Let Me Show You Around MY Charlotte!
 

Charlotte is filled with local flavors, biscuits and grits, pimento cheese, sweet tea and local color. Here are some of my favorite places in my favorite neighborhoods. 

If you want diversity, take a trip down Central Avenue where you'll find everything from body piercing salons to Middle Eastern groceries. Stop in Nova's Bakery for European style bread, or turn the corner onto Thomas Avenue to visit the Penquin - a Charlotte landmark since 1956 with the best corn dog and coldest beer in town. Across the street, you'll find Boris & Natasia's- the hippest clothing store this side of LA. And further down Central, you enter an interesting world where folks from many different ethnic backgrounds have set up shop. At Taqueria La Unica, they make tacos just like they do in Mexico. And down the block, the taste turns Asian with real Chinese cuisine at Dim Sum and Vietnamese noodle soup at Pho Hoa. All this wonderful diversity is within walking distance of Plaza-Midwood - a beautiful community of bungalows, sidewalks, quiet streets and friendly neighbors. Like many of Charlotte's close-in neighborhoods, Plaza-Midwood has a village - like feel but is within a few minutes of uptown - making it a very desirable place to live. 

South End, located on South Boulevard and bordered by the historic Dilworth neighborhood, offers a smorgasbord of restaurants - from an old-fashioned soda shop (Pike's) to a microbrewery (SouthEnd Brewery) to expensive steak houses (Sullivans). Atherton Mills is a former cotton mill now converted to trendy antique shops. The newly restored trolley makes a stop there, and will connect SouthEnd to uptown by the summer of 2002. Condo living is also very popular in SouthEnd, from converted warehouse lofts to newly constructed units that blend in perfectly with the period feel of the area. If you are in the area and feeling hungry, stop at Pike's. This old fashion soda shop has great malts and milkshakes and the meatloaf sandwich ain't bad either. 

But perhaps my favorite cheap thrill is a dream drive down Queens Road in the spring or fall. Located in the austere Myers Park neighborhood, the landscaping was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead who also designed Central Park and the grounds at the Biltmore House in Asheville. This leisurely drive takes you under a welcoming canopy of willow oaks and past some of the most beautiful and stately mansions to be found anywhere in the Southeast. In Myers Park, you'll also find my favorite movie theatre, The Manor, which specializes in foreign and independent films. Right up the street you'll find one of the last remaining independent hardware stores in the area (Myer's Park Hardware), where they would be happy to sell you only one nail if you'd like! 

Elizabeth is where you'll find us most of the time. That's were our office is located, on Seventh Street, surrounded by other historic old homes. This quaint neighborhood offers a little bit of everything. You won't want to miss Hero's Arn't Hard To Find, our favorite Comic store, Anthony's Caribean Chicken, or LaTeDa's the tea house with great scones. If you are in Elizabeth stop by our office and we'll give you a tour. 

These are just a few choices that would make my Best Of Charlotte list. Give me a call at 704-560-4604 or fill out the response form below and I'll be glad to share many more.