Day 23: Dirty! - Blogabond

Turns out there is a gas shortage right where we are heading! Uh Oh! Still not sure if it will change our plans, but we may wind up having to spend a few extra days where we aren't planning on staying. I think it's actually exciting, but I REALLY want to be in Albuquerque on Oct 4th as my mother and sister are flying there to experience the International Hot Air Balloon festival with Justine's parent and us. It would really suck to not be there when my mom and her folks meet. Okay, back to the Actual road trip, not the road trip that's yet to be.

We drove through VA and into NC this morning, hitting Charlotte around lunch time and meeting up with John "Dirty Martini" McCray, so named for the daily ritual of Dirty Martinis he serves up at that thing in the desert. I love Dirty. I have since the first day I met him 3 years ago and I continue to do so to this day. It wasn't until today that I learned the irony or his nickname. He's a neat freak. Like OCD neat. He says that Burning Man is his time to relax from all that, but watching the man in action today showed me exactly why he's Dirty in the desert, but no where else. We met up at the first desegregated restaurant in the South- The Coffee Cup and had some serious soul food. Fried Chicken, Collard Greens, Yams, Fried Okra and Mac and Cheese- Fucking Yum.

Dirty went back to work and we drove first to an actual NASCAR track, The Lowe's Speedway. That's a lot of asphalt and bleachers. We could hear them racing around inside, but couldn't get up close enough to see them do their thing. We then drove back into town and parked downtown under these massive pissing contests of skyscrapers built for competing banks Wachovia and Bank of America, both of whom are headquartered here. Under one of them is the amazing Mint art and design museum. Who knew that Charlotte was so hip to design?

We walked around town, then drove around some fancy neighborhoods, fantasized about living there, and then drove to Dirty's house that he shares with his lover of 19 years, Stuart. Dirty broke out the martini glasses and the olives and poured us some for old times sake.

. Stuart came home shortly there after with pizza in hand. After dinner, Dirty showed us his mega deluxe 40' RV with telescoping living and bed rooms, washer/dryer, full shower, and Stuart's collections of Mermen

There talking about moving to the Bay Area and I hope they do. Great people with great taste.

written by

JRadhirsch on September 23, 2008 from Charlotte, United States

from the travel blog: The Great American Road Trip

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That merman is so rad!

written by Kitty Stryker on September 28, 2008

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