A Little Slice of Heaven

Here's a quick (unofficial) top 10 from the trip, in no specific order:

• 4 hours at Lucy's on Friday afternoon
• Amanda, our Holiday Inn "Experience Specialist"
• Classic case of overpursue!
• Pink during pre-game in the Rams Club lot
• Did I mention overpursue?
• Sunrise Biscuits (post-sulfur)
• Happy new year!?
• Lawrence the cab driver
• Henderson Street wings
• Thursday night in DC :)

After almost 10 years, I finally made it down to Chapel Hill this past weekend … and was far from disappointed. Here are some pics from the weekend. The town hasn't really changed that much since my last visit, let alone when I lived there in the early 80s. Don't get me wrong - that's a good thing. It's maintained all the charm that makes it such a special place. So, although I had bought the BC v. UNC tickets several months ago, it wasn't until Wednesday night that I realized we were flying into Homecoming Weekend!! Total dumb luck! The weather couldn't have been any better … high 70s throughout the weekend.

It pains me to admit this, but I was really disappointed in the pre-game tailgate scene (or lack thereof). Sports Illustrated declared Chapel Hill the "best college football tailgating town" back in the late 80s. Definitely not the case anymore. By a long shot. The last time UNC won the ACC championship was during the Dick Crum era in the 80s, I think, and apart from Mack Brown getting the program back into the top 5 in 1996-97, the Heels have never been back in the national football spotlight. Plus, nobody will argue the fact that Carolina is first and foremost a basketball school. End of discussion. Anyway, there are a few parking lots around Kenan Stadium, which are pretty much reserved for Rams Club members (big $ donors to the Carolina athletic programs), but those lots only lend more credence to the "wine and cheese" moniker that UNC fans were pegged with in the 90s. After searching around for too long for a good spot, we ended up pre-gaming in one of the Rams Club lots like a bunch of party crashers.

The game was a complete shocker. After getting pummeled by VaTech, I thought BC would sail in and kick Carolina's ass all the way to Durham. The Heels ran back the opening kick-off 90 yards for a TD that got the game off to a quick start. BC's first drive was scary. It had blowout written all over it. UNC's line was incredibly undermatched and overwhelmed. BC has the biggest line in the ACC and during that drive, it was pretty obvious they were going to take advantage of the mismatch and steamroll the Heels for the next 4 quarters. To the dismay of I'd guess most fans, the Heels held on for a huge 16-14 upset win and pretty much obliterated the Eagles' BCS hopes (if VaTech hadn't already done that the week before) in the process.

Kenan Stadium - nestled in the pine tree woods right behind the Bell Tower - is even more gorgeous than I remember it to be. They added a whole mess of seats in one of the end zones, which makes it a more intimate experience, and attached it to the new football center. Still kinda bummed that the crowd wasn't into it, especially given the magnitude of the win, but still a memorable experience!