Not Hip Enough...

I've spent the last three days in Charlotte NC for a conference and I've come to the conclusion that I am just not hip enough to hang out in the "big city".



This conference moves from city to city every year and I've been attending for nearly 15 years. (it hurts to think about THAT!) The folks attending are mostly engineers and we tend to be a pretty down-to-earth group as a whole (okay we're geeks). The Chalotte Convention Center though very nice is quite a sprawling facility. We walked...and walked...and walked. I mean, after all, the new light rail goes right through the middle of the building. It's a little like being at Disney World.



Monday night after the convention festivities ended, my four co-workers and I walked across the street to a restaurant called Aquavina. It was the closest thing to the convention center and we were tired of thinking big thoughts. So, we went. It was a very edgy restaurant - weird, arty things on the walls, strange shaped dishes, wait staff all in black with very serious (how do you spell "hoydy toydy"?) expressions and no sense of humor. The food was excellent. I had yellowtail sole on a bed of sauteed spinach and a crawfish tasso sauce with these very cute little potato turnovers. My co-workers also enjoyed their meals, which included salmon, chicken a la king, and one huge steak. However, we learned that when something on the menu says it is served "deconstructed", it means all the parts are separate and it's really not as provocative as it sounds.



Now, I must admit, Charlotte is a beautiful city. The downtown area is absolutely wonderful. But, I am so glad to be home. So... here are a few lessons I learned about hanging out in the city:

1. Your laptop should be in a case with rollers because no matter where you park, you're walking at least a block. (I thought there were just a bunch of flight attendants in town.)


2. You need a coat because, again, no matter where you park, you're walking...and it's cold.


3. You also need walking shoes, again with the walking.


4. Crosswalks are just general guidelines for crossing the street but you better be quick.


5. Don't walk and look up at the buildings. You will get dizzy and end up lying on the sidewalk or running into a planter.


6. If you are under the age of 30, you must dress like Christine Aguilera with the flashback 70's cap and strapless 40's top. (Thank goodness I'm way over 30.)


7. The speed limit signs on I-77 are minimums, not maximums except at 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m when they become wishful thinking.


8. Restaurants in the wild wilderness of Tyvola Road hire off duty police officers to stand in the parking lot (I guess to make sure you make the 30 feet to your car...and that it really is YOUR car.)


9. The Starbucks in the convention center is fake or a conference of 2,000 just isn't reason enough to open for business.


10. Finally, Deconstructed Chicken a la King is just fried chicken with a side of pot pie.