I permanently reside in la la land... But I did just get back from L.A.
Our first night there, my friend's car got towed from my hotel in Hollywood and we had to venture into Compton in order to retrieve it. As the GPS on my rental car said in her British accent, “turn left on South Central Avenue,” I wondered why it wasn’t asking, “Are you sure you want to turn left on South Central?”
Between that, and driving between Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, West Wood and Laguna Beach, I got the full LA experience... as in, I spent most of my time there in the car. After I yelled at my GPS to “shut the front door” because it kept repeating for me to take a left when I couldn’t, I decided to just drive on the coast so I could at least enjoy the view.
I mostly enjoyed my afternoons on the beach, but everything gets hotter when the sun goes down. We went to the club Foxtail for some dude from Twilight’s birthday party (I honestly can’t tell you who’s, because I honestly just don’t care).
But I assumed the actress in the movie that got busted smoking weed was there considering people were openly smoking in the club considering it’s practically legal in Cali. It’s so prevalent in fact, In San Francisco the homeless people don’t beg for money, they offer to sell you pot.
As the bi-polar weather warms up and spring break arrives, the out-of-control moments seem more unbearable than usual. By out of control, I’m referring to my computer crashing before mid-terms, as opposed to being on some beach with a tropical drink in hand. I’ll be spending my break at work, which brings me even quicker into the real world. For these symptoms of spring fever, I decided to play doctor for those college students like me who have to forgo the break and for those already in the real world that don’t even get a break. And I’m prescribing cures that are anything but Tylenol and rest — although you might need them after the fact.
Rx 1: Get your ass outside!
Go play a round of golf at one of the many courses throughout Charlotte... or, for those that suck at golf like me, there’s the alternative — putt-putt. The Lost Duffer, located in the University area, is a mini-golf course designed like an old mining shaft. For $4.50, you can play nine holes outside and nine holes underground.
Rx 2: Take a shot or two and call me in the morning.
For those of us not flying the coop, there is Stool Pigeons. There are three locations in Charlotte — University, Uptown and Matthews. Each location offers big screen televisions playing all your favorite sports, and Stool Pigeon’s daily drink specials make obeying the doctor’s orders easier than ever and although the coast feels miles away, Boardwalk Billy’s at University brings seafood and the beach vibe to Charlotte... minus the girls in bikinis (like the neighboring breast-e-raunt Bikinis).
Brittney Cason is a Charlotte based writer that authors QC After Dark for Creative Loafing and Sex and the Queen City for Elevate. Brittney is also a contributing writer for AOL.com, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, and pretty much any publication that pays her. To support her writing habit Brittney hosts a racing show called “3 Wide Life” and does regular segments on ESPNU and is a dance teacher/choreographer and former Panthers TopCat Cheerleader. Brittney graduated from the top 10 percent of her class in Virginia Tech with degrees in Education and Communication, and earned a Masters in Education though the NYC Teaching Fellowship, and a Masters in funny from Second City Chicago.
email: brittneycason@creativeloafing.com
While the Queen City’s Carrie Bradshaw, otherwise known as Brittney Cason, is soaking up the sun in Cali, I’ve filled in to be her Saint Louise — in this case, a Saint Sarah. Ready to enjoy labels and love, I headed off to drink cosmos and admire wedding fashion!
Nothing compares to finding that great love. We all have our different ideas of what that means — but when we find it, it’s like a dream come true. So, when that white horse comes around, you need a white gown. That’s why the “Dress in the Queen City” event used Carrie’s Vivienne Westwood gown as its headliner. With Carrie Bradshaw as the emblem of a modern day Cinderella, the big wedding and her gown, become the starting place for a modern fairytale.
The boutique that held the event was Hayden Olivia, a bridal store that brings New York style to the Queen City. And if giving us the chance to eye Carrie’s gown wasn’t charity enough, the event gave 100 percent of the proceeds to Dress for Success Charlotte — an organization that assists less fortunate women in the path to success.
For Fat Tuesday last week, I felt like being a fat ass... So, I went to Fat Boys in Moorseville and really put the fat in Fat Tuesday.
Some of my boys up at the lake told me about this buffet, with a bar... A Buffet-Bar?!?? Really? I thought that combination sounded more like drinking beer before liquor (never sicker) than going together like peas and carrots. Out of curiosity, and some slight disbelief, I requested they take me — and there is in fact a buffet inside a bar up in Moorseville. Dinner and drinks, anyone?
It took me 45 minutes to go a mere few blocks from the gym to my house because of CIAA traffic. Hence the reason I jumped on the opportunity to attend the NFL Celebrity Bash at Extravaganza Depot. Celebs aside, I was excited about the fact I could divert the traffic headed into Uptown, park my car a few feet from the entrance, and mosey my ass right on into the party with no clusterfuck.
I was there at 10:30 p.m. and was informed I was early. But I made good use of the dance floor nonetheless. Extravaganza is an ideal location to throw a party between the ballroom-sized dance floor, 10 bartenders to every bar, easy access parking and a train car for a smoker's lounge.
With no hassle or hustle, I just pulled up and parked at the official ESCU, NC A&T and NCCU Alumni Party hosted by Chris Hope of the Titans, Santana Moss of the Redskins, Vontae Leach of the Texans, Brandon Newton of the Raiders, William Hayes of the Titans, Giradie Mercer of the Eagles, Troy Pelshack of the Rams and Chris Harris of the Panthers... I feel like I just listed the roster at the Pro Bowl or something.
I pulled up to the Bojangles' Coliseum for the T.I. and Young Jeezy concert as the symphony concert at the neighboring Ovens Auditorium was letting out. On the way in, we passed families in black-tie attire and a little child prodigy pianist in a bow tie... and we were going to see T.I.
There were cops everywhere surrounding the arena and auditorium... I bet they were there to make sure the crowd coming out of the symphony didn’t act up, right?
T.I. is on his farewell tour because he is going to Yale — I mean, jail... But if you think about it, jail is kinda like the Ivy league of street smarts, so T.I. is going to Yale in a sense, sorta.
T.I. had a DJ instead of a band; I thought I was at a heavy metal concert at one point. T.I.’s head banging would’ve put Axl Rose to shame.
He said he was in Charlotte a while back and, when he was, he got “locked up in Mecklenburg County.”
T.I. packed the BoRound, or Bojangles Coliseum rather... or maybe it looks like a giant chicken biscuit for some reason, with 4,000 people, and about 500 of them were on the stage. I’d say they were the hype men, but they just kinda stood there. I thought I might catch a contact high in the dome with the smoky air. Just to remind you, it is illegal to smoke marijuana in general... let alone in public.
The festive CIAA fans have the party stamina of Michael Phelps (I mean in regards to swimming) because they party until 4 a.m. and then they get right up and do it again, with day parties starting before lunch. I mean, can we go all out like this for the ACC tournament?
For a lunch break of a bash there’s the Fish Fry at Tempo and Digital Divas at Blue….
I couldn’t believe how many people were at the bar at Blue at 2 p.m. on a rainy Friday afternoon. DJ Daddy D was playing some of my old school faves that I used to dance to in high school.
I think the bartenders went into the freezer in the back to get high or something, because we stood there at the basically unattended bar for a good 10 minutes to sample the “Digital Diva” specialty cocktail (Alize Rose & Ginger Ale). When the 'tenders finally came back to the bar we had to repeat the elementary order four times to one bartender before he just handed it off to another. But the Digital Diva Alize was a tasty lick nonetheless.
CIAA technically stands for Center Intercollegiate Athletic Association, but it can also mean Charlotte Is having A lot of After Parties! And I do mean A LOT of parties...
This year's multitude of CIAA parties popped off at Pop Life at Apostrophe Lounge ... and The Bee Man Candles Co.
Apparently, in these hard economic times people aren’t buying enough candles to keep the Bee Man in the honey money, and so now Apostrophe Lounge has expanded (just for CIAA) ... and just in time. Because even with Apostrophe doubled in size, there was a line out the door(s). It was like two totally detached lounges with two separate entrances, yet the same venue divided by a mere apostrophe... or wall rather (which, sadly, could not be knocked down).
And there's a lot more going on there and all around town.
When my friend told me she wanted to go to the Common Market for a girls night out I asked her if she was on crack.
“You’ve never been?” she asked.
“Yeah, in the afternoon to get lunch or stock up on my hippie snacks,” associating the Common Market with a cool convenience store-slash-deli... but as it turns out, it’s also a -slash bar — CM After Dark, if you will.
I walked into the Common Market at 10 p.m. on a weekend night to a DJ playing Boys II Men, a bartender serving wine, a cooler reading, “cold and cheap beer” and an entire cooler of Sparks (which excited me by the way).
Meanwhile, you can go and select your own beer out of the cooler from $2 Tecate to the rarest of imports, pay the cashier and sit down at the bar — Swig and drink it. It’s like the Willy Wonka Hop Factory — there’s even chocolate beer...
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