an awesome map that Durham has put together to feature some of their downtown "hot spots" and we decided to go for it! First, the train ride was easy and hassle free. We checked in, boarded, and then barley 30 minutes later, we were being dropped off in the heart of Downtown Durham. It couldn't have been easier! Once we were there and moving around, we kind of combined the maps I had found to find places that we wanted to try and just walked around and even found some places which weren't listed on the maps. Our first stop was for a cookie at Loaf, a bakery on Parrish St. It's a small shop with what looked to be great desserts. If we were going straight home we would have probably bought more than just the two cookies! Pecan Chocolate Chip cookies were good! They weren't dry and a little crispy. Next, we felt a cold coffee would be a nice follow-up to the cookies. Across the street from Loaf, the newly opened Unscripted Hotel with a roof-top pool is there! We decided to check it out because they have a coffee bar. It still smells new on the inside. Decorated very retro, this is a really neat spot and a must see if you are in Durham. They do have cold brew coffee on tap which is what we got and continued our tour. Next, we found ourselves at Bull City Burger and Brewery. We weren't ready for a full meal but we did order one of their house beers and the Duck Frites for a snack! The Frites were small shoe string fries that were crispy with sea salt and rosemary. They had a really good flavor and were a nice treat. Bull City Burger and Brewery is a very low key, friendly spot, with scrumptious looking burgers. Our next spot, Dos Perros, was around the corner from the Brewery. It was highly recommended to us and it ended up being our favorite stop. We walked in and sat at the bar. The bartender was excellent and suggested that we try the brussel sprout queso dip along with the plantain fritters! We agreed and we can promise you that they were 10 times better than they even look in the picture. We are excited about going there for dinner sometime in the near future. I can't think of a better way to mix fresh ingredients with Mexican foods. Once we left Dos Perros, we went to our final stop…the Durham Hotel. We always love this spot and have been there in the past and thought it would be a good way to check out the roof top restaurant. This is Heather's favorite place in Durham. We finished the night listening to live jazz music, watching people dance, sharing a shrimp po boy, and a fancy strawberry daiquiri and pineapple juice drink! I must say it will not take us long to have this outing again. We highly recommend taking off and exploring Durham. It has a lot to offer these days!
