On Wednesday night, I left the Paul McCartney concert early to make it to the new CL soft launch party at Snug Harbor. While walking from the arena to my condo’s parking garage, I passed the EpiCentre where I saw a little kid with dread locks sitting on the wall along Trade Street by himself.
I looked at my phone (that I substitute for a watch) and saw that it was 10:45 p.m. Now, I may not be a mother, but I know that this was way past his bedtime. And that made my motherly instincts, or education degree and experience teaching elementary ed at at-risk schools rather, kick in.
So, I walked over to him and said, “Hey there. What are you doing out here so late all by yourself sweetie?”
He responded by just shrugging his shoulders.
“Are you waiting for somebody?”
In a slight whisper so quiet I had to sit down next to him and lean into him to hear, he responded, “My brothers.”
“Your brothers, where’d they go?”
He shrugged again. He didn’t know that either apparently.
“How long you been out here?”
Shrug.
I recently reported on the changes at Park Road (Nightlife) Shopping Center and now there's some new nightlife to browse, and apparently a lot of cheap wine at Park Shoppes on the other Park Road. You know, the Park Road that intersects with Park Road. Even my GPS says, "WTF?" when it navigated me there.
Anyway, The Wine Shop has a new self-serve tasting machine, making the wine shop more like an adult candy store. The machine dispenses 12 different bottles of wine at the same time, and using a prepaid card you can dispense an assortment of wine to sample at your selection ... kinda like a vending machine for wine.
The Wine Shop also has free tastings every Friday 5 p.m.- 7 p.m., served from an old-fashioned human pourer.
And next door there's a place you can fill up on more nightlife. Fran's Filling Station ...
A few months ago, while driving down Tryon Street, I almost wrecked when I passed a giant, silver, shiny bird-like creature. I thought the city had been invaded by aliens ... Then I realized it was just the Firebird statue decorating Wells Fargo Cultural Campus — all of those new buildings and apparent giant bird statue make up the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Knight Theater, the Mint Museum of Art (which opens Oct.1), The Harvey B. Gantt African American Cultural Center … and the NASCAR Hall of Fame museum?
Hilary Howards of the New York Times calls it an arts oasis in a sporty town: "Nestled amid these modern-day shrines to sweat and gasoline is a brand-new cultural oasis where high art reigns.”
But Howards forgot to mention that nightlife also reigns on the campus of culture under the new Duke Power building. Is it just me or does it look a lot like a martini. So, inevitably, it’s nightlife-centric. You just need a ticket to kick it for the ever-changing plays, concerts, art exhibits and special events.
Wednesday, July, 21 is the last call for Sir Ed's, the owner has confirmed.
The Charlotte nightlife staple tucked in the elbow of Park Road Shopping Center — which has been awarded for the Guinness pints and late night dining — will shut its doors after tonight.
"It's been 16 years; it's time," the owner said in a lackluster tone. "I'm tired."
Well in that case, it sounds like he's due for retirement, and with that Sir Ed's will close their doors.
Go by tonight and pay your respect.
But you know what they say ... when one door closes, another one opens: The new Duckworth's Grill & Taphouse is thriving in Park Road Shopping Center and there's construction going down at the old Quaker Steak and Lube.
Break open your calendar … go to Wednesday, July 28 and insert (in pen): “Launch of new Creative Loafing. Party ensues.”
Creative Loafing is launching their redesign, making the paper more bad-ass than ever. There’s so much hype about it in the office, I have been voluntarily going to meetings not mandatory for me to attend just so I can get a sneak peek of it. I am one excited dork right now.
But in Creative Loafing-style we are throwing a party ...
Come be the first to see the new paper and get some free shit. You can meet our new mascot — Loafy, and sign up for Loafy’s List. He (or an intern forced to wear a mascot costume?) will send you nightlife happenings direct to your inbox. But first, RSVP "Hell yeah" to the Creative Loafing Soft Launch party at Snug Harbor here.
And by the way, our Best Of party will be at BUTTER on Aug. 3 … go ahead and put that on your calendar too. ;)
Walking and talking may seem to us like simple luxuries in life that we take from granted, while we complain about a gimp knee, headache, or hang nail... but for some, it's a miracle - and they don't complain at all. Such as Lexi Haas, the most amazing and inspirational little girl I know, personally.
You may have heard about Lexi via the Charlotte Observer, when last year at the age of 7, she became the first person in the world to have a deep brain stimulator placed to help alleviate symptoms of kernicterus, or neurological damage caused by her newborn jaundice. Lexi endured 11 hours of brain surgery, much of it while awake, to place the electrodes in her brain, followed by a second surgery the next week to implant a stimulator in her abdomen that she named Hope. Lexi is now 8, has shown some important improvements, and is celebrating the one year anniversary of the surgery.
And to celebrate Lexi is having a party, and you're invited...
Lexi’s Celebration of Hope will be at the Weddington Chase Clubhouse on Saturday July 31 from 4 - 8 p.m featuring live music by Highway 17, food and a silent auction. A suggested donation of $25 at the door will go to the kernicterus research fund at the Medical College of Virginia where Lexi’s surgery was performed. Proceeds from the silent auction will be put in a trust to help offset Lexi’s medical expenses that aren’t covered by her insurance.
A celebration of hope, I can't think of a greater cause for celebration.
Learn more about the celebration of hope and find out ways to spread hope here
To read Lexi's full story check out her Caring Bridge Journal
This, my friends, is the Social Olympics at Midtown Sundries at Lake Norman ... before.
Before the baby pool flooded the field from some Chris Farley type doing a belly flop into it, before people were riding inflatable liquor bottles, before people were squirting each other with water guns full of beer ... before the games began, if you will.
While the Olympics of soccer, the World Cup finals, were this past weekend, there was another form of Olympic games being played right here in Charlotte, RockHouse Event's Social Olympics — The summer (drinking) games of Olympic drinking.
The opening ceremony consisted of tapping a Miller Lite keg.
And the Olympic events included 16 teams competing in ...
• Flip Cup
• Suck-N-Blow (with a playing card ... get your mind out of the gutter)
• Junk in the Truck — where strap a box with a small opening full of ping pong balls to the players back and they have to shake them out
• Dizzy Bat — this is a lot more entertaining than when you use to play this at summer camp, because people are dizzy, and drunk
• Wild Rumpus
• Water Balloon Relay Race
• And the infamous swimsuit swap ...
Apparently it really is warranted as news because Channel 36 reported it: "Popular Pub will reopen in a new location."
Said new location being Atherton Mills in SouthEnd.
The Snook-a-like contest at Whisky River hosted by Snooki, who came and paid Charlotte a (paid) visit from the Jersey Shore – you can read the 1,000 words this picture speaks here.
I don't think I can ever eat a pickle again! Photo by Eun Park.
And the winner is .... Snooki basically picked the one that looked the best that she wished she looked like
Summertime in the CLT = Lots of girls in bikinis …
As a nightlife writer, I have spent a lot of time in front of the bar... but I've never really spent any time behind it. My resume has everything from teacher to TV to Disney intern to an arcade manager, but I have never bartended in my life, and I never took Mixology 101 in college.
The first time I even stepped behind the bar was at Whisky River in which I invented a cocktail, the Slutty Shirley Temple.
My friend, DJ Jazzy Jimmy, always texts me asking me to do random shit — such as judge the Snook-a-like contest and host a Sex and the City party — has asked me to guest bartend.
I signed up to publicly humiliate myself because I saw it as a way to raise money for Mike Minter's I Am a Foot Soldier camps, and I will use all tips I earn to sponsor kids for either his football camp or my dance camp!
So in risk of sounding like a mass text I get every weekend ... After Alive After Five tonight come see me at Whisky River slinging bottles for kids and bartending for charity. There is something about that that just doesn't sound right ... but you know what I mean.
I am secretly hoping everyone orders beers, or Slutty Shirley Temples so I can know what I'm doing. But even though I probably won't deserve a tip because you'll have to tell me what kind of liquor to pour in your shot ... the kids deserve it.
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