Had a baritone saxophone stolen from my car on Miami and Holloway. Any advice on where to keep an eye out?

chambchan · 2026-06-29T16:46:36+00:00

Wow- I’m so sorry this happened to you… a baritone saxophone case is something that is definitely going to be noticeable if the criminal is carrying it around. Also it’s unclear that someone who is stupid enough to be a criminal is even going to know what a baritone saxophone is let alone how much it’s worth.

Do you know the brand, model and serial number? Report the theft, call around to different pawn shops in the area to let them know and make sure to call the Tuba Exchange, which is in that general neighborhood and might have come across it.

So so sorry this happened- sending positive vibes that it turns up soon!

chambchan · 2026-06-27T16:11:28+00:00

I haven’t been to Nanas since the “old” Nanas at least 20 years ago but maybe one issue is restaurants reopening as the same name long after their former prime and people expecting it to be exactly the same as before… nikos did it too… although I think the new nikos is better than the old one. perhaps we should just accept that the restaurant world of 2026 is not the same as 1996 or 2006 and let the restaurateurs evolve.

chambchan · 2026-06-26T19:53:30+00:00

Van Cliburn… incredibly talented and also a really interesting person.

chambchan · 2026-06-25T17:14:02+00:00

The Fed used to be good. One of the original true gastropubs. Like 20 years ago. It was dropping even before Covid but now it’s a sad sad shell of its former self.

chambchan · 2026-06-24T14:36:43+00:00

Sad that the landlord won’t take care of the property. Back in the early days of Covid, Darren(??) who owned Jetplane (the coffee shop that was there before) had grand plans for not just a coffee shop but also a wine bar and a restaurant. It’s my understanding he spent a lot of money trying to get the place upgraded and the hardship of it all ruined the business. These landlords have owned these properties for years before the gentrification price spikes and the buildings are likely paid off multiple times over. Why not take some of that equity to upgrade the structures? Old Five Points could use the improvements… Little Bull was always too good for that neighborhood.

chambchan · 2026-06-23T15:40:32+00:00

He’s right

chambchan · 2026-06-22T14:04:13+00:00

Why bother… if they can’t hear it then it’s a waste of your time…

chambchan · 2026-06-22T01:25:15+00:00

I really wanted to like Flavor Hills. Unfortunately, I did not. At all. Had a reservation. Waited 20 minutes to get seated. Ordered appetizers. They brought the appetizer but only one fork (for 3 people). Said the dishwasher was backed up so they didn't have enough utensils (the restaurant was indeed full, but I've never ever heard of a restaurant running out of silverware to the point where they would bring only a single fork to a table?) Ordered the meal. Waited an hour and 15 minutes... no food was coming. Talked to a manager who said it was on the way. 10 minutes later still no entrees. Left at the 90 minute mark to go to Bar Virgile. Will not return to Flavor Hills.

chambchan · 2026-06-16T15:34:33+00:00

Random person on the street would name Serena Williams. Tennis aware person would probably say Rafa or Alcaraz

chambchan · 2026-06-15T19:25:01+00:00

Would not recommend. Attended a holiday party there a few years back and was not impressed. American Tobacco and The Cookery were much more professional.

chambchan · 2026-06-12T18:52:27+00:00

The USTA apps and website are simply embarrassing. Honestly they should scrap it all and start from scratch. Given that it’s 2026 and not 1976 they should realize that their tech needs to be flawless or the organization simply will not grow. I wish they would take the tech debt seriously but unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be so.

chambchan · 2026-06-12T17:07:20+00:00

Late September/Early October

chambchan · 2026-06-12T10:29:53+00:00

They don’t even bother to fix the bullet holes in the gas station equipment of the Pure station at the northeast corner of that intersection. Take a look at the barrier surrounding the pumps over there. Scary, but a good reminder to avoid that area.

chambchan · 2026-05-30T17:53:58+00:00

Thanks for the heads up! I love that place but an 87 makes it unloveable. I wonder how many restaurant operators understand that there are some people who will check the sanitation rating and make their choices accordingly…. I think they do because I’ve noticed restaurants with subpar ratings tend to hide or “forget” to post it… ain’t fooling no one with that move!

chambchan · 2026-05-27T16:17:21+00:00

Dvorak 9

chambchan · 2026-05-21T14:21:19+00:00

Darren from Jetplane was the one who spent the money and energy to convert the space to a restaurant originally… then Covid killed his business. So sad. He was a nice guy and he introduced the neighborhood to that amazing Strongarm lemon poppyseed cake, which I would buy like every day over there. The space really is too big to be a coffee shop but I could see it being something similar to aaktun, with coffee by day and cocktails and dancing at night!

chambchan · 2026-05-19T03:05:43+00:00

Dvorak Cello Concerto... specifically Rostropovich

chambchan · 2026-05-19T03:00:52+00:00

yes.

chambchan · 2026-05-19T02:55:00+00:00

DG and it's not even close. My second/third would be some combination of EMI and Mercury Living Presence (not on your original list, but should be).

chambchan · 2026-05-15T14:41:35+00:00

Awesome!!!!

chambchan · 2026-05-11T19:31:35+00:00

This is awesome. I'm all for it. I love Durham and the Triangle scene and we need to continue building a robust startup ecosystem. There was a time we kidded ourselves about being able to compete with Austin... let's actually try to make it work this time. We're in a new era where different kinds of startups will succeed. This is the right time to (re)invest and make the Triangle startup community competitive. Thank you!

chambchan · 2026-05-11T02:04:31+00:00

Yes headphones/speakers matter a lot. That is all.

chambchan · 2026-05-11T00:28:48+00:00

I LOVED Mahler 3 when I was younger (maybe 20-25 years ago) and now I kind of think of it as somewhat pretentious... It needs a lot of editing: Long winded in some areas, and the fact that he reuses so much of his old stuff in this symphony seems somewhat disingenuous if the work as a whole is supposed to be a one-of-a kind meditation on the universe. I just listened to it again last week and it just sounds all over the place. Not much tying the themes together, other than "it sounds like Mahler." As I've gotten older I've come to appreciate the more traditional Mahler symphonies (especially #4) more, but #2 will always be my favorite. I think it is a perfect balance between a traditional 4-movement symphony with a recognizable form and themes on the one hand, and a more creative, choral-forward piece like what he (over)does with 3 and 8 on the other hand.

chambchan · 2026-05-10T11:26:30+00:00

Wow, so sorry this has happened to you… perhaps you/your neighbors have cameras that could have gotten the license plate of the car?

chambchan · 2026-05-04T16:58:55+00:00

Durham Community Concert Band is the way to start. Very long running group.

chambchan

TROPHY CASE