Excuse me, what's your name?

I'm loosely defining a newcomer as someone who has lived in the Charlotte area two years or less.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t talk if you have been here three years or 30 years.

By that two-year standard, I’m an old-timer. In fact, some people joke if you’ve lived here five years - and come November I will have - you are a native. On the other hand, some natives feel like newbies because of all the changes Charlotte has gone through - i.e. condos and restaurants and cultural venues uptown and light rail, to name a few.

Still, I don’t feel completely settled in Charlotte. Sure, I’ve figured out the various Queens roads, but still rely heavily on Mapquest for getting around. And I have a hairstylist I love, but finding her took four years.
I can tell you what made me start to feel less new to town: when my husband and I bought our house, making Charlotte the first and only city we’ve owned a home. That was in our first year here.

Then, in our second year, we adopted our dog, Loretta Lynn - talk about a great way to get to know your neighbors. Last summer, the four of us - oh, yeah, we had a baby too - went on nightly walks around our ‘hood. We met a woman with a baby bulldog and a talked a lot with a young couple whose dog looks like Fozzie Bear. We checked in on our favorite two standard poodles. We waved to people we didn’t know and to others we knew only by the names of their pets or kids. And Charlotte began to feel even more like home.

Got a settling in story to share? Please do.

You're a bunch of show-offs

In my column Monday, I asked readers to share how they show off Charlotte to visitors -- where they take them, what sights they show them.

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed their suggestions. Here's what the Charlotte show-offs had to suggest.

"I wanted to comment on the Billy Graham Library. It seems many people already know about it, but it still would be nice to remind our community of its presence. Many of our senior citizen friends who grew up watching Billy on black and white TVS, enjoyed the tour," said Elaine Pennington. She also recommended Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. "The South is known for its beautiful flowers and plants."

Katherine McAdams wrote, "I like to show the history of the area." On her list: President James K. Polk State Historic Site in Pineville, Hezikah Alexander Homesite and Historic Brattonsville in York County.

Michele and Wes Nichols offered up a long list. Some highlights:
"We drive by the Panthers (stadium) statues for visitor to look at the blue eyes. And then show them the four statues at Trade and Tryon and tell them abou the history of Charlotte's progress displayed by the statues."
They also suggested Wing Haven Gardens & Bird Sanctuary, Mint Museum of Craft + Design and the Levine Museum of the New South.

Shawn Byrd said, "I show people mainly the downtown skyline."

Donna Murphy likes to take visitors on a ride of the Blue Line from I-485 to uptown and then walk to a restaurant for lunch or dinner. She also does the "obligatory drive through Myers Park" and "maybe a walk through Freedom Park."

More ideas? Post them here.

Looking for a job?

My story yesterday about people moving to the Charlotte area without jobs sparked some discussion. Readers called and emailed to share their job-hunting stories.

I also got a call from Linda Kappauf at South Piedmont Community College, telling me about the Union County Career Fair. The fair will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 16 at SPCC's campus in Monroe. It is free to all job seekers and employers.

Last year's fair brought in about 600 job seekers and 80 employers, said Kappauf, director of human resource development. This year, with the slumping economy, she expects to see more people looking for work. So far more than 50 employers have signed up.

"It is a pretty good mixture of companies. It is not just your Burger Kings," she said. "We have three hospitals, Time Warner Cable, Union County local government, city of Monroe, the school system. We have a good mix and we are still adding to it."

For more info: http://www.spcc.edu/.

Got a job-seeking tip to share? Post it here.

Sew cool

If you like to sew, here's a place you need to know about: Mary Jo's Cloth Store in Gastonia.

I went there Saturday with my mom, who was visiting from Ohio. She was teaching me to sew, because it was raining and we couldn't do my outdoor plans.

Anyhow, we took a break from the sewing lessons to check out Mary Jo's, a Gaston Mall fixture for 22 years and fabric central for budding and experienced seamstresses. Mom wanted a certain material for her next sewing project and hadn't been able to find it anywhere. I told her from what I'd heard about Mary Jo's -- a warehouse of all kinds of fabric -- she'd find it there. And she did.

Mary Jo's draws customers from across the country. According to a 1998 Southern Living article on the shop's Web site, customers have included Dolly Parton's seamstress and Disney costume makers.

Now that Mom is back in Ohio, I'm looking for sewing help. If you know a good sewing class or sewing group, let me know about it.

Frugal fun around town

In today's Observer column, I reveal the winner of my cheap-things-to-do-in-Charlotte contest. A big shout out to Chris Keener, a Gastonia native who moved to Charlotte eight years ago.

A few week ago, in my column, I asked for five suggestions – each less than $10 a person – for exploring the city. More than two dozen people responded.

Here are some of the best recommendations and who submitted them. Thanks for playing.

From Crystal Skillman:
1. Visit the Mint Museum of Art on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., when it’s free.
2. Enjoy a day of people watching at Freedom Park.
3. Take free yoga classes at the Yoga Center on the second Sunday of each month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
4. Visit the Charlotte Museum of History for free Family Day on Sundays.
5. Listen to chamber music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church uptown. Free concerts are at 12:10 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month.

From Elizabeth Cook:
1. Visit Julia’s Coffee on a Saturday afternoon for a wonderful cup of coffee and free live music by local artists. (This made the winner’s list too.)
2. Visit RiRa Irish Pub uptown on Tuesday nights for the pub quiz and a Guinness.
3. Go to an early afternoon showing the Manor Theatre (an art house theater now called the Regal Manor Twin).
4. Go to South Park mall... and window shop.
5. Visit two of the most interesting and unique places in Charlotte: The Levine Museum of the New South or the Raptor Center. Adult admission is under $10.00 per person at each place.

From Joyce Hannon:
1. Go to Latta Plantation.
2. Go to the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
3. Go to the Raptor Center.
4. Go to Freedom Park.
5. Go to McDowell Park.

From Jessica Houseman:
1. Dean & Deluca in Phillips Place - Free! They have free samples sitting out of their various goodies. Sometimes they have guest chefs there that give you free recipes.
2. Canine Cafe on South Tryon - a must for any dog lover and it’s also Free! They have a cute bakery display of muffins for your pooch! My dog loves their $0.99 Pumpkin Daquiries - a cute frozen treat. Visit on Saturdays from 2-4 (Yappy Hour) and the dogs get free treats when they come in. Kids and animal lovers also will love the dog-themed merchandise.
3. Freedom Park - Free! One of the best places to take your family/pets for an afternoon. Usually, there are some great local musicians practicing in the park and they have lots of clean, grassy areas for a picnic. Also - it’s has one of the few lakes that still contain water, even in the height of the drought.
4. Schiele Museum in Gastonia - $2 to $9. For the kid in all of us - has a science museum, planetarium and rotating featured exhibits.
5. Free/Cheap Live Music during the summer: Charlotte Symphony does Pops in the Park on Sundays in South Park,
Ballantyne Village has free music on weekends.
For the 20-somethings there is Thursdays in uptown, which has music at the square in front of Mimosa (Wachovia Building)

From Harold Keener:
1. Discovery Place
2. Mint Museum/Museum of Craft + Design
3. U.S. National White Water Center
4. Levine Museum of the New South
5. Arboretum at UNC Charlotte

From Katie Overcash:
1. Go to the Mint Museum on Tuesday Nights (It’s free)
2. Center City Alive After 5 (Every Thursday April 10 – Aug 28) Also free
3. Hike the trails at the Whitewater Center ($5 to park)
4. Eat at Mr. K’s on South Boulevard.
5. Bike the Booty Loop (It’s free)

From Roxane Javid:
1. Free Popcorn Tuesdays at the Manor
2. Festival in the Park -- a beautiful fall weekend of music, art, and various sorts of entertainment in Freedom Park. No admission charge.
3. Gallery Crawls. Visit various art galleries in NODA/uptown/South End first and third Fridays of the month. Free.
4. Bike, walk, or jog Charlotte’s growing greenway system. No charge and lots of exercise!!!
5. Movies in the Park -- free summer movies on Fridays at Freedom Park.

Got your own list? Add it here.

One newcomer's first impressions

Newcomer Jenny Brantley recently e-mailed me about some of her first impressions about Charlotte. The stay-at-home mom moved to South Charlotte from Allentown, Pa. in August with husband, Bill (a structural engineer), and children Mary Kate (3 1/2) and Graham (a year old today).

I think her list of impressions is a talker. In fact, I recall being struck by the same five things myself when I was a newcomer. Here they are:

1. In South Charlotte, you have to shower daily and wear lipstick. Gone are the days of a quick run to the grocery in sweat and baseball hats! Preschool drop-offs require full hair and fabulous outfits, in particular.

2. The YMCA is cool. We have never seen this before!!! YMCAs at our previous homes were homeless shelters -- that's it.

3. We have lived here since August and have yet to meet a native Charlottean. Do they exist? All our neighbors and friends are transplants like us.

4. Downtown is really uptown!

5. Despite any water shortages, cars must be super clean at all times.

So how does Jenny feel about living here?

"We love it -- especially now that we know the ropes!," she said in her e-mail.

Vacation time?

Thinking of getting out of town? But is the economy holding you back?

Observer reporter Jefferson George is looking for families who have changed their vacation plans because of the economy. That means maybe you're not venturing as far or you're now going someplace cheaper. If that's you, he'd love to hear your story. Contact him at 704-358-5071 or jgeorge@charlotteobserver.com. Be sure to leave your name and daytime phone number.

Thanks, everyone.