Last updated on August 7, 2013
As most readers of this blog know, I will be joining the Department of Applied Economics at University of Minnesota in a few weeks. Today is the day we drive off to the Upper Midwest. As such — and following Kim’s example — this is as good a time as any for me to take stock of what I’ll miss in what was, for better or for worse, my hometown for the past seven years, and the place where I’ve lived the longest after my hometown of Montreal.
People
Family: Question: “What have we always said is the most important thing?” Answer: No, it’s not breakfast, but family. My wife grew up in Chapel Hill, and my in-laws still live here, a short drive from our house. Most academics do not have the chance of living close to relatives, but I did. I will miss our biweekly Sunday lunches.
Friends: You know who you are. You will be dearly missed, and we would love to host you in Minnesota.
Students: Some of the most amazing people I have met during my seven years here were students of mine. At all levels — undergraduate, Masters, or PhD — I have met people who have left me a better person than I was when I met them, and it has been a privilege to teach such bright young men and women.
Colleagues: Against all odds, I have managed to find two coauthors here, both of whom I really like working with: Nick Carnes, with whom I wrote my recent paper on the political economy of agricultural protection, and Marty Smith, who got me interested in fish and seafood in relation to food security. I have also had the pleasure of working with Marc Jeuland, Chris Paul, and Erika Weinthal on our Ethiopia climate change grant, and we should have one or two research papers on the topic in the year or so. I look forward to seeing my amazingly organized and efficient research assistant Laura Paul evolve as a scholar as she goes through her PhD at Davis. And I have found a great faculty mentor in Don Taylor, whose down-to-earth, no-nonsense wisdom is a rare thing in academia, and whose aphorisms (usually prefaced by “Dude, man…”) I will miss. I remain convinced that he should run for governor of North Carolina. Run, Don, run!
Places
Restaurants: Food-wise, Durham is one of the best-kept secrets in the country. There are just too many good, affordable places to choose from. Vin Rouge, where we had our wedding reception, will always be my all-time favorite restaurant in Durham. A few recent favorites of mine are Mateo, which has the best food in Durham if you can tolerate the sub-par service; Blu, where chef Tim Lyons serves the best fish and seafood dishes I’ve ever had; Pizzeria Toro, my latest discovery, has some of the best pizza I’ve had outside of Italy; and El Cuscatleco (which I discovered courtesy of Mungowitz) has delicious Salvadorean food. As far as bars go, the James Joyce is my favorite place to get a drink, doubly so when my friend Cookie tends bar.
Other Places: I have seen many excellent concerts and films at the Carolina Theatre. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is so good that we are thinking of coming back just to attend next year; likewise with the Triangle Vegetarian Society Thanksgiving luncheon, even though I am about the furthest thing from a vegetarian. We have our dear friend Julea to thank for introducing us to both. The Durham County Animal Shelter does wonderful work, and it has been the source of a lot of joy and fulfillment for us–we adopted our second dog from there and my wife volunteers there every weekend. They need all the financial help they can get; think of them when looking for a place to donate money and used items.
Services: Dr. Soren Windram has been an amazing vet for our dogs these past five years, and we will miss him and the staff of New Hope Animal Hospital. Russell over at Bull City Sound & Electronics took my rickety Mesa/Boogie amp in and made it sound better than when I first purchased it, all for less than $50. Dr. Mark Newman, of Optix Eyecare Center, always seems to be available to see me the day of or within 24 hours. It took me seven years to find someone who could cut my hair just right, and as soon as I found her, I had to move, so here: You cannot go wrong with having Dani at Wavelengths cut your hair. And our realtor, Urban Durham Realty’s Mariana Byrd, has been very helpful in making the sale of our house as smooth as possible.
And last but not least, I will miss 1514 W. Markham most of all. I don’t usually get attached to things — books, cars, guitars; they are all just things — but this was our first time not renting, the house where we got married, and the first real home we provided for both of our shelter dogs. It’s weirdly shaped, but it is incredibly conveniently located, right across the street from East Campus and within walking distance from Ninth Street.
Things I’ll Miss in Durham
Last updated on August 7, 2013
As most readers of this blog know, I will be joining the Department of Applied Economics at University of Minnesota in a few weeks. Today is the day we drive off to the Upper Midwest. As such — and following Kim’s example — this is as good a time as any for me to take stock of what I’ll miss in what was, for better or for worse, my hometown for the past seven years, and the place where I’ve lived the longest after my hometown of Montreal.
People
Family: Question: “What have we always said is the most important thing?” Answer: No, it’s not breakfast, but family. My wife grew up in Chapel Hill, and my in-laws still live here, a short drive from our house. Most academics do not have the chance of living close to relatives, but I did. I will miss our biweekly Sunday lunches.
Friends: You know who you are. You will be dearly missed, and we would love to host you in Minnesota.
Students: Some of the most amazing people I have met during my seven years here were students of mine. At all levels — undergraduate, Masters, or PhD — I have met people who have left me a better person than I was when I met them, and it has been a privilege to teach such bright young men and women.
Colleagues: Against all odds, I have managed to find two coauthors here, both of whom I really like working with: Nick Carnes, with whom I wrote my recent paper on the political economy of agricultural protection, and Marty Smith, who got me interested in fish and seafood in relation to food security. I have also had the pleasure of working with Marc Jeuland, Chris Paul, and Erika Weinthal on our Ethiopia climate change grant, and we should have one or two research papers on the topic in the year or so. I look forward to seeing my amazingly organized and efficient research assistant Laura Paul evolve as a scholar as she goes through her PhD at Davis. And I have found a great faculty mentor in Don Taylor, whose down-to-earth, no-nonsense wisdom is a rare thing in academia, and whose aphorisms (usually prefaced by “Dude, man…”) I will miss. I remain convinced that he should run for governor of North Carolina. Run, Don, run!
Places
Restaurants: Food-wise, Durham is one of the best-kept secrets in the country. There are just too many good, affordable places to choose from. Vin Rouge, where we had our wedding reception, will always be my all-time favorite restaurant in Durham. A few recent favorites of mine are Mateo, which has the best food in Durham if you can tolerate the sub-par service; Blu, where chef Tim Lyons serves the best fish and seafood dishes I’ve ever had; Pizzeria Toro, my latest discovery, has some of the best pizza I’ve had outside of Italy; and El Cuscatleco (which I discovered courtesy of Mungowitz) has delicious Salvadorean food. As far as bars go, the James Joyce is my favorite place to get a drink, doubly so when my friend Cookie tends bar.
Other Places: I have seen many excellent concerts and films at the Carolina Theatre. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is so good that we are thinking of coming back just to attend next year; likewise with the Triangle Vegetarian Society Thanksgiving luncheon, even though I am about the furthest thing from a vegetarian. We have our dear friend Julea to thank for introducing us to both. The Durham County Animal Shelter does wonderful work, and it has been the source of a lot of joy and fulfillment for us–we adopted our second dog from there and my wife volunteers there every weekend. They need all the financial help they can get; think of them when looking for a place to donate money and used items.
Services: Dr. Soren Windram has been an amazing vet for our dogs these past five years, and we will miss him and the staff of New Hope Animal Hospital. Russell over at Bull City Sound & Electronics took my rickety Mesa/Boogie amp in and made it sound better than when I first purchased it, all for less than $50. Dr. Mark Newman, of Optix Eyecare Center, always seems to be available to see me the day of or within 24 hours. It took me seven years to find someone who could cut my hair just right, and as soon as I found her, I had to move, so here: You cannot go wrong with having Dani at Wavelengths cut your hair. And our realtor, Urban Durham Realty’s Mariana Byrd, has been very helpful in making the sale of our house as smooth as possible.
And last but not least, I will miss 1514 W. Markham most of all. I don’t usually get attached to things — books, cars, guitars; they are all just things — but this was our first time not renting, the house where we got married, and the first real home we provided for both of our shelter dogs. It’s weirdly shaped, but it is incredibly conveniently located, right across the street from East Campus and within walking distance from Ninth Street.
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Published in Commentary and Miscellaneous