My trip to Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis

[cltheel.sdl]

So, I went on a church trip to Texas over the past two weeks, passing through several Tennessee cities. I took lots of pics, so I wanted to share them all with you guys. Knoxville had some nice history, Nashville had nice street level shops and some shiny skyscrapers, and Memphis, my favorite, had great nightlife and shopping downtown along Beale. Tell me what you think of my pictures, and make some suggestions about what we might learn from these different cities. Enjoy.

Lutheran church in Knoxville that we sang at. It was built in the late 1800s.

Nashville:

Country Music Hall of Fame, expect lots of tourists with our HoF:

Records at HoF:

Next few pics are when we were entering Memphis w/ skyline:

Beginning of Beale St.:

Jazz band along Beale:

Big Ass Beer on Beale

Nice street scenes:

Matt, me, and Drew on top of the deck at Alfred's restaurant:

Trolley!

Me along the Mississippi:

More:

Me along the trolley tracks bordering the river:

Memphis nightlife along Beale!

Hope you enjoyed. I believe Charlotte could learn the most from Memphis and what they've done with Beale. If we play correctly, Brevard or College could turn out very similar to Beale, however I don't know if we should close off the street like they did in Memphis with Beale.

[voyager12]

Those are all great pictures! Thanks. Although it makes me jealous and realize how sorely Charlotte is lacking in districts such as Beale St. I hope we get there someday.

[DigitalSky]

Great pictures! Looks like a fun trip

[cheeriokid61]

Hope you enjoyed your trip! I'll take it you were with a choir, right?

[krazeeboi]

All of those cities have what Charlotte will never have: a riverfront. Also, Knoxville and Nashville also benefit from having a university in or in close proximity to downtown.

[cltheel.sdl]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

Hope you enjoyed your trip! I'll take it you were with a choir, right?

Yes, we were on a choir tour. The choir is called the Experience and includes music and drama. We made stops in several Texas cities as well.

[monsoon]

Thanks for posting the photos. Charlotte does have a lot to learn from these places. I don't think we are ready for a stand downtown that says "Big Ass Beer", but we should be.

Nashville has also managed to build a commuter rail line on the cheap in less than two years. It's remarkable in what they did and also a good lesson for CATS and its multi hundred million dollar projects.

[voyager12]

Memphis and Nashville and cities like them are able to have areas like Beale St. because their "thing" brings tourists to town who want to wander around. Their "thing" is music. For better or worse,Charlotte's "thing" is Nascar. I am not a fan but everyone needs to support it for the overall development of a walkable Uptown.

[Pillsbury]

I was in Charlotte on Sunday. Spent a good part of the afternoon walking around downtown. Beautiful city and a lot of tourists like myself just walking around taking in everything. Charlotte is a great city and I think it could certainly develop a district similar to Beale St.

[Plasticman]

Memphis and Nashville and cities like them are able to have areas like Beale St. because their "thing" brings tourists to town who want to wander around. Their "thing" is music. For better or worse,Charlotte's "thing" is Nascar. I am not a fan but everyone needs to support it for the overall development of a walkable Uptown.

I agree. You guys really need to play up the Nascar image. And you don't need a river to do it. It ain't just for rednecks anymore so it won't make your city look hokie but will indeed bring in lots of cash and recognition. You beat us out for the Nascar Hall of Fame so play it up with all you got.

I walked those same Memphis streets and rode the trolleys. That was cool. Memphis has old architecture and a historic feel to it that few cities can match. Probably New Orleans is closest to Memphis in image and type of nightlife.

I hope they keep Sterrick in good condition. last I heard it was vacant but was in process of being refurbished.

By the way, when are we going to get some good renderings of Wachovia?

[sleepy]

Thanks for posting the photos. Charlotte does have a lot to learn from these places. I don't think we are ready for a stand downtown that says "Big Ass Beer", but we should be.

Lol. Memphis is just a sinning city. During the Memphis in May festival, old men sell pints of unknown brands of liquor out of their car trunks to 15 yr. olds.

[appatone]

I don't think we are ready for a stand downtown that says "Big Ass Beer", but we should be.

Ha, Big Ass Beer and a bucket that says "show me your tips".

Certainly Beale St. is a corridor that should and probably will be looked at heavily as a role model for Brevard.

Nice Pics Cltheels, thanks for taking us down Beale. Your pictures also seem to hit at the perfect time with the new article on Brevard.

[cltheel.sdl]

Ha, Big Ass Beer and a bucket that says "show me your tips".

Certainly Beale St. is a corridor that should and probably will be looked at heavily as a role model for Brevard.

Nice Pics Cltheels, thanks for taking us down Beale. Your pictures also seem to hit at the perfect time with the new article on Brevard.

Thanks guys! I'm also going to make a thread on the Texas cities I ventured to during my tour. I'm actually heading back to Nashville and Memphis tommorrow for my family vacation and I will also be making a stop in St. Louis. Cheers to you all until I get back.

[AmandaHugginkiss]

I had a lot of fun on Beale Street. We made it an annual trip to make it to Beale Street thats how much fun we had. Its not for everyone.