Yesterday I ended up having two very "Durham" experiences.  I didn't plan on either when the day started.

The first was lunch with a colleague at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe, a new bar/restaurant across the street from McKinney. It's not your typical sports bar - there are plenty of flat screen TVs showing games and SportsCenter, and there are great views looking down on the Durham Bulls Park just beyond the left field fence.  But the fare is more upscale and gourmet than cheap and greasey, and the interior design is more sleek than plastered with memorabilia. Btw, most reviews are pretty darn good. Like so many other "new" structures here (e.g. the Performing Arts Center and Nasher Museum), it's another symbol of Durham's modernity.   

Then last night, I went to see the Bulls play - not at their regular park but rather the old Durham Athletic Park, the site where so many scenes from Bull Durham were filmed.  The Bulls stopped playing there 15 years ago.  Though beautifully renovated for a variety of local baseball games, tournaments, and training purposes  it was a pretty big effort just to get the stadium prepped for this one game. Lines were long and seats were limited, but the near sellout crowd seemed to love every minute of it. 

It was a chance for many to remember what it was like going to Bulls' games as a kid.   For others, it was a chance to see a game at an iconic stadium.  For all, it was a proud moment of where our city has been and where it's going.