Charlotte Off Topic

[Scribe]

21 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

Hence our downtown is really BofA's, Wells Fargo, Duke, etc... office park and built to their liking

Without those BofA (aka McColl), Duke, etc. and their plan, Charlotte would be a complete mess, similar to Atlanta... 

I like this quote from the Atlanta Journal ( http://www.myajc.com/business/charlotte-strength-lies-its-core/39KWFmpyjaem96x2e7Z4dO/ )

Quote

McColl is commonly considered the driving force behind the city’s emergence. But the template for Charlotte was sketched out in the mid-1960s by architect A.G. Odell, he said. “Everything we did was off the Odell plan. We updated it periodically, but always, we built around the center city. It was 100 percent intentional.”

We are half-century into the implementation of the A.G. Odell plan for Charlotte.
Yes, things have to be adjusted as times and dynamics of the city change, but the overarching vision stayed within the outlined parameters.

This is why I am fascinated by Charlotte, to watch the evolution of an idea that was broadly sketched out over 50 years ago and it taking shape and being refined as I live and work in the city has been a real treat.

This is also why I get pissed when we have terrible management of some critical portions of the big puzzle - at this stage it is CATS CEO John Lewis!

Edited August 22, 2017 by Scribe

[CLT2014]

2 minutes ago, Scribe said:

Without those BofA (aka McColl), Duke, etc. and their plan, Charlotte would be a complete mess, similar to Atlanta... 

I like this quote from the Atlanta Journal ( http://www.myajc.com/business/charlotte-strength-lies-its-core/39KWFmpyjaem96x2e7Z4dO/ )

We are half-century into the implementation of the A.G. Odell plan for Charlotte.
Yes, things have to be adjusted as times and dynamics of the city change, but the overarching vision stayed within the outlined parameters.

This is why I am fascinated by Charlotte, to watch the evolution of an idea that was broadly sketched out over 50 years ago and it taking shape and being refined as I live and work in the city has been an real treat.

This is also why I get pissed when we have terrible management of some critical portions of the big puzzle - at this stage it is CATS CEO John Lewis!

Def agree with you that Charlotte would be a mess. Lots of towns have old buildings and Charlotte would likely not be the economic powerhouse it is today without the banks, etc... Unfortunately we lost old buildings that could have been re purposed along the way, but we would likely be 10-15 years behind where we are today if we had waited until re-use was a thing.

Edited August 22, 2017 by CLT2014

[grodney]

I drove from IKEA* to NoDa Brewing on Saturday via Tryon the whole way, at approx 1pm, and have 2 observations:

1) That drive was hell.  Stopping at every light.  Long waits.  Gah.  And then Sugar Creek Rd is closed, so the right lane which is a right-turn only was jammed with cars who were all trying to get left.....made worse by a wreck in the left lane just a couple blocks before Sugar Creek Rd, so everybody was trying to get right.  I see now that the ProTip is to get on 85 and go to Sugar Creek Rd (if it's not closed) or even to Graham and backdoor it.  That damn 5.1 mile drive must have taken me 25-30 minutes.

2) That Waffle House next to the light rail station is going to KILL IT, right?  Late-night waffle munchies after drinking uptown all night?  Yeah.  Never been to Waffle House.  I should try it.

*IKEA --- Never realized the prominent blue and yellow is due to Sweden (flag colors, etc)......until my daughters pointed it out.  Duh.

 

[kermit]

30 minutes ago, grodney said:

Never been to Waffle House.  I should try it.

Never? Yea, you gotta do it. The only caveat is that it is either the best food you have had that week or the worst, very little middle ground. Be sure to ask for your hashbrowns "scattered well" (meaning crispy).

[grodney]

Maybe there's a "living uptown" thread that would be better, but I'll put this here.

Trinity Partners is killing it at 400 S Tryon. They are having a free movie on their parking deck next Thu, with drinks to buy from Blue Blaze, and hot dogs to buy from JJs. See Center City fb page for details.

Also got an invite for Yoga on their deck, this Sat morning...$10 for Yoga and mimosa and a Rhino discount. Not sure if this is tenants only...but I'd guess not? Sign up is at mindbodyonline with NC Yoga Bar.

 

[HighRiseHillbilly]

27 minutes ago, grodney said:

Maybe there's a "living uptown" thread that would be better, but I'll put this here.

Trinity Partners is killing it at 400 S Tryon. They are having a free movie on their parking deck next Thu, with drinks to buy from Blue Blaze, and hot dogs to buy from JJs. See Center City fb page for details.

Also got an invite for Yoga on their deck, this Sat morning...$10 for Yoga and mimosa and a Rhino discount. Not sure if this is tenants only...but I'd guess not? Sign up is at mindbodyonline with NC Yoga Bar.

 

Random, but I was wondering.... Apartment events are great and I have no idea how often they occur, but do you think they (along with all these new amenities) cut down on people wanting to venture outside and fill the streets?

I like to go uptown just to people watch, but notice that although the residential population has grown uptown, the amount of people out and about at night seems to have declined. It has me wondering what happened. I did read several articles about how millenials don't really like to go out as much. I have no idea if this is the main population uptown, though.

Any ideas? Has anyone else noticed anything similar? 

[CLT2014]

3 hours ago, HighRiseHillbilly said:

Random, but I was wondering.... Apartment events are great and I have no idea how often they occur, but do you think they (along with all these new amenities) cut down on people wanting to venture outside and fill the streets?

I like to go uptown just to people watch, but notice that although the residential population has grown uptown, the amount of people out and about at night seems to have declined. It has me wondering what happened. I did read several articles about how millenials don't really like to go out as much. I have no idea if this is the main population uptown, though.

Any ideas? Has anyone else noticed anything similar? 

"Netflix and chill"

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ppveam/millennials-have-discovered-going-out-sucks

" Who wants to pay for a $6 bottle of water and $15 movie ticket when you can stream an entire must-see series from the comfort of your couch? " https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/why-staying-home-is-a-wellness-trend/

Also... with the open office trend, I wonder how many people get home from work on Friday after 5 days of being 3 feet from a person you had to make small talk with all day and just want to close the door and be left alone. 

Edited September 15, 2017 by CLT2014

[HighRiseHillbilly]

13 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

"Netflix and chill"

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ppveam/millennials-have-discovered-going-out-sucks

" Who wants to pay for a $6 bottle of water and $15 movie ticket when you can stream an entire must-see series from the comfort of your couch? " https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/why-staying-home-is-a-wellness-trend/

Also... with the open office trend, I wonder how many people get home from work on Friday after 5 days of being 3 feet from a person you had to make small talk with all day and just want to close the door and be left alone. 

Back on my day we liked to meet up with friends and be sociable for the sake of being sociable while out & about. 

Now get off my lawn.

[nowensone]

http://www.floodmap.net/

Pretty cool, you can specify the water level to increase by.  It's a little buggy but still in beta.

 

[KJHburg]

It is funny it defaults to 397 meter water rise! according to this Amazon should build their HQ on top of Mt Mitchell to be safe or maybe Asheville LOL 

Edited September 16, 2017 by KJHburg

[nowensone]

Yeah my son had fun as we raised it by 50m at a time, Denver is certainly in an ideal position!

[SgtCampsalot]

Random question for you in the know folks:

What is a list of Construction firms, and Development firms that have local offices (preferably Uptown)? Looking for avenues toward job opportunities in the fields "for a friend."

Do they typically even have local offices? ie: I'm looking at Balfour Beatty, and they don't even have "North Carolina" as a regional option in the search, even though google shows they have a few local offices.

Thanks for any pro-tips.

Edited September 27, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[KJHburg]

The Business Journal has a book of lists which lists all the top contractors and I would say many are in SouthEnd but they are really all over town. Not as many uptown due to need for employees to come and go easily.  (and believe me it is hard to park a 4x4 full sized truck uptown) 

from lasts years list

JE Dunn 1616 Camden ave

Balfour Beatty 1930 Camden ave

Choate 2907 Providence

Turner 4601 Park Rd

Shelco 2320 cascade point (near new VA clinic)

 

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by KJHburg

[KJHburg]

Quick scan of the top 25 contractors only one is remotely uptown Whiting Turner 800 W Hill st. in 3rd ward

[tozmervo]

I just wanted to post an appreciation for , a great way for satisfy my OCD tendencies & avoid threads I don't care to venture into.

[ScottCLT]

I’m in St. Louis right now and I can’t wait to get beck to Charlotte. This city has some nice neighborhoods outside of downtown (central west end, ballpark village, Clayton, Delmar loop), but geez...downtown is just depressing. It’s been probably 10 years since I’ve been here, but this place is just vacant now. The largest building in the state, One AT&T Center, is completely vacant - a 44 story building! Though there is some lovely old architecture and there are some skyscraper “canyons” that are grander than Charlotte has, the city just seems empty. Lots of buildings, not lots of people. I could walk 10 blocks down the middle of Pine St at noon and might have a 3 or 4 cars pass by. Closed stores, restaurants, delis, sundries stores, etc. Just empty! 

Despite that, I have to say that I’m impressed with the light rail. In the downtown area, it turns into a subway. Everything is underground, which is great. Makes me wonder how a city like St. Louis, with a population that has declined 62% since the ‘50s, can make a subway happen, but Charlotte - a polar opposite with downtown booming - couldn’t do the same.

I know there’s more to it...I’m just a bit envious of the St. Louis Metrolink being underground while also being completely disappointed in the city itself (at least downtown).

[southslider]

^St Louis reused century-old freight railroad tunnels within their downtown, plus a century-old bridge across the wide Mississippi River.  Charlotte reused a partially abandoned freight corridor within Uptown, but an old freight alignment running more at- or above-grade than below.  Both cities have built LRT as metro-lite systems with full control gates at crossings and significant grade separations. Most cities with LRT just use signals without control-gates at intersections. Both cities have also seen their LRT extensions come in at higher cost than their original alignments, since the metro-lite design was extended to areas needing to share, rather than reuse, railroad corridors, or completely rebuild streets. St Louis completely rebuilt Forest Park Parkway for their Cross-County extension, while Charlotte has rebuilt North Tryon for BLE.   Fortunately for cost, Charlotte went elevated with BLE, while St Louis built much more expensive below-grade stations on their final extension.

St Louis last expanded their LRT system  (aside from streetcar, another similarity) just before Charlotte opened theirs.  At present, both cities face financial challenges in building any more new LRT alignments.  St Louis did increase their local sales tax.  But they continue to debate priorities and design. On the latter, it's significant to note they're thinking of a more street-running, semi-exclusive north-south line to expand their mostly east-west rail system. Basically, the next expansion there may go for more "rapid streetcar" design than "metro-lite" (LRT mimics heavy-rail Metro).

[ah59396]

On 10/3/2017 at 8:51 AM, tozmervo said:

I just wanted to post an appreciation for , a great way for satisfy my OCD tendencies & avoid threads I don't care to venture into.

OMG thank you so much for bringing this to my attention.  I get so sad eveeytime I see “Providence Road Developments” or “Southpark Mall” in bold.

[Bikeguy]

CMPD ( motorcyclists and SUV's with sirens & lights ) was seen escorting five large private buses down Park Road this afternoon ~3:00 heading south.  

 

[tozmervo]

11 hours ago, Bikeguy said:

CMPD ( motorcyclists and SUV's with sirens & lights ) was seen escorting five large private buses down Park Road this afternoon ~3:00 heading south.  

 

Maybe the Eagles staying at Ballantyne Resort? 

[Crown]

1 hour ago, tozmervo said:

Maybe the Eagles staying at Ballantyne Resort? 

it's the eagles and they stay at a classic southpark hotel 

[NCMike1990]

Not sure where to post this, but I noticed recently a large area of land has been cleared at Tuckaseegee and Queen City Dr.,  near I-85. A Google search turned up nothing. Does anyone know what's planned for that site?

Also, this building was demoed as well. 

Edited October 23, 2017 by NCMike1990
adding detail

[Vitamin_N]

Saw this story on Reddit, thought some of you here might enjoy it...

I was homeless, sleeping under a bridge in charlotte near the music factory. I needed a job so I dressed as best I could, which wasn't very well, walked into a bar on 7th and lied about my work experience. They gave me the job , I started working that day. They paid me cash after every shift. I worked there for three years, became the manager, and now I love cooking. Never cooked a day in my life up till that point.

A lady, in her 50s,who was acting as the kitchen manager trained me. She knew I lied, but she also knew I was in trouble. I couldn't even cut a tomato. She saved my life. She didn't tell anyone and kept training me even though sometimes I'd piss her off but I always tried to do better. I got an apartment a month into the job using another cook to call the apartment and let them know how much I get paid cause they wanted that for some reason. I was getting paid $11 under the table so nothing was on record which is why he had to call.

I worked as a line cook immediately. It was overwhelming. I'm not from the city and the work was fast paced. I would study on my time off by watching youtube and cooking at home.

Edited for more info

Answers to frequently asked questions

I became homeless at the age of 19, really. I kept bouncing around from couch to couch because I had a rough home life. I just wanted to get away, from Ohio, and moved to Charlotte when I was 20 trying to get a job as an audio engineer. It didnt pan out, but I didnt want to come back home so I stayed. I was homeless up until I was 22

The bar I worked at was a dive bar whose name cannot be mentioned. The ship sank a year or two ago, though I left there when I was 25.

I do not live in Charlotte at the moment but will return in the next month as that is now home to me. I miss it and love all the people there.

 

[tozmervo]

On ‎10‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 9:24 PM, NCMike1990 said:

Not sure where to post this, but I noticed recently a large area of land has been cleared at Tuckaseegee and Queen City Dr.,  near I-85. A Google search turned up nothing. Does anyone know what's planned for that site?

Also, this building was demoed as well. 

If I'm looking at the right tract it's industrial zoning, and accela indicates there is an open land development permit for "warehouse with office component." 

[Guest]

Came across these old images of Four First Union I had never seen. I had over time cooled to the idea of this building, I was obsesses when I was 14, of course. This building really was a work of art though.