Perception of Charlotte Nationwide

[Tyrone Wiggum]

You libs are gonna be so mad when you find out Obama is a secret vampire.

[videtur quam contuor]

Take this discussion off the bus.

[NCMike1990]

The Price is Right is coming to Ovens Auditorium in April 2019                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   https://www.wbtv.com/2018/11/20/price-is-right-coming-charlotte/

[QCxpat]

William O'Connor's story in The Daily Beast (01/12/2019) about his recent Southern road trip and stay in Charlotte is a real delight.  Photo of Charlotte  - Getty

Mr. O'Connor, who grew up in New England and lives in D.C., talks with local historian, Tom Hanchett, and tries to answer "the big question that has long faced Charlotte ... can it become more than just a city to which people have to move for work?  Can it be a city where people want to live - or even just visit?"   O'Connor says that "The appeal of Charlotte, outside of summertime when the city's proximity to a plethora of ourdoors activities ups its allure, comes down mainly to three areas: urbanism, history, and food."  O'Connor concludes that Charlotte "wasn't the typical Southern city" (like Charleston, Savannah, Asheville)  but that Charlotte has "delights enough to make you stop and stay a spell."  O'Connor, a travel writer, also says: "My visit to the Queen City left me sufficiently enchanted to make Charlotte the second selection for our new series on underrated destinations, Its Still a Big World." 

I spotted just one factual error.   O'Connor raves about Uptown's cityscape and Romare Bearden Park.   O'Connor states that Romare Bearden Park has a magnificent sculpture by the artist.  However, "Spiral Odyssey" was designed by renown African-American sculptor, Richard Hunt,  not by Romare Bearden.  "Spiral Odyssey" is pictured below -

 

Link:     https://www.thedailybeast.com/charlotte-north-carolina-is-so-20th-century-and-thats-its-charm?ref=scroll

Edited January 13, 2019 by QCxpat
spelling error

[Tyrone Wiggum]

Glad to see they got the Eiffel Tower in the pic.  Good scene.

[Scribe]

On 1/13/2019 at 4:05 PM, QCxpat said:

I spotted just one factual error.   O'Connor raves about Uptown's cityscape and Romare Bearden Park.   O'Connor states that Romare Bearden Park has a magnificent sculpture by the artist.  However, "Spiral Odyssey" was designed by renown African-American sculptor, Richard Hunt,  not by Romare Bearden.  "Spiral Odyssey" is pictured below

That's a pretty huge error. Thanks for pointing it out! Now I've looked up other work by Richard Hunt!

[CLT2014]

Good article! 

This is technically incorrect as well: "But the part I never looked forward to (don’t shoot me!) was central North Carolina—not I-95, not I-85, none of it. Unless you need to stock up on fireworks or Stuckey's pecan logs, that was just territory to get through as fast as possible."

The author seems to be confusing central North Carolina with South Carolina as fireworks are essentially illegal in NC. SC has all the fireworks shops. 

[DeleteMe]

Really good article.  I think it echoes what a lot of people say when they visit for the first time -- they are surprised to find that people can formulate complete sentences and have all their teeth,  Then, they realize Charlotte is pretty awesome.  I'm sorry to say that I've never been to the Levine Museum, but one thing I'd hope they would include would be the fact that it was Charlotteans who went to Boston to teach them how to racial segregation and hatred.  

[Nick2]

@MACyr The Levine was a pleasant surprise. I didn't have any major expectations going in and I was blown away at the detail and history. I especially loved all the old photographs and maps of Piedmont cities. The article describes it pretty well and I highly recommend a visit.

[KJHburg]

as a frequent visitor to the Levine Museum of the New South I would recommend it to anyone new to Charlotte.  It explains the city's growth since Civil War.  It is a great museum that tells the rise of   Charlotte as largest city in the Carolinas today.  https://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/

[navigator319]

Charlotte is the cover story of the AA inflight mag this month.  Always a good thing.

Here is a 15 minute video they also made on their web site.   Our Amazon bid should have had this one

https://magazines.aa.com/en/features/2019/01/local-takes-charlotte-nc

[KJHburg]

3 hours ago, navigator319 said:

Charlotte is the cover story of the AA inflight mag this month.  Always a good thing.

Here is a 15 minute video they also made on their web site.   Our Amazon bid should have had this one

https://magazines.aa.com/en/features/2019/01/local-takes-charlotte-nc

Wow that was a great article and video on Charlotte. 

[Tyrone Wiggum]

Not a threadjack, but having not been uptown for more than a few hours in at least three years, spending the weekend in the QC was an eye-opener.  Just for point of reference, the only three cities I've NOT spent significant time in within the Continental 48 are Buffalo, Minny, and Houston, and for better or worse I've lived in or done long-term consulting projects in seven of them, so I've been a few places and seen a few things.  Without further bloviating, Tyrone's perception of Charlotte:

1)  The Good: 

A)  Street Level! I love the passion of the posters on the site, but man, there was a lot going on, and just because EpiCentre is a motley crew or there's buildings that could do a better job of maximizing their lobbies, there's a lot going on.  And, by-the-by, I like that EpiCentre has a Moe's next to a $$$$ restaurant next to a CVS; it's a mini 16th Street Mall, and it's pretty darn unique in major metro areas (I'd prefer - actually I do prefer - Mag Mile, but alas, this ain't the 312 and won't be in my kid's kid's lifetimes).  Also, the number of high-end restaurants is really encouraging.  No, you don't want forty versions of Capital Grille and The Palm as the only street-level food, but let's go to comparably-sized metro area downtowns and I will politely encourage you to FOH, (and if we turn the standard deviation up to 1m, it's San Diego and Denver that are doing better, so again, FOH);

B) (Parts of) Outside 277!  Wow there's a lot going on in South End.  And Elizabeth.  And Dilworth.  Related to 'A', these 'hoods are pretty darn unique in terms of size and scope till you get to Philly/ATL/305-sized cities (also related to 'A', Denver and San Diego are exceptions, and also, San Diego is 71 degrees and sunny 364 days a year with a gazillion miles of beach, so there's that.  I digress....);

C) Not a backhanded compliment, just an observation:  There's a ton of development the only impetus to which is a group of scions looking to diversify their portfolios.  Driving through 1st Ward it was like, this will be a mini-Austin of residential towers before I'm eligible for AARP.  Atlanta and Chicago are like, you gonna bulldoze those townhomes for what?  Charlotte's like, we're GONNA bulldoze those parking lots FTW;

D)  Whatever the hell that little building thingy is at the Brookshire exit on 277 is finally getting built.  So yay.

2)  The Bad:

A)  Took the kiddos to the TerriBulls/Hornets game last night, and my kiddos made friends with another guy's kiddos; given his Bulls outfit we started talking about the 312.  He asked where I lived and I told him where I used to live and he was like, downtown must remind you of that.  And, truthfully, he's not wrong: as much as Charlotte has grown, and as much as I wanna get back, it's gonna be a microcosm.  If Charlotte's metro population grew at 20% per decade for the next four decades, it would still the population size of Boston.  Boston Today.  I know we all wanna represent our hometowns, but it's funny to contrast the size of downtown CLT with the reality of a Chicago or New York from a verticality standpoint, and worse so to think, "hey, look at Uptown versus downtown peer group" only to realize my ashes will be fish food in Price Lake by the time Charlotte is a national player (and that's assuming I live out my natural life span);

B)  (Parts of) Outside 277:  So, I decided we'd dead reckon back to the airport, and that was a fail full of fail; we went past Remount to Billy Graham, which not only added time to the trip, but also gave me a view of all the vacant/underutilized lane once you hit the "other" other side of 277.  And, also, the future of gentrification, with all that's already happened and all that is to come.  I've spent a chunk of my professional life in the part of Chicago - the 773 - where Push and Kanye talk about cops not coming through and dreams not coming true, and it's not remotely that, but Charlotte is still an "other side of the tracks town" for a huge swath of its community.  I get it I get it I get it:  we don't "need" tracks in Chicago to "know" that south of Cermak and west of the United Center is "scary" if you live on the North Side ; hell, Oak Park, THE toniest, most racially-integrated  suburb of Cook County, has what's called the Ridgeland line, where they didn't even have to redline or blockbust to figure out where Austin unofficially ended and granola began. But, getting off of 85 and onto 277 for approximately 2.5 miles is a wasteland of thinly maintained tree-lines obscuring have-nots, and that's a big fat fail on both NC and CLT's part (the West and South sides of Chicago, Detroit city Limits, St Louis, Baltimore, etc ad nauseam are also big fat fails, but for very different reasons, and CLT is not remotely boxed in like that);

C)  That UNCC building:  I don't care what's in the works; the back side?  I just can't.  Whose idea was that? 

3)  The Ugly:

A)  Legacy Union.  In person, so much worse.  Should have sent a Crayon;

B)  So, let me get this out of the way on the front end:  I've - also - spent my professional life putting my own time and money behind behavioral health issues , specifically: veterans experiencing homelessness, expansion of behavioral health services for people experiencing homelessness, a scholarship program that provides college stipends for children experiencing homelessness where the Pell and need-based schollies end and everyday living begins, SA halfway homes, expansion of soup kitchens, funding of warming centers, etc.  TL;DR:  If I donate my time or money to 501(c)(3)s, 99% of the time it's related to problems affecting housing/food/medication insecurity.  I say that because I hope you'll pre-emptively see through the lens of what I'm about to say:  Charlotte has a problem with homelessness, and not in the sense of "why are these poors bothering me?"; in the sense of "why is the NCGA and the CLT CC not doing enough to address people experiencing homelessness in the QC (and the QC at the bare minimum; no idea what 919/336 are experiencing).  What the actual fudge?"  sense of the question.  Be better North Carolina;

On balance, it was a fun  homecoming and a "hey, I need to re-arrange my professional life to get my ass back here."  But, it's also an acceptance that Charlotte will also be an idea as much as a place for a very, very long time (which cuts both ways), and that idea needs to include better architecture (tiny, tiny concern) and better integration between brown and black communities and white communities, as well as addressing grinding poverty in a meaningful way (major problem).

/Stream of consciousness typing; please forgive grammar/typos

[cltheel.sdl]

@Tyrone Wiggum, I've never had to Google so many area codes in my life before reading your post.  

[SgtCampsalot]

16 hours ago, Tyrone Wiggum said:

? 

3)  The Ugly:

A)  Legacy Union.  In person, so much worse.  Should have sent a Crayon;

B)  So, let me get this out of the way on the front end:  I've - also - spent my professional life putting my own time and money behind behavioral health issues , specifically: veterans experiencing homelessness, expansion of behavioral health services for people experiencing homelessness, a scholarship program that provides college stipends for children experiencing homelessness where the Pell and need-based schollies end and everyday living begins, SA halfway homes, expansion of soup kitchens, funding of warming centers, etc.  TL;DR:  If I donate my time or money to 501(c)(3)s, 99% of the time it's related to problems affecting housing/food/medication insecurity.  I say that because I hope you'll pre-emptively see through the lens of what I'm about to say:  Charlotte has a problem with homelessness, and not in the sense of "why are these poors bothering me?"; in the sense of "why is the NCGA and the CLT CC not doing enough to address people experiencing homelessness in the QC (and the QC at the bare minimum; no idea what 919/336 are experiencing).  What the actual fudge?"  sense of the question.  Be better North Carolina;

As if your Photoshop prowess didn't already put you in the ranks of Top Contributor, this whole post sent you over the top.

Agreed on the homelessness and concentrated poverty issues. Urban Ministries (with the fundraising from major corps in CLT) are striving to build as much housing as first for "Housing First" initiative. Essentially the fact that if you give chronically homeless people (those who have mental/physical disabilities, substance abuse, who cannot get on their feet with mere services) and do not demand rent, or to vacate until they're ready, then you can solve homelessness. They are doing great work, but it is not enough.

Beyond that, IMO, it comes down to viewing every single bit if economic growth as having a potential collateral damage to those who are in socio-econonically vulnerable communities. The NCGA, CLT Chamber, and CC are so quick to see the plus side, but it's not politically convenient to address the downside.

That will actually take a movement of citizens demanding action to actually address. Perhaps the current housing crisis is getting us there

[DeleteMe]

Out in LA this weekend, the ads for All-Star game "in Charlotte" period, no North Carolina, are great.  My friends (1 architect the other an ad guy) commented that they had no idea that Charlotte was so big and the skyline so beautiful.  One said, "Wow.  That's Charlotte?!".   The images are really great, actually.

[ah59396]

The city looks so damn good on TNT tonight!  Really excited to see it shine this weekend.  Wooooo!!

[SentioVenia]

21 hours ago, ah59396 said:

The city looks so damn good on TNT tonight!  Really excited to see it shine this weekend.  Wooooo!!

Hey, welcome back to UP!

[Temeteron]

I’m not sure if there is a specific forum for the all star weekend but I’ll just reply here: 

I Uber part time and noticed the past couple of nights that obviously there are a huge amount of people visiting.  One of my passengers was from Beijing! He brought his 5 year old kid with him.  Thought that was amazing!  The traffic was horrible last couple of nights.  I was stuck next to the 7th St Market(near the Arena) for over an hour just to go 2 blocks! It goes without saying though that this event was huge for Charlotte and hope we get more of these events.  

[Guest]

Lot of visitors cannot drive. Almost gotten in 3 wrecks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CLT704]

Sorta related to the SunBBTrust thread, but between All-Star and the RNC, maybe we can finally drop the NC!

[Norm2]

I was Uptown yesterday afternoon and ran into a visitor form Japan buying souvenirs. we are definitely drawing people from all over the world for this event.

[sclark]

Good summary of the All-Star Weekend from the Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/17/sports/basketball/nba-all-star-charlotte-parties.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

2 hours ago, norm21499 said:

I was Uptown yesterday afternoon and ran into a visitor form Japan buying souvenirs. we are definitely drawing people from all over the world for this event.

The all star weekend is great sport wise, but there is a huge underground type of following for rare and limited release shoes and clothing items during this weekend at various pop up shops and jordan/nike HQ at mint...that attracts all the hypebeasts from all over the country. 

Hypebeast: check out this local kid from Charlotte. He is a big time youtuber and his videos show the kind of money that is spent on these types of items. YouTube name is Blazendary. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[Tyrone Wiggum]

I’ll just leave this here.

/hope Tepper signs him. 30 years from now our kids will look back and ask what the hell was wrong with us

Edited February 17, 2019 by Tyrone Wiggum
Sorry not sorry for editorializing; notice the lack of “nc” if you can’t see straight