Hanging with Frenchie and the Yankee in Charlotte

Sipping cocktails from the roofdeck bar and restaurant, Fahrenheit in Charlotte, NC

Last weekend I flew down to visit my good friends David and Mark (a.k.a. Frenchie and the Yankee) who moved to Charlotte approximately 2 years ago from Boston.  The trip was fantastic from start to finish.  It didn’t hurt that the weather in Charlotte last weekend was sunny and in the low 70s and every tree seemed to be blossoming, filling the streets with the heady fragrance of spring.

Charlotte’s hip South End

For those who don’t know David and Mark, they are spectacular hosts.  In the span of just one weekend we attended a Saturday morning mimosa party that raised funds for Time Out Youth; strolled through the incredibly picturesque Fourth Ward; visited The Duke Mansion in the posh Myers Park neighborhood; rode Charlotte’s light rail system to the 7th Street Public Market where we purchased a bottle of wine and cheese from local shops then sat down – enjoying an urban picnic of sorts in the cute little marketplace; and we even squeezed in a bit of retail therapy, going to their friend’s men’s fashion shop, SILVERFLY.  David and Mark hosted a lovely cocktail / dessert party at their home so I could meet their friends before we headed out to the gay bar Cathode Azure Club for some dancing.

While I enjoyed all that I did, my favorite time was spent together walking through their neighborhood – the South End, chatting over numerous bottles of wine and meeting their friends who are a charming and handsome bunch.

Charlotte, North Carolina’s Fourth Ward neighborhood

Out with the boys at Cathode Azure Club