Uptown Activity

[Charlotte_native]

A couple of weeks ago we went out to check out Alley Cat. We loved the bar, finally a laid back club in center city that has live music. The venue was great, especially the outdoor patio.

What a pleasant surprise to leave the venue, head home along Tryon, and stumble upon an amazaing scene in the Heart Tower Plaza right up at Tryon. At least 15 musicians, most playing brass including a tuba, a couple drums, and at least 100 people gathered, many dancing. The mix playing instruments ranged from (guessing) 14 years to 50. The mix watching started a little older, but went up as high. There were lots of prom kids gathered around, club kids, white and black teens, 30-somethings like me, almost anyone you could imagine. The pix don't do it justice but I hope the camera video uploads on here...

[Justadude]

These guys have been around a lot over the past year or so. By far the best street act I've seen in Charlotte, ever.

[Charlotte_native]

These guys have been around a lot over the past year or so. By far the best street act I've seen in Charlotte, ever.

[dubone]

They are very cool. I saw them in the same spot a couple of months ago. I think someone said they were here since Katrina, but that might have been speculation, but it seems to fit.

I love busking, and I wish we'd get a lot more of it. It really changes the feel of a street with such liveliness and great music.

[mallguy]

Looks as if I'm the odd person out here- I absolutely cannot stand loud music that's so close to office towers. Even at 10 or 11pm, there are still people in those buildings who are stressed out and trying to meet deadlines and please clients and bosses, and having loud music just makes it all the harder to concentrate. Ever been on a conference call, trying to look professional in front of clients, with blaring music in the background?

I'm thus all for street performers, but they should be moved to at least a block away from large office buildings- in front of the Bar Charlotte block or the arena is fine, since people there are looking for entertainment, but right next to Hearst?

[Charlotte_native]

Looks as if I'm the odd person out here- I absolutely cannot stand loud music that's so close to office towers. Even at 10 or 11pm, there are still people in those buildings who are stressed out and trying to meet deadlines and please clients and bosses, and having loud music just makes it all the harder to concentrate. Ever been on a conference call, trying to look professional in front of clients, with blaring music in the background?

I'm thus all for street performers, but they should be moved to at least a block away from large office buildings- in front of the Bar Charlotte block or the arena is fine, since people there are looking for entertainment, but right next to Hearst?

[mallguy]

Fair points; however, in NYC, which I would consider a "real" city, the office building zones (Wall Street and Midtown) don't generally have street performers or lively street entertainment; they can be pretty quiet after the workday ends (speaking from experience, having worked in both areas). Greenwich Village, SoHo and the like are where there is more activity after hours. Hopefully Charlotte will develop into a city with areas for entertainment, where those seeking loud activity at night can go; I see Charlotte as being at a state of development in which people are starting to be drawn to an urban area that just hasn't developed as many destination areas as it will.

[Charlotte_native]

Fair points; however, in NYC, which I would consider a "real" city, the office building zones (Wall Street and Midtown) don't generally have street performers or lively street entertainment; they can be pretty quiet after the workday ends (speaking from experience, having worked in both areas). Greenwich Village, SoHo and the like are where there is more activity after hours. Hopefully Charlotte will develop into a city with areas for entertainment, where those seeking loud activity at night can go; I see Charlotte as being at a state of development in which people are starting to be drawn to an urban area that just hasn't developed as many destination areas as it will.

[Neo]

Without the street performers and other activities, downtown would simply revert to the business park it once was.

[mallguy]

Without the street performers and other activities, downtown would simply revert to the business park it once was.

[voyager12]

Fair point; however, I'm not against street performers in an urban area- just against them being right outside when people are trying to work. Hopefully Charlotte will develop more urban areas where they can go and where people are being entertained.

In NYC cool, hip people don't find it cool or hip to hang out on Wall Street or in a lot of office building locales in Midtown as there are so many cooler places to go such as SoHo; Charlotte just needs to develop those other cooler places as well.

[mallguy]

Business centers such as New York and London seemed to be doing quite well even with their attendant "noise".

[voyager12]

It will be a longtime coming if Charlotte ever reaches a critical mass to self sustain entertainment districts. Right now for better or for worse Trade&Tryon is the congregation point for a wide range of people who hang out and or add to city life by doing street performances. I don't work around there so perhaps I would have a different take but I see this activity as something to be welcomed as a much needed change from Uptown's annoyingly bland and stuckup atmosphere.

[mallguy]

It will be a longtime coming if Charlotte ever reaches a critical mass to self sustain entertainment districts. Right now for better or for worse Trade&Tryon is the congregation point for a wide range of people who hang out and or add to city life by doing street performances. I don't work around there so perhaps I would have a different take but I see this activity as something to be welcomed as a much needed change from Uptown's annoyingly bland and stuckup atmosphere.

[voyager12]

We have a fundamental disagreement on what constitutes acceptable "street life" it seems. Sidewalks are public property and we can't control the type of people or groups that go by our home or workplace. As I alluded to before Charlotte sorely lacks a large enough district or neighborhood to support a thriving street art culture so it's dispersed citywide, very hard to enjoy and has an fragile toehold in NoDa. I think it's great that people are making an effort to show that Charlotte has a more "earthy" side, even if it always seems to be on life support.

[mallguy]

We have a fundamental disagreement on what constitutes acceptable "street life" it seems. Sidewalks are public property and we can't control the type of people or groups that go by our home or workplace.

[Charlotte_native]

Charlotte sounds incredibly boring if the only fun and lively places involve hanging out in front of office buildings. At the least why not encourage the street musicians to move to the strip in front of Bar Charlotte or where the Comedy Zone was/is, or in the South End? That would help those areas become even more "hip" and filled with activity- and the noise of street musicians at night could drive office workers and offices to the suburbs, which I don't want.

[mallguy]

The really loud ones I see are the people in front of the library/across from Discovery Place, hardly a "hip" entertainment district, plus the street preacher in front of Ivey's and across from Capital Grille/201 N. Tryon. Those are the only ones that bother me because they're so loud- and those locations are hardly "hip" or whatever. Do people in the library or eating at Capital Grille or living at the Ivey's building want that noise either? And is a street preacher desirable outside activity?

The guitar player in front of Ri-Ra is fine as his volume is reasonable- and he's the only one I see who's in a true entertainment-oriented block with people out and about going from bar to bar anyway.

[jlblank20]

In NYC yes Wall Street doesn't have much after work entertainment but Rockefeller Center is surrounded by office buildings. I had the privilege of working in one and during meetings we could hear the performers on the today show in the summer and the Christmas crowd in the winter. I found it festive and part of what made new york new york

[mallguy]

In NYC yes Wall Street doesn't have much after work entertainment but Rockefeller Center is surrounded by office buildings. I had the privilege of working in one and during meetings we could hear the performers on the today show in the summer and the Christmas crowd in the winter. I found it festive and part of what made new york new york

[voyager12]

The really loud ones I see are the people in front of the library/across from Discovery Place, hardly a "hip" entertainment district, plus the street preacher in front of Ivey's and across from Capital Grille/201 N. Tryon. Those are the only ones that bother me because they're so loud- and those locations are hardly "hip" or whatever. Do people in the library or eating at Capital Grille or living at the Ivey's building want that noise either? And is a street preacher desirable outside activity?

The guitar player in front of Ri-Ra is fine as his volume is reasonable- and he's the only one I see who's in a true entertainment-oriented block with people out and about going from bar to bar anyway.

[mallguy]

Valid idea but people don't have the right to do just anything anytime; governments can put reasonable restrictions on the time, manner and place of free speech. Noise ordinances, required permits for protests and more are often used all around the US. I'd guess that if Charlotte does have noise ordinances, they aren't enforced, or perhaps local governments have decided to not have any such ordinances. I'd hope, though, that they would- not to eliminate street performers, as they do add some fun, but just to require that the can't be heard more than maybe 20 stories up or 2 blocks away.

[Live_from_704]

Well, if we didnt want people to be on the streets around our big office buildings in uptown and make them a more fun and enjoyable place to be at night then why do we always stress street level activity in each new big tower that is put up and i think it has been said many times on this forum that the hearst tower has by far been the standard in this city of how to mix big office building and street level activity into one project i believe thats a pretty key part of mixed used! Charlotte is not large enough at this time to have big enough entertainment districts to keep the live acts and performers in those districts and have business only areas. Trade and Tryon has been and will be known for a long time as the center of this city and that includes street performances

[mallguy]

OK I think we're all talking past each other- yes, the more stores and the like at street level are good, and yes, the more people out and about uptown are good, and yes, fine to have people playing music and whatever outside. I just don't like it when the music is so loud that even 30-50 stories up I can't work- just looking for reasonable noise limits.

For example, the guitar guy who plays in front of Ri-Ra to raise money for his new baby is fine because he's not excessively loud. And the music in the back of Rock Bottom Brewery is fine because it's not too loud. Both of those are fine.

[revitalize]

my question is... why would anyone be working in an office that late at night anyway... whats wrong with you workaholics?

ha ha.