Location, location, location...

I think it's important to really enjoy the place you live. It's not OK to be someplace and not enjoy what you have around you. Granted, there are people who, due to their attitude toward life and its challenges, won't be happy anywhere.

Still, the missus and I were discussing how lucky we are living where we do. Charlotte on its own is a more-than-tolerable place to pass the time (and with two new music venues drawing mid-size acts, it's getting better by the day).

But it also seems like the perfect place to be able to explore with ease. Consider the destinations we've hit for long weekends (and in some cases day trips):

• Charleston, SC - Really, it can be a day trip if you don't mind a long-ish day. And really, this is one of America's great cities. We didn't get married there for kicks. It was a place we loved and knew anyone who travelled there would adore. Palm-lined streets. Crazy history. A city that really feels like no other I've been to. And it's three hours of excellent road away.

• Savannah, GA - Charleston's country cousin down the road. Just went here for the first time and loved it. Dare I say, if you've been there you know it's hip to be "square." By the way... food in Charleston and Savannah is outstanding.

• Asheville, NC - Only the most gorgeous mountain city you can think up. Boho types mix in seamlessly with Asheville gentry and students from the two colleges that call Asheville home. I was here on a Tuesday last year and got to have the "acoustic lunch" at a College St. pub. Tuesday. A workday. And they're having a well-attended acoustic lunch. Love it.

• Atlanta - Oh. You want a big city? Done. Check. Right here. Four-hour drive and you're there. And, traffic aside, this place has few downsides. Pretty much anything you want... generally at a price that is better than other places in the country that have everything you want.

• Chattanooga, TN - I want to take Sarah here pretty badly. Seems like the perfect weekending city. You've got great natural attractions (Lookout Mountain), cheesy-but-cool touristy stuff (Ruby Falls), a beautiful national cemetery, good food, a decent-but-low-key entertainment district. Who'd've thought?

This isn't even beginning to note the close-to-home NC attractions. And with more time, we're driving distance to Florida's First Coast, Washington, D.C., Nashville and even Birmingham, AL.

And, there's always the hub airport 20 minutes from the house. That is starting a direct flight to Rio.