Don't Back Down

Over the years, I have come to like football as my favorite sport.

It wasn't always that way, but in recent years, perhaps because here in Charlotte the Panthers are simply better liked than the Bobcats. Plus, I'm not really a big fan of basketball, or maybe it is the process that built the arena against the wishes of the voters of the city.

Nonetheless, for the first time, as I waited for a contractor to deliver lumber on Saturday, I watched the NFL draft. Not the whole thing, but I did flip to it now and again to see what happened. Imagine my surprise as the Panthers' own Keyshawn Johnson was on the panel. I kept hoping to hear him add something to the discussion. I was disappointed.

Read "Keyshawn Johnson a Complete Bust As a Draft Analyst" »

For years, the Knife and Fork occupied this small building near the corner of Sharon Amity and Independence. Then an upscale bistro came in, but it was still named the Knife and Fork. Who wants to eat at a place called the Knife and Fork, but the prices are higher? That makes no sense.

A short while ago, another family reopened the restaurant under the name Oasis Place, and I really didn't know what to think. It seemed to have some sort of island feel, I suppose, but had no real reason to go by, but it was close, so figured we'd drop in for a mid-day Sunday meal.

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Found in the same shopping center with Jo Jo China Bistro (and another several dozen shops), the location is great. It's right next to the fountain, and on a warm spring night, the ability to pop in for a single-serving dessert and a drink, then sit on the patio by the fountain, or even around the corner and listen to music, is perfect.

What is missing is that the market cafe concept isn't quite the same as the full-fledged grocery store of other locations, such as Philips Place. That's not to say that the other locations are actually full-fledged grocery stores, but if you've ever been, you should know what I mean.

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Nestled in the shopping center, you may not immediately notice the place - it's not like the restaurant jumps out at you, being that there are only another hundred or so shops in the development. Right there around the fountain have to be another dozen or so shops, and on any given weekend night, it's pretty packed.

But it's probably worth stopping in, as the atmosphere is good and the food is quite decent. The service is solid, approaching excellent. The only downfall that we really found was that the drinks weren't really maintained.

Read "Jo Jo China Bistro" »

When we took our trip to Pigeon Forge, we decided to make it a regular family reunion. The big problem with doing so is trying to figure out just how to make enough room for the entire family. It's not like there aren't any hotel rooms in the area - it's just that trying to get one that's large enough for our family (the two of us, plus the two kids) is bad enough. Throw in trying to organize things with both sets of parents and it can turn into a nightmare.

So we decided that we'd try out a cabin. Specifically, we turned to Starr Crest Resort, which isn't really a resort at all, in the typical use of the word, but a collection of properties (cabins, specifically) perched on a mountain. And when I use the word "perched", you may want to take me literally. Some of these places are right on the edge. Our choice was As Good As It Gets, a four bedroom monster right at the top of the mountain.

This may not be the right course of action for everyone. And I'm not even sure if we'd do it again, or if we did it again, if we would do it the same way we did it this time. But for this trip, it worked out great.

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After Wonderworks, we really didn't think that there was much that we could do to match the activities of the prior day (in actuality, we didn't really think about it). Especially since we were finally on our way home. But relatively early on a Sunday morning, we just happened to be passing by something that you just don't see every day - The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum.

Now I realize that this isn't for everyone. In fact, it probably isn't for much of anyone. But we're just those kind of people that like to see things that you can't see just anywhere. And in fact we like to see things that not everyone else sees. How many other people have been to Wonderworks? Or Dollywood? I have no idea. But I am sure it's a lot. How many have been to the Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers? No idea. But we have.

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They always say that the third time is the charm, right? So after what was probably the worst meal experience in recent memory at the Old Mill, and an utterly average experience at Duff's, I was hoping beyond all hope that the third time was indeed the charm here at Applewood.

Alas, it started off by waiting in line. I so hate waiting in line. It wasn't a good start. What really baffled me was that, unlike at the Old Mill, there was no apparent way to determine when the name of your party was called. Though we sat outside on the porch (which was a nice porch) for at least half an hour, I don't think I heard a single name called during the whole time. It was just odd.

Read "Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant" »

On our trip to Pigeon Forge, we weren't doing so well. The stop at the Old Mill Restaurant was a bust, and Duff's Smorgasboard, while better, wasn't all that great either. So perhaps the problem was that we simply weren't doing a good job at picking places to eat. I'm not sure that choosing somewhere to waste a few hours is likely to yield a better result, but we decided to give it a go.

The choice for the day was Wonderworks. This is mostly because it's a really interesting building. Built in the shape of a large building that landed upside-down in a parking lot, if nothing else, it was fun to look at, and that will keep the kids busy for a bit. There is also another location in Orlando (we hadn't been to that one, but I imagine that they are about the same). Yes, we could have gone to Dollywood, and we planned to do so, but impending rain made us decide not to do that.

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After last night's debacle at the Old Mill, we were looking for something - anything that would a: mean that we didn't have to wait for an hour just to get seated and b: hopefully have some semblance of decent food. Duff's did well on the first point, and performed adequately on the second.

I'm not quite sure if Duff's is always less-than-crowded. When we arrived, at somewhere around 5pm, the place was almost empty. Perhaps four or five tables were occupied, and we quickly took over a small section in the back room, which was necessary for our party of eight in order to sit together. It meant that we were farther from the "smorgasboard" than we would have liked, but it wasn't far.

Read "Duff's Famous Smorgasbord of Pigeon Forge" »

This was my first visit to Pigeon Forge, and more than one person suggested visiting the Old Mill (the restaurant, I mean - there seem to be dozens of places in the general vicinity that start with "Old Mill", so don't get confused).

I'm not typically one who will wait for much time at all, but it was vacation, and I'm usually game for one of those must-see (or must-eat, as the case may be) places, so I figured I would wait. Unfortunately, it was also about 7, and the wait was said to be about 45 minutes, which would place us getting seated at almost 8pm, and that's really pushing my tolerance for dinner. Sorry, but I like to eat earlier than some. So that already put me in the wrong frame of mind. It got worse.

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For better or worse, we recently had the opportunity to visit Carolinas Medical Center when my wife went in for a brief operation. We went in on a Friday morning, and by lunch time, she was being wheeled in for the procedure. A couple of hours later, she was out and in her very own room. By Sunday, she was headed home. Overall, it was a good experience (more details below).

Contrast this to the three day surprise visit to Presbyterian Hospital, and I'd have to say that we were pleasantly surprised.

Firstly, let me say that we fully understand that in one case (CMC), we had an appointment, while in the other we did not. I know that makes a difference. But there are other differences as well, that cannot be solely blamed on the conditions under which the patient was admitted.

Read "Carolinas Medical Center versus Presbyterian Hospital" »