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ADVENTURES IN THE UNITED STATES, Main menu

Austin and Texas Hill Country

October 16, 2019 whitney Leave a comment

Four days in Austin and Texas Hill Country: Tacos, vintage shops, delicious BBQ, wine tasting, and rock n roll.

We definitely did not get enough time in Austin on this trip. It was our first time in Texas, and it left us wanting to see more. Austin is a twangier, tangier, dustier version of Portland, Oregon. In fact, Portland actually stole Austin’s “Keep Austin Weird” slogan. Austin has more live music and less rain, more BBQ and less strip clubs. I am in love with both cities equally now, and wish it was easier to visit Austin as much as we visit Portland.

Paddy’s band The Mercy Ray was invited to play at their lead singer’s best friend’s 50th birthday party in Dripping Springs, Texas, about an hour outside of Austin in Texas Hill Country. Heidi (the lead singer) was from the Austin area, and really wanted to bring her band home for the party. We’d never been to Texas, so we all cashed in our airline miles for a four day weekend.

The best time of year to visit Texas is not early September. Austin in early September is 100+ degrees. That being said, it is still possible to have a great time while taking periodic refuge in air-conditioned environments.

Day 1: Exploring Austin: shopping and murals in the North Loop and South Congress neighborhood

In order to maximize our time in Austin and due to the lower flight price, we opted to fly in on Wednesday night and stay a night at a crappy airport hotel. The rest of the band was getting in late afternoon on Thursday, so we had the day to explore Austin on our own before our entourage arrived.

We checked out of the not-so-quality Quality Inn at the airport, picked up our rental car, and headed to the North Loop neighborhood to do some vintage shopping.

The North Loop neighborhood in North Austin has a cluster of great vintage shops right next to each other. If you are looking for a vintage Playboy issue or mid-century antiques, Room Service Vintage is your mecca.

Had we not had to ship it home, we may have purchased an awesome 70’s swag lamp here. But alas, it wasn’t quite worth the price or hassle. There was some truly fantastic stuff though. If you are into vintage shopping, this cluster of shops shouldn’t be missed.

After shopping, we were a bit peckish so we went for lunch at nearby Torchy’s Tacos. Torchy’s has many locations in Austin so it shouldn’t be difficult to find one. An Austin fast food favorite, Torchy’s offers lots of inventive and tasty tacos that are not your traditional Mexican fare. We both had a Trailer Park taco, which was fried chicken with pico de gallo, lettuce, chiles, cheese, and a poblano pepper sauce. Paddy also had a Brushfire jerk chicken taco with mango, and I had a Mr. Pink taco with seared ahi tuna and chipotle sauce. There were so many delicious options, we wanted to try them all!

We also loved that they had a big vat of house made unsweetened ice tea with fresh lemon wedges as a drink option. There was a house made sweet tea as well.

Torchy's Tacos Austin — Torchy’s Tacos Austin: Mr Pink taco and a Trailer Park Taco

After lunch, we sought out a couple famous Austin murals. Austin has a plethora of great murals, and we only made it to a few of them. We prioritized the two Austin Texas murals for the photo op. It was our first day in Texas, and we couldn’t help ourselves.

Greetings from Austin mural at 1720 S 1st Street

Austin Texas mural at 3700 Guadalupe Street

We had a couple hours left to explore the South Congress neighborhood.

South Congress is a very popular area with both tourists and locals. Be warned that parking is not easy to come by. After driving around and discovering that all the neighborhood streets off South Congress are residential permit only, we finally found a pay lot at the South Congress Hotel on E Monroe Street.

Willie for President Mural South Congress Austin

South Congress street is full of fun shops and restaurants to explore, and is a must do for anyone visiting Austin. Our favorite store was Triple Z Threads, which takes vintage western shirts and embroiders various designs on them. There were sasquatches, scorpions, cats with laser eyes, and other fun designs. They also have a lot of fun t-shirts and other unique gifts.

Photo op at Triple Z Threads South Congress

We also enjoyed the Big Top Candy Shop and Allen’s Boots.

Unusual soda flavors at Big Top Candy Shop

Big Top Candy Shop South Congress Austin

Big Top Candy Shop has just about every kind of candy you can think of, and some you couldn’t imagine yet (sweet corn or pickle soda anyone?)

Allen’s Boots has the largest selection of cowboy boot styles I’ve ever seen. So many prints, sequins, colors, styles. If you are looking for some Texas cowboy boots to take home–this is your place. However, be sure to budget $200-$800 for a pair. These boots are quality, and some are even works of art.

Venturing out into Texas Hill Country:

The rest of the Mercy Ray had arrived by 3:00 so we met up with them at a nearby music rental store to get their gear. Once that was sorted out, we were ready to head out to our Airbnb house in Dripping Springs, about an hour from Austin.

Austin’s hill country is hot and dry, but also full of natural springs and swimming holes. We didn’t have time to check out any swimming holes on this trip, but if you need a break from the heat, here are a few options in the area:

*Note that many of the local swimming holes are organized and require advance reservations for a specific day and time slot as crowd control.

Our Airbnb house was really out in the middle of nowhere, but it was pretty. We loved the big porch with the hill country view.

Airbnb Dripping Springs Texas — Airbnb house Dripping Springs Texas

There were quite a few Airbnb rental house options in the hill country area. Some even had swimming pools. We were happy that our rental had nice, frosty air conditioning and the fridge was stocked with Texas Topo Chico sparkling water.

Epic Texas Hill Country BBQ:

That evening we met up with Heidi and her family at the famous Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood. The Salt Lick can get pretty busy in the evenings, and they accept reservations for parties of 10 or more on weeknights. We made a reservation for our big group, which was advantageous. When we arrived there was already a walk-in wait list for the air-conditioned dining room.

If you can’t wait for a spot in the dining room, there is plenty of outdoor seating and you can order to-go orders to eat on the picnic tables outside.

A couple things to know about the Salt Lick:

1. It is cash only. There is an ATM on site if you need it

2. It is BYOB. They don’t sell alcohol here, but will gladly provide you with cups to drink yours with. Customers actually show up here with coolers of beer. If you didn’t bring your own, the Salt Lick has a winery next door with wines and beers for sale.

And then there’s the meat:

The meat is cooked over a huge BBQ pit, and there are several kinds to choose from. I had the pork ribs and turkey, and Paddy had a sampler platter with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. While the meat was clearly the star of the show, we were super impressed with the coleslaw! I don’t like sweet, mayonnaise-based coleslaw, and theirs was quite the opposite. It was vinegar-based and super flavorful. The perfect compliment to the heavy meat. The potato salad was also delightful and very low on the mayo. Everything was top notch.

The only thing we weren’t crazy impressed with was the cobbler. It was WAY too sweet. They had peach and blackberry, and both were very sugary and didn’t let the tartness of the fruit come through. We also tried the chocolate pecan pie, which was good, but nothing outstanding.

After that huge dinner and a long day of sightseeing we were tired, so headed back to the Airbnb to have some drinks and relax.

Day 2: Day trip to Wimberley

We all went separate ways to do our own things on Friday. Paddy and I opted to drive down to the town of Wimberley, about a half hour drive from our Dripping Springs rental house.

Wimberley is a cute little town. It’s a town your mom will love. Lots of boutique shops to stroll around in and a western vibe. It’s a mom town.

We enjoyed all the artsy cowboy boot sculptures throughout the town. I read that there were more than what we saw, but we didn’t have time to find them all.

The shop keepers were very chatty and friendly. We took a lunch recommendation from one of them and had lunch at the Leaning Pear.

The Leaning Pear looked very upscale and new. It was full of ladies who lunch drinking ice tea and chardonnay. We expected it to be a bit pricey, but were shocked at how reasonable the prices were.

We each had a sandwich and a cup of their gazpacho. The ice tea wasn’t standard Lipton, it had a subtle fruit flavor to it. The gazpacho was very refreshing on such a hot day. The sandwiches were fantastic and only $8! Everything else on the menu looked delicious as well. If you are looking for a lunch spot in Wimberley, The Leaning Pear can’t be missed.

Tuna sandwich and Gazpacho at the Leaning Pear Wimberley — Tuna sandwich and Gazpacho at the Leaning Pear in Wimberley

The Texas Hill Country is home to many wineries, and I had hoped to do a bit of wine tasting after lunch. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and were only able to visit one vineyard in Dripping Springs. We opted for the Solaro Estate Winery not far from our Airbnb.

Solaro Estate Winery had an impressive wall of wine awards off their tasting room. Our friendly host had us taste several wines, of which our favorite was their sparkling wine. Unfortunately sparkling wine and non-pressurized airplane cargo holds are not a good mix, so we didn’t purchase a bottle here. The others were nice, but we didn’t love them enough to justify the prices.

We spent the late afternoon and early evening enjoying the pool at Heidi’s friend Sita’s house in nearby Driftwood. In retrospect, we probably should have opted for an Airbnb with a pool, as nice as our rental house was. It was so hot and sitting in a pool with a drink made for a comfortable, relaxing afternoon.

For dinner that evening we went out to Hays City Store in Driftwood. We sat at outdoor picnic table seating under string lights. It was the perfect place to mop up all the beers and wine we drank at the pool.

I had the Chicken Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and jalepeno gravy and a side of sauteed spinach. The jalepeno gravy had a nice flavor without being too spicy. I also tried their margarita sampler, which was Instagram-worthy and delicious. It came with classic lime, strawberry, watermelon, and jalepeno cucumber. If you are going for a full margarita here, the jalepeno cucumber is the best.

Margarita sampler at Hays City Store Driftwood

Day 3: Rock n Roll birthday party

Saturday was the day of the big 50th birthday party for Heidi’s friend Sita, so Paddy and the rest of the band wanted to take it easy and rest up.

The party was at an outdoor venue called Roadrunners in Dripping Springs. We arrived early so the band could load gear and set up before the party.

Roadrunners is a bar and grill in downtown Dripping Springs with tons of outdoor seating and shade, along with a playground for kids and a mini-golf course. In addition, they often have live music on the weekends. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the food, but we were all impressed with the quality. Their menu isn’t extensive–mostly burgers and sandwiches. However, the salad options were leafy, green and organic (no iceberg lettuce here) and the sandwiches were tasty. Craft cocktails were expensive, but beers were very reasonable. The Roadrunners staff were very accommodating for Sita’s birthday party and everything was a great success.

The layout of the property is nicely set up as well–the playground for entertaining the kids is far from the stage. Close enough to the main bar area for parents to sit in the shade and keep an eye on them, but far enough to not be a distraction from the entertainment at a show. There are many nooks and little tables to sit at throughout on the stage side. Enough space for someone to have an intimate conversation or be right up front to watch music.

Other bands that played included the Humdingers and Texacala Jones and the Pony Island Express.

The Mercy Ray did one of their best shows ever, and the party was fantastic. It was insanely hot though. Being an outdoor venue, we had to endure the 100 degree heat until the sun went down and dropped the temperature to 85. The drummer almost had heat stroke, but everyone survived and the staff supplied ample pitchers of ice water to everyone throughout the evening.

We loved Austin, and want to go back again and spend more time staying in the city itself. There were a lot of things I wanted to see that we missed, like the bats! We also want to check out more of Austin’s music scene and nightlife. If we go back, it will definitely be in the early spring or a time when it isn’t so dang hot. We had a bit more time to explore Austin before we went back to the airport Sunday afternoon, but it was so hot that we opted to go to the airport early for the air conditioning.

We did get a chance to check out a few shops on South Congress that we missed the first time, like Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds. Their plus-sized costume selection wasn’t stellar, but their earring selection was. I had to control myself and narrow it down to four pairs.

Mr Rogers mural South Congress Austin — Mr Rogers mural off South Congress

So long Austin, until we meet again!

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ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, ADVENTURES IN THE UNITED STATES, Main menu

FreLard, Seattle

May 13, 2015 whitney Leave a comment

“FreLard,” the murky gray area between Fremont and Ballard in Seattle is becoming a destination neighborhood specializing in craft beer and craft meat

FreLard: the proverbial “taint” of Ballard and Fremont, a formerly drab, industrial and residential blur between the two neighborhoods is transforming into it’s own interesting little neighborhood. The main drag of FreLard is Leary Way NW, which runs from Market Street in Ballard all the way to N 36th St in the heart of Fremont. FreLard isn’t an official neighborhood title, but it’s something many Seattleites have called it for years– an accurate way to describe the location of a place when you’re not quite sure which neighborhood it is in. Is it in Ballard or Fremont? FreLard.

Over the last decade, and in the last two years in particular, many very hip new restaurants and nano-breweries have sprouted up in FreLard, adding to the few lonely businesses who have pioneered the area. A resounding theme: craft beer, upscale pub grub, and craft meat, with a down-home, high-quality/low-fuss attitude.

The largest of the early pioneers to FreLard is definitely Hales Brewery. The brewery started in 1983 in Colville, WA and moved to Seattle in 1995. The food is pretty good, but most people go for the beer and the spacious, comfortable pub that is great for larger groups. They have three event spaces to rent out for private parties, and in the spring they host the Moisture Festival. We’ve never been to the Moisture Festival, but have always wanted to go and have heard nothing but rave reviews. Maybe we’ll make it next year.

Another old standby in FreLard is The Dish, arguably one of the best breakfast spots in North Seattle. There is almost always a line on the weekends, with a sign in clip board tacked up outside the front door so you can put your name on the list.

The atmosphere in The Dish is bright and cheery, with mismatched coffee mugs and an old style diner breakfast bar. The food is fantastic.

Veggie benedict, The Dish, FreLard Seattle — Veggie benedict at The Dish

Biscuts and gravy at The Dish, FreLard Seattle — Biscuts and gravy at The Dish

If the weekend line for The Dish is too long, or you really need a little booze with your breakfast, I hear the dark and dog-friendly Leary Traveler next door does a great brunch from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. We keep meaning to try it out, but we often wake up at 8:00 AM starving on the weekends, and don’t feel like waiting until 10:00. Someday we’ll make it in there. I’ve heard the bloody marys are worth the wait.

A bit closer to the Ballard Bridge next to Cash ‘N Carry is Maritime Pacific’s Jolly Roger Taproom. While the focus at the Jolly Roger Taproom is showcasing their very tasty microbrews, we go for the food. It is actually one of our favorite restaurants in Seattle.

Jolly Roger Taproom Seattle — image from http://www.thrillist.com/ballard/jolly-roger-taproom

Jolly Roger Taproom smoked onion rings — Jolly Roger Taproom “stackers” smoked onion rings

They have a regular happy hour and bar menu full of cheap yet unique and delicious pub items, such as smoked jalapeno caesar salads (Paddy’s favorite), smoked onion ring “stackers” with smoked jalapeno tarter sauce, beer battered bacon, and mahi mahi sliders. You can easily eat a very satisfying happy hour dinner there for under $15.

The Jolly Roger Taproom also has a rotating seasonal dinner menu that is even better than the pub snacks. In the fall they usually pay homage to Oktoberfest with German-inspired cuisine, and the rest of the year the menu is seasonal and creative. The prices are higher than the bar menu, but not outrageous–about $16-$22 a plate. The plates are enough on their own to fill you up, and the food is high end and unique enough that we’d put their chef up against any of the fancy big-name chefs in this town.

The secret of their amazing food hasn’t stayed a secret though, and you may find a bit of a wait on Friday and Saturday nights. Trust us, it’s worth it.

The Stoup Brewery FreLard Seattle — The Stoup Brewery

FreLard has also become a mecca for a smattering of new nano-breweries in the last couple of years, most of which have a symbiotic relationship with the local food trucks in the area. They serve beer out of warehouse-style taprooms tucked into residential neighborhood streets, while a food truck sets up camp in front to serve food to the beer drinkers. The food truck doesn’t need a liquor license, and the breweries don’t need a food license. It’s a win-win, and beer drinkers get to sample a different food truck menu on different days of the week.

The Stoup at 1108 NW 52nd St opened in 2013. They have an inside and outside beer garden, and you can check the food truck schedule on their website to see what’s for dinner.

Multiple people have told us to check out Reubens Brews on 5010 14th Ave NW. They just moved to their new larger location this month, two blocks from their original location. This is good news, because their popularity kept their old location so busy that the one time my co-workers and I tried to check it out, we couldn’t even fit in the door to get in line for beer. The beer must be fantastic, we’ll have to give it another try. They are open Monday through Thursday from 3 to 9, and Friday through Sunday from 12 to 9.

Also in the neighborhood is Popluxe Brewing, another new nano brewery in FreLard at 826 B NW 49th St. We haven’t been there yet and don’t know much about it, but the reviews are good. A friend of mine says they have a nice little yard area to hang out in and often host live music. Food trucks are stationed there on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Popluxe Brewing FreLard Seattle — Popluxe Brewing

Back on Leary Way NW in what looks like an old auto garage is Bad Jimmy’s Brewing. I went to Bad Jimmy’s on a Seattle Cycle Saloon tour with my co-workers and it was my favorite brewery on the tour. They had some really interesting and unique beers that I’ve never had anywhere else, such as their cocoa vanilla porter (delicious!), blood orange honey wheat, and habanero amber.

Bad Jimmys taproom FreLard Seattle — Bad Jimmys taproom image from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bad-Jimmys-Brewing-Co/200605819975291

There is a somewhat decent amount of seating inside for bad weather days, and they encourage people to bring in food from outside. They are right next door to Bourbon and Bones, a new southern food and whiskey restaurant on Leary Way.

Bourbon and Bones Seattle — Bourbon and Bones image from https://www.facebook.com/bourbonandbones

Bourbon and Bones has taken southern food and BBQ up a notch, also serving beer and craft cocktails with a focus on bourbon (if you couldn’t tell from the name). It is good that Bad Jimmy’s has developed a friendly relationship with their next door neighbor by allowing take-out food at their taproom, because Bourbon and Bones has a serious lack of seating for how popular they are. The first time Paddy and I attempted to go there, there was not one seat to be found and we weren’t in the mood to stand outside in the rain waiting for someone to leave. We decided to try again a couple months ago, and managed to snag two bar stools just as a couple people were leaving.

I had the fried chicken with collard greens and mac and cheese, and Paddy had the ribs with collards and mac and cheese, and we shared a side of hush puppies. Food was served on a metal lunch tray, and came with two slices of white bread which can pretty much be purposed as edible napkins for all the sauce. A few different house-made BBQ sauces were on the bar and all the tables as condiments, and they were all delicious.

The fried chicken was excellent, and Paddy really enjoyed his ribs. The collards were smoky and the mac and cheese was soupy. It was a nice contrast to dried out mac and cheese found at many southern restaurants in town, and the flavor was nice and cheesy. We didn’t have room for dessert, but there were some ridiculously amazing cakes and pies behind the bar waiting to be served, including a maple bacon cake that I kind of wished I’d gotten a slice of to go.

bourbon and bones fried chicken — Fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens, and hush puppies at Bourbon and Bones

bourbon and bones ribs — Ribs, collards, and mac and cheese at Bourbon and Bones

The only things that make us hesitant to make Bourbon and Bones a new regular spot are the constant battle for a seat and the slightly high prices. The counter is right at the front door, so it is easy to get take out to go. We might try getting some to-go dinner to have along with beer at Bad Jimmy’s in their taproom next time.

Last month, another new BBQ joint brazenly opened up in FreLard a block down the street from Bourbon and Bones on Leary Way NW, called Drunky’s Two Shoe BBQ. While they may serve a similar cuisine to Bourbon and Bones, the theme and menu focus are very different.

Drunky's Two Shoe BBQ Seattle — image from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drunkys-Two-Shoe-BBQ/264073113645226

At Drunky’s, it’s all about the slow-smoked meat. It is simple, affordable, and cooked with love. You can smell it cooking all the way into Fremont in the afternoons and it smells amazing. You won’t find any hush puppies, maple bourbon cake, or collard greens; instead there are simple, Texas-style staples like baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. Paddy tried the brisket dinner and I had the half chicken. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and the flavor was incredible. The potato salad and coleslaw weren’t anything to write home about, but they were good. Just like mom used to make. The baked beans however were fabulous and flavorful–a far cry from a can of Bush’s.

Smoking meat at Drunkys Two Shoe BBQ Seattle — Smoking meat at Drunky’s Two Shoe BBQ image from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drunkys-Two-Shoe-BBQ/264073113645226

Drunkys Two Shoe BBQ patio. Image from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drunkys-Two-Shoe-BBQ/264073113645226

drunkys two shoe bbq chicken frelard — Drunky’s BBQ chicken plate with potato salad and baked beans

drunkys two shoe bbq brisket frelard — Drunky’s BBQ brisket plate with baked beans and coleslaw

There is more seating at Drunky’s than at Bourbon and Bones, and a great patio with astro turf and string lights to set the back-country mood. The owners put a lot of attention to detail into the restaurant itself: Tractor seats at the bar, velvet Elvis paintings and taxidermy, reclaimed rustic wood walls and a chandelier made out of chainsaws. Food is served on metal camping plates with baked beans in a matching camping mug. Given the awesome food, low prices, and fabulous patio, we may be back a few times this summer.

drunkys two shoe bbq frelard — Drunky’s Two Shoe BBQ

Drunkys Two Shoe BBQ chainsaw chandalier

A little ways west down Leary Way NW from Drunky’s and Bourbon and Bones (across from the new BevMo) is yet another new western Americana-themed restaurant called Giddy-Up Burgers and Greens. Instead of BBQ, the focus is on gourmet burgers and a gourmet salad bar.

Giddy up burgers and greens frelard seattle — Giddy-Up Burgers and Greens

The “greens” are what sets this place apart. You can order hand cut fries or haystack fried onions, but they are an afterthought. Instead of the usual greasy fried sides, you can walk in, grab a bowl at the salad bar, fill it with whatever you want and however big you want, and pay for it by the pound at the counter when you order your burger. Or don’t order a burger–just have a salad. There were a variety of pickled veggies and a curry chicken salad, several types of cheese, and two types of greens in addition to all the usual salad bar stuff.

Giddy-Up Burgers and Greens salad bar Frelard Seattle — Giddy-Up Burgers and Greens salad bar

Giddy-Up Burgers and Greens catch burger frelard seattle — “The Catch” burger at Giddy-Up Burgers and Greens

Giddy-Up Burgers and Greens haystack onions

We’ve been twice, the first time I got the haystack onions as a side and while they were tasty, there wasn’t much to them. Kind of like a fresh version of the french fried onions you put on a green bean casserole. The second time we went I did the salad bar and it was excellent. The pickled onions I added to the salad were fantastic. Both times I got The Catch burger (I don’t eat beef) and it was very good. It was a house made cod patty instead of the usual breaded and fried pre-fab piece of cod, which was refreshing. Paddy had a different beef burger each time (sorry, I don’t remember which ones) and he said they were both great. They also have a chicken sandwich and a white bean and quinoa burger which I have yet to try.

Giddy-Up has a separate room area off the main area that can be rented for private parties, and in the summer is converted to an open-air dining area. Either way, there is usually plenty of space to find a seat.

FreLard used to be an area we’d just past through on the way to either Ballard or Fremont, but now it’s a place we go on purpose. There is more parking available than in Fremont and Ballard, and there are now several great restaurants to choose from, and more are most likely on the way. I just heard of a Korean restaurant that opened last year just off of Leary as well called Tray Kitchen which we will be checking out soon. FreLard–check it out!

ADVENTURES IN THE UNITED STATES, Main menu

Charlotte, North Carolina 2012

April 6, 2014 whitney Leave a comment

My trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, April 2012: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, The Latta Plantation, The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and great southern food

In April 2012 I was invited to participate as a voting delegate at the AFS National Volunteer Assembly in Charlotte, North Carolina. Most of the weekend was spent at the Courtyard Marriott but I was determined to make the most of a free trip so I took a night flight out of Seattle and arrived at 6:00 AM the day before.

I had done a little research of what I could see in the surrounding area beforehand, so I freshened up in the airport restroom and headed out of the city in a rental car.

The first stop was Belmont, NC. I stopped into a small diner in Belmont and had some eggs, biscuits, and grits served by a waitress who called me “honey.” It was early on a Thursday morning and my fellow dining companions all appeared to be old war vets meeting up for their morning breakfast social hour. The grits were fairly bland, but the breakfast bill came to a whopping $3.50. After breakfast, I got back in my rental car and drove to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.

It was 8:00 and the gardens didn’t open until 9:00, so I took a much needed power nap in my car in the parking lot. When they opened, I bought my ticket and had the place all to myself. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the gardens were lovely.

Just as I was leaving it started raining, so my timing couldn’t have been better.

Next, I drove to The Latta Plantation in Huntersville, NC.

Latta Plantation North Carolina — Latta Plantation

The Latta Plantation is an historic cotton plantation owned by the Latta family in the 1800’s. It has been renovated and preserved and offers educational tours daily. The tour was interesting and very informative of plantation life in the 1800’s, including lives of plantation slaves and their working/living conditions.

Slave Cabins Latta Plantation — Slave cabins and plantation supervisor

Latta Plantation — Plantation supervisor cabin

Honeybee farming Latta Plantation — Honeybee farming

After the plantation tour, I headed back to the airport to drop off the rental car and take the bus into downtown Charlotte.

The Courtyard Marriott was very nice and very centrally located. At this point I was very interested in a nap.

Courtyard Marriott Charlotte North Carolina — Courtyard Marriott, Charlotte

That evening, I was still alone until the next morning when my co-volunteers arrived. I freshened up and ventured out to see some of downtown Charlotte.

The thing I realized about Charlotte, was that most of the people in Charlotte live in the suburbs and commute to and from downtown for work. The city has been recently built up and many of the hotels, restaurants, and museums are fairly new. Charlotte is a major financial center in the United States, and home of the Bank of America and Wells Fargo headquarters. With so many of it’s jobs based in banks and so few people actually living downtown, this pretty much amounted to downtown being a cultural desert. Everything seemed shiny and new, with little history and little nightlife.

Another baffling thing about downtown Charlotte is it’s lack of convenience stores. I suppose with a lack of downtown apartments there isn’t much convenience store business to be had, but I was appalled at how much effort it took to find a bottle of wine near my hotel. (The hotel tried to sell me a bottle of Beringer white zinfandel for $12.00 in their gift shop….Normally a $4.99 bottom shelf buy anywhere else). I finally found some decently priced mid range wine for sale at the drug store down the street.

Having done my research and with tips from the Carolina AFS team, I had a dinner destination in mind and it did not disappoint. Halcyon is an upscale modern take on southern cuisine, and should definitely be on your travel checklist if you happen to be visiting Charlotte. Being alone, I sat at the bar and talked to the very friendly bartender as she worked. I had the duck breast served with sweet potato hush puppies and a sort of spring fruit and vegetable slaw (sorry, I can’t remember what was in the slaw, I just remember that it was fantastic).

Halcyon Charlotte North Carolina — Dinner at Halcyon: Duck breast with sweet potato hushpuppies and spring vegetable slaw

The cocktail selection was mind-blowing, and I found myself deliberating between a squid ink martini served with a squid tentacle and a traditional mint julep. They were pricey, so I could only afford one. I went with the mint julep since I was in the south. I still wonder about that squid ink martini though…..I kind of wish I’d gone for both.

Halcyon Charlotte North Carolina dessert — Dinner at Halcyon: dessert

For desert, I had a chocolate pot d’ creme with mini doughnuts in raspberry sauce. It was heavenly.

Day 2:

The next morning, my co-volunteers arrived and we had one more day to be tourists before the NVA program got in full swing. I grabbed some breakfast from Bo Jangles Chicken and Biscuits around the corner and a latte from the hotel coffee shop and met up with my co-volunteers to explore a little of downtown.

Unless you’re a NASCAR fan, there’s not a whole lot to see in downtown Charlotte. I did really enjoy the sculpture garden we found off the main street across from the art museum, however. It is worth a visit.

sculpture garden Charlotte North Carolina

We decided to check out the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. It was nice, but pretty small and didn’t hold a candle to the Seattle Art Museum back home. They had a Warhol and a Lichtenstein, and some other interesting works.

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Charlotte, NC — Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

For lunch, we were all salivating for some good southern soul food. We went to Mert’s Heart & Soul and it was fabulous. Fried chicken, shrimp and grits, red beans and rice, okra, collard greens, fried green tomatoes–they had it all and they did it right.

Merts Heart & Soul Charlotte — Mert’s Heart & Soul: Fried chicken, okra, and black eyed peas

The rest of the weekend we were pretty much confined to the hotel with catering, but Saturday night we had a dinner celebration at the Levine Museum of the New South, which is definitely worth a visit. My big regret is that I thought I would have more time to tour the museum after dinner, but the program was so full that I only got to see part of it. If I ever end up back in Charlotte, it will be my main priority (along with dinner at Halcyon again).

I don’t know what company did the catering, but it was delicious. A full southern Carolina BBQ buffet:

Carolina BBQ Charlotte, NC — Mac and cheese, fried chicken, pulled Carolina BBQ pork

Overall, I wouldn’t make Charlotte a destination city. There are lots of other great cities in the south with a lot more culture and history. If you are stuck there or passing through for one reason or another, however, there are some interesting things to see and some great food.

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