Writer and publicist Craig Distl is a native of North Carolina, graduate of UNC Charlotte and a long-time Charlottean. He dabbled in tourism during college––first on the log ride at Carowinds theme park and later as a bellman at a four-star hotel. His eclectic journalism career includes stints at The Charlotte Observer, Southern Jewelry News, and Jefferson-Pilot Communications. He's freelanced for Charlotte Magazine, Southern Sports Journal, and Golfweek, and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers. His writing has received awards from such organizations as the North Carolina Press Association. Craig loves the Queen City for its can-do attitude and its emergence the crown jewel of the New South. His reply to those who say Charlotte has turned its back on a rich history? "Nonsense. You just have to know where to look."