World's Most Expensive Watermelon (Unofficially)

Watermelon is one of the signature fruits of summer, and although (considering today's economy) I'm willing to pay more for it than I used to I'm positive I would never pay upwards of $6,000 for a single melon! But at least one (CRAZY) man in Japan was as he bid on and won an auction for a 17lb Densuke black watermelon for a whopping $6,100. Despite the fact that the Densuke watermelon is considered a luxury in Japan and that this particular kind of melon only grows in one place (on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan), this auction marks the highest selling price ever for a watermelon in Japan, and most likely the world.

However, little known fact, in Japan, where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts and this watermelon's hefty price tag follows another jaw-dropping auction last month, where a pair of Yubari cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,363641,00.html

LG's "iPhone"

It was only a matter of time before other phone companies started copying the iPhone. The iPhone is nothing more than a normal ass phone, with normal ass features BUT it has an extraordinary packaging. Think about it - what was revolutionary? Touch screen technology? No. The internet? No. The color? No. Not that I'm a hater.. you know I love cute packaging.

Anyways, Verizon unveiled four new mobile phones for the 2007 holiday season, and it hopes the Voyager is cool enough to shift the spotlight away from Apple's iPhone. The Voyager by LG sports a large external touch screen and opens laterally to reveal a full keypad.

The Voyager has a large external touch screen that also slides open sideways for a full QWERTY keypad. This gives users a choice on how they access the phone's features. The keyboard option is one advantage the Voyager could have over the iPhone's touch-screen-only design, in addition to Verizon Wireless' fast 3G data network that the Voyager will use to access the mobile Internet. The iPhone doesn't use 3G technology; instead, it uses the slower AT&T Edge data network.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202200650

Another CLT Idea?

This might be a good Sunday plan!

Hop aboard Charlotte's Longest-Running Daily City Tour and take a 2-hour excursion that covers over 50 sites and 250 years of history. Included are the Historic District in Uptown and 2 Old South neighborhoods. Tours are scheduled year-round, Mon. - Sat. at 9:30A, 1:30P, Sun. 1:30P, and daily at 4:30P (Subject to availability). Nominal pick-up/drop-off fee at area hotels, Uptown, and South End. Reservations recommended.

http://www.queencitytours.com/DailyCityTour.htm

US National Whitewater Center

It's in Charlotte and you can: 1) Raft the world's largest manmade whitewater river, 2) Whitewater kayak the only class III-IV rapids in a metropolitan area, 3) Flatwater kayak along the banks of the scenic Catawba River and 4) Mountain Bike 11 miles of single track trails along the Catawba River...among other activities! Reservations are recommended.


Place looks like it gets pretty packed... and seriously gorgeous facility.

http://www.usnwc.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

photos: http://usnwc.smugmug.com/

My CLT Dedications...

Original SoupMan

New Yorkers know it as Soup Kitchen International, a soup restaurant that served up to 50 specialty soups, as well as bread, fruit and a piece of chocolate.Then the world came to know the owner as The Soup Nazi, parodied on a landmark episode of "Seinfeld". Now, residents of Charlotte get to benefit from Al Yaganeh's mastery with a soup kettle, when the area's first The Original Soup Man debuts this month.T he menu changes daily but can include lobster, crab, Yankee bean, black bean, sausage, vegetarian, and a variety of barley soups, gumbos, and goulashes. Located in Uptown, the restaurant will also feature salads and sandwiches. 214 N. Tryon, in Hearst Tower. 866.930.7687.

Speaking of Wine...

You may know about this already... there is a "Grape" in Fort Lauderdale that I really like for wine tastings...

The Grape Wine Bar & Bistro preparesto take "flight" at new SouthPark locale!

It's one part wine shop, one part wine bar, one part small-plate cafe and one part live-music venue. Popular in Atlanta, The Grape Wine and Bar is set to open a new venue in SouthPark. As a wine bar, The Grape will offer some 120 wines by the bottle, glass or flight. The gourmet noshes can range from Southwestern corn and crab chowder, to Roma tomato bruschetta, to several pita-bread-based sandwiches, to Mediterranean quesadillas blessed with such ingredients as feta, beef tenderloin, roasted garlic or even Black Forest ham.Purchase for home consumption any of the wines you savor at The Grape and groove to the background music provided by local and regional jazz combos. Should be opening about the time you read this. 4300 Sharon Rd.