I have watched the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway from the pits, the grandstands, the suites, in the infield on an elevated couch on turn one and from the roof of the National Tailgating League's motorcoach.
And then there’s the time I somehow ended up in Michael Waltrip’s motorcoach learning the Hannah Montana Ho Down Throw Down from his 13-year-old daughter. As well as in the Budweiser’s RV where the shower doubled as an elevator, which just so you know, will squirt water on you if you touch the shower head, which I learned the hard way.
Yet, the best place to watch the race (or drink while it’s going on) is the Red Bull Energy Station at turn three. Between the leather lawn couches, DJ, catering, cocktail waitresses and bartenders and big screen TVs airing race footage — they turn NASCAR into CLASS-CAR. And with the free flowing Red Bull and vodkas, Red Bull gives you more than wings ... it gives you a buzz! That, or the roar of the exhaust pipes that's so loud ear plugs are an essential accessory. I feel like they should invent a sign language for racing so that people can better communicate at the track.
Red Bull drivers Scott Speed and Brian Vickers tend to make pit stops in Class-Car as well ...
Between Speed Street, the Pit Crew Challenge, the National Tailgating League, the NASCAR Hall of Fame festivities and just Whisky River in general, when the NASCARnival comes to town it's a carnival of nightlife … but the biggest party is at the track, at the Red Bull Energy Station to be exact. I even got a little sun while I was at the track - cue to the red sunburn on the back of my neck. Does that officially make me a redneck?
“The fact is, sometimes it’s hard to walk in a single woman’s shoes. That’s why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun." ~Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City
I hate to disagree with Carrie, but sometimes walking in shoes is not all that fun. In fact, it can be downright torture. And not just the squeezed skin and achy arch feeling you get from a night out dancing that usually results in walking home barefoot carrying your heels. It can also cause serious damage to our back, tendons, and calf muscles. With Sex and the City 2 coming out next week, every night has been ladies' night as of late — and thus I've been out just about every night. But it is my feet, not my liver, that have have suffered. I was so sore last week I could barely get out of bed. And being stuck in bed sucks ... when it's against your will, that is.
The culprit: Shoes like the designer heels ones we give away at Strike and the City on Thursdays.
The cure: High Heel Therapy, a specialized form of therapy that targets the areas of your body that heels hurt — de-stressing the feet and preparing them ready for open-toed shoes too. But it's more about health than vanity: The High Heel Therapy massage releases the muscle tension and allows proper blood flow for firmer, stronger legs and increased energy. It will also stimulate lymphatic flow, which will release toxins that make the legs feel tired and heavy.
Now, we can have our shoes and wear them, too! Go see Jen at Drift Spa and Wellness.
And while you're at it, try a pedicure at Polished Nail Bar — which just opened a new location in SouthPark — and a detox foot bath at Haas Wellness Center.
Last night, I went to ladies' night at Club Blumenthal. As in Blumenthal Performing Arts Center's Girls Only: The Secret Comedy of Women.
And my womanly secret is that I laughed so hard I almost peed a little.
I call it Club Blumenthal because when attending one of the many live productions at one of the many theaters (so many I always get confused as to which one to go to), it's like going to a party. It's nightlife with culture. For the Girls Only reception before the show they had catering that I am pretty sure I devoured 25 percent of, a bar with a special Duchess drink and Ring pops. I always said that I would rather a guy propose to me with a ring pop than a diamond ring... seriously.
I can see why they say the play is for girls only - the two guys there looked like their girlfriends that brought them there also applied blush to their faces as well. But there were a lot of hot girls there - so it'd be a good place for guys to go pick up chicks and, in turn, garner some insight into women.
I showed up to the N.C. Music Factory on Friday afternoon fresh off the lake — wet swimmsuit, no make-up, hair a mess... seat belt tan from driving around topless — as in the top off my Jeep. I was headed to the CL office to make some copies. I literally went from being on a boat with my flippy floppies, to straight flippin' copies. I attempted to make this a covert operation by going through the back entrance so no one would notice that I made the executive decision to work up at the lake rather than the office. But when I rolled up at 5:30 p.m. my cohorts had already deserted their desks and were sitting on a day bed in front of the office... cause it was Friday at the Factory.
I thought I would be out of place with all my cohorts in work clothes ... but I didn't stand out too much - I mean, the cocktail waitresses were wearing bikinis and the factory had the ambiance of a Miami pool party.
Temperpedic mattresses on day beds, bottle service from BUTTER, beer from HALO and overpriced sushi from Nikko. It was cooler than Fridays at MAXIM when they would roll out a bar and make the interns bartend. I'd be doing an excel sheet and an intern would come hand me a vodka-cranberry. And then I'd mess up the excel sheets and have to re-do them on Monday.
Except with Fridays at the Factory no one was doing work, so I didn't either. I still have to finish making those damn copies ...
It was Plan B… as in the second option, not the morning after pill. Then it was the Rock n’ Lobster. Now, as of a month ago, it’s The Deck - Dilworth East Coastal Kitchen.
The Deck may only be overlooking East Boulevard, versus a body of water, but it's still one heck of a deck patio. Though it coins itself as more of a restaurant for dining than a bar for nightlife, overall, The Deck has a tiki bar feel. Its specialty cocktail is the Mojito — offering six variations of Cuban mojitos. You can't get a more authentic mojito unless you’re in the keys. And on Wednesday said mojitos are only $5 - and they have live music on the patio to stir up the mojitos. Last Wednesday Jared Allan serenaded the "tiki bar" and made me feel like I was at a Jack Johnson concert.
And, they have Taco Tuesday - $2.50 fish tacos… they're good and all, but Cabo Fish Taco has nothing to worry about. The Deck would be a perfect seafood restaurant slash tiki bar, if we were on the Ocean. But their menu items range from either side of the coast so you can overlook the fact the patio is overlooking a city street.
The best thing about The Deck is they give you a piece of salt water taffy rather than a mint with your check.
Speaking of mojitos … be sure you try the Brittney Cason Sweet Tea Mojito at Red Rocks Cafe in Birkdale. It's a little Southern, a little Spanish ... just like me.
And speaking (or writing rather) about patios - my Saint Sarah told me about Old Pro in Ballantyne. Sarah is now writing for CL's At Large blog so you can keep up with her, and more nightlife, there.
I sent my under-21-intern Chandler out on her campus to find nightlife for unders, and what she found was more than just a university-sanctioned event. She went to two student run shows… both shows on the same weekend, both shows Greek in relation, both shows at Halton Arena – there was only one major difference …
And if you read my column this week, Nightlife vs. the Census, you know what I’m talking about.
By Chandler Smith-Currie
The selection of nightlife venues in the university area may be limited, but there is always something happening on the campus of UNC Charlotte. Last week I attended two events: Friday was the National Pan-Hellenic Council “Who Run This Town” Greek step show sponsored by the Black Student Union. And Saturday was the Mock Rock sponsored by the office of sorority and fraternity life.
In my column last week: Overage: Are you too old to go to the club? we established that you're never too old to go out ... but you can be too young however. So I got my new intern, Chandler, to show me nightlife from her perspective… as an underage college student.
By Chandler Smith-Currie
I know 12 people with a fake I.D. … Now, I am not going to name names but this number was a little shocking to me. Why are all these college students resorting to aging themselves? After talking to a couple of friends and other students at UNC-Charlotte, the nightlife in the Queen city is not so “unders friendly.”
The majority of the people I talked to who venture out on the nightlife scene whom are under 21 only go out once during the week … College night. Typically a Wednesday or Thursday at Alley Cat and The Forum. Some other honorable mentions include Alive, Ice and Synergy. Well that covers Wednesday and Thursday, but what about the weekend?
Last week, I went country… back to my roots (and to Coyote Joe's).
You can take the chick out of Dixie, but you can never take the Dixie out of the chick. In 8th grade, my friends and I used to have our parents drop us off at “The Round Up” on the weekends — which was a barn converted into a dance floor with a band where people of all ages line danced. But then after a while we used that as an excuse to meet up and then snuck off to some high school or college party. We got caught eventually, and needless to say, I was never allowed to go to the round up again… and I haven’t country line danced since.
That is, until I went to Coyote Joe’s last week for their FREE line dancing lessons. First thing my friend and I noticed is that most of the dance moves don’t require any hand movements… it truly is the boot scootin' boogy. We figure it’s so they can hold their beers. As the instructor was going through the eight counts, I found myself naturally incorporating hip-hop moves into each step... and I couldn't help it. I call it "hick-hop"...
Virginia Tech played Tennessee in ATL on New Year's Eve. And of course I centered my New Year's plans around said college football game … I have a degree that brands me a Hokie and a dog named Smokey.
I’m a poet and didn’t even know it. But I did know the Hokies were going to win the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl as the Volunteers would volunteer to lose.
You know why else I opted to ring in the new year at a college football game …? Because I go out to clubs and bars all the time, and the only thing that makes them different on New Year's Eve is that they’re more crowded. Hate to say it, but I call it like I see it.
Kazba is pairing its grand opening celebration with a New Year's one, but last night I got a sneak peek ... but I'm not going to be sneaky about it. Here's the scoop, for your info-tainment ...
My friend Dianne said it reminds her of a bar you’d find where she's from … she's from the Untied Arab Emirates ... not ringing a bell? … Dubai … the Middle East, if you will. So, for her to say that, they really adhered to the international theme they were going for.
It is the epitome of a lounge with its candlelit, low-to-the-floor plush seating. It was dark and comfortable. So much, in fact, I kinda wanted to take a nap. The music wasn’t too loud so it really became a possibility come midnight; all the pillows and couches lined with drapes made it rather tempting. I even had to order a Redbull, sans vodka.
My only issue with Kazba is that there’s no bathroom in it ... you have to go use Mez like an outhouse. When both venues are crowded I imagine that is going to suck (i.e. New Year's Eve) — just be sure to go out with an empty bladder, and avoid breaking the seal for as long as you can.
So is the Kazba rockin? … You be the judge
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