Visiting Downtown Durham, NC

 Since moving to North Carolina 5 1/2 years ago, Lee Ann and I had been to Durham only a handful of times. That changed recently, when I went to the Duke University Eye Center seeking some relief of a couple of vision issues I'd been experiencing for some time. 

In the past two years, I have seen two optometrists, a cataract specialist (and surgeon), a glaucoma specialist, a retinal ophthalmologist and a retinal surgeon. And up to this point, each consultation has failed to rectify the issues. 

I'll spare you the details, but the most recent trip to the Eye Center in Durham was for an invasive surgery, called a vitrectomy, which was to remove a thin layer of membrane in front of the right retina, which the surgeon is hoping will solve both my issues -- slight blurriness and distortion. The blurriness I first noticed in spring 2021, and the distortion I first noticed after cataract surgery in October 2021. 

I'm in my second week of recovery from the surgery, and the surgeon says she might not know for certain if the procedure was a success for up to three months. Yes, it's a slow healing process. So we'll see. 

After a second follow-up visit to the surgeon's office Tuesday, Lee Ann and I decided to find a local establishment for lunch and (for me) a brew, and then saunter through the downtown area. The sauntering, which involved a flurry of picture-taking, was uplifting for me. 

I had missed indulging my community profile photography, and I was more than pleasantly surprised at how striking the Durham downtown was. And the architecture was pretty nifty as well. 

Leading off this post is one view of the amazing main Durham Public Library building. Immediately below is three sides of the modernist City Hall. The first two sides I came upon I found curious, but then that third side. Wow. 

And the Trinity United Methodist Church, which is just around the corner from City Hall. It's an amazing structure, rebuilt in 1924 after a fire destroyed the previous building, with a three-arch breezeway connecting the church with other facilities. The spire was added in 1985.

 

Trinity United Methodist Church, beginning with the side view (above), then a view of the doors and front steps (below), the triple-arched breezeway (second below) and a closeup of the front doors (third below). 

Above and below are two more views of different sides of the Main Library. 

Above is the first side view of City Hall you see when you approach it from Trinity United Methodist Church. Below is the straight-on front view. And then the second photo below -- the glorious view of the other side of the building!

Above, a full view of the Durham County Court House; below, a closeup of its doors. 

First Presbyterian Church (above) and its more modern school building (below). 

Above: The Durham Parks and Recreation building; below, one side of the county judicial annex, which is across the street from the courthouse, although this view is along a perpendicular street. 

A couple of full-building murals, the one above on the side of Bull City Burger and Brew on East Parrish Street goes back quite a few years. 

 

Above, and the two photos below are simple slices of the downtown merchants' district.