I've spent most of April highlighting NC Craft Beer month, but ironically, April was also Alcohol Awareness Month. The April issue of Men's Health featured an article that helped me understand my ability to hold my liquor aka drink with the big boys. According to the article in Men's Health, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism calls my ability Alcohol Use Disorder.
Since college, I've prided myself in being able to consume hefty quantities of quality liquor and beer (often simultaneously). I honed the skill even more in my Paid to Party days. Any given week could include free liquor at events not too mention shots with friends, club owners and promoters or drinks at the house. #Realtalk
I've always known that my ability isn't a healthy indulgence, and nullifies much of my fitness efforts. My philosophy was always that I workout to eat and drink. But in February, I vowed to cut out alcohol for three months. My exception was covering specific events such as beer festivals and bourbon tastings, but I limited myself to a couple drinks at these events. No social drinking with friends or at home.
My goal was to bring my tolerance level down to something more normal for a person my size. It worked for a while. I did well in February and March. In the last two weeks, I've bar hopped in New York and now I'm in Amsterdam. I checked out beer gardens and breweries in Belgian. Truthfully, my tolerance is as strong as ever, but so is my determination to practice better moderation.
If you want to self diagnose whether yourself, take this quiz. It may confirm that suspicion in the back of your mind or give you peace of mind.
Sip + Play Charlotte is taking a hiatus. I've enjoyed reconnecting with old friends in the nightlife scene and making new ones for the last year and half. Documenting the city's transformation through the prism of entertainment and nightlife has always been my favorite beat. Since launching Sip + Play, I've said goodbye to the trendsetting Cosmos, reconnected with friends at the Comedy Zone and watched my Irish buddies transform an old barbershop on Central Avenue, among many other discoveries. It's been fun. It always is. When I first started covering nightlife more than a decade ago, club owners and promoters aspired to bring Miami and Las Vegas to Charlotte. Clubs like Hom and Phoenix transported us to cooler nightlife vibes. Club goers flocked to neon and club music. NoDa and Plaza-Midwood were beginning to flourish as counterculture hang out spots. Today, the nightlife scene is so much more diverse. Craft breweries are new players on the bar scene. The explosion of restaurants has turned eating into a form of entertainment. Promoters no longer simply throw dance parties. There are paint parties, food events and bar fit activities. Charlotte still has fancy clubs, but even more neighborhood bars in Plaza-Midwood and NoDa provide fun alternatives.
I will continue writing occasional event coverage, especially CIAA, on oldschool1053.com. However, I'm excited to focus more on my other passion - fitness. I created several fitness related posts on Sip + Play because I like to marry my passion for working out and partying. My new project is My Workout Buddy, a fun way to get fit. The My Workout Buddy CLT FB page will be more robust in coming weeks. IG and snap chat will follow.
As always, see you in the streets or maybe on a hiking trail...
This is my kind of Sunday! Two fitness activities and beer. Yes! See you in the streets...
BeerFit- Take a dance conditioning class and drink beer at Dance.Beer.Repeat. It’s interval training with dance and music. 1 p.m. Unknown Brewing, 1327 S Mint St. Details.
No Cars! - Leave the cars at home for Open Streets 704. It’s a full day of activities from Memorial Stadium in Elizabeth to 36th Street in NoDa. It winds through Villa Heights, Optimist Park, Belmont and First Ward. Bring your bikes or get one from B-Cycle. There are four zones for organized activities: Arts and crafts in NoDa, a Family zone and green zone in Belmont and Optimist Park and a Wellness zone in First Ward. Food trucks will be near the center of the route, with easy access to Cordelia Park and the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. Noon - 4 p.m.
FYI: BIKE! Charlotte starts today and features more than two weeks of bike-related events and promotions to encourage more bicycling in Charlotte.
Don't let rain stop you. There's family fun, waffle eating contests, and a bar crawl calling your name. Answer the call. See you in the streets.... Art Stroll - Head over to the Metropolitan area for the Kings Drive Art Walk this weekend. Peruse works of clay, glass, wood and more by regional artists. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday. Details.
Happy Birthday - Help Fud at Salud celebrate its first birthday at the Fud at Salud Anniversary Party. There will be a waffle-eating contest, special beers and more. 6 p.m. Fud at Salud, 3306 N. Davidson St. Details.
Family Fun - Come out to Hippie Fest featuring hundreds of North Carolina vendors, artists, food trucks and groovy vibes! Fun for the whole family. 11 a.m., Eastland Mall, 5471 Central Ave.
Don't Forget
Tequila & Beer - Time to enjoy great drink specials at Cincofest X Bar Crawl, featuring 7 uptown bars. 4:15 p.m. Checkin at Flight Beer and Music Hall, 300 N. College Street. (Formerly Cosmos). Crawl schedule.
Get Dressed Up! - Hey big spender, breakout your ball gowns and tux for the 3rd Annual Spring Fundraising Gala: Coveted Couture. It’s a celebration of fashion and the Mint’s big fundraiser. 6:30 p.m. Mint Museum, Tent on the Lawn at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road. Tickets.
Oysters & Rock - iHeart Radio is bringing its party to Charlotte with the Oyster Roast/ Yacht Rock Revueconcert. Oysters provided by Hickory Tavern. 5 p.m. Rooftop 210, 210 E. Trade St. $17.40 and up. Tickets.
Taste So Good - Head uptown early today for the Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend Grand Tasting Tent featuring wineries, local craft breweries, chefs and demonstrations. 2 p.m. today and Saturday, Romare Bearden Park, 300 S Church St. Details.
Don't Forget Taste So Good - Head uptown early today for the Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend Grand Tasting Tent featuring wineries, local craft breweries, chefs and demonstrations. 2 p.m. today and Saturday, Romare Bearden Park, 300 S Church St. Details.
Art Event - 2015 Light Factory winner Michael Joseph will present his street portraiture project, Lost and Found, which examines a youth subculture of transients who abandon home to travel the country hitchhiking and freight train hopping. 6:30 p.m. The Light Factory 1817 Central Ave. Details.
Let’s Dance II - The second part of The New Latino Sound - Part 2 features a concert with Orquesta Mayor, Patabamba, Jahlistic, and Reinaldo Brahn. 6:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E 36th St. Tickets.
If you still think Natty Greene's is the only local brewery in Greensboro then you haven't have ventured north in a while. The craft beer scene is still way smaller than Charlotte, but it's growing. If you’re headed that way, here are a few spots to try.
First things first, I never drink on an empty stomach. I started my custom beer crawl with a stop at Hops Burger Bar. We got lucky and found two seats at the bar. According to our Uber driver, the line at Hops often spills down the sidewalk. It’s easy see why, the burgers are delicious. They aren't overly big, but they pack a lot of flavor. There’s the typical custom burger option, but the restaurant’s crafted burgers are creative and tasty. Don’t miss the fries. We loved the garlic and rosemary, but there are a variety from which to choose.
I’m in love with Pig Pounder. It’s not just the name. The name drew me there, but the vibe hooked me. Pig Pounder feels like a polished dive bar (oxymoron alert), not a local brewery. When I visited, a bartender named Chris, entertained us all night with information about the beer and Greensboro. BTW: Chris found his way to Pig Pounder via bartending stints in NoDa’s bar scene. Pounder’s Boarrio IPA is the only IPA that I will drink, but the Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout was my favorite. It was full of flavor unlike most craft stouts. The Barbieswine, a barley wine, which is now on tap, is great for non-beer drinkers. You know there’s story behind the name, but you’ll need to visit to find out. Be sure to ask about the handmade bar stools, made of recycled materials.
Nichole and her husband Calder Preyer opened Preyer Brewing in May 2015. Drinking local beers on a backpacking trip in the Czech Republicinspired Calder to become a home-brewer. Of course dipping a toe into home brewing lead to opening a brewery. They’ve created a comfortable brewery that feels more like a bar than the typical brewery. It’s dark with dark furniture and a supremely cool staff. Another good aspect is that Preyer's neighbor is Crafted The Art of Street Food.
Natty Greene’s is no longer the only downtown brewpub in Greensboro. Gibbs Hundred opened a couple of years ago and provides a totally different vibe than Natty’s. While the veteran brewpub feels more like a big sports bar, Natty Greene’s is more low-key and quieter. It’s also extremely kid-friendly. Gibbs offers the typical range of locally crafted brews as well as seasonal fare.
I'm really excited about Sunday's Open Streets 704 event, but before we get to that hit the streets this weekend for an oyster roast, bar crawl and more. See you in the streets...
Today
Play Time! - Bring it on for some friendly corn hole, life size Jenga, ladder toss and more bar games at the weekly Rooftop Games. 5 p.m. Rooftop 210, 210 E Trade St. Details.
Thursday
Get Educated - The YWCA of Charlotte is hosting a forum on voting rights and voter engagement Community Forum. YWCA CEO Kirsten Sikkelee will moderate a A panel discussion and community forum to explore the impact of the new voter ID law and reasons for low turnout among millennials. #WTFWeVote is the community partner. Complimentary dinner from Jason's Deli will be served. 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at YWCA Central Carolinas, 3420 Park Road. Register.
Let’s Dance - Celebrate the legacy of the Dance Theatre of Harlem at Catch the Dance: An Inspired Movement. Legendary dance pioneers Joan Myers Brown, Founder and Artistic Director of Philadanco! Philadelphia Dance Company and The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts; April Berry, Founder of Arts 'n Community, former Director of Education & Outreach at Charlotte Ballet and BalletMet Columbus, and former lead dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; and Dr. Mel A. Tomlinson former soloist with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will lead this discussion about the black dance experience. Gantt Center, 551 S. Tryon St. $10. Register
Friday
Art Event - 2015 Light Factory winner Michael Joseph will present his street portraiture project, Lost and Found, which examines a youth subculture of transients who abandon home to travel the country hitchhiking and freight train hopping. 6:30 p.m. The Light Factory 1817 Central Ave. Details.
Let’s Dance II - The second part of The New Latino Sound - Part 2 features a concert with Orquesta Mayor, Patabamba, Jahlistic, and Reinaldo Brahn. 6:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E 36th St. Tickets.
Saturday
Tequila & Beer - Time to enjoy great drink specials at Cincofest X Bar Crawl, featuring 7 uptown bars. 4:15 p.m. Checkin at Flight Beer and Music Hall, 300 N. College Street. (Formerly Cosmos). Crawl schedule.
Get Dressed Up! - Hey big spender, breakout your ball gowns and tux for the 3rd Annual Spring Fundraising Gala: Coveted Couture. It’s a celebration of fashion and the Mint’s big fundraiser. 6:30 p.m. Mint Museum, Tent on the Lawn at Mint Museum Randolph, 2730 Randolph Road. Tickets.
Oysters & Rock - iHeart Radio is bringing its party to Charlotte with the Oyster Roast/ Yacht Rock Revueconcert. Oysters provided by Hickory Tavern. 5 p.m. Rooftop 210, 210 E. Trade St. $17.40 and up. Tickets.
Sunday No Cars! - Leave the cars at home for Open Streets 704. It’s a full day of activities from Memorial Stadium in Elizabeth to 36th Street in NoDa. It winds through Villa Heights, Optimist Park, Belmont and First Ward. Bring your bikes or get one from B-Cycle. There are four zones for organized activities: Arts and crafts in NoDa, a Family zone and green zone in Belmont and Optimist Park and a Wellness zone in First Ward. Food trucks will be near the center of the route, with easy access to Cordelia Park and the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. Noon - 4 p.m.
FYI: BIKE! Charlotte starts today and features more than two weeks of bike-related events and promotions to encourage more bicycling in Charlotte.
I'm back!!! In 2005, I launched the Paid To Party column for the Observer. Now I'm back with a fresh look at Charlotte's entertainment offerings. For the next few months, I'll be testing a new feature, primarily aimed at weekend events and other ways to entertain yourself, your family, your visitors.
Sip + Play is your guide to fun things to do in Charlotte from Food Truck Fridays to bar crawls to events you've never experienced. I still love a party, so there also will be plenty of that.
Sip + Play will take you all over Charlotte and beyond with live event coverage on the weekends and recommendations of where to go and what to do. I'm looking forward to sharing my adventures with you. #cltevents
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