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Charlotte is oft criticized (including in this forum and by me) for its destruction of its history, and also its lack of uniqueness. San Antonio has its beautiful Riverwalk (15 miles long total, including a 2.4 mile loop downtown full of shops, restaurants, bars and Spanish colonial architecture); San Diego has the Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, Old Town, etc.); Seattle has Pike's Market, and the Space Needle; San Francisco has Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, Chinatown, Lombard Street, etc.); Los Angeles has Hollywood, the Hollywood Bowl, the Roosevelt Hotel, Santa Monica, Olvera St.); New York has Greenwich Village, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, etc., etc., etc.); Chicago has Grant Park, Lincoln Park; Austin has 6th Street; New Orleans has the French Quarter and the Garden District. I could go on and on. But Charlotte always comes up short. There's no historic district or monument to take people to, just theme parks, tall buildings and shopping malls -- the kinds of things you find in any major city -- but nothing uniquely Charlotte. But then I recently read about the old Savona Mill in old west Charlotte being converted into a space for retail, cafes and, importantly, artisans to be seen doing their craft (wonderful!). On top of this, plans for a century-old trolley to run from Uptown (across from the Draught restaurant and bar by BOA Stadium) out to Savona Mill along actual old trolley tracks which, unlike most trolley tracks, run alongside a creek rather than on a road. Additionally, that trolley route was also to be restored into a greenway, making it possible to have the option of strolling or jogging from Uptown to the historic Savona Mill, or taking a ride on an historic trolley. THIS is an idea to be really excited about. THIS is something visitors to Charlotte could do that they could only do in Charlotte; an actual sightseeing experience. When company comes to town, THIS is what you would want to take them to do for an afternoon: trolley and/or stroll to and from Savona Mill to see the artisans at work and do some souvenir shopping and enjoy a meal. What a wonderful, wonderful concept! Now to my question: I'm only just now learning about the Savona Mill and Lakewood Trolley restoration, but I'm finding out that this was announced about three years ago. Does anybody know the status of these projects? I don't see much written about them. I think it would be a huge blow if none of this comes to fruition.