tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23852510571548545922009-10-20T15:46:25.423-04:00Adventures and observations from inside Charlotte's loopMike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-73267081126243484782008-08-23T17:18:00.003-04:002008-08-23T17:25:28.626-04:00

Behold, the almighty trailer. It's what many CMS children learn in. I have a friend who's been teaching in Charlotte for four years now, and had a trailer every year. Schools are opening over capacity, and some kids have to eat lunch at 10 a.m.Yeah, I can see why Eric Smith bailed six years ago. And the fact that bonds barely pass on the ballot, I can see why private and home schools are becoming

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-50529944209750987912008-08-19T09:59:00.004-04:002008-08-19T10:31:24.406-04:00

Plaza-Midwood has become the chic spot for Charlotte in recent years. Once an area that the city had given up on (and that title now belongs to Independence Blvd.), it has been revitalized and cleaned up for the most part in an effort to attract younger people. So far, so good.My friend and his wife recently bought a place there and really like it. So I decided to take a drive out there and see

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-34783923445017718442008-08-12T10:35:00.002-04:002008-08-12T10:45:53.974-04:00

As much as I love Ballantyne, it's time to venture to a new spot in the Queen City. That's right, I'm taking the plunge into buying a place. Figured it's as best a time as ever after hearing some horror stories from friends on how they're losing money on some of their places. It's a nervous yet excited feeling, especially since I have to be out of my apartment in less than two months. But there

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-37042994371372653272008-08-06T12:51:00.002-04:002008-08-06T12:56:41.479-04:00

Not that they could have seen this coming (nor did Ken Lucas), but the above ad sure backfired, huh?Nothing like opening the season on the road against a team picked by some to win the Super Bowl without your star player.

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-65617001471757367982008-08-01T09:52:00.002-04:002008-08-01T10:33:54.532-04:00

TV shows are invading Charlotte!About a year ago, Hell's Kitchen had auditions here, with three people from the area making it onto the culinary show. Lou Petrozza ended up going all the way to the finals before losing.And this week, three more shows are in town. Extreme Makeover has been over in East Charlotte renovating a house. Hopefully, the family that receives this will be a little smarter

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-28377287596203244462008-07-30T09:45:00.002-04:002008-07-30T10:01:13.197-04:00

This month's Charlotte magazine had a great cover feature on pets. Makes me want a dog even more. Unfortunately, I don't own one...I'd like to have a house and a yard so the dog doesn't feel as sheltered, and then there's also the fact that I'm not around my place a lot so I don't know if I'd be the best pet parent. Maybe if I ever settle down.Anyway, I enjoy the company of all my friends' dogs,

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-3584265331928539842008-07-27T13:45:00.002-04:002008-07-27T13:51:28.615-04:00

So, all this weekend during my travels, I noticed something.Something I hadn't seen in a while: Gas prices that didn't have a $4 in front of them. Up at Lake Norman, it was $3.80. Over on Tyvola, $3.90.Who would have thought that Charlotteans would actually be rejoicing over $3.90 gas prices? Here down in Ballantyne, myself and others have been driving the extra seven miles into Lancaster, S.C.,

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-1244439277599267922008-07-23T09:31:00.002-04:002008-07-23T09:50:36.255-04:00

Above is a Ed Hardy shirt. It is THE must-have of the status fashion. Been around for about a year now, but it has really made its way into the Charlotte area. It's hard to go out on a weekend night and not see one. Apparently, you're not cool unless you have one of these wildly designed shirts. Uptown and Ballantyne are the two places where you'll likely more than likely make a sighting. But

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-9589656532515952852008-07-17T11:56:00.002-04:002008-07-17T13:53:49.898-04:00

As Mike G. mentioned a while back, I'm (meaning the Ballantyne Big Dog) heading up this look into the world that is the Queen City for the next couple of months or so. Maybe longer, depending on how I'm welcomed (but judging by the lack of comments on any previous post, I've got some work to do).While Mike is gone, I'll try to carry the torch and keep the readers abreast of what's going on in

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-63299709143116202982008-07-10T12:28:00.003-04:002008-07-10T12:41:33.044-04:00

You may already know him as the Ballantyne Big Dog, who has previously posted on Chris Rock and Kanye West and demanded that you come party in the burbs. Starting next week, he will be lifting up his left leg and claiming this blog all for himself. But since he's a Southern gentleman, he decided to introduce himself first.Salutations.Get ready for the Yup-Town invasion from the South. Ballantyne,

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-18815691315741747152008-07-10T12:25:00.002-04:002008-07-10T12:28:43.910-04:00

From one who recently jetted away for a very sunny and sandy extended weekend:"You have to go far away (so your blackberry doesn't work) and take expensive ones (so they are less likely to cancel them because then they have to reimburse you)."These guys never cease to impress me.

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-84698490034294350862008-07-07T23:39:00.003-04:002008-07-07T23:49:29.707-04:00

Yup-Town will be changing hands next week, because I'm heading out of the country. More on that over the next few days.To fill the void, make your way over to the annual festival held in my honor. That's right: The Giglio Feast. The feast will feature, as always, the majestic Dance of the Giglio, which should not be missed. Here's a brief, but very accurate, description:Why is a Giglio danced?

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-6510670011664019412008-06-30T15:57:00.004-04:002008-06-30T20:56:40.441-04:00

In April, my friend Dick informed me of the amusing hiring practices at Whisky River when we dropped by for one of the bar's many grand openings. He had been creepily observing the tryouts from a window at work (the post):They would show up in groups of "two to seven," all good looking and lacquered with makeup. Dick claimed to have overheard the following conversation outside his place of

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-59445080265839899132008-06-27T21:32:00.009-04:002008-07-01T08:17:26.033-04:00

I just noticed a sign on the door behind my perch at a picnic table outside the Caribou Coffee on East Blvd. "Tonight outside at 7pm :)" reads the hand-written note on a piece of paper taped to the glass. The letterhead: the Charlotte Paranormal Meetup Group (a combination of believers and investigators).Sure enough, just in front of me, about 15 people are finishing up what must have been an

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-39378713577971276672008-06-27T14:00:00.003-04:002008-06-27T14:13:01.868-04:00

Another guest review from the Ballantyne Big Dog (read his last posts here and here).In 1996, Chris Rock became a comedic icon when he premiered "Bring the Pain." The special, in which he riffed on subjects from media to racism, propelled him to superstardom.And although he's made millions in movies and TV, stand-up is where his roots are at. Twelve years after "Bring the Pain," Rock showed he's

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-69622122250059691522008-06-27T09:14:00.003-04:002008-06-27T09:17:15.306-04:00

From the cover story of today's Observer.

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-42061376568939550212008-06-26T09:28:00.005-04:002008-06-26T09:33:24.985-04:00

My latest article for the magazine discusses how the financial crisis has affected the rich, cocky young professionals who might be the standard-bearers for Yup-Town.Here it is.

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-31554334214187062492008-06-25T17:13:00.001-04:002008-06-25T17:17:55.753-04:00

According to this story in today's New York Times, energy prices are pushing people from suburbs to cities across the country:"Across the nation, the realization is taking hold that rising energy prices are less a momentary blip than a change with lasting consequences. The shift to costlier fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities, while exacerbating the housing

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-68485224469545779752008-06-24T15:27:00.004-04:002008-06-24T17:01:08.317-04:00

When the buttoned-up bars and clubs of Yup-Town are getting me down, I make for the Breakfast Club. A couple of blocks and a world (or at least a few decades) away from Trade and Tryon, it's a square and cement-walled oasis of debauchery smack dab in the center of a parking lot.The $7 cover is often negotiable. On Friday nights, bottles of domestic beer are $1. The chairs downstairs are shaped

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-23753812958912468782008-06-18T21:46:00.002-04:002008-06-18T21:48:07.365-04:00

A reader writes:"I live in Eastover Ridge for a few reasons. First, they have very affordable housing and very spacious rooms. My apartment is a 900 sf single at a very good price. Second, they have great amenities. There are two pools, a good workout facility, and garbage pick-up at your door. Third, most of the residents are rather young and in their 20s. This makes it a fun place to live.

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-87221432192776140472008-06-18T21:31:00.003-04:002008-06-18T21:34:39.772-04:00

Late breaking development: They're not allowed at Suite, either. What's a casually stylish man to do?

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-9899738810072090522008-06-17T17:00:00.010-04:002008-06-18T21:42:51.907-04:00

With several friends among the recent post-graduation migration to Charlotte, I've been doling out plenty of housing advice these days. With that in mind, here's a very condensed guide of my very limited knowledge on finding a suitable place to rent in Yup-Town.1) Use craigslist. It's the most comprehensive collection of properties around, and also strangely addicting. First figure out what

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-17874559746685538762008-06-13T10:45:00.002-04:002008-06-13T11:01:45.540-04:00

First, it was HOM. On Saturday night, they wouldn't let me in. The guy in front of me with a t-shirt and chain? No problem. My two friends before me wearing shorts and sandals? Go on in. But then the bouncer, who actually had a European accent, stopped me at the door. He told me, in that filthy accent, that my New Balance sneakers didn't make the cut.I began pointing at all the people in line

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-56989391350634741512008-06-06T13:57:00.003-04:002008-06-06T14:02:49.815-04:00

Jurassic J hates many things. But he loves the Teeter (for good reason). Another guest post from the last of his kind.Yesterday I couldn't decide what to eat for dinner so I went down to the Harris Teeter and wandered around like someone that was stalking the wine-tasting lady until I realized I had free sub points. I haven't had a sub in a while, and I never tried the chicken, so this was a

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385251057154854592.post-32974500011121080612008-06-05T21:48:00.002-04:002008-06-05T22:38:29.381-04:00

When trying to figure out what will be going on at any uptown event, you need only to check for one detail. What type of currency will be accepted?At Speed Street, for instance, it was straight cash, all combinations of pocket change encouraged. And we all know what happened there. Alive After Five, meanwhile, makes you stand in one line to purchase tickets, then get in another to purchase

Mike Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12082251038986726171noreply@blogger.com0