Last weekend, a buddy and I headed down to Charlotte, NC to see the Trailer Park Boys. I’ve only been to North Carolina once, and that was a trip with my family to the Outer Banks. I was really excited to get to spend some time in Charlotte.
Before our trip started on Saturday morning, I purchased a six pack of Acme IPA at Beers and Cheers in Germantown, MD. I bought it because it looked interesting and had never seen it before. I didn’t realize that it cost $16.99. I felt kind of ridiculous spending that much on a 6-pack, but I went ahead and bought it because I was in a great mood and wanted to drink something delicious.
The beer was a very tasty IPA, however I don’t think it merits the price tag. It was pretty smooth for an IPA, and had a %6.9 ABV. I would certainly drink this if offered but it’s too expensive for me.
Speaking of expensive, I finally came across the DuClaw Colossus beer. I have been dying to try this, but the $30 price tag scared me away. It comes in a 22oz bomber, and has a %21 ABV. I may buy this to treat myself for my upcoming birthday.
Later that night, we went to Taco Bell (I know) and tried the XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito with steak. I hadn’t been to Taco Bell in months. This is a new item that they are selling, and we were starving so we both ordered it. It’s definitely bigger then most items at Taco Bell, but also pretty expensive. There was nothing remarkable about the taste, but it did fill me up. Overall, it was not worth the money. It also has 880 calories which is a pretty good chunk of your daily recommended calories.
We set out on our journey Saturday morning, after grabbing sandwiches from Dunkin Donuts. The ride down was fairly easy. It took about 6 and a half hours to arrive in Charlotte. We debated on stopping in Durham but decided to power through.
After arriving at our palace of luxury (Super 8), we hung out for a bit then took a taxi into the downtown area. Charlotte was a really nice city, although it was kind of touristy. In downtown Charlotte, they have the Carolina Panthers stadium and also the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It seems like a popular place for people to go for a night out. We saw a ton of weddings and bachlorette parties.
Our first stop was a cigar bar called Cutters, located in the downtown Marriott.
This place was amazing. I tried the 18 year Glenlivet and also the 10 year Cragganmore. They have leather chairs at the bar, the lights are dim, and you are surrounded by books. They play light jazz music in the background. I felt pretty classy drinking my scotch. My buddy ordered a Manhattan. He told me that it was heavier on the whisky then he has had at other places, but that’s not a bad thing.
On our way to the show, we desperately needed something quick to eat. We stopped at Fuel Pizza Cafe which was on the way.
Nothing too amazing here. I grabbed two slices of their Hawaiian pizza. It was good for a quick meal.
The show was at the McGlohon Theater. It was a beautiful place with stained glass windows. The staff were very friendly, they had a full bar, the seats were comfortable, and our view from the balcony was great.
The place was sold out, and the Trailer Park Boys delivered a hilarious show. It’s amazing that a show like Trailer Park Boys can sell out venues all across the United States. Had it not been for Netflix, I probably would have never seen it.
At the end of the show, the Trailer Park Boys said that they would be hanging out at Whisky River after the show. Whisky River is located in Epicentere, an area filled with bars, clubs, and restaurants.
Whisky River is a bar owned by Dale Earndhart Jr. It definitely wouldn’t be my first choice, but we had a fun time people watching. They played a mixture of country, 80’s, and top 40 music. There was a mechanical bull. The drinks were a little pricey, but overall we had a good time.
The next morning, we were starving so we went to Owen’s Bagel & Deli to grab some breakfast. We really liked this place.
They had a ton of different combinations of bagel sandwiches. I ordered the Hangover Helper, which was ham, egg, and smoked cheddar on an onion bagel. It was interesting that they steamed, rather then toasted their bagels. The sandwich was delicious. My friend tried Mary’s Grubby Bubby which was egg, muenster, smoked cheddar, and avocado on a bialy (a yeast roll similar to a bagel).
After breakfast, we wanted to find a place to watch the Redskins game. We tried Ducksworth Bar and Grill, but the place was deserted. We ended up at Mac’s Speed Shop, and I am so glad that we did. This place was amazing.
If only we had this place in Wheaton. They had one of the best beer selections I’d ever seen, great food, cheap prices, and all of the games showing. The staff was also very friendly. One of the employee’s was wearing a Redskins jersey, which gets major points with me.
I am a sucker for anything local, so I had to try two local beers from the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. I ordered the Mecktoberfest and also their copper ale.
The copper ale is an “alt bier”, meaning an old-style beer. They use hops from Bavaria for this beer, which is their signature ale. The Mecktoberfest was also delicious. My friend tried the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, which was very good. He also ordered a beer off of the special menu. It was a Japanese Green Tea IPA. Our waitress told us that the owner had to drive to the warehouse to get this beer for him. It had a 9.8% ABV, and only cost 5 bucks. This is the same price you’d pay for a Budweiser at places in DC. This beer was also delicious.
I highly recommend checking Charlotte out. It’s a very fun, walkable city. I know that I will be back.
Hungry Like the Bear 