AuLukey

At least they masked the parking deck; so it’s not as painfully obvious just how ridiculous that deck is. Kinda looks like it belongs on UNCC’s campus I like the hat, I like that it hides the deck, I like that Honeywell is going Uptown, and hey, bonus, it hides some of the awkward proportion problems of LU1. Win win win win

Well, at least it isn’t blue. But I miss the HOT pink

In honor of@SpiritOf76

Taken this morning. Almost doesn’t even look real from above.

Charlotte back in the national spotlight. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you all why. When will this madness end?

The answer is: you wouldn’t.

It IS! I was actually caught very off guard here at first when I saw people zippering properly. I’m so used to drivers in Charlotte cutting in too early and/or not letting other people in when it is rightfully their turn. One very simple infrastructural aid up here is the lack of a dotted line to denote the lane is ending. Instead, there simply just isn’t paint after a certain point so it makes it hella obvious you are now in the same lane as the car next you and you better move! Hell, in some places there are even signs that say “stay in lane” and then “merge here” to help out those less mentally fortunate.

I can offer first hand testimony on this idea due to my current commute. Interstates 264 and 64 in Norfolk/Virginia Beach use some shoulders from 7a-9a and 4p-6p during the direction’s correlating rush hour. There is still a small bit of shoulder room left over for emergencies; but VDOT responds quickly to any obstructions in these lanes. They have adequate signage, overhead lights, and the road surface is a different color/texture so it’s very obvious what the intended purpose is. These lanes do go for a few miles at times; but in the month+ I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen this cause a single issue. These are also coupled with dedicated, divided HOT lanes that go exclusively with the flow of the heavier traffic. The imagination and ingenuity of the VDOT’s implementation of the interstate system in this metro far exceeds anything NCDOT has ever done anywhere. Side note, people here know how to properly use/zipper/yield to merge lanes. Charlotte drivers could learn a thing or to and use a little patience and common sense. Drive to the end guys, drive to the end.

Lookin mighty stumpy from the airport.

Wanna know a great way to make what should be a pedestrian-friendly area that already has poor walkability even worse? Widen it and make gigantic u-turn lanes. R.I.P. UCBlvd’s potential to become a more urban street.

Sorry to bring this back up but, THIS 1000%!!! I don’t understand how anyone likes that place. I too went on the recommendation of family/friends/reputation and I just didn’t get it... at all. Went twice (I usually give places a second chance) and it was just as bad the second time. I’m so glad you said this because it irks me as well.

Beat me to it! Now to get that passport renewed...

Don’t go to that courtyard on the weekend. You’ll be kicked out by security (with presumably nothing else to do) within minutes. I assumed plazas and courtyards were public spaces. They have other thoughts on the matter.

The fact that these are damaged BEFORE the lanes even open is the very reason why they are there. It proves just how indifferent drivers here are. It’s always “I” first. Also, Charlotte is a melting pot of different regions’ driving styles, which do not mesh well at all. Simply put, Charlotte drivers either don’t care or just can’t drive. The cones are there to put them in their place. I’m glad they installed them. I was legitimately worried they wouldn’t and drivers would constantly abuse them as passing lanes and duck back out before the toll catches them.

The simple answer is “nope.” A people mover makes 100% sense. First, CLT would be paying for it, not CATS. So that’s an immediate win. Case closed. However: Second, a people mover can circulate better. It can start at arrivals/departures, go to the daily deck, (better to walk to hourly and rental,) then to long term for drop off; to Wilkinson for the LRT station, then circle back around to pick up at long term, then daily, then back to arrivals/departures. LRT could never do all that. A people mover serves the needs of the airport much better than a single light rail station at the terminal would. Plus, the idea of the people mover is to help alleviate or eliminate the circulator busses. Third, there would be fewer factors that could potentially cause delays to the entire Silver line. Fourth, people movers are generally smaller than the typical LRT tram, so they can fit into tighter spaces; costing less money and land for the airport. It also adds the flexibility of being extended to a hypothetical dedicated international terminal down the road. Fifth, they will probably be cleaner, or at least more routinely cleaned, as the CLT staff would be responsible rather than CATS. It works just fine at CDG.

Awesome work! Makes me miss working with SketchUp! One question. What about Brooklyn Village?

Kinda like UNCC in 1st Ward...

For about five years... until the EIFS starts crumbling

**Also stolen from Twitter**

Or perhaps Eastland or Philip Morris. Or maybe Bruton could get involved and put it on some of the speedway land.

This is the biggest letdown for me. I can’t believe they aren’t setting it further back from DEC, just seems like a no-brainer if they want their tower to stand out. I also would’ve preferred that the panels were flared out more dramatically. But I’ll take what I can get.

Please just don’t let this be DEC blue. That’s all I’m asking

So anyway, I’m assuming the moderators have shut this debate down and, if so, I applaud you. Through our move to Norfolk these last few weeks, I’ve noticed something funny: everyone there knows where Charlotte (no NC) is. And, to boot, out of all the individuals we have interacted with, all have given us positive impressions of our fair city. I honestly think we can thank American Airlines for getting our name out there. Due to CLT being the closest AA hub to that area, almost every military-filled flight connects through Charlotte. When we’ve landed back in Charlotte, often times our bags are one of a few, if not the ONLY ones, to hit the baggage claim rack from our packed flights; all of which were overbooked. This influx of connecting flights has a down side... a LOT of people that see our city only ever see Terminal D inside Charlotte Douglas. D is an overcrowded, third world clusterf***; and yet, somehow I’ve never heard a negative opinion out of anyone there. Long story short, I feel like the NC is no longer even necessary for about 90% of the US population. It’s the reputation Charlotte makes for itself that will matter going forward. Seems like Charlotte gets five gold stars here so far.

Ready to rumble... or swim... mud wrestle?

Maybe it’ll start out as a concave curve at the base and gently transition to a convex curve towards the top (as to not permanently blind Luke Keuchley on the field. The man is made of steel, but from the neck up he’s a fabergé egg.) OR the entire building could be a concave curve that has a screen along Mint that can retract depending on which team is facing that end zone. That would give us an unrivaled home-field advantage!