Knights, Nights, and a Pinched Blackberry: Charlotte
Late spring evenings in Charlotte, North Carolina see the sun set behind home plate, a little to the third base side. It casts a perfect golden hour glow onto the outfield seats and the city skyline beyond.
The Knights enjoy a packed house, and that’s certainly not always the case in minor league baseball. There’s a synergy, a symbiosis in play with the ballpark sitting smack in the midst of uptown. To be sure, not every single fan walks to the game, but likewise, not every fan drives away immediately after the game.
Uptown residents take advantage of the ballpark’s proximity and accessibility, filling seats and creating a palpable buzz in the area leading up to game time. And overheard conversations after the thrill of an extra-innings walk-off win confirm that many non-uptown residents are happy to spend time celebrating in the nearby restaurants, bars, and parks.
After the game, my wife and I head east along MLK Blvd, past the buskers and the community urban gardens. Before the game, we paused to take stock of the garden, even pinching an almost-ripe blackberry (shh, don’t tell anyone). Beyond the garden beds, the colorfully lit fountains of Romare Bearden Park team with life. The scene is an inspiring microcosm of everything Charlotte is making great strides to become - beautifully diverse and cosmopolitan, a shining example of the new south. No, not that new south with explicit racism as a foundational tenet. A new new south. One with explicit inclusivity. One which celebrates diversity and serves to support successes across all populations. One in which a once-jailed protester can go on to become a highly effective Mayor Pro Tem.
At the ballgame, we snacked on a basket of fries and a miniature batting helmet of dipping dots, but now we’re proper hungry. Uptown has plenty of brick and mortar restaurants to choose from, but the street food grabs our attention.
We decide on tacos. As we get to the window to put in our order, the Friday night fireworks show put on by the Charlotte Knights begins. The food truck operator and I try our best to talk between barrages and can’t help but chuckle together as we fail miserably. Finally, we get our order placed and chat with some locals while we wait.
Food in hand, we head back to the hotel by way of The Green - a terraced park connecting Tryon Street on the high end to College Street on the low end and bounded by restaurants, mid-rise apartments, and a spectacularly kept historic church. The park is adorned with literary-themed art installations from fountains to statues to the very paving stones we traverse.
On this night, standing at the high end of the park, the full moon is perfectly framed down the long, terraced lens of The Green.
The night, which started as a cool reprieve to the warm afternoon sun, has turned a tad balmy as the temperature lowers and the humidity rises.
Standing at the top of The Green, taking in the moonlight, we’re kissed by a welcoming breeze that asks us, “What’s the rush? Stay a spell.” And so we do.