Charlotte Bound

Hey folks...

On April 6, I'll be heading into Charlotte for a 10-day business trip and wanted a couple of suggestions. Understand that I'll have a rental car, but will have to share it with a co-worker, so my ability to tool all around town may be a bit limited.

Any suggestions on good places to eat, visit, shop? Are there any bookstores (or half-priced bookstores) around the northeast side of town?

Also, any SportsJournalists.comers live in the area?

 

I was really hoping this was a thread about a novel you bought off-base in the Philippines.

 

BWUHAHAHAHA!

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to do a West-Pac. All my deployments were the Med and the Gulf.

 

No stops at Pubic Bay?
Nothing in the Pacific?
You got cheated.

 

I thought more pics had surfaced of a certain "Sex and the City" actress.

 

I did. However, my visits to Corfu, Antalya and Haifa were well worth it.

 

Corfu.
Keeping democracy safe from goats and Ouzo, eh?

 

go uptown to College Street near the arena:

Mert's Heart and Soul for real southern cooking

Blue for fine dining

Cosmos Cafe for drinking and looking

 

For awesome Chinese, there's Baoding in the SouthPark area. It's outside the mall, which has gone upscale and has your nicer shops and eateries. There are plenty of restuarants around that area, as well. I'm not sure how close that area is to where you're staying. It can be tough getting around town because of traffic.

 

I was down there for a weekend in January so I can't speak of a ton of places, but if you are near downtown, you'll be ok and won't have to drive. The only thing I would say is that there is no cohesion to the city. You'll be walking and boom--there's a couple of bars. You'd have to walk a couple of blocks to find more. The downtown is clean, safe and modern. I was sort of expecting some old industrial buildings, or at least some older neighborhoods, nothing. Walked all of downtown proper and everything was new construction. As for bars, there are tons:

Alexander Michaels, RiRa are Irish Pub types, Bar Charlotte, for the younger crowd. Buckhead Saloon and there are some places right near the arena if that's where you're going to be staying.

 

I second Heart & Soul.
Real fine eats.

 

No idea if it goes anywhere worth seeing, but they had a new light rail open up last year.

http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/LYNX/home.htm