Greensboro

Hey guys, Matt here. This is a trip that I did on my own and got into by doing what I do best, taking advantage of a situation and following my instincts. It’s a short trip, but a fun one nonetheless. I worked at a historic hotel in uptown Charlotte for a while and this hotel had an old, authentic London cab that drove guests all over town. I was lucky enough to drive this cab and loved it. This awkward PT cruiser looking thing that was a diesel and had the turning radius of a Cocker Spaniel was one of the greatest cars I have ever had the privilege of driving. The problem was that this vehicle liked to break down, a lot, and since it was authentic no one in Charlotte knew how to fix this thing. After a while, my managers found a guy who knew all there was about London cabs. The downside for them was that this mechanic was in Greensboro. Their solution was to tow the cab up to this guy and send me up to get it when it was fixed. This is the first time I actually got paid to travel which, in my mind, was ultimate awesomeness.

The day came where they needed me to go up and they were sending me by train. As stoked as I was, I’m known for not planning ahead very far and I arrived at the train station three minutes too late. Not to be discouraged, I called up and changed my ticket from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon. That gave me six hours to drive my car up to Greensboro, find the shop, pay the people and drive the taxi back before my train left again. I got up there in a little over two hours knowing that the taxi couldn’t go over 65 so the way back would be a little longer. The problem was that I couldn’t park my car anywhere and leave it for a couple of hours. This lady who worked for Amtrak was very helpful and actually got me a day pass in the lot for free. I called up the shop and they came and picked me up. Fast forward, I pick up the taxi and drive it back getting to the hotel with 20 minutes to spare. One of the bellman at the hotel, Mr. Turner, took me back to the train station and I got on the train just before it left. How about that for timing huh?

Having never been on a train before, I didn’t realize how AWESOME they are. It’s just like driving except there is no traffic and kind of like flying except the seats have more space and are way more comfortable. It takes a little longer than driving, but who cares if you are along for the ride and not on a schedule. If you’re in such a hurry, spend the money and fly but if you want to travel for pleasure or you are on a budget, train is the way to go.

Now before I get started, I have to let you guys know something; if you are not from North Carolina, you have probably never heard of Greensboro. If you are from North Carolina but have never been to Greensboro, you probably think of the city as kind of a crummy place. I know I did and let me tell you something, I was wrong. Greensboro was great to me. Uptown is super clean with restaurants all over the place that would make Diners, Drive-ins and Dives thank their lucky stars. All of the restaurants at first glance are the kind of places that are unique and original. There is a local brewery up there called Natty Greene’s which makes a whole bunch of great beers and has done well enough to actually have a satellite location in Raleigh. The same place Myke and I went on the Raleigh journey.

So I get to Greensboro knowing that I do not have to be anywhere for the rest of the  day. I started by  walking down the main strip of Greensboro, meet some cool people and they point me in the direction of this spot a little ways away, near a park. I walk there and it looks really fancy,  not what I was feeling at the moment. So I decided to turn and head down another street parallel to the main street. I then come across this place that makes me go, “Oh this is what I was looking for.”

This pub was situated on the corner and had a look that screamed locals only. Not to mention the name of it was ‘Stumble Stilskins’. (Yes, that is spelled right.)  I couldn’t help myself. Upon walking in, I get the feeling that this would be one of the greatest bars to watch sports. It featured multiple rooms, a couple of bars and not to mention two stories; the layout of this place is great. I grab a seat, spy the bartender and a sign directly behind her. ‘$2 Killian’s Irish Red.’  My jaw drops when I see this. “Is that true?” I ask the bartender in astonishment. She replied, a little bitchy, “Yeah, it’s like an everyday special.” I tried to explain that I wasn’t from around Greensboro, and that I had  just walked in. Not mentioning that two dollars for a Killian’s is unheard of anywhere else I have ever been. She actually walked away in the middle of me trying to explain. Not to be detoured, I started talking to some of the locals about the food here and was sold on the Italian chicken sandwich. Let me tell you, grilled chicken with prosciutto and Italian dressing is heaven. Stumble Stilskins was a great place to eat and the locals in the bar were very talkative, but the beer specials is what made it for me. I do wish that the bartender was someone different and a little friendlier, but at the same time, she might have been having a bad day.

After the meal, I got in my car and drove home. Greensboro had changed my mind about the small town and I can not wait to go back to sample more of the local flavor and entertainment.