The places in Charlotte NC where you are most likely to find the pre-invasion “carefully Urban planned” New South city is to venture to the “wrong side of the tracks”. There you find people who have lived in Charlotte for generations, mostly descendants of slaves freed after the Civil War – who came to the relative safety of a big city during the brief period of time called Reconstruction when Republicans controlled the South and encouraged blacks to vote (for Republicans) and hold political office.
A digression in history that I didn’t know about until a week ago is “what caused Reconstruction to end suddenly?” I remember my elementary school US History book in Pennsylvania having asterisks but my teacher glossed over it. What happened in 1876 may well reverberate in this election or in 2020.
Unlike the fiction that Al Gore’s “stolen election” in 2000 was unique or awful, 1876 was much worse. Republican Rutherford B Hayes lost in the popular vote to Democrat Samuel Tilden and the post war electoral college was a mess. Democrats won the popular vote in three Southern states amid violence against Republicans and fraud, but the electors were controlled by Republicans who refused to vote for Tilden, leaving both candidates without a majority.
So back to today, we went to a semi-legendary drive-in that has been featured on cable TV
https://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurants/nc/charlotte/barbecue-king-drive-in-restaurant and had a cameo in a hollywood movie.
In other Charlotte NC news, “Bojangles’ announced Tuesday its plans to be sold, WRAL reports.
The Charlotte-based company has entered an agreement with Durational Capital Management LP and The Jordan Company, L.P. in an all-cash deal, according to a press release from Bojangles’ headquarters.”
Another Charlotte based company being sold out. a lot of people just ‘checking out’ .
I can’t say nothing. I would check out and disappear also, for a cash payment .
Say , 10 million ?
Finally fixed an annoying rattle in old Jeep, that I have been hunting down for a year or two. It was a Loose shock on the bottom bolt ! I was always shaking side to side, and never heard anything. I went to check the track bar & muffler bearing, and when I lifted straight up on the Jeep. I heard the noise! It was the shock. I was shocked !
Tightened and fixed.
Parrott.
Dear Parrott: never ate at a Bojangles before the sale was announced so I went yesterday. Great country ham biscuit — light and fluffy biscuit (nicely greasy)and salty thin-cut ham. Enjoyed every bite.
Noticed while I was there that they had baby boomer oldies music playing inside the place. Also saw three other customers — all white men at least sixty years old. (Heavy drive-in traffic but I couldn’t see the customers. ) The old Charlotte guys being pushed out by the fern bar crowd who like their $9 mixed drinks served with “curated” olives and pickled onion on environmentally sensitive bamboo skewers.
Hi Mrs. Countess! Good to hear from you , Yeah Bojangles is okay. Great observation on the ‘fern bar crowd’. They advertise that on the TV stations in Roanoke Virginia, ” Charlotte NC, great place to visit .”
I like olives : ) I don’t put them in a glass of ‘Evan Williams’.
have a good one !
best
Parrott
A local Charlotte website reports that Famous “Wally” Amos is currently living in a one bedroom apartment in Fort Mill, just over the South Carolina state line
http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/December-2018/Famous-Amos-Creator-Lives-Near-Charlotte-as-He-Plans-Next-Venture/
Earlier in his life, his house in Hawaii was sold at auction after he failed to make his mortgage payment for 14 months. He is not a good role model for entrepreneurship – he got well known in Hollywood because he worked for the William Morris talent agency.