The Queen City

   

      Recently Charlotte has been in a lot of politically controversy. However, I want to share all the wonderful things about Charlotte rather than the negative. I love my city! I am not originally from Charlotte but I grew up in a surrounding area. I remember as a little kid, we would drive by Charlotte on the way to the beach or some trip. I would look up at the skyscrapers in awe. Never dreamed that one day I'd be in the city daily. I still think about that when I drive into the city and see the beautiful skyline. It honestly always takes my breath away even though I've driven it countless times.
     The Queen City has so much to offer and is continually growing with young professionals. I wanted to share all the things that make Charlotte a wonderful place to call home:

(1) Sports: If you love sports, Charlotte is the place to be. Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers NFL Team (#88 Greg Olsen is my Favorite), the Charlotte Hornets NBA Team, the Charlotte Checkers (Hockey), Charlotte Knights (Baseball), NASCAR, Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow (Golf), and college sports. There is always something to do sports related. As the Hornets closed out their regular season two nights ago, the Charlotte Knights opened season yesterday. Tonight I'll be watching the Charlotte Knights take on the Durham Bulls at a rooftop event. Even if you don't love sports, the atmosphere is amazing. Charlotte has classy fans (for the most part- always a few bad apples) who make the events fun and enjoyable.

(2) Food: With one of the top culinary schools in our backyard, Charlotte has exceptional food. We enjoy the Queen City Feast and Charlotte Restaurant Week, where you can go to a really nice restaurant on a lower budget. It always books up weeks in advance. One of my favorite local places is 5 Church. When family came to visit Charlotte, this is where we took them. The food is really great and the atmosphere is nice, as well. I also love Luciano's for a good Italian meal.  For a quick meal, Vida in the Epicenter is one of my favorites. I love Mexican food. The cool thing about Vida is that you can get quick-service or sit-down service.

(3) Amelie's: Yes, Amelies gets its own bracket. Amelie's is an excellent place to grab a coffee or pastry. They also serve sandwiches as well. They recently opened a new location and it's amazing. I love the French antique decor. They have an amazing selection of desserts from macaroons, eclairs, cupcakes, brownies, etc. My personal favorite and what Amelie's is known for is the Salted Carmel Brownie (they have gluten free ones). Amelie's is a wonderful place to study. One location is 24 hours a day--amazing for students. Almost every finals season I end up at Amelie's studying with my girls.

(4) Shopping: Of course, I didn't forget shopping! Charlotte has wonderful shopping locations from little boutiques to large department stores. SouthPark Mall is our local central mall which has everything from Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, and so much more. If you are looking for more high-end items, SouthPark is your place. We also have Northlake Mall (apparently we like directions here) which is the more average type mall with your local Dillards, Belk, etc. Finally, one of my favorite shopping destinations is Birkdale Village (outside of Charlotte). It's in an out door setting but a lot of what is on my blog comes from Birkdale because I love the local shops. Stone Crest at Piper Glen has a similar feel and offers a great selection of local stores if you live in the Ballantyne area.

(5) Entertainment: We have a lot of local arenas from Time Warner Cable Arena to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater so a lot of big names come to town. You can see Taylor Swift, Dave Matthews Band, and many more when they tour. But if you love country music, Coyote Joe's is the place to see country stars. I saw Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett at Coyote Joes for a few girlfriend's birthdays. The venue is small so we were up pretty darn close. I love Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett, so it was a really awesome experience. Grab your boots and go!

Those are only a few of my favorite things about Charlotte. There is so much more to explore and do. How can you not love the Queen city?

[Dress]: Apricot Lane (similiar dresses linked in top two photos), [Shoes]: Francescas, [Bracelet]: Loren Hope, [Earrings]: Marley Lilly (similar linked)

** Click on photos for direct links. For collaboration, contact me at diamondsonhersoul@gmail.com.