Davidson College - Quips and Cranks Yearbook (Davidson, NC)

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t S r fi ICE ; SKATING j FARRELLS : TUESDAYS : GOURMET GARDENS The City I

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LIGHTS fHE The Charlotte nightlife. The name it- self conjures up wild, entrancing visions of glitter, pomp and extravagant revelry. One cannot hope to put into a few paltry pages what has turned out to be the cul- mination of a lifetime search for social meaning. Gone are the days of dreary evenings, seedy excursions, foraging for the most dismal fun and inevitably find- ing it. This sparkling city of the gods pro- vides more than even the most luxuriant and adventurous lifestyle could ask for. Let ' s begin with Eastland Mall. Many people lament the intrusion of malls. The dehumanizing effect they seem to have on the already arctic atmosphere of the market system. Certainly such an assess- ment might be true of some shopping malls, but anyone who has ever visited Eastland would chuckle at such a com- ment. To truly appreciate this pleasure dome, you must make a special point to be there around Christmas. However, since it ' s not merely a seasonal experience, but a constant one, we can explore it wihtout danger of limiting ourselves too much. The following may seem to illuminate the grandeur of the place. Imagine you are standing two stories above the skating rink on a typical after- noon, watching young people glide like gilded fairies across the glazed surface of a winter lake. As you idly chew on your corn dog (bought from one of the many fine exotic food booths of the Gourmet Gardens ) you wish silently, wistfully, that you could be out there, too, perhaps holding hands with your favorite girl. Suddenly there is a commotion from behind you. You turn cheerfully around to wave or give a warm, friendly smile to all your friends who are enjoying this self-same communal experience and a fat woman with a bulging sack of grocer- ies slams into you like the 10:30 train from Omaha. Your wish is then fulfilled, because you are now on the skating rink. Eastland Mall is a wish- fulfilling kind of place. But this is certainly only the smallest CITY taste of what is truly to be found in the city. It has been said that Charlotte has more restaurants per block than any oth- er city in the world. From a student ' s point of view, this may be true, since more often than not dinner means an economical round of highballs or exotic punch drinks. This latter concern with Vitamin-C consumption leads to perhaps the most exotic, most mysterious culinary grotto in Charlotte: Casa Gallardo. Though Casa lays dubious claims to serving Mexican food, it makes no difference to the Da- vidson man or woman whether they serve Mexican or Nepalese cuisine; the important items on the menu are not to be eaten with a fork and spoon, but with a straw. After a couple of Pifia Coladas, the ambience of Casa, which strikes the viewer at first as being something akin to a Spanish Romper Room, suddenly transforms into a mystical Aztec warrior den. Wild voodoo music throbs all around, and the Arabian waiters, dis- guised as Spaniards, begin to add a sense of danger and perilous thrill. Too scary to put into words, really. As for dancing, for 90-mile-a-minute getting down, no place has quite the mix- ture of understated elegance and subtle deviance that Dixie Electric can lay claim to. Just a hop, skip and a jump away from Cinema Blue on the one hand and still within sight of Slug ' s Thirtieth Edition on the other, this is perhaps the social hub of Charlotte. Where else can a young, foolish and very happy Myrtle Beacher run into a dark-eyed, red-haired punk girl? This is a cultural experience, a social experi- ence and a traumatizing experience all at once. There is a wealth of big weekend date material there. The list goes on: Eli ' s, La Paz, Whis- pers, Dickadee ' s, Victoria Station (all you can eat ribs for ten bucks on Saturday night), Taco Bell, Slug ' s Rib, Nikado ' s, Grapevine Records, Cinema and Draft House, Krispy Kreme, Moxies and The Double Door Inn. Check your local list- ings for information on any of these places if you haven ' t already been. — John Marks IT MAY NOT BE NEW YORK, but the familiar Charlotte skyline paints an inviting picture for most Davidson students. NOT ONES TO PASS UPA GOOD DRINK, David- son students frequent Charlotte ' s Casa Gallardo for nachos and Margueritas.

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The popular phrase E.T. phone home expresses something in the col- lective unconscious of all college stu- dents. Bell Telephone has it wrong; there are times when talking on the phone isn ' t the next best thing to being there. Somehow at college we realize there really is no place like home for the holi- days. But at times we find a substitute for home with the help of good friends. Halloween and trick or treating this year arrived in the usual manner. Little brothers and sisters and the neighbor- hood kids were missing, but still there were costumes and lots of big kids. A different set of brothers, the PIKAs, transformed Grey House into a Haunted House. As Thing took money at the door, someone started singing The Ad- dams Family theme song. Pre-meds dis- guised themselves as mad scientists, giv- ing those students an outlet to expose their true personalities. Thanksgiving came only weeks later. Turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce — the Commons sure knows how to cater a meal. Patterson Court cooks spent hours preparing big meals that would whet our appetities for the break; but then Thanksgiving break is never long enough. Before we knew it, we were back in classes and celebrating The Nineteen Days of Christmas at David- son. Freshmen decorated the Christmas tree in the Commons, drank apple cider and ate Christmas cookies. KA held its formal, while other houses had more ca- sual celebrations. At the campus com- munity party at the Union, elves took or- ders for Christmas gifts. Christmas tree lights decorated dorm windows and peo- ple went carolling through the library. There was the traditional Vespers Ser- vice at DCPC with candlelight and sea- sonal music, bringing the holiday spirit to the campus and community. Valentine ' s Day gave students the chance to break up the stillness of winter by sending hearts, flowers and candy to friends. Parents sent carnations to daughters, while other students received roses from admirers; of course, there were plenty of secret admirers. Another surprise came the Thursday before Easter weekend; someone in a pink bunny suit visited Dr. Hess ' eco- 28 FEATURES