Greetings from Charlotte!

As President of the Charlotte Chapter and a proud WVU graduate, it is my pleasure to “blog” with my fellow Mountaineers! Our alumni are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Queen City for the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Charlotte is a great city for visitors, and we wanted to provide you with a quick run down of some of the activities you may want to try or some of the places you may want to visit. To simplify things, we’ve broken down the city into five areas: Uptown (our Downtown), University/Concord Area, South Charlotte, Ballantyne and Lake Norman/Davidson.

Uptown is where many of you will be participating in fan activities surrounding the bowl. Here, you’ll find the EpiCentre where you can dine at BlackFinns, an upscale sports restaurant; take in the nightlife at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Whiskey River, Suite (a “big city” style club), or Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar and dance club. Later in the evening, visit one of the many restaurants, pubs, and nightclubs on North Tryon, 5th Street and North College Ave., which includes Alley Cat and Forum. There is something for everyone’s tastes.

If you’re interested in taking in a movie, there is a new five-screen movie theater complex at the EpiCentre. Discovery Place is a great place to take the family for the museum or an IMAX movie, or, you can put on your skates and hit the ice at the Ice Rink on The Green on South College St.

The University /Concord area features many local restaurants, including Boardwalk Billy’s (University Place), Stool Pigeons (Tryon St.), and Bad Dogs Burgers (University Place). If you are staying in or visiting this area, you may want to visit Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Concord Mills Outlets, or one of the great neighborhood hangouts like Iron Thunder. The kids (big and small) may want to check out the go kart racing and games.

If you’re interested in doing some upscale dining or shopping, then South Charlotte is where you want to be. Located in the Fairview area, you’ll find South Park Mall with over 100 retailers including Tiffany’s, Macy’s, and Nordstrom’s. You can dine there or at nearby Phillips Place with The Palm, one of the great steakhouses located in this area. Visitors may also want to try the Piedmont Center on Fairview which features Del Frisco’s Steakhouse, a commonplace for celebrity sightings. The Village Tavern also offers great food in a friendly atmosphere.

At Ballantyne Village there is a movie theater complex and restaurants like Villa Antonio, Village Bistro, Silara Bistro and Dessert Lounge. Across the street is the home to the Ballantyne Resort which includes a great spa and public golf course.

Located just off Interstate 77 is the Lake Norman/Davidson area. Here you will find great local places, including Brickhouse Tavern, Toast Café, Sabi (Asian) and North Harbor Club (just off Exit 30). Further down I-77 (Exit 28), be sure to check out the great shops and tasty restaurants such as The Rusty Rudder, Galway Hooker, and Sushi 101. If you’re still ready for more shopping, head to Birkdale Village (Exit 25) and then on to Red Rocks Café for a bite to eat you may even see some of your NASCAR drivers here.

Getting around Charlotte is easy. In addition to access to major highway and interstates, we have the Lynx rail system which can help you get around the city. You can find out more about the Lynx at http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CATS/LYNX/home.htm. If you’re staying in the Ballantyne and Pineville areas, you might want to park at I-485 parking garage located on South Blvd. (free parking!) and ride the Lynx. For those of you who might be staying at South Park hotels, you can park free at the Tyvola station parking lot on Friday, as well as game day Saturday. The Lynx will drop you off in Uptown near the stadium. The Lynx will run until around 1 a.m. A roundtrip ticket is $2.80.

For more information, check out the Chamber of Commerce’s Web site—http://www.charlottechamber.com/ – or the Charlotte’s Got A lot site—http://www.charlottesgotalot.com/.

I can’t wait to see Gold and Blue take over our city. Our alumni and friends are so proud to welcome the Mountaineer nation to Charlotte as we prepare to cheer our team on to victory and make this senior class the winningest class in WVU football history. Let’s Go Mountaineers!

Mike Petruski