A field trip to NoDa

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A field trip to NoDa

Posted on 03 September 2010.

Public art is everywhere in NoDa. (Lisa Jewel/DavidsonNews.net)

The kid is back in school and the weather is cooling (well, at least the humidity is dropping), so it’s a perfect day to visit a few art galleries and have some lunch in NoDa.

NoDa, the North Davidson Street in Charlotte is just three minutes northeast of uptown and has a funky urban feel that is hard to come by in the relative suburbia of Charlotte.

Smelly Cat sign.

On weekdays things get going about 11 a.m. My first stop was at “The Smelly Cat Cafe” for some iced coffee. Yes, it’s named after the fictional cafe in the sitcom “Friends.” The place is filled with colorful new age geometric paintings and lots of San Francisco style music posters of bands that have upcoming gigs at The Neighborhood Theatre or The Evening Muse. (The only band that I recognized was The Marshall Tuker Band, that ages me I’m sure…) The Cat has also constructed these innovative seating coves where you sit with a friend in relative privacy. It’s cozy, ethnic and fun.

"Transfer of Grace 2" by Duy Huynh.

One of my favorite galleries that I stop in to visit is the Lark and Key Gallery and Boutique. The Lark and Key is owned by the artist Duy Huynh and his designer wife Sandy Snead. I’m crazy about Duy’s (pronounced “Yee.”) work. It’s like capturing a single beat of a Cirque du Soleil performance. Playful, and at times serious, poignant even, but all with a mastery of skill.

The gallery also features many female artists. You can browse their styles if you go to larkandkey.com. Lark and Key is definitely a place where you can develop a relationship with an artist and find original artwork that you will want to hang proudly in your home.

After browsing the galleries and shops I headed over to the Crepe Cellar. I had heard alot about it – and had seen lines out the door on the weekends. I knew I was in culinary heaven when I read the appetizer list and saw; French Fries covered in Brie and Pesto. Oh my gosh… they were delicious! I capped that off with a dessert crepe that had a brownie, Nutella, candied walnuts and vanilla ice cream. Need I say more?

Art Around Town,” by Lisa Jewel, appears Fridays on DavidsonNews.net’s Guide page. Lisa is keeping a sort of “visual journal” of interesting objects she finds in the area. Some are items for sale at local galleries, others prized possessions in our homes. Have an object to share? Email Lisa, lskjewel@aol.com. See her previous columns in the Art Around Town category

Pans ready at the Crepe Cellar (Lisa Jewel/DavidsonNews.net)

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David Boraks - who has written 946 posts on DavidsonNews.net Guide.

David Boraks is the founder and editor of Davidson News LLC, which started in 2006 as a neighborhood blog and evolved into a regional community news network. He is a print, magazine, web and radio journalist, with experience in every nook and cranny of the news world, covering everything from local news to Fortune 100 companies to technology to Asia. He lives on South Street in Davidson, in a house that was at the center of a 1914 murder case. Ask him and he'll tell you that story.

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A field trip to NoDa

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