Groupon Festival Deal

I know we haven’t even made it through this weekend yet, but I’m just putting this out there in case you have to get your affairs in order. Next weekend (May 12th) is a big one. The North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival, Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival and Rock at the Dock V are all happening on the same day. Today a Groupon offer has come out to make one of those choices slightly more tempting…

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Summer Pops Deal

We’re about a month out before the Summer Pops series put on by the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra gets underway. This year you can purchase a Summer Pops pass for $35.00, saving you $15 if you were to buy them individually. That’s five shows including the 4th of July concert. Me? I’ll probably be back in Montreal like two of the three years previous (the baby was born last year, keeping me homebound.) Nothing says “I love the 4th” like going to Canada!

An Ending And A Beginning

Let’s assume for a minute that there is a part of you that somehow wants to care about either one of the professional sports teams in Charlotte. We’ll set aside the fact that our football team was the worst team in the league with only two wins two years ago before marginally improving to a six-win team last year. And I suppose we might somehow overlook the fact that our basketball team is officially the worst team in the history of the known universe. If I said today is a big day, would you believe me? Read the rest of this entry »

Google Makes a Deal in Charlotte

I can’t even count how many deal sites there are out there these days. Of course there’s Groupon and Living Social, but there are easily 100+ other multi-city and regional sites looking to pair local businesses with new customers.

It must be at least somewhat of a worthwhile effort, because Google has even thrown its hat in the ring, hoping to leverage its size and reach to provide greater deals for those looking for a bargain. Having launched in Portland in June of 2011, Google Offers has now been rolled out to 38 cities with Charlotte being one of the latest locales added.

When you join, Google gets all up in your bizness (natch) and asks you to show the general areas where you live, work and play. The presumption is that it takes this info, along with a listing of services that you like/dislike, and presents data tailored to the areas of town you frequent. In truth, Google is probably just building a heat map of population density to prioritize its military offensive. They’ll catch you off-guard while you’re stuffing your face with a cheesesteak.

Today’s deal: half off on a beer-tasting at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery.

New Kid On The Block – Leroy Fox

The folks behind Mortimer’s in the Epicenter are close to opening their newest restaurant, Leroy Fox. Much like what Mortimer’s did when they introduced a menu change, Leroy Fox has been hosting preview nights to allow friends, family and others in the neighborhood to get a sampling of what the menu has to offer. Last night’s sampling featured wings of various flavors (my favorite being the honey habanero wings), artichoke fries and steak nachos, as well as a number of other items. We also heard that that we can expect other southern staples such as shrimp and grits.

Leroy Fox opens on January 12th in Cotswald. Swing by their Facebook page for more info leading up to the opening.

Everyone Needs Heroes

As part of a Boys’ Night Out, me and The Boy headed stopped by Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find in Elizabeth. It had been years since I had been to a comic book shop. When I was younger I amassed a collection of Avengers, X-Men, Spider Man and a host of other titles that still sit in a chest in my bonus room today. I’ve picked up a few trades from time to time since, but I haven’t been a regular comic collector in years. Still, I have a lot of fond memories of looking forward to each pending issue of a title that had completely captured my attentions and look forward to passing that down to my own kids.

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Last Call for Alcohol – Frugal MacDoogal’s

It’s New Year’s Eve, which for most of you ne’er do wells means booze and fireworks (a truly stellar combination). If you haven’t procured your libations yet and don’t quite know what you’re going to want for the run-up to the midnight hour, keep your options open and make a stop a Frugal MacDoogal’s just off I-77 next to Carrowinds.

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The Cats are Back

The Bobcats hosted the Milwaukee Bucks for their 2011-2012 season opener. It turned out to be a nail-biter as they went from a 13-point deficit to a ten point lead, only to find themselves trading the lead for the last minute-and-a-half. Eventually they would pull it out in a 95-96 win.

While it wasn’t a sold-out night, plenty of fans did make it a point to catch the first game of the season. And you can count a number of Panthers among them, including Jon Beason, Charles Godfrey and Cam Newton. It wasn’t just local sports personalities, either. The confusion was palpable in the air when Derek Jeter showed up on the big screen, watching safely from the club seats. It was almost as if the whole arena had a thought bubble form overhead saying, “What is he doing here?”

So the ‘Cats are undefeated. Who knows for how long as they face Lebron, D-Wade and the Heat on Wednesday and the Orlando Magic on Friday.

At least they are home games.

Chow Down South End

A few months back, Chow Down Uptown events started popping up on a regular basis. The food truck meet-up was originally set up across the street from Seventh Street Station and has since been relocated to the NC Music Factory.

The addition of the food truck event has been good news for the QC, and as always, good news spreads. This Wednesday, Chow Down is in South End to provide tasty noms for those in the area:

8 trucks have committed for Wednesday: Napolitano’s, Maki Taco, Roaming Fork, Herband Legend, Outdoor Feasts, Goody Woodys (Charlotte’s newest food truck), Cupcake Delirium and Tasty Yo.

Kinda wish it was on Tuesday when Atherton Market would be open, but that would probably be a logistical nightmare. No matter, it’ll still be a good spot to hit up. Oh, and a little advice – Roaming Fork’s blackened fish tacos are insane!

First Steps for Bobcats

The NBA lockout is finally over and the season is about to begin. There’s no telling what impact it has had on the relationship between players and owners, but I have a hard time believing anyone associated with the league doesn’t recognizing that its relationship with fans took a big hit.

Michael Jordan certainly appears to believe so. In a recent letter to fans, he has outlined some of the initial measures the team is taking to make up for the inconvenience the 2011-2012 season has become:

As a thank you for your support, we have a number of fan appreciation events that will be taking place. It all starts on December 17th when you can get your first look at our team during a free scrimmage at Time Warner Cable Arena. Then at our preseason game on December 19th against the Atlanta Hawks, all kids 14 and under can attend for free. Opening night is always a special game and on December 26th we would like to offer 50% off concessions for everyone in attendance. As another thank you, for our first 3 games in January, every ticket in the upper level will be only $5.

Meh. As a season ticket holder there is very little I find enticing about what is being offered so far. Except maybe the concessions bit. Finally the beers will be priced at what they’re worth!