Out of Office: Tips for Work Trips in Durham
What better guide for your next business trip to the City of Medicine than a Duke University medical instructor?
The downtown Durham skyline at nightfall.
This former tobacco town is now a modern hub of food, music and innovation. In Durham, nearly one in every three people works in a health-related field, earning it a reputation as the City of Medicine. That’s why we recruited Duke University School of Medicine instructor Todd Bradley, Ph.D., to share his favorite places in town to seek Southern hospitality.
The communal picnic tables at Fullsteam Brewery offer one of downtown Durham’s best perches for a chill afternoon of beer sipping, board game playing and people-watching.
You’re only working a half day today. How do you spend the rest of it?
I’d head downtown and stop at one of Durham’s breweries, Ponysaurus or Fullsteam. They both have indoor/outdoor seating, snacks and plenty of entertainment to have a nice, relaxing afternoon.
Authentic Jewish and Italian deli fare collide at Lucky’s Delicatessen.
You have three meals—and only three—to get a taste of Durham. Where do you go for breakfast, a quick lunch and dinner?
For breakfast I would go to Monuts, which has great doughnuts, bagels and breakfast plates. For lunch, I would head downtown to Lucky’s, which is Durham’s version of the classic New York deli, and pick up a Super Reuben (a regular Reuben topped with chopped liver and picked vegetables). For dinner, stay downtown to go to Mateo, which is a Spanish tapas restaurant with a Southern twist.
Where’s the best place to re-energize your mind during your lunch break?
I work on campus, so I like to go for a quick stroll in Duke Gardens whenever I can. It’s a huge park hidden away in Duke’s campus.
You want to impress a new client, boss or colleague. Where do you meet him or her?
We bring a lot of guest speakers or collaborators to dinner at Vin Rouge. It’s a French bistro with an impressive menu (I almost always order the pork chop), an awesome wine list and a good atmosphere for conversation.
You have a free evening and an expense account! Where do you and your team or client go for fun—whether you’re in the mood for sports, music, film or something completely unique to Durham?
We would go to a Durham Bulls baseball game. The entire experience is classic Durham—the stadium is in the heart of downtown, and you can fill up on some solid barbecue and local beer.
Business is going great. Where do you and your colleagues meet for happy hour to celebrate, and what do you order?
Start at Bar Virgile for a Manhattan and one of their small plates (like lobster rolls in the summertime). Then head across the street to the Quarter Horse Arcade where we can unwind and relive our childhood glory days with classic arcade games.
You have a free hour or two and a camera. Where do you go to capture the best side of Durham?
Downtown is filled with photo ops. There are the old tobacco warehouses, the Lucky Strike Water Tower and the Durham bull statue.
You’ve been wearing the same cardigan once a week every week, and you know it. Where do you go to revive and reboot your business casual wardrobe?
I would head to south Durham to The Streets at Southpoint. The indoor mall has go-tos for work clothes like J. Crew, Banana Republic and Nordstrom, and there are some outdoor shops worth checking out too.
Duke University School of Medicine instructor Todd Bradley, Ph.D.
What’s the coolest thing you can see or do within an hour of town?
Saxapahaw is a small town right on the Haw River that has a couple of really great restaurants. If you can catch a concert at the Haw River Ballroom, do it, or hit up the nighttime farmers market during the summer.
At 5 p.m. every weekday, follow the chimes of a 50-bell carillon to Duke Chapel. Inside, pointed arches and flying buttresses showcase the university’s renowned neo-Gothic architecture.
What’s the one attraction in Durham you take all of your out-of-town visitors to see?
Everyone wants to check out Duke’s campus and see the Gothic architecture, Duke Chapel and Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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