TRAIN TO CHARLOTTE
Earlier this week, we made a short trip to Charlotte to visit some very good friends who formerly lived in Florida. The train station in Cary is bright and modern and a most pleasant place to wait. Amtrak trains to New York and Florida absorbed most of the passengers while we awaited the arrival of our Piedmont train. The state of North Carolina provided funding for this train line, and thus, we are fortunate to have multiple daily runs to Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte, and other towns.
The train car was clean, and we easily found seats for the 3-hour trip. Our friends met us in Charlotte, and we then proceeded to SouthPark, the area south of uptown, where they live.
ATTRACTIONS
Mint Museum Uptown
The Mint Museum in Charlotte was established in 1936 and is a contemporary art museum. It grew out of a group of resourceful women’s desire to save the United States Mint building. Today, there are two Charlotte locations, Randolph, which is the original Mint building, and Uptown, which opened in 2010 as part of the Levine Center for the Arts.
At the Mint Museum Uptown, you are immediately greeted by a colorful window wall art work made of mylar film. Titled “Foragers,” and created by Oklahoma City native Summer Wheat, it features women of different races and ages working as hunters, mothers, farmers, etc. It is simply stunning!
Lila Cabot Perry
Malvina Hoffman
Overall we were impressed with the wide variety of artists and styles of works on display—mainly painting, but some sculpture as well. And a good representation of female artists, both contemporary and earlier. Several works were on loan from the National Gallery of Art including one by Georgia O’Keeffe.
Charlotte Serenity Garden
Wednesday was a lovely morning, and we visited the private, but now open to the public, Charlotte Serenity Garden, in the SouthPark area. Over four decades, Dr. Patrick Reames and his wife Patsy developed their hillside property into a beautiful garden with azaleas, waterfalls, and bridges. (We were a bit early for a full flowering.)
Paths with stone steps lead one up and around the slopes which are dotted with flowers, stone works, and art pieces. The overall effect is one of peace combined with whimsy.
DINING
Our friends are great hosts. They provided a light lunch in their apartment after we arrived and introduced us to two great restaurants. All this plus homemade cookies and wine and cheese.
131 Main (SouthPark)
We had dinner at 131 Main (walkable from their place), and three of us loved the North Carolina grilled rainbow trout paired with a piquant peanut ginger slaw. The Chief Penguin, on a quest to sample different versions of shrimp and grits, thought this Southern rendition with a Cajun creole sauce was delicious.
Mariposa (Uptown, next to Mint Museum)
The next day we lunched at Mariposa. Their around-the-world menu of large and small plates included a Moroccan pie with chicken, raisins, and spices; spiced cauliflower; salmon rillettes; and a series of bowls and salads. Among us, we sampled the pie, the cauliflower, fries, and a lamb burger. Tasty and different!
Our Charlotte adventure was a fun one, and we barely scratched the surface of museums and other offerings. We will return.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
