I recently had to spend a week working in North Carolina at the Charlotte Convention Center. Having no rental car, I was provisioned at the Hilton Garden Inn about 1 block away.
When I arrived at the hotel, I saw an imposing, modern looking edifice across the street and asked the driver if that was the convention center?
“No way, man” he drawled, “that’s the NASCAR Hall of Fame.” He then pointed out a drab building with all the charm of your local Department of Transportation office and explained “that’s the convention center over yonder.”
Oh well, at least it’s close by I reasoned. When I checked in to my hotel I was given a nice room that in fact overlooked the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which is still partially under construction. Being 10 floors up, I assumed I wouldn’t be too inconvenienced by the noise of the construction, and the Hilton Garden came through for me on that front, because the room was quiet with the exception of one evening when some event was happening at the HoF, and a public address system could be heard. I don’t know for sure, what was happening, I just assume it was the induction of Ricky Bobby into the Hall.
If you find yourself heading to downtown Charlotte for a business trip, you might want to know they don’t call it downtown Charlotte. In Charlotte, the downtown area is called Uptown. No one I spoke with knew why that was exactly, just a quirk of fate. Uptown or downtown, be sure to note whether you’re staying at the Hilton, or the Hilton Garden, because they’re different properties, and they’re about 4 blocks apart.
I was lucky enough to be at the Hilton Garden, which was pleasant, featured fresh coffee 24/7 for free (big plus in my book!), fresh cookies in the evening, and a comfortable restaurant (Great American Grill) that opens at 6 am for breakfast. I enjoyed my two meals at the hotel restaurant, a breakfast one morning, and a dinner one evening, and found the prices to be fair and the food quite tasty.
One last item that can’t be overlooked was the free WiFi in the hotel. Very unusual in my experience in a Hilton property, and very much appreciated by me!
One other nice amenity of the Hilton Garden is the hotel shuttle. The shuttle driver was more than willing to drive me to a few out of the way spots, including the Cedar Street Tavern, which I frequented on a few occasions, and a hole in the wall Chinese place called Best Wok. They’ll also pick you up as late as 11:00 pm, which ain’t bad on a school night!
Cedar Street Tavern is a smoky little bar, but very friendly and drink specials every night. The kitchen stays open until 1 am Thurs – Sun, for late night noshing. Definitely worth checking out.
The Convention Center takes up the rest of the block that the NASCAR Hall of Fame doesn’t, and bordering one side is College Street. Continue down College Street to Trade Street and you’re at EpiCenter, a mall of sorts with Jason’s Deli, 5 Guys Burgers & Fries, as well as many other options and activities ranging from a bowling alley to a movie theater.
All in all I enjoyed my visit to Charlotte, but I couldn’t wait to get on the next flight home.
