Only Thirsty Thursdays provide me the incentive to traverse to Fort Mill for Charlotte Knights' games anymore; cheap beer trumps the mileage and political issues currently surrounding the team's land swap proposal to move to Center City.
On these special evenings, the $2 twelve ounce canned rotgut tastes a little better in contrast to the usual five spot draft. That'll get you a pair on this special evening, leaving a single to tip the nice lady from Band Boosters. For the record, I select the Pabst Blue Ribbon in lieu of Miller High Life or Natty Light.
The games have never been about wins or losses--I couldn't even begin to tell you a single player that's ever played here--it's the company I keep. Viewing games from the mezzanine area, the boys and I have scrutinized relationships, evaluated the legality of young female patrons, and measured our manhood in Seinfeld trivia.
Bring twenty bucks. Eight gets you through the door ($2 parking, $6 general admission) leaving the net proceeds available for the aforementioned Thursday home game offer.
That's the kind of deal worthy of a Crawl plug. Any other day, I don't wanna play. Get the Knights back to Charlotte.
***************
The surplus of bar crawls aren't usually newsworthy, but Lazyday.com's Golden Ticket event this Friday, April 28th, reminds me of the recent Willy Wonka remake and the American Idol receipt clutched in the fingers of a Hollywood-bound applicant.
A meager admission fee (free for ladies, $10 guys) waives cover charges at five downtown destinations mostly reserved for the college crowd (Dixie's, Buckhead, Grand Central, et al.) but since when did most of them charge cover anyway?
$3 SoCo's and lime and $2 Bud selections are the featured drink selections while revelers pull a ticket at each stop for various prizes highlighted with a Sony digital camera by evening's end.
Email RSVP's to info@lazyday.com.
***************
An upstairs beer at Connolly's recently afforded me the pleasure of meeting my friendly site rival Tonya Jameson of the Observer's "Paid to Party" feature. It was bound to happen; I'm surprised it took as long as it did.
Sporting her mohawk, this funky chick tirelessly works a slightly different beat, and I envy her ability to devote herself to Charlotte nightlife full-time. Instead, I'll hit the salt mines of the financial field tomorrow after wrapping up this blog at 11:30 pm.
We have discussed a cross-promotional effort in the near future, and explore an alternative point/counterpoint approach that meets our mutual interest.
I'd consider the mohawk, but I'll blame the widow's peak on my forehead as non-cooperative. Besides, it doesn't go very well with business casual.
Reach Bryan at charlottenightlife@hotmail.com. All emails will be answered.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Lean Legs and YAM
The Best Third Friday of the Month Summer Happy Hour starts again at 6:00 pm on April 21st, courtesy of the Young Affiliates of the Mint's (YAM) rooftop access to the Mint Museum of Craft and Design at 220 N. Tryon downtown.
This fundraiser, a chapter of the organization's continuing philanthropy, attracts a scene similar to the picture at the left, and offers this blogger a shot at helping the reader decipher his crappy Dr. Seuss headline.
For twenty bucks, nonmembers are treated to unlimited alcohol (limited beer and wine) and local cuisine, while it lasts. The scenery, whether you appreciate a skyline, fine art, or tanned flesh is subject to the individual palate.
Membership, on the other hand, is a mere sixty dollars a year, offering discounted access to a slate of popular annual activities such as the Jazzy Ladies movie series on the Mint's front lawn (April 30) and the running of Derby Daze on May 6th.
For the uncivilized, this is probably not for you. But consider if it's worth cleaning up for participation in one of the city's largest organizations, already some five hundred strong.
Maybe then you'll see why I want to call it the Yummiest Adults in Mecklenburg.
Anybody have any better acronyms? Post your response.
Monday, April 10, 2006
CCA5, It's Good to Be Alive
Charlotte Center City Partners recently released its annual lineup for Center City Alive After Five, with confidence in a completion date for the Wachovia Plaza (2nd & Tryon) construction before the May 4th kickoff.
Timely work from the construction business? Two weeks ago, the entire grounds were erected in scaffolding, privacy walls, and construction debris. It'll take more than a Swiffer to get ready by early May.
As usual, the docket is littered with tribute acts like repeat performances from Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi) and Zoso (Led Zeppelin). Other annual faves include The Swingin' Richards, The Voltage Brothers, and the Blue Dogs.
But do we really listen to any of them anyway? That fantastic backdrop of live music, no matter who it is, falls on deaf ears when getting a gander at the season's first crop of sundresses.
Admission is free, and beverages, well, aren't.
********************
After attending my first and only Checkers' game at the conclusion of the regular season, a 3-2 overtime win over the Columbia Inferno, the Arena's equivalent of Thirsty Thursday was nearly a bait-and-switch worthy of a car dealer promotion.
You see, not all the beers are $2.00; one must have happened upon the club section at the point of entry to be directed to the long lines for discounted Coors Light. It took the first $6.75 Bud purchase to adapt to the learning curve, only to have the club bar then "run out" after enduring a fifteen minute wait.
A problem that's rectified with simple signage, staffing, and service. Offer me a comparable alternative while standing awkwardly at the front; I'll consider myself a happy customer and rave about it in a nightlife column.
The Arena is gorgeous. So is the Checkmates' dance squad, braving that slippery floor during intermissions. But mid-week minor league sports rely heavily on you and me and our disposable income to enjoy cocktails after work with friends.
Let's get it right next year. I promise to go to more games.
********************
Sunday's flirt with warmer days to come peeled me away from my annual obsession with Masters' coverage. Answering the call of Lake Norman, a pair of cargo shorts and flip-flops barely exceeded comfortable in the chilly shade, but a handful of girly Blue Moon beers (with an orange slice, of course) at the Rusty Rudder trumped golf on TV any day.
The tiki bar is open, signaling a flare for the beginning of lake season, and as usual, I am grateful for the friends who invite me up.
The best boat ride ever? Any one that I didn't pay for.
********************
Speaking of the lake, Queen's Landing in Mooresville is the latest to experiment with a dueling pianos bar, moving in on the old Sarangoni's restaurant. Dubbed Jokers, the grand opening is 9 pm on April 22nd.
Charlotte's feeble run at it in the past (Rum Runners, Sam's Uptune Saloon) was a predictable demise for this successful franchise many have experienced at Crocodile Rocks in Myrtle Beach. The difference, however, is that a revolving tourist crowd never tires of the repeated performances of "Sweet Caroline" and "Piano Man." Ugh, one grueling night after night.
I've got to admit, however, I never balk at the interactive version of Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World," complete with an accelerating tempo and graphic hand gestures not fit to reproduce in this column.
But to the home crowd, the repeat business will dwindle, especially when subjected to the nightly college fight song contest, where the talent duo will each pocket several hundred dollars in tips just to have rival fans shut them up.
It's brilliant. It's also tired. But I'm glad to see 'em again.
Reach Bryan at charlottenightlife@hotmail.com. All emails will be answered.
Timely work from the construction business? Two weeks ago, the entire grounds were erected in scaffolding, privacy walls, and construction debris. It'll take more than a Swiffer to get ready by early May.
As usual, the docket is littered with tribute acts like repeat performances from Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi) and Zoso (Led Zeppelin). Other annual faves include The Swingin' Richards, The Voltage Brothers, and the Blue Dogs.
But do we really listen to any of them anyway? That fantastic backdrop of live music, no matter who it is, falls on deaf ears when getting a gander at the season's first crop of sundresses.
Admission is free, and beverages, well, aren't.
********************
After attending my first and only Checkers' game at the conclusion of the regular season, a 3-2 overtime win over the Columbia Inferno, the Arena's equivalent of Thirsty Thursday was nearly a bait-and-switch worthy of a car dealer promotion.
You see, not all the beers are $2.00; one must have happened upon the club section at the point of entry to be directed to the long lines for discounted Coors Light. It took the first $6.75 Bud purchase to adapt to the learning curve, only to have the club bar then "run out" after enduring a fifteen minute wait.
A problem that's rectified with simple signage, staffing, and service. Offer me a comparable alternative while standing awkwardly at the front; I'll consider myself a happy customer and rave about it in a nightlife column.
The Arena is gorgeous. So is the Checkmates' dance squad, braving that slippery floor during intermissions. But mid-week minor league sports rely heavily on you and me and our disposable income to enjoy cocktails after work with friends.
Let's get it right next year. I promise to go to more games.
********************
Sunday's flirt with warmer days to come peeled me away from my annual obsession with Masters' coverage. Answering the call of Lake Norman, a pair of cargo shorts and flip-flops barely exceeded comfortable in the chilly shade, but a handful of girly Blue Moon beers (with an orange slice, of course) at the Rusty Rudder trumped golf on TV any day.
The tiki bar is open, signaling a flare for the beginning of lake season, and as usual, I am grateful for the friends who invite me up.
The best boat ride ever? Any one that I didn't pay for.
********************
Speaking of the lake, Queen's Landing in Mooresville is the latest to experiment with a dueling pianos bar, moving in on the old Sarangoni's restaurant. Dubbed Jokers, the grand opening is 9 pm on April 22nd.
Charlotte's feeble run at it in the past (Rum Runners, Sam's Uptune Saloon) was a predictable demise for this successful franchise many have experienced at Crocodile Rocks in Myrtle Beach. The difference, however, is that a revolving tourist crowd never tires of the repeated performances of "Sweet Caroline" and "Piano Man." Ugh, one grueling night after night.
I've got to admit, however, I never balk at the interactive version of Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World," complete with an accelerating tempo and graphic hand gestures not fit to reproduce in this column.
But to the home crowd, the repeat business will dwindle, especially when subjected to the nightly college fight song contest, where the talent duo will each pocket several hundred dollars in tips just to have rival fans shut them up.
It's brilliant. It's also tired. But I'm glad to see 'em again.
Reach Bryan at charlottenightlife@hotmail.com. All emails will be answered.
Monday, April 03, 2006
April Stools
Saturday's Final Four blah-fest, unless you're a Gator or a Bruin, made me grateful for gold-rimmed goblets of Stella Artois at Stool Pigeons; I have an affectionate appreciation for the bar that served as my inaugural column three years ago.
Watching the games sequentially, a similar feat I accomplished in January for the NFL divisional playoffs, was ushered along by the nine Stella's, also poured sequentially.
Stoolies' has maintained a rather consistent approach, carefully eluding any association as a sports bar, but finds it difficult to delineate when surrounded by televisions carrying all the major sports packages. The menu is still a satisfactory selection of upscale bar food, having added interesting treats like sliders, pork shanks, and PBR chili.
They even walk out a dessert tray now. Seriously.
Not even the wind from the old Rhino Club spade fans could cool off the unexpected frustration of suffering through those two boring blowouts.
But for the record, I'll take UCLA tonight and the points.
***************
A full-feature Cans review, after the Observer's Tonya Jameson's P2P feature on Friday and my twenty minute wait in line Saturday night, will take a raincheck. Why?
The impending grand opening (Thursday night...Napoleon Dynamite's "Pedro" is back for another shameless cameo) notwithstanding, your patronage has made it nearly impossible to spend quality time with the staff thanks to an overwhelming early attendance.
Dragging my notebook inside, to be welcomed by some seven or eight hundred of you (or more?) was of little use when the credit card machines crashed, and the staff floundered to move product with cash only.
Instead, my fellow comrades ran interference and scribbled furiously on my pad the following:
"Cans girls love to show their cans!" An appropriate exclamation, but I saw none.
"I am disappointed by the lack of actual cans! My tongue longs for real -------. You would think a bar called Cans would satisfy!" Uh, shall we introduce her to the first gal?
"Please make sure you note that this place bites! It took 25 minutes to even get noticed at the bar then [sic] to get served!" Well, should she have showed her cans?
And on the last page, ironically, a poor sketch of a U. of Florida Gator. (I am a Florida State graduate. But yes, I am envious tonight. I lost my bet.)
***************
Folks who have missed their bangers & mash at Ri-Ra need only wait until approximately Sunday, April 16th, for the completion of the kitchen renovation. In the meantime, a catered menu of sandwiches and boxed salads fills in nicely.
Just add a Guinness to your order,slurp it with a spoon, and complete the soup-n-sandwich combo.
***************
Look for me at the finish line of the 10k at the Charlotte Racefest on Saturday morning, April 8th; presumably, I will be with a group huddled around a cooler. We've got to pull for one of our girls.
I abandoned this destructive cardiovascular activity in high school, and with good reason. I had a hard enough time filling out timely, and didn't need running to hinder my late pubescence on my girly little frame. Those skeletons that cross the line early really creep me out, anyway.
Email Bryan at charlottenightlife@hotmail.com.
Watching the games sequentially, a similar feat I accomplished in January for the NFL divisional playoffs, was ushered along by the nine Stella's, also poured sequentially.
Stoolies' has maintained a rather consistent approach, carefully eluding any association as a sports bar, but finds it difficult to delineate when surrounded by televisions carrying all the major sports packages. The menu is still a satisfactory selection of upscale bar food, having added interesting treats like sliders, pork shanks, and PBR chili.
They even walk out a dessert tray now. Seriously.
Not even the wind from the old Rhino Club spade fans could cool off the unexpected frustration of suffering through those two boring blowouts.
But for the record, I'll take UCLA tonight and the points.
***************
A full-feature Cans review, after the Observer's Tonya Jameson's P2P feature on Friday and my twenty minute wait in line Saturday night, will take a raincheck. Why?
The impending grand opening (Thursday night...Napoleon Dynamite's "Pedro" is back for another shameless cameo) notwithstanding, your patronage has made it nearly impossible to spend quality time with the staff thanks to an overwhelming early attendance.
Dragging my notebook inside, to be welcomed by some seven or eight hundred of you (or more?) was of little use when the credit card machines crashed, and the staff floundered to move product with cash only.
Instead, my fellow comrades ran interference and scribbled furiously on my pad the following:
"Cans girls love to show their cans!" An appropriate exclamation, but I saw none.
"I am disappointed by the lack of actual cans! My tongue longs for real -------. You would think a bar called Cans would satisfy!" Uh, shall we introduce her to the first gal?
"Please make sure you note that this place bites! It took 25 minutes to even get noticed at the bar then [sic] to get served!" Well, should she have showed her cans?
And on the last page, ironically, a poor sketch of a U. of Florida Gator. (I am a Florida State graduate. But yes, I am envious tonight. I lost my bet.)
***************
Folks who have missed their bangers & mash at Ri-Ra need only wait until approximately Sunday, April 16th, for the completion of the kitchen renovation. In the meantime, a catered menu of sandwiches and boxed salads fills in nicely.
Just add a Guinness to your order,slurp it with a spoon, and complete the soup-n-sandwich combo.
***************
Look for me at the finish line of the 10k at the Charlotte Racefest on Saturday morning, April 8th; presumably, I will be with a group huddled around a cooler. We've got to pull for one of our girls.
I abandoned this destructive cardiovascular activity in high school, and with good reason. I had a hard enough time filling out timely, and didn't need running to hinder my late pubescence on my girly little frame. Those skeletons that cross the line early really creep me out, anyway.
Email Bryan at charlottenightlife@hotmail.com.
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