A 175 ton sculpture in Atlanta (that cost a million dollars, no less), built to remind future generations of just how fragile the Earth is, has done just that. Well, except for the fact that it lasted about three months from the time it was originally unveiled, so perhaps it didn't quite last as long as intended. Your children and mine may not actually be able to see the sculpture, so they might not get the message after all.
Another place that you'll find in a strip mall (it seems that there are more and more of these), but this one is a pleasant surprise. Instead of the generic tile floors and white walls, you get a fairly expansive seating area, and once you're around the corner, you really wouldn't know that you're in a strip mall - it's just like any other regular restaurant.
Food at Mario's is where they really shine. The garlic bread appetizer is awesome. The half-size portion is gigantic (at least for two), giving you plenty to chew on. In fact, this plus a salad each is probably enough for most people to eat. You could get this and not have to order anything else - but the rest of the food is good, you'll likely want to do so!
According to an article in today's Charlotte Observer, at some point in the next two years or so, our fair city will lay tracks along Elizabeth Avenue for a streetcar to make its way outside of the so-called urban core and introduce a new sort of growth to Charlotte. Sounds good, right? Sure it does. It mostly sounds good to me because we live way out on the East Side near Eastland Mall and it's long been rumored that any plans for a streetcar will (eventually) make their way out Central Avenue and to the mall. I harbor no illusions that it will make it to my house or anything, but to that fancy new transit center in the mall parking lot would be nice. So what's the problem?
The problem is that according to this same article (not linked because of the Observer's policy of pulling articles after a short while online), since no federal funds will be available for this line, the North line will get priority over the streetcar line, meaning that even though they lay track in the next couple of years, it will be sometime around 2019 until cars start running, and it will be 2023 until the "full line" is open. There isn't an explanation of what the full line is, but I would suspect that might just mean it's running all the way to Eastland. Maybe it's me, but I'm thinking that even having a plan for something like that is just stupid.
Another in a series of strip-mall restaurants that I seem to be visiting lately, this one also has something of a dual personality in that they can't seem to decide what they want to be. The name should be a giveaway, but I have to say that I was focused on something different to eat, and didn't pay much attention. I was wanting something Japanese, without wanting to go for a full-blown steakhouse, so I was hoping that this was going to fit the bill. It did, but it wasn't exactly what I expected, either.
I have recently decided that I won't be shopping at CompUSA any more. I may return to view some items prior to purchasing elsewhere, but it's just too much hassle for me to actually give them any of my money and there are so many other places that are willing to take my money and give some semblance of service, I don't think there's any reason to go back to CompUSA. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has any other experience with them, either here in Charlotte or elsewhere.
To this point, every time I go into one of their stores (admittedly, here in Charlotte, but they do have two), the process has been painful. Usually buying hasn't been too bad, but sometimes even just getting something can be downright horrible. Why is that? I understand that we don't live in the "customer is always right" world anymore, but why make it difficult for people to shop? I just don't get it. Anyway, if you'd like to know why, read on.
In recent years, USB drives have gained popularity as storage needs have grown. I had a 230 gigabyte drive until perhaps a year or so ago, at which point I outgrew it. Yes, I really do store more than 230 gigabytes, but that's not what this is about. I'll talk about that another time. When I did, I bought two 500 gigabyte drives. Those were nearing capacity. Not completely full, mind you, but close enough that I was needing to think about getting something that could hold more. Enter the Infrant ReadyNAS line of products.
They actually come in a number of flavors, which means I had to decide which one I wanted. The ReadyNAS 1000 models are rack mounts, which are nice in that application, but I don't have a rack at home, so I dropped them. The 600 and X6 don't appear to support hot-swappable drives, so I skipped them. This left the NV and the NV+. These two are similar, but the NV+ includes an LCD display and EMC Retrospect backup software. But more importantly, you can't seem to buy the NV without disks (an important distinction). The NV+ it is!
As I was out running some errands, I noticed the banner hanging from the local Pizza Hut advertising their lunch buffet and I decided to stop. I recall seeing somewhere that they were only putting personal pizzas on the buffet these days, but that isn't the case, at least at this location. They are full-fledged pies. Pizza Hut pies, to be sure, but they are the real ones, not the baby-sized ones. That can actually be both good and bad.
It's good because you can get a decent slice from the buffet. It can be bad because with room for only four pizzas at a time, and with one of those at any given time being a dessert pizza, it means if one of the three main pizzas isn't one that you like, you may have to wait for one that you like. This is an issue because the restaurant isn't very busy - probably the reason for the banner outside. As such, the three pizzas don't go very fast.
The East Side of Charlotte has seen a decline over the last few years, and a number of places have stayed empty. One of those that hasn't is a small restaurant that was vacated by an Italian restaurant (that was quite good). It was replaced by a Mexican restaurant, and recently we decided to check it out to see if the replacement was as good as the original. Of course we couldn't compare the two, being two completely different types of food, but you know what I mean.
On the inside of the place, little has actually changed. This doesn't really mean anything, other than the new occupants have decided to focus on their food rather than the decoration. This is a good sign to me, while others may take it how they like. As you walk in you are greeted by a friendly hostess, and you get to see someone making up some homemade pupusas on the grill, Yum!
Another in the long line of strip-mall restaurants that I seem to have a habit o visiting, this one is brand new, in the Harris Teeter shopping center that is wedged into the corner of Idlewild and Margaret Wallace roads near Matthews. Frankly, I have always thought that those corners are a bad place for a large center such as this one, and after eating here, I feel so even more strongly than before.
Turning into the place isn't bad, whether you are turning right or turning left. But getting out is another matter entirely - especially if you are turning left across traffic. There is simply no way to get across both lanes easily, and it's right there at the intersection so it's unlikely to see any improvement any time soon. When the building of the homes on each side finishes it will probably get worse.
You just have to love a place that features "dough" right there in their name like that. I mean what more could you ask for than that? It's going to be a good time. While most other people are trying to hide their past (see KFC), Krispy Kreme is holding it out there for all to see. If you don't have a Krispy Kreme nearby, I'm sorry that you're missing out. These aren't just donuts. And they aren't really doughnuts either.
Sure, they do have cake-like confection concoctions that most of the world eats, but those aren't why you'll want to visit a Krispy Kreme. No, you'll want to go for the special. Wait until that red neon light comes on, because when it is on, you know they are making their doughnuts fresh. That's right, they are coming off of an assembly line right there in front of you. Those are the ones you want. They will literally melt in your mouth. The only problem is restraining yourself and not eating too many of them.
Though situated in a smallish shopping center, it's not quite what I'd classify as a part of a strip mall since this restaurant occupies a unit in a freestanding building that's well away from the main "strip" portion. Still, for those of you that avoid the strip mall as a place to eat, you'll likely want to avoid this as well, because it is in fact pretty much the same as a strip mall - it's just out in front a bit.
That said, if you do decide to skip it because it's located in a strip mall, you're probably missing out. While the place just opened, and there are some growing pains, it shows promise.
