Charlotte Sports Leagues

Keeping yourself active while maintaining a social life is at the top of my "Things That are Important at This Point in My Life" list and Charlotte has been very accommodating.

There are all sorts of sports being played all around the city's parks on any given evening just begging to be joined. I chose to participate in a little game called Ultimate Frisbee. Don't laugh. It's a legit, intense game. Kind of like soccer, except you're throwing a frisbee. And you can't run when you have the disc. I've seen some pretty brutal sports injuries and have even taken someone to the hospital because of this game. Of course, it doesn't have to be that intense, unless you're really competitive, then that's cool too, just don't play with me.

If you're like me and enjoy playing group sports, there's an all encompassing league in Charlotte called SportsLink that has everything from basketball to floor hockey, and even cornhole!

Charleston, SC

By far my favorite city in the South - Charleston, SC.

Why?

History - Cobble stone streets, Civil War Era buildings, AMERICA's past.
Food - Southern cooking at its finest - Hominy Grill, Jestine's Kitchen, Middleton Place. Upscale dining to enjoy Cypress, and the surrounding restaurants on E Bay St.
Nightlife - Not so much in the dance club sense, but tons of bars
Beaches - Isle of Palms (when it isn't ridiculously windy) and Folly Beach (but only at night).

Strolling through the historic neighborhoods, cruising along the beach, eating my face off. Oh yeah, and watching a few fireworks (just happened to be in this wonderful city during Independence Day weekend). Fireworks in Charleston on the Fourth of July?? Make sure you get yourself to a rooftop bar to enjoy the harbor fireworks shows!

Hunting Island State Park, SC

Thinking of going camping in the Carolinas??? Hunting Island State Park on the coast of South Carolina is a great place for your outdoor adventure. Located within the larger island of St. Helena near Beaufort, SC, Hunting Island State Park features wooded camping sites with beach access. There are plenty of RV camping sites as well as tent only sites. A couple of bathroom/shower facilities dot the area and there's even a small general store at the camp ground entrance. A group of us drove the 4 hours from Charlotte to this island camping getaway and had a great weekend being beach bums.

Sand was clean and beach surrounded by a big green forest. If it weren't for those trees, I could have mistaken the Atlantic for the Pacific. A walk down the beach will take you to a driftwood graveyard (as we named it) and just beyond that, a lighthouse. $2 let's you climb all the way to the top, view was worth it. Walk the other direction, take a short swim at low tide and you can explore the sand bars, just watch out for jelly fish.



Sun was mighty strong this past weekend and humidity was ridiculous. I'm still recovering from major sunburns, as well as mosquito bites. The campground is stocked with very hungry mosquitoes who take no prisoners. Also, watch out for mischievous raccoons, they'll take any food you leave out and are not afraid of you. The deer that roam the campgrounds aren't scared of people either.

There are definitely plenty of places to go camping closer to Charlotte, but if you have a long weekend (or want to take a week off), I'd definitely recommend camping on the beach in South Carolina. Fun times will be had.

Hot Hot (Humid) Heat

You know what I'm not a fan of? Humid heat.

I can stand the dry heat of California all the live long day, but this suffocating, oppressive humid heat of the Carolinas (and other parts of the South?) is not desirable. At all.

Often times, when I first step into my car after it's been baking in the sun all day, my glasses fog up. True story.

Oh well, good thing I'm stuck in an air conditioned office building all day.

Froyo in the Queen City!

Charlotte, I am so glad you jumped on the froyo band wagon. (Froyo, btw, is frozen yogurt)

When I first arrived in the Queen City, the only frozen yogurt place (ala Yogurtland and Pinkberry style) was Tasty Yo located in NoDa. But since those dark days, several branches of Yoforia have opened up bringing with them the advent of self serve, multi-flavor, multi-topping tart frozen yogurts. Halle-frickin-lujah!

Seriously, I was having major froyo withdrawals the first couple of months, but now, I can satisfy my frequent cravings whenever I want. If I wanted froyo four times a week, I could do that, like I did last week. Don't judge.

Why is froyo (the way I like it) so amazing?

Lemme count the ways:
1) Refreshing, frozen dessert.
2) Low-cal, good for your digestive system.
3) Multiple fruity tart flavors in however large a quantity I want.
4) Dozens of toppings to be mixed about to satisfy any particular craving I'm having (blackberries, cap'n crunch, and mochi anyone?).
5) Self serve, pay by ounce (total control of my froyo budget).

So, check it out peeps, and suggest to any entrepreneurial spirit to open up a Yogurtland in Charlotte, they would have my undivided business.

As a side note, Pinkberry is opening a branch at Philips Place sometime this summer.. not self serve, but a nice reminder of home.

U.S. Whitewater Center

Been frequenting the U.S. Whitewater center this summer because it's AWESOME.

White water rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, zip lining, challenge courses, mountain biking, trail running, and hiking all in one place! The annual pass is only $149, which is freaking incredible. I think I paid $120 for four hours of white water rafting in California once.
Parking is $5 each time, but you can get a pass for $40 and share with friends.

White water rafting is in a man made facility and kayaking is on the Catawba river. Only 15 minutes from the city center, it's a great way to spend a summer in Charlotte.

Yeah, I know this sounds like an ad, but I really like this place.

Next post, more awesome things to do in Charlotte!

Things to eat in Charlotte

Been in the Queen City for almost 6 months now! Guess I've been having a good time since time's flying so fast.


So, I'm big into food, here are some suggestions for places to eat when you come out to Charlotte:
1) McKoy's Smokehouse for some good ol' fashioned Carolina BBQ
2) Cookout for a fancy milkshake
3) Penguin for fried pickles, a greasy burger, or best soy dog ever
4) Bojangles just for the hell of it

There are more, but I don't think your cholesterol level could handle it.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's a little post I wrote five years ago:

	and she cried. and i cry. this mother's day she is, next she might be was. is was better than is? it might be if is is more suffering than was. we might cry that she is becoming was, but maybe it's better that she be was. i still cry though. i don't want her to become a fish.

Man, I was a weird kid with existential blog posts.

Happy Mother's Day!

New Digs in Charlotte, NC

I'm a liar. Never updated about Spain. Life got in the way. and now I'm in Charlotte, NC.
How did I become to be in the American South? Well, I guess it's not the true South, but close to it. My company offered me an opportunity and I couldn't not take it. I dislike thinking of the things I could've, should've, would've done. I'd rather do something and risk the regret that might come with the action than regret not taking action. Comprendere? So I made the leap from comfortable but not fulfilled in beautiful Southern California to challenged and cold in North Carolina. So far, I'm liking it. I may be struggling with the learning curve that comes from switching to a new line of work, but I'm enjoying the challenge. I'm also really enjoying the whole living alone thing. I don't mean to sound like a hermit, but I achieve more without all the distractions. Plus, I'm beginning to love my small, first floor apartment with washer/dryer and oversized couch.
Enough about my inner thoughts and crap, this is a pseudo-travel blog, so on to the travel!
I drove across this great nation of mine (yes, I do profess I love America, but that's a discussion for a different forum). From the mild weather of Southern California across the frozen deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, through the vast agricultural lands in the middle of the country to the dirty south (Hot-lanta!) and finally ending up in this boom town of Charlotte, NC. Took us 3.5 days, 2400 miles, countless tanks of gasoline, and plate fulls of Americana. We literally ate ourselves across America. Drove for hours at a time only to stop at a place one of us had seen on either Food Network or Travel Channel. It was wonderful and I weigh 5 pounds more than I did when in So. Cal. It's all the rich Southern food I've consumed. =_=
America is such a varied and beautiful country. It's a wonder I didn't get around to roadtrippin' through it before. Now to explore more of the South and East coast.

I promise to make a more concerted effort of keeping this thing updated. Even if no one reads it, I know I'll need the memory boost in the future.