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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Master Plan


monsoon

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Wow, that is amazing! Mark Baltimore on my list of places to visit sometime soon :camera:

Haha, wow that's the first time I've ever heard anyone say that!! Usually it's more like: "Wow, mark Baltimore on my list of places NEVER to visit!" (the inner harbor is cool - but otherwise - Baltimore is pretty scummy city).

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Haha, wow that's the first time I've ever heard anyone say that!! Usually it's more like: "Wow, mark Baltimore on my list of places NEVER to visit!" (the inner harbor is cool - but otherwise - Baltimore is pretty scummy city).

When most people visit a city, they're going to the touristy parts anyway. The Inner Harbor and the inner core of the city make it worth visiting.

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An aquarium makes tons of sense for Charlotte if and only if it is easily accessible to pedestrians. Boston and Balmore's aquariums are not only excellent, but also easily accessible by car, train, bus, and those of us who just like to stroll. Contrast that with Southern aquariums - Tampa and ATL come to mind - where access is difficult or annoying, not to mention expensive.

Why is the accessibility thing so important? Putting it bluntly, I don't visit Atlanta for the tourist attractions. And, if it's a pain in the ass to do something, I'm more likely than not happy to stay in my hotel room in midtown and raid the minifridge while watching PPV. Or, given our current locale, going to the Tampa aquarium is a giant headache - parking is way the hell and gone away from the actual aquarium, it's $6 for literally nothing, and it's downtown away from everything else I'd want to see or do on a non-Lightning/non-concert day.

Contrast that with Beantown, where, yeah, the parking is expensive, but only for tourists; I can take the yellow --> blue connection from downtown no problem, or the subway no matter where I am. Same thing in Balmore.

My point is, an aquarium would be great for the residents of Charlotte, but you've gottta make it easy on them. Put it on the rail line next to the CATS station and ring the register. Put it virtually anywhere else, and it's worth maximum half of what it could be.

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My point is, an aquarium would be great for the residents of Charlotte, but you've gottta make it easy on them. Put it on the rail line next to the CATS station and ring the register. Put it virtually anywhere else, and it's worth maximum half of what it could be.

I totally agree about making it accessible. I think more people are inclined to do things spontaneously if it's easy to get to. I am one of those people. And while most Charlotteans don't even ride Lynx, you have to think about the tourists. Many have never been here and feel lost, but if they can catch a light rail from their hotel, they will be more likely to explore.

I'd like to see it outside of uptown, maybe the old Queens Park location. This would spread out the entertainment venues along the Lynx and create throngs of people in what could become a newly invented Queens Park District area of Charlotte. It doesn't have to be uptown to be successful in my opinion and besides, the land would be cheaper outside 277.

I tend to think like the urban planners of cities like St Louis, where Metro-Link takes you places you WANT or NEED to go. I call it basically "common sense" planning, but Charlotte planners have missed so many opportunities to get it right the first time. That's another topic I suppose.

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An aquarium makes tons of sense for Charlotte if and only if it is easily accessible to pedestrians. Boston and Balmore's aquariums are not only excellent, but also easily accessible by car, train, bus, and those of us who just like to stroll. Contrast that with Southern aquariums - Tampa and ATL come to mind - where access is difficult or annoying, not to mention expensive.

You know, you can actually access the GA aquarium via MARTA, and it's easily accessible by car and parking is easy (I know, I've done it). There are also other attractions in the area (World of Coke, CNN, Centennial Park, future Civil and Human Rights museum) that make for a pleasant stroll in the area.

And I don't think all Southern aquariums should be lumped in the same category. The ones in Charleston, Chattanooga, and New Orleans are all pretty easily accessible and have other attractions within walking distance.

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You know, you can actually access the GA aquarium via MARTA, and it's easily accessible by car and parking is easy (I know, I've done it). There are also other attractions in the area (World of Coke, CNN, Centennial Park, future Civil and Human Rights museum) that make for a pleasant stroll in the area.

And I don't think all Southern aquariums should be lumped in the same category. The ones in Charleston, Chattanooga, and New Orleans are all pretty easily accessible and have other attractions within walking distance.

I guess I was thinking of the appr 15 minute walk from the hotel to Marta, followed by another 15 minute walk once I got off the subway. I could have taken a cab I guess, but it looked so "easy" to just walk from the brochure.

And given all the other stuff around there, I assumed parking would be a hassle and/or expensive. That and I hate driving anywhere in Atlanta.

I think Steven Seagal had some advice for me about assuming though.

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I would love to see a complex that housed both a aquarium and a wax museum. Something lbased on the concept of Madam Tussauds with the wax museum and the planatarium. I think that locating it around the NASCAR museum would be a good idea since that part of town is becoming a museum area and a potentially high volumn pedestrian area.

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My partner and I visited Atlanta last weekend for a change of scenery. The aquarium was an easy walk from the Westin. We went through Centennial park on the way. An aquarium would be a great way to fill up one of the surface lots in downtown Charlotte. I'm sure there are many people in this metro area that would enjoy it, but dread driving to and in Atlanta.

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I would love to see a complex that housed both a aquarium and a wax museum. Something lbased on the concept of Madam Tussauds with the wax museum and the planatarium. I think that locating it around the NASCAR museum would be a good idea since that part of town is becoming a museum area and a potentially high volumn pedestrian area.

A wax museum? I can't think of anything lamer than that. Having grown up in the Lake George area of New York, we always laughed at the suckers who paid to look at what really amounted to mannequins of famous people. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think what we need uptown is a wax museum. That said, an aquarium would be great.

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My partner and I visited Atlanta last weekend for a change of scenery. The aquarium was an easy walk from the Westin. We went through Centennial park on the way. An aquarium would be a great way to fill up one of the surface lots in downtown Charlotte. I'm sure there are many people in this metro area that would enjoy it, but dread driving to and in Atlanta.

Next time you might want to drive to Duluth or someplace of of I-85 and take MARTA into town. It is a heck of a lot easier.

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A wax museum? I can't think of anything lamer than that. Having grown up in the Lake George area of New York, we always laughed at the suckers who paid to look at what really amounted to mannequins of famous people. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think what we need uptown is a wax museum. That said, an aquarium would be great.

So looking at famous people in a wax museum is lame? I suppose that thousands of tourists aren't aware of this at Madam Tussauds? A wax museum usually has a chamber of horrors and/or various depictions of historical situations. They are not just "mannequins of famous people". What seems lame to you might be educational and entertaining for others. Obviously your peers of the "Lake George area of New York" area true visionaries and enjoy fine arts. LOL!

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So looking at famous people in a wax museum is lame? I suppose that thousands of tourists aren't aware of this at Madam Tussauds? A wax museum usually has a chamber of horrors and/or various depictions of historical situations. They are not just "mannequins of famous people". What seems lame to you might be educational and entertaining for others. Obviously your peers of the "Lake George area of New York" area true visionaries and enjoy fine arts. LOL!

Ha-ha-ha! Nice. Lake George is second to none when it comes to art...log art, that is! Seriously though, just because many people like something, it doesn't mean it's any good. Have we learned nothing about our fellow countrymen from their love of such great things as Snuggies, fanny packs, and top 40 country music?

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Wax museum is a cool idea. I like the idea of a Ripley's also, stuff like that. San Antonio has a very walkable area downtown with neat attractions near the Alamo, with unique restaurants & attractions. Charlotte really needs something like that. A family-ish, tourist area downtown where people can spend a good part of a day. BTW, why doesn't Charlotte have a big Belk store downtown? Weird question, yeah, but with this area being their HQ (?) I would think they would have one. Maybe because there is no shopping district??

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^Yes, the Belk store was on the square, where the BoA tower is now. There was also an Ivey's Dept store across the street and a Sears a few blocks north. Uptown was a fun place back in the 60's & 70's with the Carolina Theater and all the shopping. My parents use to take me with them all the time.

But back to the aquarium.........I still like the idea of it being on the light rail line outside of uptown. Even if people had to drive to the aquarium, they would likely hop aboard the Lynx for dinner or other activities. Like I posted earlier, my preference would be the old Queens Park (drive-in) location.

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The Queens Park area would be a nice location, if it (hypothetical aquarium) were located outside of Uptown. I thought I read earlier somewhere that area is part of a proposed development? Not sure, I know the area across S Blvd, the site of the Scaleybark library, is under discussion at least for a new retail development. That whole area needs a facelift & some new stuff in general. So bland & uninteresting.

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This is a thread about a Charlotte aquarium, but I still think the prior mentioned wax museum idea is a good idea to kick around. Is a wax museum adjacent to an aquarium really such a bad idea?

Sure a wax museum is kitschy as all get out, but so what? Why does everything Uptown have to be in such good taste?

I say look into getting a wax museum near a possible aquarium.....locate them both in 2nd Ward near the HofF. Create a diverse museum district, that can appeal to all types of people.:)

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This is a thread about a Charlotte aquarium, but I still think the prior mentioned wax museum idea is a good idea to kick around. Is a wax museum adjacent to an aquarium really such a bad idea?

Sure a wax museum is kitschy as all get out, but so what? Why does everything Uptown have to be in such good taste?

I say look into getting a wax museum near a possible aquarium.....locate them both in 2nd Ward near the HofF. Create a diverse museum district, that can appeal to all types of people. :)

It could have a "Chamber of Horrors" and the kind of exciting stuff seen at Madam Taussauds in London. It would have to be a really good one. Not many cities have this kind of venue.

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