The American Tobacco Campus was established in 1890 as an industrial center. When the tobacco…read moreindustry left, the campus had to change. The Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the Durham Center for Performing Arts brought new life to the campus. The Old Bull Building is where Lucky Strike was made. Tobacco was a large employer in Durham so when it shut down in 1987 the property started to fall apart and people moved away. Capitol Broadcasting decided in 2004 to purchase the campus and turn these historic buildings into something unique and special. The ATC has offices, apartments, shops and restaurants. There is a courtyard, water features, outside seating and even a train car. It is an easy place to visit with three parking garages nearby and street parking. Then it is fun to walk around and see the remnants of what used to be there.

The limited number of shops and restaurants might not be a bad thing considering how commercial and…read moregeneric many of them felt. Rather than showcasing Durham's unique personality, much of the campus seemed geared toward being a polished mixed-use development that could exist almost anywhere. The bright spots were the nearby home of the Durham Bulls and the iconic Lucky Strike smokestack and water tower, both of which provide a strong sense of place and serve as reminders of the site's history. They were far more memorable than anything I found inside the campus itself. Overall, I found the American Tobacco Campus more interesting as a piece of architecture and historic preservation than as a destination. It's worth a brief stroll to admire the buildings and snap a few photos, but I wouldn't go out of my way to spend much time here.

The 2009 race was featured on Man Vs Food. And I think folks may have been wondering how could 2010…read moretop that. But this is just the kind of race that gets better (and more remarkable) with age! What is Doughman? Think Ironman -- but a lot, well, doughier. For those not in the know (and really you should check out that M v F episode -- hilarious!), Doughman combines competitive eating with a 4-person team quadrathlon and crazy costumes. The charities this year were SEEDS and See-Saw Studios -- both Durham youth programs. And the food stops on the race were all Durham restaurateurs with a local focus. I volunteered with some fabulous yelper helpers: Mari J, Helena K and her hubby, Al. We were stationed at the first stop in the race, Hog Heaven. Bikers cycled in and proceeded to wolf down (or try to) a chicken leg, cup of pulled pork and three hushpuppies. Sound outrageous? It is. The next stop involved an inner tube and paddling across a pool. Some of the best costumes were the Stay Buft team (cute Pillsbury hats and shirts!), Inconceivable! (a Princess Bride cast... how the hell they raced in pirate boots and capes is unbeknownst to me), and Breakfast of Champions (Biscuit King and Wonder Bread Woman?? So clever and well-produced!). But of course it was our very own Make Me Yelp team (Tripp W, Jane W, Phil G, and Meghan B) that won first place in costumes this year... for some very homemade Richard Simmons'-inspired outfits complete with curly wigs -- and the jumping jacks and high knees to go along with them! They finished 16th place (out of 70) in the race; and Yelp raised enough money to earn the 10th spot on the fundraising leaderboard. In other words, you yelpers rock! ;) Super-excited for the Doughman Banquet (yummy local food and beer) which takes place this evening. Ticket funds go to the charities. Awesome way to participate in Doughman if you don't necessarily feel like dressing up like superheroes and stuffing your face with a hoagie at 9am. Time to start planning for next year's race! --- So I just has to post a quick same-day update to say the Doughman hEArTs Durham Banquet was so fabulous. Terrific local breweries, great live music, and really good catered food (especially loving the Dolly Mama chocolate; LocoPops; and the bbq). And just swell company. People ate, drank and made merry for sure. Wish I could've stuck around for the dancing but I was pretty pooped after such a big day!

Being a part of the Doughman race is one of the more fun things I have done in a while. What other…read moreevent can you simultaneously dress up in ridiculous costumes, get exercise, act stupid, eat amazing food, get a scenic tour of Durham, meet interesting new people, and dance to 80's music? That's right, no where else but Doughman. We represented yelp proudly and with tons of spunk (can someone say random acts of jumping jacks?). I feel I got the best food draw of the team with local yogurt and a BBQ platter, but with the uphill 10 mile bike ride, I definitely earned every tasty morsel. Fav moments: - Phil G hopelessly roaming around for food prior to the race. Blah blah blah donut blah blah. - Kicking the Biggest Loser team's butt. There was no way I was going to let them come even close. - Meghan B 80's mix. Imagine me rolling through Durham driving the chaser truck, windows down, full Richard Simmons costume, singing 80's tunes at the top of my lungs, and waving to every person that passed me by. Classic! - People mistaking the wig for my real hair - The 3rd place team's coach in short shorts and an armadillo belt buckle - Eating and drinking my weight in food and beer at the banquet that night (still not really sure how I did it) So much fun. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Epic sweet fare…read more CHEZ MOI www.iloverumcake.com Easily the most delicious rum cake I have ever, ever, tasted. Moist and flavorful. Generous samples were provided by the beautifully charming owner, Rhonda Jones, and her friendly assistant. Probably the tastiest morsel I had at this event. Bookmark! THE PALACE INTERNATIONAL Such a beautiful display! Loved the presentation table with tiny African dolls, painted wooden giraffes (I have a small collection so they really caught my eye), and colorful table linens. Top notch. These ladies provided Mandazi East African donuts, Chai tea and plantains (although I missed the plantains). The Mandazi was very tasty and the Chai was delicious and not overly sweet. Perfect. They also provided a sample of loose tea in a super cute little satchel. Bookmark! MYSTIC I could get in trouble here. The Irish cream and bourbon mix. Wow! Wait, already bookmarked. LITTLE DIPPER Husband and wife team provided tasty treats with a choice of 3 chocolate sauces: milk, white, and dark. Pineapple, strawberries, marshmallows, and pound cake were offered along with a caramel sauce and graham cracker crumbs. One of the longer lines and definitely worth the wait. COCOA CINNAMON Beautiful and informative table display. The ladies here provided an exquisite liquid chocolate beverage to which you could add your own spices. I enjoyed drinking the chocolate so much that I skipped the spices. ESCAZU chocolates made with goat's milk. LOVE these local chocolates! DEElish! RELAY FOODS Described as "Amazon meets Whole Foods and they have a Baby." Great concept. You place your food orders online in one location (Relay Foods) with locally sourced products including local and organic meats. Then you pick up your order in a specified location within a few days. You have a choice of locations in the triangle area and you have flexibility in choosing a pickup date. Score! www.relayfoods.com NORTH CAROLINA SWEET POTATOES Provided tasty samples of at least 6 varieties of NC sweet potatoes...all lower on the glycemic index than regular white potatoes. Score! I'm definitely going to expand my sweet potato horizons and will be looking for more varieties at the farmer's market. SPROUT CAFE Provided generous samples of organic smoked pork loin with cranberry-Chipotle BBQ sauce on crostini. I'm not a pork fan but since it was organic, I tried it. Wow. The pork was beautifully smoked which enhanced the flavor of the meat rather than overpowering it. The smoky saltiness of the pork perfectly complemented the tart-sweet cranberry-Chipotle BBQ sauce. Quality ingredients. What a delicious score. Bookmark! EDEN'S Soy red velvet squares, both vegan without icing and non-vegan with icing. The vegan squares were moist and delicious. Yum! VINTAGE BEE Provided samples of creamed and flavored local honey. LOVE local creamed honey. Score! BIG SPOON ROASTERS Provided samples of 10 different nut butters. The Ginger Almond was nutty with a wonderful light ginger finish. Absolutely delicious. MUSEUM BLIND MAPLE SYRUP TASTE TEST My blind preference was the Grade A pure maple syrup. The hubby's was Log Cabin. Great, I can keep the good stuff to myself and let him have the high fructose corn syrup for his pancakes. Fun little exhibit. NCSU Food Science Club provided a make-your-own ice cream demonstration. We added milk, sugar, and vanilla to a ziplocked sandwich bag, sealed it, then placed it inside a larger ziplocked bag with ice and ice cream salt (rock salt). We then carried our little bag around to check out other vendors while kneading and massaging our tiny, unformed ice cream baby. 10 minutes later, our sweet little ice cream baby was born and, we ate every last sweet little bite! Yum. UNC Department of Chemistry demonstrated homemade gummy bears, actually gummy blobs and strands. I couldn't bring myself to try these but apparently they tasted like gummy bears. Interesting and informative. Very informative. Excellent venue, top notch vendors, fun and informative event. 5 shiny stars!

We've been to Cucciolo twice, and both times enjoyed our experience. Last night we had fantastic…read moreentrees, including a white ragu and a seafood-based pasta. The service was spot-on; timely but never intrusive, prompt and very friendly. They have an expansive wine list, and their dessert menu has Affogato, which is one of our favorites. Two cons: The parking is super tricky in this area, and the restaurant is loud because every single surface is concrete or wood. That said, still worth your time to check out.

Had a brilliant dinner at Cucciolo Osteria [the Cozy Tavern] the other night - this is a *great*…read morespot. The offerings were awesome & prepared with stile e cura [flair and care]. One thing that I noticed was their attention to adjusting their menu offerings to Gluten Free where possible, something your GF friends will truly appreciate. The interior is comfortably casual; upscale, but not stuffy. The servers worked as a team with one person taking the lead - their advice was top-tier: taking it is well advised. They'll listen to your preferences & make solid recommendations. I'd also suggest making reservations, I see how they could get busy - Andiamo :)

This specific visit was for a Creative Mornings event. Local artist, Eliza Redmann, told her story…read moreand it was inspiring! After the talk we were able to walk around the galleries! It's just a beautiful space overall! They have a paid parking lot dedicated for the building.

I love the Nasha. I've never really wanted to eat there, but I love all of their art exhibits…read moreindoor and out. This is a perfect place to take kids to know how to keep their hands to themselves... They like to have events keep your eyes peeled for them. Those are fun too!

I think 147 is the highest score you can possibly get in snooker? Is that right? Well it's also the…read morebest highway you can possibly ride on in the Triangle. This little Motorway is really useful because it will take you through the heart of Durham, and way down towards Chapel Hill and Cary and Morrisville, and the reason that it is great is because if it didn't exist, you'd have to go all the way right around on 85 and 40 and traffic in the region would just be absolutely nightmarish - somewhat like Atlanta. But as it happens this road does exist, and if you will forgive my sacrilegious Bible Belt inspired expressiopn, it's a Godsend.

Such great food! Reservations are required…read more It can be a tight fit but the set up is great. The service can take a little time but that is because everything is made to order and soooo worth it!

I always like to start with 5 stars and Gocciolina is close, even though I took 2 away. Why?…read moreOne star goes because the appetizer should have had a piece of bread served with it. It was good, I am certain all their appetizers are. But, a small plate without a chunk of bread for the gravy is sad. OK. Maybe that is 1/2 of a star, the other half is for the less than generous wine pour. I honestly expected more than an ounce our two and I have been more in may other restaurantss, both here and in Italy. The other star goes away for the slopply dessert service. I ordered almond cake at the recommendation of the couple sitting next to me at the bar and an espresso. I expected the cake, the the coffee or, perhaps, both together. I got the coffee and later the cake. Stmosphere, serving people, hostess, all top notch. Maybe I will go back and g et better appetizers and desserts next time.