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Learning from Other Places


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Been here and there in the last 2 weeks.  From closer to home Hilton Head has some of the strictest tree cutting restrictions in the country. First photo is the Walmart parking lot on the island and is example of tree preservation.  We need to work hard on preserving our tree canopy for it is great for the heat island, is healthy for the air etc.  Look hard for the 115,000 sq ft store as I am facing the camera right at it.  

Spent a week about a week or so in beautiful Puerto Rico staying in San Juan and going out to visit to various parts of the island from there.  Remember this is a US Territory no passport needed just like the US Virgin Islands next islands over and everyone there are Americans.  (this maybe common knowledge but evidently not everyone knows that)  Nonstops daily from CLT. 

Lessons from San Juan embrace some color and preserve your history.  Imagine if some of our apartment buildngs were colors like these and preserve your history people really like it.    Check out this newly formed thread.   Took a 2.5 hour walking tour with a local architect and it was GREAT!   Oh yeah they have a Freeway cap park, a 2 story Walmart with 4 levels on parking on top it and warm tropical breezes.   And my favorite doughnuts were sold at their stores on  the island. See  a city that the Spanish laid out in the 1500s without ever leaving the USA.   Last photo is former convent turned into a luxury hotel.  

 

 

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from the ATL a list of iconic signs in the city.  Would be interesting to do this in Charlotte?  what current signs up would you include?

Interesting first one mentioned is an old school Krispy Kreme doughnuts sign (and that is one of our older store formats similar to our location in Raleigh)  

https://atlanta.curbed.com/maps/atlanta-georgia-maps-signs-fox-ponce-city-market

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from the ATL a list of iconic signs in the city.  Would be interesting to do this in Charlotte?  what current signs up would you include?
Interesting first one mentioned is an old school Krispy Kreme doughnuts sign (and that is one of our older store formats similar to our location in Raleigh)  
https://atlanta.curbed.com/maps/atlanta-georgia-maps-signs-fox-ponce-city-market

Two that I can think of right away would be the South 21 sign on Independence, and the huge JFG sign if it still existed :( Also I think the “Welcome to Charlotte” sign at the old Charlotte Douglas exit to Billy Graham could make the cut.


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Dairy Queen on Wilkinson

Queen Park 

Hutchison shopping center on Graham

Herring Ice and Coal on 36th 

Park n Shop on Wilkinson

Lupie's Cafe

Liberty East on Independence 

Penguin

Diamond

Coffee Cup

Lance

Carowinds

These are the first of the top of my head/ stomach. There's more obviously.

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19 minutes ago, 11 HouseBZ said:

Dairy Queen on Wilkinson

Queen Park 

Hutchison shopping center on Graham

Herring Ice and Coal on 36th 

Park n Shop on Wilkinson

Lupie's Cafe

Liberty East on Independence 

Penguin

Diamond

Coffee Cup

Lance

Carowinds

These are the first of the top of my head/ stomach. There's more obviously.

I think this could be our list.  Ironically we don't have an iconic Krispy Kreme sign in Charlotte anymore due to newer stores and the lost of some old ones like the Independence Blvd store. 

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35 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

since this carpetbagger is from Atlanta he is disqualified.  I have seen in signs all over the ATL, Nashville, Raleigh, and of course Charlotte. 

to @11 HouseBZ great list I would add Ratcliffe's Florist sign uptown that is on the Green. 

Carpetbagger from Atlanta:dunno:

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Here’s some bold thinking US cities could use right now.

https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayors-bold-plan-will-overhaul-capitals-streets

Charlotte should take over lanes for separated bike paths and pedestrian paths in a bolder stroke than they’re currently doing, or let neighborhoods create separated bike lanes on their own with city signoff

 

 

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I don't really where to ask this question (I figured this was the closest thread to my question), but could someone please explain to me the appeal of Austin?

I visited some friends that just moved there last November and I absolutely HATED the city. I honestly didn't get the appeal. Good restaurants? Lots of other cities have good restaurants. Cool bars? Other cities have cool bars. I didn't notice more of a live music scene there than any other big US city I have been to.

EVERYTHING seemed ridiculously far away from everything else for some reason. One night we went to this bar for a pre-dinner drink that was like a 25 minute drive away from my friend's house (she lives near Barton Springs park) and then we went to this place for dinner that was another 25 minute drive away. What really bothered me was how industrial everything was. Maybe they have some strange zoning laws that other cities don't have, but everyplace we went to seemed to be in an industrial-type area. For example, one night we went for drinks before dinner at this bar (supposedly one of the best in Austin) and it was in the middle of nowhere, situated between a thrift shop and an auto-parts store. Then we went over to this really good French place for dinner (was like a 15 minute drive away, no surprise) that was on some sketchy industrial side road (think Westinghouse Blvd but quieter and sketchier). The restaurant was literally across the street from a propane tank shop and next to another auto parts place. It drove me bananas having to drive (or pay for a ride share) to to everywhere from place to place. The day I flew out, we stopped for coffee at this minimalist coffeeshop next to a bathroom tile warehouse and across the street from what looked like a discount auto dealership.

The transit system is essentially non-existent. 

Every single person I encountered/met there kept RAVING about how much they loved living there and really wanted me to remark how cool of a place it was and that I wanted to move there. I went to this party my friend's co-worker was hosting and I recall this one woman at the party being visibly uncomfortable when I told her "no" when she asked if I wanted to move there.  It was honestly so annoying, and something I have never encountered elsewhere in my travels. 

To me, Charlotte is a much nicer city. CLT has a much nicer, more dense downtown (with actual stuff to do), and transit system that is 100% better. Bigger airport. CLT's "hipster" bars/restaurants I would argue are much more concentrated and centrally located within neighborhoods that seem more walkable than Austin had. 

The ONLY thing I would give Austin is I thought the area was geographically beautiful, and a lot of the homes are extremely modern architecturally, which I liked. 

Edited by LKN704
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That is similar to how I feel about Nashville. Outside of Broadway, I don’t see the appeal. And I’ve been to every large U.S. city. What Nashville has going for it is its brand. I have had four girl friends that are from Charlotte move to Nashville after college. Each one of them returned after a year or two. They always have the same reply: “Nashville was fun in the beginning, but it got old quickly. Charlotte’s a better place to live.”

What I love about Charlotte is there is something for every type of person. The best thing that could happen to our city is the continual growth and maturation of our very different neighborhoods and their identities. The friends I mentioned grew up with me in the Charlotte suburbs. They went to college and didn’t pay much attention to what was developing here. I did pay attention and moved back after college and saw a whole new city with unique neighborhoods surrounding Uptown and a whole lot more to do. They discovered the same eventually and developed a new appreciation for their city. Now one lives in South End, one in Dilworth, one in NoDa, and one in Plaza Midwood. None of them knew of 3 out of 4 of those areas while growing up here.

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Both Austin and Nashville are on my list of highly overrated places. I enjoy both of them, but the outsize 'appeal' for what is there is pretty unbelievable to me. The only thing I'd trade for in those cities is their water features near the center and their great marketing campaigns. Even their 'signature streets'-- E 6th is Austin and Broadway in Nashville--are places I kept well away from after my first visit.

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I've never been to Nashville, but I probably wouldn't like it based on I am not into BBQ or Country Music (granted anything Southern to be honest). I have friends that have gone and they either loved or hated it. One of my friends said outside of New Orleans, Nashville was the dirtiest, smelliest city in the country she has been to. "It smelled like a garbage dump" is what she told me when I asked her how it was. 

Back to Austin, I would say that in generally Charlotte exudes a much more "cosmopolitan" or "international" vibe than Austin possesses. Another thing that puzzled me about Austin is that I couldn't figure out where everyone lived. Outside of areas that were obviously residential, I rarely saw houses. Driving from the airport to my friend's house, it essentially looked like industrial prairie land. Generally speaking, Charlotte just "feels" like a city. 

I do agree though that their chamber of commerce must be amazing, because I met a lot of foreigners (Brits, Germans) who were there on vacation, and I found that bizarre. The city clearly has a much more internationally recognized brand. A plethora of international airlines serve the city (Aeromexico, Air Canada, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch, Lufthansa, Norwegian, and WestJet) so clearly their marketing campaign is working internationally. Charlotte doesn't even have nonstop flights to Amsterdam. I would be interested to see what exactly the city did going back 15-20 years to brand the city. 

 

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