Charlotte fun and now, back in Miami
First things first… happy birthday Nicholas who turned 29 yesterday!
Now.. back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Last weekend was so much fun during our family vacation to Charlotte, NC to visit Michael. It was a whirlwind few days of fun hanging out, eating, laughing and exploring.
The drive up from Merritt Island on Friday was relatively easy, but still a bit long. Breaking it up with a stop for lunch at Melody’s Coastal Cafe in the little town of Midway, Georgia was perfect. It’s a nice sized diner with an enormous flat screen TV and robot servers who brought our food to the table. It was a fun place to stop.
That night we watched the UM Hurricanes in college football action at the Platform Sports rooftop bar then we went to Dom’s Dive Bar for beers and to shoot pool. I definitely liked Dom’s a little better, it was more our speed. The rooftop bar was a bit bougee for us Gulliksens.
Pool at Michael’s apartment complex.
Mini lobster rolls topped with caviar at Restoration Hardware.
Charcuterie board at Restoration Hardware.
Saturday we spent time with Michael at his apartment complex enjoying pool time and meeting his roommate then we got lunch at Cabo Fish Taco which Michael’s been to and recommended and it was really good. It’s a casual spot with great food. We tried not to fill up on lunch too much because the highlight this day was an early dinner at Restoration Hardware’s rooftop restaurant where Michael is sous chef. We were treated like royalty. The staff were all so happy to meet us and they rolled out the red carpet for us. It was a phenomenal experience foodwise, service wise and ambiance wise. We went out on the terrace and enjoyed the view for a bit before returning to the hotel to change for a fun night at the retro Super Abari Game Bar. The arcade/bar was like stepping back in time to the days of pinball machines and old time video games like Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga. We closed out the night with ice cream at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream which was outstanding!
Rainforest area at Discovery Science in Charlotte.
Lego butterfly
Lego chameleon at Discovery Science.
Lego birds at Discovery Science.
Sunday after a light breakfast at the hotel, we went to the Charlotte Regional Farmer’s Market, which is set up in three big red barns. After walking around, having lemonade and buying a few things, we went to Noble Smoke Barbecue restaurant, which we’d passed on the way to the market. The food was top notch, and once we finished there we headed to Uptown Charlotte to visit the Discovery Place Science museum. We spent a couple of hours exploring their exhibits and checking out the gift shop. I loved their Lego exhibit, a traveling exhibition they had on display that was ending that weekend. The other displays were also quite interesting and I loved the rainforest area and all the aquariums. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon and explore Uptown Charlotte.
Creek at Freedom Park in Charlotte.
Locks on the bridge at Freedom Park.
Elizabeth walking into the creek at Freedom Park.
We stayed until the museum closed and then went back to the hotel to hang out for a bit, enjoy some time in the lobby then Elizabeth and I went to Freedom Park. We walked the entirety of the park and their nature trail which included a few nice wooden bridges that took us over a creek. We actually hiked down a bit and Elizabeth got to dip her toes in the water.
That night, the siblings hung out at Michael’s apartment and Vance and I walked to dinner from the hotel. We had a light meal at Jinya Ramen Bar where I had a prosecco, seaweed salad and some light, crispy chicken.
Before heading back home on Monday, we had one final family meal, breakfast at Original House of Pancakes. After dropping off Michael at his apartment and saying our tearful goodbyes, we made a stop at Buc ee’s in South Carolina for snacks before driving back to Merritt Island.
On Tuesday before heading back to Miami, I had to go to Cuba Bistro in the plaza across from the townhouse, and get their disco volador (“flying saucer”) sandwich for lunch, which was something my Mom used to make for me as a kid. Google it and you’ll see why it gets its name. Mine was filled with ham and cheese but there are other varieties.
Nick with his friends and teacher at his Adult Day Training program.
Nick with his ice cream and candle at Flanigan’s last night.
Wednesday night we kinda bombed at trivia but it was fun to hear everyone at Old Tom’s sing happy birthday to Nick and Thursday was all about Nicholas and his birthday. He celebrated at his program with all his friends and two huge cakes I made for him and then he asked to go to Flanigan’s for dinner where after he enjoyed a burger and fries (his favorite meal!), they brought him a complimentary ice cream with a candle.
The scene this morning for 9/11 Day at Hard Rock Stadium.
T.D. and Miami Dolphins cheerleaders making an appearance at Hard Rock Stadium this morning.
That’s Paula on the left, Patricia in the middle and me on the right, leaving Hard Rock Stadium this morning.
And finally today, I got up before sunrise and went to Hard Rock Stadium to participate in the nationwide United for Good 9/11 Day meal packing volunteer effort. I discovered that 9/11 Day was founded/created in 2002 by the brother of our Food Rescue US South FL founder Ellen Bowen. You can see her interviewed on CBS4 in this video. And, you can click on this link to learn about 9/11 day and the organization’s mission.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next Friday with an all Miami/305 edition of the blog. I’ll probably be sharing a link to my Overtown Performing Arts Center article in Miami Times and perhaps a link to an article in Artburst Miami. Also, my work on BOOM! Ensemble.
Have a great weekend!
This morning’s sunrise.
