Charlotte

Charlotte was very special because I got to spend time with friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. I used to have every class with Kelli, Keeley, and Ji; however, Ji and Kelli were interning for the first half of the semester, and Keeley had an entirely different schedule than me. I was so excited to see everyone again and catch each other up on our lives. Kelli, being the extrovert she is, insisted that we all sit next to each other on the plane, so she caused a scene trying to get people to switch seats. As mortified as Keeley and I were, it was so much fun traveling together. I had never been to Charlotte before but had always heard it was a cute city. Ji lives in Uptown, which is the heart of downtown. She can walk to work, parks, restaurants, and nightlife. She can easily get to what she can't walk to via the metro that stops a block from her apartment. Besides spending time in Uptown, we explored the neighborhoods of South End and Noda. South End is a charming district with plenty of shopping and nightlife. We spent all day shopping here, and I fell in love with so many cute clothes - too bad the average price at these boutiques was $300. Regardless, it was fun to window shop and dream. Noda is entirely the opposite. Noda is home to street art, trendy food, and drugs. We went to an elevated food court called Optimist Hall, where we all ate a delicious lunch and played cards all afternoon. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend; I loved spending quality time with my friends. I can't wait until we're all reunited in Columbia again!