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Charlotte

Charlotte, Travel, Travel Tips, United States

Our Staycation in Charlotte, North Carolina

It’s strange being a tourist in your own town. As locals, we tend to take things for granted. Landmarks that bear so much significance to our city’s history become blurs on our daily commute. Monuments and statues lose their meaning and become directional beacons. Art museums are forgotten and reserved for school field trips. Downtown has become a place where we used to hang out in our younger days. And yet, we…

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Charlotte, Eating

Fighting to Get Fit at Title Club

It’s not easy being The Wandering Gourmand.  Having this “expert” knowledge of food and drink comes with a price.  There is a lot of sampling – roasted pork belly, brewery tours, wine tastings.  I didn’t realize the toll my love of food and drink was having on my body until I saw a New Year’s Eve photo.  I had become that “chubby” kid.  My back-pain had also reached the level of excruciating…

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Charlotte, Travel

Oh Christmas Lights of Charlotte!

I grew up in Northeast Ohio where Christmas was white.  My father and I would set out on the day after Thanksgiving and begin the ceremony of hanging the Christmas lights.  We wanted to gain an early start to avoid the snowy days that often befall December.  After spending the day testing lights, running extension cords, and climbing ladders, we would stand back to inspect our work, but the lights never looked…

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Charlotte, Travel

Whitewater Center Thursday Night Riverjam

Upon moving to Charlotte six years ago, we quickly learned that Thursday nights were for live outdoor music.  Back then, it was Alive After Five at Wachovia Plaza where a mesh of young bankers would gather on hot summer nights; men still dressed in their blue button downs and women in their almost workplace inappropriate black skirts each with ice cold domestics in hand to a background of live cover music.  For…

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Blogging, Charlotte, Eating, Food, Travel

My First Blog Date and Midwood Smokehouse

My blogging neighbors over at Dee’s Adventures and Looks Like LuLu have both been on blog dates, but to be honest, I thought that was weird.  A little background information here – my wife and I met and dated before online dating became as popular as it is now.  It is existed back then, but most of the people who used it reeked of desperation (I know I pissed off some friends…

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Charlotte, Eating, Food, Travel

A Charlotte Classic – McNinch House Restaurant

New to Charlotte and a little unsophisticated on the dining palette, I asked colleagues and friends where to go for our first anniversary dinner six years ago.  The unanimous answer was the McNinch House in Charlotte’s Historic Fourth Ward.  “Very romantic!”  Everyone raved.  “Perfect for a night out to celebrate your first year of marriage!”  I was intrigued.  “Tell me more?”  I asked.  I learned that the restaurant was located in a…

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Charlotte, Eating, Food, Travel

Ilios Noche Family and Friends Preview Night

From our very first visit, we thought that Ilios Noche was ill.  Not ill in a sick way, but ill in a Beastie Boy’s Ill Communication sic kinda way (that means good).  Many bloggers start out any restaurant, wine, beer, food, or product review with a disclaimer.  The product was sent to me as a free sample by the manufacturer…  The restaurant invited me to dinner to review their new menu… They…

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Charlotte, Travel

This is Charlotte – Shakespeare at the Green Uptown 2012

Shakespeare on the Green is one of my favorite events of the year in Charlotte.  But of course you, my faithful readers, already know that from last year’s post.  To avoid writing a redundant blog about what a spectacular event this is, I just want to push out a friendly reminder that time is almost running out to catch this year’s performance of The Tempest.  As always, it’s a performance that shouldn’t…

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Charlotte, Cooking, Food, Travel

My New Found Charlotte Fave – Savory Spice Shop

After returning from Bavaria, the Mrs. and I were on a quest for a new local market.  We are regulars at the local farmers markets but these just don’t compare to the markets we experienced in Munich, Vienna, and Salzburg.  There’s just something missing stateside that you can find in a European market.  We recently heard of Atherton Mill and Market and wanted to try it out.  Unfortunately for us, the market…

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Charlotte, Travel

This is Charlotte – King’s Drive Artwalk

For the most part, Charlotte does outdoor events right during the warm weather season – free concert series on most Thursday nights, gallery crawls on Friday nights, Pops in the Park on Sundays, NASCAR related festivals, food related festivals, Shakespeare on the Green, White Water Center Events, Saturday night concerts at the Epicenter, art festivals, wine festivals etc, etc.  The cities only downfall is too much is packed into the same timeframes. …

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