I did a thing, y’all. I bought plane tickets. To Europe. Paris, specifically. For fun.
I know what you’re thinking – I’m out of my mind, right?
I was getting ready to book my first trip out of the country ever this time last year and, well, you all know what happened next.
But for the first time since then, I’m feeling optimistic! Durham’s COVID-19 case numbers continue to drop, more of my friends and family are getting their first (or second) vaccine doses, and people are still following safety protocols of staying distanced and masked. In fact, there’s a whole movement to get us over the finish line: Back on the Bull.
The gist is that we all get vaccinated when it’s available to us, continue to wear masks and support local businesses. I’ve taken the pledge at backonthebull.com – you can learn more about it on page 19 – so join me in making this promise to help Durham’s recovery and renewal.
Truth be told, I’ve enjoyed a good bit of this vast amount of time at home. I found myself saying, “Hey, I’ve looked into buying that ceiling fan,” in the Hershfields’ modernist home on page 42 thanks to all the home improvement projects my partner and I have taken on this year. I spent some lazy days with my two cats, Leo and Georgie, though my small pack has nothing on the Combs’ growing brood of pets (page 54). And I fully plan on taking the advice of the landscaping experts on page 60 as we decide what to plant for spring in our very soggy yard.
And maybe I’ll take the advice from our staycation article on page 22 and book an afternoon tea at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in preparation for my European escapade. With so much hope on the horizon, I am ready to say “au revoir” to the despair of the past year and “bonjour” to adventures ahead. – Amanda MacLaren
HOME & GARDEN
36 Thoroughly Modern Durham
Our cutting-edge home designs are the envy of the Triangle
54 Full House
The Combs family continuously adds on, both to their home and to their menagerie of pets
58 Made in Durham
Feel right at home with these 10 local products
60 Can You Dig It?
Tips from local experts for perfect plantings and year-round yard care
62 Come and Grow
Briggs Avenue Community Garden continues to nourish minds and bodies after 10 successful years
DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS
8 Go.See.Do.
Our top events for April
16 Noted
What we’ve heard around our city …
20 Molding My Creativity
Author Tianna Spears focuses on her own self-joy and encourages others to do the same
22 Staycation, All I Ever Wanted
Ideas for entertainment and fun a little closer to home
87 Engagement & Wedding
Tying the knot, Bull City-style
DURHAM INC.
72 Networking
2021 Annual Meeting presented by the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce
78 Commercial Office Space in the Post-’Demic
Some hesitation among tenants but, for the most part, Durham is ‘still bullish’ on the office
82 3 Killer Home Offices
… plus a study that inspires recurring happy hours
PEOPLE & PLACES
14 Book Harvest’s 10th Annual Dream Big Book Drive
15 North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics’ 29th Annual Native American Powwow
SPONSORED CONTENT
24 Healthy Durham
Providing equitable access to affordable housing and how it translates to our community’s well-being
53 Adopt A Pet
These two guinea pigs are waiting on their forever homes with the Animal Protection Society of Durham
