Old City to New City

on June 1, 2010
in All Posts

Welcome to Charlotte!

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The drive up here ended up taking way longer than we expected, but we’ve arrived!  My in-laws are already here (looking at houses to buy), and we spent the evening with them.  We’ve just now arrived at the hotel!

 

On the ride up, I declared I simply had to get a Dairy Queen blizzard.  Blizzards are my favorite treat, but pretty junky – so I try to limit them to ‘special occasions.’  A car trip seemed like a good reason to me to get a small Resee’s Blizzard!

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The woman ACTUALLY said to me, “It’s upside down thick!” in a sweet Southern accent and turned it upside down when she handed it to me.  Pretty much made my day.

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We arrived in Charlotte around 5 PM and headed directly to the Husband + my father-in-law’s new clinic.

 

Ta-da!  This was quite an exciting moment.

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His mom had a bottle of champagne for everyone!  We made lots of toasts!

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After checking out the clinic (which was SOOOO exciting – I cannot believe my Husband is going to be practicing soon), we drove around the areas of Dilworth and Myers Park.  Then, we headed to Plaza Midwood for dinner.

 

As I’ve mentioned before, one of our primary goals is to find a house in a WALKABLE community.  I really want safe sidewalks, bars, and restaurants around my home.  So we’re scoping out the areas to see how well they fit into a ‘greener’ lifestyle.  Plaza Midwood is cute… it’s definitely in the running.

 

We went to a restaurant called Dish for dinner.

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I ordered the 4 Veggie Plate for dinner, which was a mix-and-match meal.  I got the mashed potato, sweet potato, collard greens, and lima beans.

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It was amazing… truly great Southern cooking.  I’ve never had collard greens before and they ROCKED.

 

Oh, and a beer.  Have you tried Sweetwater 420?  It’s pretty epic.

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Post-dinner walking sesh in Plaza Midwood.  It passed the walkable test for me!

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Alright… gotta get my game face on because the Husband and I are going to hash it out over potential home choices, and I’ve got to get to bed soon!  I’d love to squeeze in a workout before we leave in the morning…

 

Goodnight, friends!

{ 75 comments }

 

  • Jenny June 1, 2010, 9:57 pm

    You’re right, there’s no better time for a Blizzard than a car ride! Good luck choosing a home:)

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing June 1, 2010, 9:59 pm

    Glad you made it safely to Charlotte! And a HUGE congratulations on the clinic!
    Love the true Southern meal.. the best!! And collard greens are soooo good! I grew up eating them and I’ve always loved them.

  • Mary June 1, 2010, 10:02 pm

    good luck house hunting! I think you’ll love charlotte!

  • Melissa June 1, 2010, 10:06 pm

    Thought I should give you a heads up on some of the soul food in the area (my mother’s entire side of the family lives around Wilmington, NC). It can be really tough to eat as a vegan, or even just a vegetarian, because they generally cook collards and beans IN MEAT STOCK (ham, usually) in order to flavor them. Sometimes those dishes will even have small bits of meat in them. So be sure to double check with your waiter if you don’t want an unpleasant surprise in your “veggies”.

    Otherwise, love the area. Good luck with the house hunt!

    • caitlin June 1, 2010, 10:16 pm

      I double checked and it was all vegetarian! I was so excited 🙂

      • Melissa June 2, 2010, 12:10 am

        So glad to hear that!

    • Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday June 1, 2010, 10:26 pm

      Only in the South would they cook greens with meat, haha!

  • Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin June 1, 2010, 10:15 pm

    How exciting about your husbands soon-to-be practice!!! Congrats! Good luck with the house hunting tomorrow… and getting along while trying to find a place you both love! 🙂

  • ari June 1, 2010, 10:17 pm

    so exciting!
    and that last picture is such a good picture of you!

    • caitlin June 1, 2010, 10:19 pm

      heheh thanks. it’s amazing what standing up straight can do for a girl. right before i took the picture, the husband yelled STAND UP STRAIGHT FOR GOODNESS SAKE. LOL

  • Lisa (bakebikeblog) June 1, 2010, 10:22 pm

    Glad to hear that things are all coming together for you both! It all sounds so exciting!!!

  • Jessie (Vegan-minded) June 1, 2010, 10:23 pm

    Ooh, I love me some collard greens! Good luck on the house hunt and congrats on the husband’s new practice, that is awesome!

  • Cindi June 1, 2010, 10:23 pm

    Hooray! Welcome to the Queen City! I haven’t tried out The Dish – but I love Thomas St. Tavern and The Penquin! I hope you love it here!

    • Cindi June 1, 2010, 10:23 pm

      And by “The Penquin” I mean, “The Penguin”

  • Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) June 1, 2010, 10:25 pm

    Perfect excuse for a blizzard in my opinion. YUM. I love the brick in front of the new clinic. It looks so charming and welcoming!

    I want southern veggies now. The lima beans look amazing. Never thought I’d say that about lima beans either.

    I love collard greens. The first time I tried them was in North Carolina too!

  • Estela @ Weekly Bite June 1, 2010, 10:25 pm

    DQ Blizzards are the BEST!! Its been ages since I’ve had one! Now I want one 🙂

    Best of luck with the house hunt!

  • Ashley June 1, 2010, 10:26 pm

    Whoo-hoo, North Carolina is awesome! Charlotte’s a little too big and bustling for my tastes (I live in Raleigh), but they have an IKEA there now, and that makes the Queen City awesome, too.

  • Cynthia (It All Changes) June 1, 2010, 10:28 pm

    I love southern food and all the southern accents that go with it 🙂

  • Claire June 1, 2010, 10:29 pm

    I agree, the last picture is great lady! Can’t wait to hear more about Charlotte!

  • Carolyn @ lovinlosing.com June 1, 2010, 10:31 pm

    The husband and I talked about moving to Charlotte once (his uncle lives just outsode in Belmont), but then we found out he’d have to go through the police academy all over again. 🙁 Not gonna happen. We’ve since upgraded houses here so we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

  • Heather (runningwithsass.com) June 1, 2010, 10:31 pm

    you just got there and you are already leaving?
    you mean the dairy queens in FL dont flip it upside down and say that? That’s all I am used to here in Mississippi lol! Have fun!

  • Ashley June 1, 2010, 10:35 pm

    Giiiiiirl. You are making me miss Charlotte. I LOVE plaza midwood. There is an awesome + adorable place I used to get my haircut there, hehe..and so many good little restaurants. There is an amazing sushi/tapas restaurant that is pretty new called Soul Gastrolounge. It rocks! Thomas Street Tavern is an awesome bar with lots of veggie friendly options and outdoor ping pong!! How freaking exciting about the clinic. It looks perfect. So pumped for you guys.

  • ruby red June 1, 2010, 10:40 pm

    I love your walkable community goal!! I biked and walked everywhere a month ago, and now I’m stuck at my parents’ for the summer in the middle of nowhere. I miss that lifestyle so much – it is such a joy and you shouldn’t settle for anything less!

    I love your pink shirt in the photo!! Haha, and I am so glad you liked the Sweetwater beer. I have a Sweetwater ‘Schwheat in my fridge and have been scared it would be gross and made by an amateur brewery…so I’ve been saving it for last in my mishmosh collection of craft beers…I am relieved you gave it a good review! That means I can drink up tomorrow night. 🙂

  • Jessica Lee June 1, 2010, 10:41 pm

    i LOVE super thick ice creams!

    g/l finding a place. at least you know there’s a good restaurant in town 🙂

  • Lee June 1, 2010, 10:42 pm

    The Sweetwater Brewery is right near my house. We go to the brewery tours sometimes. It’s fun.

  • Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter June 1, 2010, 10:43 pm

    I love living a “green” lifestyle in my college town! I really want to live like that when I buy a home somewhere.

  • Nicole of Raspberry Stethoscope June 1, 2010, 10:43 pm

    You look amazingly beautiful in that last photo!
    I wish I were in NC!!
    Congrats to the husband, what a huuuuuuge accomplishment:)

  • Lindsay @ Summit Sandwiches June 1, 2010, 10:44 pm

    Lol on how that blizzard was “upside down thick”. I don’t think you’d hear that anywhere but the South!

    I love Dairy Queen blizzards, but I love Sonic Blasts even more. Have you tried one? I think Sonic’s ice cream is better than DQ, so a Reeses Sonic Blast is the ultimate in indulgence for me. They’re amazing!

  • Michal June 1, 2010, 10:44 pm

    That’s so exciting! Good luck and have fun finding a home. Are your husband and father-in-law working the clinic together?

  • Lauren (Clean Eats in the Dirty South) June 1, 2010, 10:48 pm

    LOL @ “upside down thick”! Little southern ladies are the cutest!!
    Good luck with your search… glad you made it here safely!

  • Janelle June 1, 2010, 10:49 pm

    I love love love blizzards…so glad there isn’t one near me, or I would have to practice self restraint daily…

  • amanda June 1, 2010, 10:51 pm

    We’re on a road trip, and I splurged with a blizzard today too 🙂

  • Diana @ frontyardfoodie June 1, 2010, 10:52 pm

    Collards are amazing! I grow them in my garden so that I can make my smoothies green with their nutrient goodness!

    My husbands like it when I cook them though:)

  • Jenn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) June 1, 2010, 11:02 pm

    That veggie sampler looks so good! So does the Blizzard 😈 lol How exciting… new home, new practice! WOOO 😀

    Jenn

  • mmclaughlin June 1, 2010, 11:05 pm

    A blizzard sounds amazing right now! I haven’t had one in YEARS!
    Good luck with the house-hunting!

  • Amber K @ sparkpeople June 1, 2010, 11:13 pm

    Awhile back I decided I just HAD to have a Reese’s blizzard, too. But I ended up not even eating it because it was awful! It was like Reese’s flavored ice cream. Not bad I guess, but I wanted vanilla ice cream with Reese’s CHUNKS. Not basically a Reese’s smoothie with tiny slivers of chocolate. Sooo bummed was I!

  • Erin @ A Girl & Her Mutt June 1, 2010, 11:39 pm

    A walking neighborhood is a great criteria to have! It makes life so much more enjoyable!

  • Jessica @ Jessica Balances June 1, 2010, 11:45 pm

    How exciting! Major congrats to the husband. Glad y’all are enjoying NC so far!

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) June 1, 2010, 11:55 pm

    Haha – you could have turned it all the way upside down – It wouldn’t have fallen out 😉

    I used to work at DQ, and I loved handing the Blizzards to people upside down. They were always so amazed by it!

  • Deborah June 1, 2010, 11:56 pm

    Hi Caitlin,

    I don’t know if you know about this website to find out the walkability of a City or neighborhood: Walkscore.com. For Charlotte, it’s: http://www.walkscore.com/NC/Charlotte

    You just enter the address of a location and you will get a “walkability” score, the higher the number the easier to walk to different neighborhood places. Cherry has the highest score for Charlotte at 91. http://www.walkscore.com/NC/Charlotte/Cherry

    Best wishes on your move!

    I have enjoyed following along with your blog for awhile now, thanks for the inspiration!

    ~Deborah

  • Casey June 1, 2010, 11:59 pm

    Congrats! That is so exciting. The new workplace looks amazing. Good luck tomorrow. You look great!

  • Laura June 2, 2010, 12:38 am

    LOL at your husband’s directives to stand up straight! I was thinking it was a really great shot of you as well. I have TERRIBLE posture, I’m so lazy about slouching, so I’ll have to remember to straighten up in my next photo and see if the result is more flattering than my usual unphotogenic self! 🙂

    Love the photos from Charlotte – actually I love the photos on your blog in general, it’s so interesting to me to see different parts of the southern US. I’m a New Zealander and live in Central Otago (where they filmed Lord of the Rings, if that means anything!), so *everything* is so different to me, a totally foreign culture. I think a lot of the American food bloggers probably don’t even realise the additional level of fascination to way-overseas readers, where even some of your staple foods and brands are totally unfamiliar! 🙂

    • Caitlin June 2, 2010, 8:03 am

      that’s funny! i love reading british blogs for the exact same reason.

  • Camille June 2, 2010, 12:57 am

    Congrats on your arrival!

  • Marina June 2, 2010, 1:07 am

    Good luck with the house hunting!
    It seems like you’ve entered such an exciting period in your life, good luck with it all! 🙂

  • Natalie @ Keep It Sassy June 2, 2010, 1:59 am

    What a great day! I’m excited to hear more about your house hunting journey, hopefully you’ll keep us updated on the process. And, that dinner looks so good. I love ordering sides, especially when they’re Southern style. The food is definitely one of the biggest things I miss about the south.)

  • Wei-Wei June 2, 2010, 2:09 am

    HAHAHA the Blizzard lady! I’m glad you arrived safely. The restaurant looks awesome! Four veggie plate – honestly, that is just so cool. 😀

    Wei-Wei

  • Freya @ Brit Chick Runs June 2, 2010, 2:48 am

    What on earth is a Blizzard!? Is that like frozen yogurt or something?
    The clinic looks ace from the outside – very fancy! I hope it goes well 😀

    • Caitlin June 2, 2010, 8:04 am

      frozen ice cream with candy mixed in!

  • Helen June 2, 2010, 3:13 am

    How great that your husband has a practice all set up. What is his dad practicing in?? It must be so exciting to look at houses and areas to live. I agree, you definitely need a safe community with things in walking distance. I miss that now I’ve moved to a town, in the country things were so close and I felt so safe. Good luck with your search!

    • Caitlin June 2, 2010, 8:04 am

      his dad does general holistic medicine!

  • Julia @ www.britbride.com June 2, 2010, 4:19 am

    Very exciting times for you!

    Congrats to the hubby!

    Julia
    http://www.britbride.com

  • MelissaNibbles June 2, 2010, 4:33 am

    Upside down thick sounds dirty 😉
    Charlotte is one of my dream cities to live. I can’t wait to see more pics on your blog. Congrats to you and the hubs on all you life success. Enjoy every moment!

  • Bethany @ Not Unless I'm Being Chased June 2, 2010, 5:35 am

    The clinic looks amazing! Love the front steps/brickwork. I’d go there!
    You’re right, Sweetwater 420 is EPIC. When I lived in Tennessee, I loved Sweetwater. 🙂

  • Brittney June 2, 2010, 6:30 am

    I second the recommendations for Thomas Street Tavern for night life in Plaza Midwood. There’s also a good place called the Common House up the street from there on Central. AND there’s a running group that meets every Thursday night at The Common Market in Plaza Midwood. It’s great fun! They do a 4 mile loop through the neighborhoods and then end up back at the Common Market and drink and hang out. Have fun in Charlotte this week. I hope to meet you on one of your trips here or once you move here permanently!

    • Caitlin June 2, 2010, 8:04 am

      i hope we can meet too!!!

  • Jessica @ How Sweet It Is June 2, 2010, 6:36 am

    Charlotte is so nice. I hope you guys find something you love.

  • Jen June 2, 2010, 7:46 am

    Congrats on your hubby’s clinic! I bet it feels surreal that it’s finally happening. SO exciting!

    I am so glad you’re moving to Charlotte! I can’t wait to meet you one day.

  • Wendy June 2, 2010, 7:58 am

    Your mashed potatoes look suspiciously like mac n cheese! 😉 I would luuuuuuuv it if I could find more veggie-friendly restaurants in my area. A 4-Veg dinner? Heaven!!

    • Caitlin June 2, 2010, 8:05 am

      whoops you were right… i was sleepy when i wrote the post LOL

  • Kristin (Cook, Bake and Nibble) June 2, 2010, 8:06 am

    Oh, man… I love blizzards! Charlotte seems awesome already, I’m sure you’re going to love it there 😀

    xo
    K

  • Cassie @ A Very Busy Mind June 2, 2010, 8:13 am

    Aw I bet that was such a weird feeling to see the husband’s practice! So exciting that your new life is taking shape!

  • Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman June 2, 2010, 8:17 am

    The first time I went to Dairy Queen the woman tried to do the whole upside down thing. Only she didn’t realize there was an extra cup, so when she flipped the Blizzard upside down the inner cup with the ice cream went splat all over the register. Pretty funny.

  • Sara June 2, 2010, 8:53 am

    Have you tried using Walkscore? http://www.walkscore.com/

    You can type in the address of a house you’re considering, and it grades it on a scale of 0-100 based on how close the house is to shops, restaurants, transit, schools, etc. It’s also great for getting to know the neighborhood you end up renting in, because it’ll give you the addresses of everything in the area!

  • Robyn @ Frugal 'n' Fit! June 2, 2010, 9:01 am

    I always think that Southern cooking is off-limits to my vegetarian self but your plate (and that biscuit! Oh my, that biscuit…) gives me hope for the future.

  • Alyssa June 2, 2010, 9:03 am

    Just have to say (and I might sound creepy) – that is an adorable outfit (at the end, purple top and shorts) and you look fantastic! Congrats and enjoy!

  • Diana (Mymarblerye) June 2, 2010, 9:29 am

    congrats to the new office and the new dr and wife! 🙂 I might be headed to Charlotte this fall for a weekend so I hope you plan to have a ton of blogger meet ups! I still can’t get over you moved already!

  • Kelly June 2, 2010, 9:50 am

    Good luck trying to find a place! Try and have fun while doing so, haha!

  • Jackie @ carolina_vogue June 2, 2010, 10:01 am

    Welcome to the Queen City!! I’m so excited for you 🙂 Dilworth is definitely one of my favorite areas and super close to the train/downtown… You should check out Dilworth Neighborhood Bar and Grille!

  • Emily June 2, 2010, 10:20 am

    Myers Park!!! I went to college there (Queens! Hopefully you saw it!) There is a great park right there to run in. Also, everything else is close! Also, Sweetwater 420 is pretty good, but Sweetwater BLUE (their summer blueberry beer) is EPIC! You need to find one of those stat!!

  • Angela (ohsheglows) June 2, 2010, 10:30 am

    I’m SO excited for you guys!!! Congrats to the husband!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Corinne (breathe and savor) June 2, 2010, 12:24 pm

    yeeeeeaaaah girl, reeses blizzards are the only way to go! i kind of cannot get over how thick it is/was! ha. CONGRATS hubby! such a lovely idea to have champagne toast at the establishment! this is so exciting, cannot wait for more.

    what is sweetwater 420 all about!?

  • Kyle June 2, 2010, 3:30 pm

    I live in Plaza Midwood with my husband – he just finished law school last year, so we moved here kind of blindly, but it’s been great so far! Glad you liked it, and hope to meet you someday!

  • Brynne June 2, 2010, 8:12 pm

    Reese’s Blizzards are the best kind :0)

  • Carrie June 5, 2010, 8:12 pm

    Welcome to Charlotte! It is a great place to live! I’m in south charlotte.

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