Labor Day travel checklist + Why was this Charlotte mural covered up?

Happy Friday! KJ here. We’re just a couple hours away from Labor Day weekend. If you’re like me and traveling, expect the usual: packed airport parking lots, delays and traffic. Joe Marusak has everything you need to know before your trip here.

Before you close out of your email app or shut down the computer for the weekend, here’s your news

P.S. Thanks to everyone who sent me Red Hot Chili Peppers’ photos from last night. The show looked great.

1. ‘Unfortunate’ misunderstanding covers up Charlotte mural’s message, artist says

On Sunday, Kyle Holbrook painted “Peace Charlotte,” a large hand making a peace sign, on the side of a Parkwood Avenue convenience store. By the end of the week, it was already gone.

Holbrook hoped “Peace Charlotte” would serve as a place of healing for victims of gun violence, he said.

An intern with the mural project called Parkwood Food Mart had received an owner’s permission to paint, Holbrook said. However, one of the owners, Yeti, told The Observer that Holbrook did not obtain permission and that was why it was painted over.

This isn’t the first instance of this happening in the area: earlier this year, a popular mural in NoDA, “bloom,” was mistakenly painted over. It has since been replaced by a new version of the mural.

Kallie Cox has the full story.

2. Yelp names the best coffee shops in the US and Canada — and a Charlotte spot made the list

Yelp’s yearly list of the best coffee shops features a Charlotte favorite. Enderly Coffee landed on the top 100 coffee shops in the United States, determined by Yelp’s calculations of volume and ratings of reviews.

The Charlotte-based roaster sells wholesale and retail coffee beans. Located in West Charlotte, the shop serves coffee, espresso and tea drinks, along with smoothies and snacks.

Earlier this year, Enderly was also nominated for the best coffee shop in the area by you during the 2022 CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice best coffee shop poll.

Lorenza Medley has more details.

3. Would Steph Curry play for the Hornets? Here’s what he said when getting to key to Charlotte.

While receiving the key to the city of Charlotte yesterday, Stephen Curry mentioned his love of the Queen City. Curry has played his entire career for the Golden State Warriors, but would he ever join the Hornets for a season?

“I always said I wanted to finish my career at Golden State because of how much it means to me, the experiences and the teammates and the journey that we’ve been on,” Curry said during his acceptance speech. “People always say, ‘Do you wanna play one year for the Hornets and come back?’”

“No, no, I’m not breaking any news. I’m not making any promises,” he reiterated. “All I would say is if there was a team I did wanna play for that wasn’t at the Warriors, that would be it.”

Genna Contino has more here. And if you missed yesterday’s ceremony, we have a great TikTok from the event.

4. Long reads to check out this weekend

• Explained absences: What’s behind increasing number of CMS teacher departures?

• Fear and concern grip Charlotte mom whose brother, a priest, sits in a Nicaraguan prison

• The coach the world forgot — Clemson legend Danny Ford on life, football and farming

• It’s all Greek to Charlotte: Why our BBQ joints and pizza parlors are Greek-owned

• ‘Sing us a song, you’re the Piano Man.’ Charlotte’s Bill Branner to go out on a high note

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