Category Archives: Family

About Town #4: Elizabeth Ave.

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For those of you who are new readers these “About Town” posts are intended to give you ideas for a wonderful little night “about town” in which you do something which does not involve going to a chain restaurant and seeing a movie. Charlotte has so much more to offer in its little neighborhoods than going to a suburb shopping center and bumming around at target and Chic-Fil-A. With that being said, here’s a night I have planned just for you, dear reader.

Enjoy Eating @ Crisp: Seventh Street Café

Are you up for something super healthy and exceedingly tasty? Crisp is your place. With a simple but customizable menu, you can try all kinds of twists on old salad favorites. It was named “Best Lunch in Charlotte” by Creative Loafing Magazine. Crisp aims to be the middle ground between upscale fine dining and fast-food. The owners seek to be that fresh, quality, but not so prolonged and hard on the wallet option around Charlotte. I usually hate spinach. Last time I went here I ordered the Chinese Shrimp salad which is just shrimp, some almonds, noodles and peppers over a bed of spinach! I thought I wouldn’t like it, but was in the mood for something Asian, and being adventurous, I ordered it anyhow. I was blown away. It tasted so good. Crisp doesn’t even cover it. I recommend ordering a bottle of Perrier or Pellegrino to go along with your salad; the freshness of the “water with gas,” as the europeans call it, goes ever so well with the beautiful construction of the salads! Next time I go, which will be soon, I think I’m gonna try something with a bit more blue cheese. Maybe a Cobb?

Savor Some Sweets @ Elizabeth Creamery

My favorite spot for ice cream in the city of Charlotte is without a doubt Elizabeth Creamery. This small family-run shoppe is any ice cream lover’s heaven. At any given time there are at least 20 fresh and homemade flavors to choose from; those of you with that old standby can savor a fantastic classic flavor while some of your friends with more adventurous palates can sample something new! Some of my favorites are the praline, cookie dough, butter pecan, and strawberry! 

Mellow to the Music @ The Visualite

I guess the running theme for this whole adventure I’m planning for you, dear reader, is things I love- I say that because out of all the concerts I’ve ever been too, out of all the venues in Charlotte and otherwise, my absolute favorite venue of all time is The Visualite. It is one of the most intimate places to be when taking in music, especially if you are a really big fan of whatever artist happens to be there. The last show I saw there was Robert Francis and OK Go. I am an ENORMOUS fan of both and when Francis was playing there was maybe 15 or 25 people milling around the small tables, and no more than 150 or 200 when OK Go came on. I mean, it used to be a small dinner/movie theater so it is not a large space and even when it is full of people you are never far from the performance. You can click the link above to check which artists are coming and when- sometimes they are small local acts and sometimes bigger acts such as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, OK Go, or Dawes!

113,956 Hours

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Well I honestly can’t believe that it is all over. As my friend Jay Putnam said, its been 13 years well spent. And if you really think about it 13 years is quite a long time. Thats 156 months, 678 weeks, 4749 days, 113956 hours, 6837334 minutes, 410240038 seconds, and 410240038000 milliseconds. It flew by. No seriously.

I began my educational adventure after preschool with Transitional Kindergarten at St. Ann’s. Day 1 I entered carrying my little backpack stuffed to the brim with markers, notebooks, and probably toys. But there was a problem – I was told that everything I did was wrong. My teachers said that I could not color inside the lines and they could not understand the reasons why I did things differently from all the other children. I distinctly remember being punished for curiosity and creativity on more than one occasion. It was at this point my family began looking for a place that would cultivate my creative spirit instead of attempting to quash my individuality. Thats when we found CCS.

I was not supposed to get in, back in 1998 CCS apparently had a long waiting list. But a family friend, unbeknownst to us, made some calls and helped pave the way for me to get in. God really wanted me to be at Charlotte Christian.

There are so many things that I would never have done had I not been here. My sense of creativity, curiosity and need to explore would have been smothered out like the spark of a fire that has not yet had the chance to roar. I would have never been challenged to be excellent. I would have been content with mediocrity. I would have never had teachers who poured into me, who believed in my passions and wanted truly to help me achieve them. I would not have forged the friendships I will cherish for a lifetime. I would not have arrived at graduation day the AJ Calhoun that I love being without Charlotte Christian.

There are little things that CCS has that make me realize even more that it was exactly where God wanted me. Things like: Why is our theater program one of the best in the country when we are such a small school and have such limited resources? Where did the broadcasting program and Knights Knews come from? (I mean seriously if that’s not a God thing I dont know what is) and why are all the AP classes above average?

It just seems like WAY too much of an anomaly the way things worked out and how much CCS cultivated who I am and set me up for success. Malcolm Gladwell writes in Outliers, a book that deals with how exceptional people become exceptional that, “you have to be born at the right moment; at the right place; to the right family… and then you have to work really, really hard. That’s about it.” I feel like that occurred- or at least it has so far.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

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It seems like every book I have read this sumer has been my new summer favorite, each one just as good as the one before it! I have read nothing but great books this summer, The Fountianhead, The Stranger, God is Not One, and now A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.

I would like to begin by thanking Todd Lesher for encouraging me to read this book, I had seen it and wanted to read it, but without his encouragement I would have never picked it up.

Donald Miller is a great writer. I read his most famous book Blue Like Jazz a few years back after being encouraged by another mentor at church. Miller likes to play to the side of Christians which is casual and spiritual at the same time, relating spirituality through stories and conversations rather than fire and brimstone sermons. He writes in a very different manner and thats what makes him intriguing.

In A Million Miles In A Thousand Years Miller tells the story of story. The concept originates through his new friends Steve and Ben who are movie producers. One day they come to Portland  OR where Don lives to ask him if they can make a movie of his life, based on his book Blue Like Jazz. There’s only one catch, they think his life needs some spicing up a bit, some obstacles and climaxes and editing in general. This sets in motion an entire chain of events which compel Don to “live a better story” from story seminars with famous Hollywood screenwriters, to hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, to simply “getting the girl.” Miller really conveys the importance of living your life like a story, because thats the way God intended it to be lived.

This book, much like his NY Times best seller Blue Like Jazz is a wonderful ramble  through Don’s life experience around the time the script for the movie was being written. And also much like Blue Like Jazz it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable book! In the words of Rob Bell “I felt like this book read me more than I read it.”

Beyond only being enjoyable A Million Miles In A Thousand Years sets out a difficult challenge: to go out and live your story, which if you read the book, you will understand just how simultaneously blissful and terrifying that can be.

I would 100% recommend A Million Miles In A Thousand Years to Anyone without stipulation or reserve. It is just a great read: intellectual, challenging, enjoyable, throughout provoking, and stimulating all through!

(I’m also looking forward to the Blue Like Jazz movie! Check it out!)

Toy Story 3

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They all said it could not be done. I was told time and time again over the entire year leading up to it’s release that it was never going to be as great as the last one. But it was.

This past Sunday I went wih my family to see it. First off I’m not sure if Pixar knows how to do anything wrong, serioulsy from the highly creative short to the spot on, absolutely perfect animation the entire visual relm the movie lived in was impeccable.

The script was possibly the movie’s strongest feature, though at times or was trite and predictable it was honest and transparent. From the first 5 seconds of the film the world of Woody, Buzz, and Andy was revived in the mind o the audience taking us back over a decade to charachters we know and love. And at times it was extrely creative! I won’t give anything away but there are some great moments!

From a relevancy standpoint it was very nice how Andy, who was my age when the movies first came out, was now my age again in this film. It really bound me to the movie knowing in a little less than 12 months I would be sorting my childhood into attic, goodwill, college, and trash.

This movie was really great on so many levels. The young children in the audience were laughing at the funny talking toys, the teenagers were reflecting over their short lives, and the parents were restraining tears as they thought of their children leaving forever.

As the famous author Donald Miller would say, it told a great story, it told a story worth living.

To The Mountains For A Day

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The Calhoun family began our day at 9:30 sharp this morning. The bags were packed and we were on our way, me with a backpack and my iPod, and my Katey with 5 weeks worth of clothes and supplies. Not an exaggeration. My sister is going off to be a CIT (counselor in training) at YMCA Camp Cheerio, so it was my job today to be “the supportive brother” which I guess I did. I reluctantly went not particularly wanting to spend a day watching my sister get dropped off at camp.

Before we got to Cheerio we visited my aunt Lucy in Mount Airy, North Carolina, the home of the infamous Andy Griffith. We ate at a little, quaint, hole in the wall down on main street called “Pandowdy’s Restaurant” it was ok, not anything to write home about but nice family time. It was the kind of food you would expect to get in a small town, sandwiches and salads.

After Mt. Airy, Pandowdy’s, and a quick stop at Rite Aide for hair ties, we were off to camp. The road wound back and forth like no other road I’ve ever been on, it was almost sickening how twisty it was up there. The camp is situated right at the very top of the mountain. We were welcomed and my sister was ushered off to meet the counselors she would be working with and the staff, my parents helped her set up her bed, there was a little meeting, we said our goodbyes and were gone.

From there we ventured over to Elkin North Carolina, where our old next door neighbors, the Demminks now live. Mr. Demmink prepared a wonderful dinner of ribs, and we proceeded to tell stories of times gone by. I mostly listened, there was not much for me to say, most of the things had happened before I was born or when I was very young. My friend Anneke is their youngest daughter and closest to my age at 20, she spent much of the time continuing to encourage me to attend Chapel Hill for college (her school) to much success.We had a great time laughing and talking in the cool mountain air.

Overall my day, which at first I didn’t want to have, was far better than I expected. All-in-all a good saturday.

About Town #3: Taste of Charlotte

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It is here! Taste of Charlotte 2010 has arrived! Lining Tyron from 6th down to MLK, its the best food in town all on one street! Last year my dad and I ventured to Taste of Chicago which was awesome, and full of amazing food, so much food you could not try near all of it. So, when I saw that there was a Taste of Charlotte my dad and I were really excited about  going.

Tonight was the first night of the event, which lasts all weekend. Admission to the festival is free, but you have yo buy tokens to get the food.

The food is in little “taste” portions so you can try a bunch of stuff. Here’s what all we tried:

The ones I *ed are the best things to try. Anyhow, it is a really fun and innovative way to have dinner one night this week with your family or friends! ( and its a great way to try a bunch of those places you had heard about but had never tried)

About Town #2: Central Avenue

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Heard of it? I’m gonna hazard, some of you have been down there and others of you have never even heard of it. There are 3 things not to miss on Central Ave.

First, I realized today that I neglected to do some explaining last time as to my symbols etc… so beside each thing (e.g.Cabo Fish Taco) there will be one or more dollar signs, this represents the average cost per person to experience: $ = 10 or less, $$ = 10-20, $$$ = 20-30, $$$$ = 30 or more.  As far as stars go I’m on a 4 star scale, so 4 max. ok now I’ve explained it all.

1. The Penguin  $

I was recently over here with the Gray family, after Morgan and Katey went over to Wicked. I love this restaurant. It seriously is one of the best in town. Its one of those places you can feel your arteries clogging as you eat, but its so amazing you can’t stop. It’s the quintessential american burger joint, its this small dark super casual place with the diner style menu filled with a ton of burgers. (This is the other restaurant in Charlotte which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.)

Whenever I go I usually order the “Big Block Burger” with bacon, though I can vouch for the rest of the menu having ordered other items as well (try the black bean burger.) But if there is one thing you CAN NOT walk away without ordering is the fried pickles. OK, you’re probably thinking to yourself that that sounds disgusting, and that was my first reaction, but try them, get a small basket with ranch for you table and dig in, its like $3 what do you have to loose?

Here’s my breakdown on The Penguin:

Food: ★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★
Service: ★★
Location: ★★
Overall: ★★★


2. The Original Dairy Queen $

This place is really neat if you’ve never been before. It’s right around the block from The Penguin so its a perfect treat after eating there, Blizzards go great with double bacon cheeseburgers and fried pickles. Its not your usual Dairy Queen its not like the one in Cotswald, its walk up! Which is just really cool, after you walk up and get your dairy treat, grab a spot on the curb and enjoy! It’s really quaint and fun! (there’s no rating because its just ice creme)

3. The Original Fuel Pizza $

Another original, hopefully you know what Fuel Pizza is? There are a few of them around charlotte, mostly around downtown. But, this is the original. Fuel is aptly named, in that the restaurant is located usually in a reinvented gas station, at least the first few were. This one is really cool, it is directly next door to the Dairy Queen, It is a great pizza place with fantastic large pieces of pizza. I recommend that you go on a night with good weather and eat outside under the drive up.

Here’s my breakdown on Fuel Pizza:

Food: ★★★★
Atmosphere: ★★★½
Service: NA
Location: ★★★½
Overall: ★★★½


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About Town #1: Cabo Fish Taco

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I’ve made a decision. I want to start highlightig stuff around Charlotte that is atypical.

I think too many people spend all their free time around “The Arbo” and “Stonecrest” and not enough time appreciating the culture this city has to offer. This idea spawned out of the inordinate portion of these first few days of summer downtown, uptown, and in NoDa. I guess it all comes out of Evan’s, Jay’s, and my pre-Tremont exploration of Southend that really got my brian juices flowing about this.

So this summer I’m setting out on a quest. What is the quest you may ask? I’m gonna go out this summer and find the really cool stuff charlotte has to offer, so you can be way more creative next friday in what you en up doing. Goodbye Qdoba, hello Cabo Fish Taco; Goodbye Arboretum, hello Green; Goodbye Regal, hello Bechtler.

Cabo Fish Taco $ (10ish)

The first place I want to highlight is deep in the heart of  NoDa. As far as dives go the gold star is to be featured on Guy Fieri’s show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives its like a stamp of approval, you know what you are gonna get is gonna be good. Now I personally am not a fish taco kind of person, but let me go ahead and recommend this restaurant. The food had a very interesting flavor, like the kind of thing you wanted to keep eating even thought I want a fan of the fish and rice. The atmosphere of the restaurant is what makes it so appealing, when you pull in to the part of NoDa where Cabo Fish Taco is located, you feel like you’ve been transported to some small town in the mountains. The inside of the restaurant is casual but not in a bad way, in a really chill wonderful way. The service was great, very attentive, but not overbearing. Here is my Breakdown.

Food: ★★½
Atmosphere: ★★★★
Service: ★★★½
Location: ★★★★
Overall: ★★½

All in all give Cabo Fish Taco a try, see what you think!

My Modern Family is Lost in Monopoly

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Summer has officially begun. Katey and I are playing an epic game of Monopoly on the kitchen table as we re-watch the entire first season of my favorite show Modern Family. And for all of you who are (or rather were) obsessed I am watching Lost.

Monopoly:  Currently I own every single property on the board except for Boardwalk (which Katey has mortgaged) and have upwards of $10,000, not to mention that I have 2 hotels on every one of my properties. I am doing well, currently I am paying her to do menial tasks like move my piece or bank my money because when when she lands on Mediterranean (the cheapest property on the board) it costs her $500. PS: I have never lost a game of Monopoly except one time when Katey cheated.

Modern Family: If you have read my “about me” section you will see that my favorite show is Modern Family. I have Chad Fair and SaraBeth White to thank for this obsession, as they talked about it constantly in Knights Knews and so I watched it… and loved it! Anyhow, my sister and I are watching it as we play (and I beat her in) Monopoly.

Lost: Why oh why did I not get into this sooner? Because my father walked in on apparently the ONE AND ONLY inappropriate scene in all 6 seasons… but now I am older and tried to watch it again. I love it, so thank you to Matthew Hasselberg, and the other millions of viewers who talked about it constantly, it truly is all it was cracked up to be. Also, the show is completed by the amazingly pretty Evangeline Lilly. No seriously Amy Adams were through, I’ve found a new famous person to be in love with.

Well, that is my boring life from the end of school to now. Personally I find it really awesome!