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  Please, Don’t Be “That Guy” or “That Girl” at a Bar! September 15th, 2011 Posted by Hunter Wilson

  

  Ever been to a bar? Of course you have; you’re reading a blog post from Carolina Nightlife

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  Award-Winning Charlotte Restaurant Mert's Heart and Soul May 27th, 2008 Posted by Hunter Wilson

  Charlotte, NC " This July Mert"s Heart and Soul, the restaurant with the motto of “Good food, Good Friends, C’mon In,” turns 10. For owner and executive chef James Bazzelle, the anniversary is a time of celebration and reflection on Charlotte’s growing community. “I can’t believe it’s been 10 years,” says Bazzelle. “It seems like only yesterday that we opened. My wife Renee and I, along with our entire family, are so thankful for the opportunity to serve the Charlotte community and for all the great people we’ve met along the way.” Bazzelle says that the increasing foot traffic in Uptown Charlotte and the growing Carolinas region has helped to attract a number of faithfuls to the restaurant. One of these people is Bob Peaseley. He has been a weekly patron since 1998 and says that the good food and down-home feel at Mert’s is what keeps him wanting more. “Mert"s is a friendly place where everyone knows your name," says Peaseley. "In the 10 years I"ve been going, I"ve never left hungry." The support of the local community is what drives Bazzelle to use Mert"s to give back. The restaurant is a frequent supporter of civic causes, including helping several area high school students find their niche in culinary arts and sponsorship of events such as Belmont Center Public Library’s annual "May Festival"; Metrolia AIDS Project’s "AIDS Awareness Gospel Explosion"; and Athletes United For Youth. Kutricia Spann, Library Supervisor for the Belmont Center Public Library and Jeff Hood, Executive Director of Athletes United For Youth, say that Bazzelle and his wife have been among their strongest supporters. “James has been a great supporter of our non-profit charity, Athletes United,” says Hood. "He very much understands that it’s important for him to support those who are living in less fortunate or underserved communities, especially our community’s youth. I can’t thank him enough for his support over the past 8 years.” Spann echoes these sentiments. “James and Renee have been long-time supporters of the Belmont Center Public Library,” she says. “They came to our branch library 10 years ago and asked to lend their support. The staff at the Belmont Center library is truly grateful for their service and commitment to the community.” Bazzelle says that he looks forward to serving Charlotte through Mert’s for another 10 years and beyond. “There have been so many people who have walked through our doors over the years,” he says. “I’ve literally seen some of my customers get married and start families. This is a great time to be in Charlotte." Mert’s Heart and Soul will host its 10-Year Anniversary Celebration at The Green Market in Uptown Charlotte on Saturday, June 7th from 11:00AM " 1:00PM. Cooking demonstrations, food samples, music, and culinary activities for kids will be part of the festivities. 

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  The Pub at Gateway One Year Anniversary May 20th, 2008 Posted by Hunter Wilson

  The Pub at Gateway Celebrates One Year Anniversary The walls that make up The Pub at Gateway have seen a lot of names over the years. Only one has stuck and succeeded for over a year. To celebrate their success over this past year The Pub is bringing Sara Underwood to Charlotte to party at the Pub on May 31st! The 2007 Playmate of the Year and one of the stars on Girls Next Door, Sara Underwood will be at the Pub signing autographs, hanging out with customers, taking pictures, and more" Ill leave that up to your imagination. The Pub"s One Year Anniversary Party with Sara Underwood will be sold out quickly. Tickets are and VIP tables are still available. Get in touch with The Pub via their Myspace page at www.Myspace.com/thepubatgateway. There will be special guest DJs and Kiss 95.1. Over the past year The Pub has packed its bar on Tuesday night for "Torn Up Tuesdays", their college night with cheap drinks and live DJs. Its busy pretty much all night on Tuesday and continues to grow. As the summer rolls around the patio outside on Trade St. is becoming a popular spot for JWU students after class and bar goers at night. Come out after work and score a half-priced appetizer Monday through Friday 4-7pm. The Pub has a new menu featuring a variety of burgers and delicious appetizers. Friday Nights The Pub kick off one hell of a weekend with .50 cent drafts! That is far and beyond the cheapest drinks in town. Swing by and we will see you there!

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  2008 FOOD LION SPEED STREET May 14th, 2008 Posted by Hunter Wilson

  The fourteenth annual Food Lion Speed Street is racing into uptown on Thursday, May 22 until Saturday, May 24th bringing cars, stars and guitars. In addition to celebrating NASCAR"s strong regional heritage, the event will assist in promoting Charlotte and its surrounding communities. Known as the world"s largest race festival, this three day, free event will arguably generate more excitement than any other single event in Charlotte during the month of May. This year"s event will feature past NASCAR Champions, a NASCAR artist, NASCAR Pit Crews and even a fitness guru. With over 29 scheduled appearances, Food Lion Speed Street will be the place to be for autographs and a chance to meet your favorite driver. It is the only event of its kind in the area with crowds in excess of 400,000 from all over the country. Get up close and personal to seventeen different Sprint Cup drivers and grab some free give aways from all of the sponsors. The event will span several city blocks along Tryon Street from 4th Street to 7th Street; from 7th Street to College Street and 8th Street to Brevard. The event will play host to three stages and a vast array of other activities from sponsors such as Food Lion, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, Budweiser, Chevrolet and General Mills. Every year the festival falls right in between the Sprint All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 attracting more and more drivers for appearances and autographs. May 22: Danielle Peck Gary Allen Jagged Edge The Landsharks May 23: Flyleaf Seether Kellie Pickler KISS Army May 24: Chevelle Travis Tritt Maria Howell For more info visit www.600Festival.com

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  The Summer Concert Series at University Place May 12th, 2008 Posted by Hunter Wilson

  THE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT UNIVERSITY PLACE Thursdays 5:30pm - 8:30pm June - July (lakeside) Free Concert Series Corner of Harris Boulevard & Hwy. 29 (I-85 Exit 45A), across from University Hospital It"s that time of year again, time for Charlotte"s longest running and most exciting summer event…it"s the SUMMER CONCERT SERIES at UNIVERSITY PLACE! 2008 marks the 20 year anniversary of the Summer Concert Series. Since 1988 the Shoppes at University Place have been treating young and old to a free concert by their beautiful and picturesque 11 acre lake located in the middle of the shopping center. Each week featuring some of the south"s top regional artists along with a few special appearances over the years by an array of various national artists. 2008 marks a few changes for the long running concert series. Due to overwhelming demand the concert series will now take place every THURSDAY 5:30pm - 8:30pm lakeside JUNE - JULY. Again spotlighting some of the best of the best in entertainment. Mark it on your calendar now, this will be a great way to kick start your weekend this summer a day early each week! Check out some of the amazing artists we are featuring this summer here on our page. Free Admission, No Coolers or Glass Containers Allowed, Weather Permitting For more information: summerjam@imaginemusicgroup.com BAND SCHEDULE: Jun 5 2008 5:30P BLUE MONDAY (80s retro) Jun 12 2008 5:30P DAVE MATTHEWS TRIBUTE BAND (Tribute) Jun 19 2008 5:30P SWAMPDAWAMP (Blues & Rock) Jun 26 200 5:30P TIM CLARK BAND (Variety) Jul 3 2008 5:30P DICKENS BAND (Variety) Jul 10 2008 5:30P CHRIS NATHAN BAND (Pop) Jul 17 2008 5:30P KEY WEST BAND (Jimmy Buffett Tribute) Jul 24 2008 5:30P CONTAGIOUS BLUES BAND (Blues) Jul 31 2008 5:30P THE NEWZ (Rock)

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  Coyote Ugly is brushing elbows with Fourth Ward April 29th, 2008 Posted by Hunter Wilson

  Apparently Coyote Ugly Saloon is trying to relocate to the old Twist/Daddy’s location at the bottom of the Ivey’s Building on the corner of Church and 5th St. This however does not sit well with the Friends of Fourth Ward neighborhood association. In a letter from CCCP (Charlotte Center City Partners) they say this new tenant would create “nuisance issues for residents of the Fourth Ward especially Avenue residents”. CCCP is trying to work with Stefan Latorre (owner of the retail space at the street level of the Ivey’s Building) to mutually agree on a more suitable use for this space. Here is my take on this issue… First off, that location has not seen the best of luck with past concepts. However, I do think Coyote Ugly would do better there than it has been doing at its current location near the end of College St. Furthermore the CCCP and Friends of the Fourth Ward’s concerns of Coyote Ugly being a nuisance is just crazy. If you moved to Uptown, especially in an expensive high-rise condo complex like the Avenue, you should have been aware that there are bars and nightclubs around you! If you dont want any noise or people around you, move to the country. The CCCP suggested that the College St entertainment district might be a better suit for Coyote Ugly. I guess they mean EpiCentre because Coyote Ugly is already on College St…" Also, to bad the EpiCentre already has Whiskey River and a slew of other bars/clubs coming that would be in conflict with Coyote Ugly. I just do not see that working… However, I am in agreement with the CCCP that the space at the bottom of the Ivey’s Building would be great for soft goods retail, etc. I can imagine the Friends of the Fourth Ward and CCCP will have a hard time talking the owner of that space out of a good tenant like Coyote Ugly, nuisance or not. Stefan Latorre wanted to add some statements to this story (I am in his defense on this as well): “Our vision for the first floor of the Ivey"s has always been to create a unique dining destination. Our plan was to widen the sidewalks by removing the metered parking spaces and open the restaurants onto Fifth Street, creating a distinct row of restaurants with outdoor dining on Fifth and Tryon Streets. Unfortunately, since our purchase, we have faced numerous obstacles including the installation of the huge ATM billboard on the exterior of the building that severely impedes the marketability of the entire floor. My partners and I have spent hundreds of hours working on the many issues facing the Ivey"s Building, but we have finally realized we will not be able to develop the first floor as planned. During this time, we have incurred significant losses by not leasing our spaces to their full potential. The space on the corner of Fifth and Church Street has been especially difficult to lease. This space was used exclusively as a nightclub for years. As a result, the only interest we have ever received for this location is from other nightclub operators. For over two years we searched diligently for a tenant for this space. We even created our own concept in Daddy’s, an upscale sports bar, but it was not successful. Moreover, the residents did not support this business. We have lost a considerable amount of money without a tenant, and we finally found a tenant willing to operate a restaurant and bar, not a nightclub, in this space. Coyote Ugly is a national company and will operate a restaurant and bar. They have purchased the assets of Daddy’s restaurant and have signed a lease agreement, so we are legally bound to lease this space to them. Nevertheless, we believe they will be good neighbors. They have an excellent record in 15 sites throughout the country, and we expect them to abide by all our laws. We also believe it is unfair to oppose or criticize this business so harshly before they even open for business.” Stefan Latorre Ivey"s Retail Condominiums, LLC Your Thoughts"

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