Sunday is the most neglected day of the weekend ... it's not the finish line for the weekend, it's actually a day within, so why not utilize all the days you don't have to work?

My friend Sean and I were planning on throwing an engagement brunch for some mutual friends who caught the marriage epidemic. But when I went to go purchase my fixings for quiche and mimosas, the Harris Teeter dude told me I couldn't buy alcohol before noon on a Sunday. I couldn't get the main ingredient (engagement + brunch = champagne). I moved here from New York City where we had pre-fix brunches and a bloody mary and/or mimosa came with our eggs benedict, and now I can't buy champagne in a grocery store? Culture shock! I'm not a haven or a drunk -- I just want some champagne with my celebration. That, and some hair off the dog that bit me the night before. (I went to R World's Lucky 7 party at The Sunset Club the night before ... holy hangover).

Whenever I have a culture shock like that and want to feel like I'm back up in NYC, I just go to Plaza Midwood. The diversity of bar genres and eclectic ambiance of the venues (ie. Reggae Central and Hong Kong) remind me of the East Village in NYC where all the "right side of the brain" types hang out.

So we took our parade to the friendship-operated Snug Harbor for Bloody Sundays. It's a bloody mary buffet, but it's bring your own food. You can even grill out on their outdoor patio(s). All I have to say is -- don't go if you intend to have a productive Sunday. Other good places to brunch include Philosopher's Stone also in PM (and also has a bloody mary bar), Pewter Rose in SouthEnd, Upstream in Phillip's Place, Boudreaux's in NoDa and Providence Cafe over there by that annoying intersection where Queens intersects with Queens and Providence intersects with Providence.

It's Sunday fun-all-day because there's also stuff to do Sunday night. But pace yourself people ... unless you really want to have a case of the Mondays.

All the different age brackets came out early and reserved a picnic spot in Symphony Park for Charlotte Symphony's Pops in the Park finale last week. But the University area has its own version that lasts the rest of the summer; the Shoppes at University Place has the Summer Jam Concert Series, which is live bands on the boardwalk -- last week was Missbehavin. And you can make it an all-night affair and hit up the acclaimed amateur contest at Uptown Cabaret. They don't call it Sunday Funday for nothing ...