We took our drinks walking in Plaza Midwood. Here’s our Charlotte social district review

Charlotte’s first social district is officially live and, at first glance, it’s pretty easy to navigate.

Who I am: I’ve followed the process of getting the new Plaza Midwood social district up and running since I took over the local government beat at The Charlotte Observer last summer. I’ve also lived in the neighborhood for about two years.

So, I’ve been eager to get out and test things since the district opened in early March — for professional and personal purposes.

What I was looking for: I was particularly interested to see how businesses I frequent are coming on board and whether there would be any issues getting one of the district’s special cups.

Of note: I finally got the chance to try things and get answers Friday. Wet weather tamped down some of the usual hustle and bustle of Central Avenue on a weekend, but it was an overall positive experience.

Navigating where to go

Under the map approved in October by the Charlotte City Council, the Plaza Midwood Social District — a defined area, permitted by the city, within which people can carry alcoholic beverages in public — runs along Central Avenue, stretching east to west from Louise Avenue and 10th Street to Morningside Drive and north to south from Chesterfield Avenue to near Hamorton Place along Pecan Avenue.

But that doesn’t mean every business in that stretch is participating.

If, like me, you need a plan before heading into social situations, you can find a map of participating businesses at experiencemidwood.com/social-district. If you’re more capable of spontaneity than me or find yourself wandering in the neighborhood, there are stickers in place to help you figure out where you can and can’t go:

• A purple sticker on a business’s door means they’re selling the special social district cup you need and to-go drinks

• A green sticker on the door means the business doesn’t sell alcohol or the special cups, but you are allowed to bring a cup with an outside beverage in

• Red stickers or no stickers at all means the business isn’t participating.

Some notable names aren’t participating yet. And as a Workman’s Friend devotee, I’d love to see them come off the red list at some point, but you’ll still have a solid selection of restaurants, bars and breweries to choose from.

More businesses could join in, Merchants Association Executive Director Jason Michel told me via email Monday, if they express interest and meet the requirements.

Given the rain Friday, my group decided to choose two places pretty close together: Pizza Peel for dinner and Giddy Goat for dessert.

Finding the special social district cup

Anxiety brain meant I was a little nervous we’d be able to get cups — the merchants association noted they’re “limited in supply” — but our bartender and waitress at Pizza Peel whipped one out for me immediately.

The cups are stainless steel, have a social district sticker and hold a decent-sized pour. They also cost $8 in addition to the cost of whatever you’re having poured in it.

Our bartender and waitress was a bit too busy on a Friday night to sit with me for a full interview, but she kindly made time to tell my nosey journalist self they’ve noticed an uptick in business since the social district launched in early March, especially over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Pizza Peel was already on their third order of cups by Friday, she said, meaning they’ve distributed at least 150.

She noted the staff completed additional training to be compliant with the district’s rules but that that seemed worth it for the increased traffic at the restaurant.

A total of 1,500 cups have been distributed to participating establishments as of Monday, Michel added Monday.

Drinking openly in Plaza Midwood

As I wrapped up my pizza, I remembered why this whole social district idea jumped out to me in the first place: I have a terrible habit of ordering a drink, taking two to three sips and then promptly forgetting about said drink once food or friends arrive. This creates a situation when it’s time to go where I have to abandon much of a drink I paid good money for or chug down the rest in a way that is so not becoming of someone rapidly approaching 30.

On this early spring evening, dear reader, I was saved by the sticker.

That’s the sticker put on your steel cup before you head out the door if you haven’t finished your beverage. It’s got the name of the business and the date written on it, The sticker is designed to wash off, which is useful in theory but left me with one small nitpick: it doesn’t stand up great to any condensation from your drink.

I took my sticker in stride and waltzed out the front door with half of my go-to Bold Rock hard cider order in hand. While the rain and chilly temperatures put a damper on the whole “sipping and strolling” concept, I confess it was a bit of a thrill to openly walk down the street drinking. Maybe it’s the former “pleasure to have in class” kid in me, but it just felt like openly defying the rules a bit even though I was following the rules?

Per those rules, I finished my drink as we walked so my cup would be empty when we entered our next stop. One added bonus I noticed: the stainless steel kept my drink plenty cold as we went.

As we ordered our drinks and pastry at Giddy Goat, I asked to have mine (a hoppy IPA) in my social district cup. That meant turning my cup over to the cashier to be filled up and get a new sticker to replace the one Pizza Peel stuck on. Since I was using the same cup, there were no added expenses.

What do I do with this cup now?

As the night wound down, I polished off my drink as we started the walk home. Since I live just outside the boundaries of the district, I wanted to make sure I was on empty well in advance of the district’s end (there are signs posted so you know when you’re out of bounds).

The cup wouldn’t fit in, say, a pocket or clutch, but you could definitely fit it in a tote bag or decent-sized purse before or after use in my estimation.

If you’re a Plaza Midwood resident or just like to visit, you can keep and reuse the cup so you don’t have to pay for a new one the next time you go out. If you’re a less frequent drinker or are from out of town, you can turn your cup in at one of the participating businesses to “redeem for reward” in the form of a $2 credit.

One note from the merchant’s association: your cup “must be undamaged and undecorated” to be reused. So, sorry fellow millennials, no dressing it up with your own stickers.

Mine came through the dishwasher nicely, and it now has a nice new home in my bar chest.

I don’t necessarily foresee myself breaking it out on a weekly basis (more of a comment on my introversion than the quality of the initiative), but I definitely see it as a fun thing to trot out when hanging out with friends or hosting loved ones in town.

This story was originally published March 26, 2024, 6:00 AM.