Friendiversary in CLT!

View of the beautiful Hearst Tower

Did you have the most wonderful Labor Day weekend? I spent three days catching up with my childhood bestie of 22 YEARS in Charlotte, NC. Neither of us had been since 1999, when we visited to see NSYNC. It seemed like a good spot to have a friendiversary. 

We started our first full day with delicious treats at Amelie's Uptown, an adorable Francophile emporium stocked with amazing pastries and even more amazing decor, like this light fixture made of colanders. We had a great time giggling with my former coworker, Sam.  

 Just one of many adorable corners in Amelie's.

From there, we wandered through The Green, a charming park that was a literary tribute! It looked like an amazing place to spend a lunch break if you worked in one of the many office buildings nearby.

All signs point to Charlotte in the Green!

We had a great time checking out the Bechter Museum of Modern Art, a very manageable, edited collection of 20th-century jewelry, art, furniture and decor collected by one Swiss family. You can do the whole thing in an hour and feel completely refreshed.

Jamie loved this painting!

And I was pretty obsessed with the architecture. How cool is this view into the other galleries?

We also made a stop in the beautiful Romare Bearden Park, which was bustling with families and music and basically looked like a commercial for Charlotte. After a morning wandering downtown, we decided to switch gears, change outfits and head out to the burbs to visit the huge SouthPark Mall.

 But first, we stuffed our bellies with delicious Tex Mex at Paco's Tacos and Tequila, where I had the BEST margarita of my life. That's a pineapple mint marg that was so smooth, I basically drank it like it was water in the dessert.

I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy shrimp tacos and the chicken milanese tacos...every bite was delicious. But our good food adventures didn't stop there...

 I chowed down on this incredibly flavorful brisket and beef burger topped with gruyere and super amazing double-fried fries.

And before the weekend was done, we enjoyed one more round at Amelie's. I cannot recommend the roast beef and manchego croissant enough.

Until next time, Queen Charlotte! What a perfect city for a weekend visit!