CLTNative

Is this the building with the tree painted on the side of it? Anyone know if the tree survived the reno?

I saw an ad in Creative Loafing this week (page 35) for "One Love - Smoke Shop and Lifestyle Apparel" at 1041 Central Ave which is the old NAPA place. Interesting since the Tribal Wisdom place just became a smoke shop. Can we support 2? I know the little building beside the Rib Palace was once a short lived smoke shop. Adds to the fabric of the street, i guess. EDIT: Added a thought. Isn't it odd that a smoke shop would locate right beside the rehab center? That is either poor or genius planning.

I just had an interesting thought. Charlotte has just installed modular news racks on Tryon St to help eliminate the aesthetic nightmare of multi-colored, badly maintained publication boxes at many of the street corners, a process that has taken the better part of 7 years. My dilemma stems from how computer minded i am. I, personally, read very few printed publications and rely highly on RSS feeds that are delivered to my phone. Will those news racks be empty in 5 years? Proposed solution: Modify the news racks and raise them a few feet + an overhead canopy. Add touchscreen monitors in each bay devoted to certain publications to house 'apps' that display web content and the ability to send articles to your personal device. This could also prove to be an effective outlet for the local news folks. Totally just a thought, but wouldn't it be cool if you were a visitor?

I just realized that was the old Velocity. That really is a nice space for a club. It's a shame that is no longer a gay bar, it was a lot of fun in its day.

That is sad. Is there anywhere to find more information on the project? Images?

There is a creative panel discussion at Dharma on Friday night as part of South End Soul. 7:30 to 9, followed by a pub crawl.

I found this schedule for South End Soul.

The booths on Camden will not appear this year. The main reason why is that most of those artists/vendors are not from South End. The new event is meant to better showcase the neighborhood and its amenities as a creative haven in Charlotte. See official wording from CCCP: Savor South End runs from 6-9pm with cocktail hour kicking off at 6pm and dinner outside from 7:30-9pm. Tickets for Savor South End are available online at www.findyourcenter.com for $50.00 which includes cocktails, beer, an outside community dinner and a fashion show at Dharma Lounge. CCCP has partnered with the Community Culinary School of Charlotte (501c3) with a portion of the proceeds from the event going to the school. We’re happy to be helping support the school’s mission of providing training and job search assistance in the food service industry for people who are chronically unemployed and underemployed. Ticket also includes after party, fashion show and art auction from 9-11pm at Dharma Lounge! This event is the Grand Finale of our larger event South End Soul, Charlotte’s Creative Festival, an annual event to celebrate Historic South End as the creative district of Charlotte. The Festival creates a unique opportunity for visitors to experience a variety of specific events and activities reflecting the diversity of design talent in the District. We will throw open the doors on the design businesses, stores, restaurants and urban living opportunities that make South End a creative hotbed and a great place to live, work, learn, shop and play!

On an event note, Art & Soul of South End has been evolved into South End Soul, which will take place on June 18 & 19. Friday will include sidewalk sales, bike tours, etc. The culmination of Friday will be a pecha kucha style creative discussion at Dharma with 4 speakers followed by a pub crawl. Free cover to Dharma, Apostrophe, Common Market, On The Roxx, Tutto Mondo, Gin Mill & Tavern on the Tracks. Saturday morning starts off with a Gallery Crawl and continued retail and creative involvement. Redbull Manny Mania (touring skateboarding exhibition) will set up in front of Black Sheep and run from 10-4. Throughout the day will be residential and district tours. Saturday night wraps up with Savor South End. This is a ticketed event ($50) that includes an open cocktail hour (featuring 42Below Vodka, Bacardi & Starr Hill Brewery), family style dinner al fresco (from Carrabbas, Common Market, Icehouse, The Liberty, Pewter Rose & Sullivans). Also included is admission to the after party & fashion show at Dharma. The fashion show (Fashion Soul) is being organized by J Studio and will involve Escape, Bentala & Cirrus Salons). I have also heard that Common Market will have Kabarett Vulgare on one of the nights. I saw their show during Craft Beer Week at CM. It was pretty out there, but definitely worth checking out for pure shock factor. Event Website: http://www.findyourcenter.com/things-to-do/signature-event/21/south-end-soul/

Anyone know the deal with the Diamond? Over the weekend, I heard it closed. Now I just caught a rumor that Penguin folks bought it up to be 24 hours. Anyone know? That would be nice to have something late night over here.

Unfortunately, it will all be very beige at first. This is much like the DEC, all is white and conforming, but hopefully, these new projects can inspire creativity with the new developments. They are all equipped with LED technology, capable of any color. I cannot wait to see all the buildings Uptown retrofitted with LED systems, not only to save money, but brighten the skyline and make it memorable. DEC was not able to light the building Orange for the Bobcats, but had every intention to do so. Technical difficulties delayed that excitement. Maybe next year! We should still see the lights run 'laps' around the HOF on opening day! Little info on 'Opening Day'- There will be a ceremony at 9 on Tuesday. After that, several FREE concerts and personality appearances will fill the remainder. Should be a great time! I will be there documenting the historic day in CLT history. Not a fan of NASCAR, per se, but love Charlotte! So glad to have grown up here.

Cool Pano from today from 3rd Ward:

The permanent crane wasnt in the 'Handle' yet, that was Thanksgiving. Here is another from today...

Cool pic I found from Facebook. There is a high resolution version available from CCCP.

Dont think this has been posted on here. This is the TV spot for the NASCAR HOF, with pretty good shots of Charlotte, though Charlotte is not actually mentioned. If you noticed, they feature Hall Clock Shop from Central Ave, but it looks to me like they placed the window letters in the video because the streetscape looks nothing like Central Ave. NASCAR TV Spot

Went up on top of Center City Green today and got an update for the Uptown UNCC building. See below:

Here is a shot of the rounded corner.

Thanks to the great work from Initial D, I created a little background for my laptop. Enjoy! Full Size Image (1440 x 900)

Thanks for the words! I took this shot back in June. I am pretty new to photography, would really like to get back up there and retake this one. Especially since the water tower has a new skin. Here you go! I have a really high res version, if anyone needs it, PM me.

Two questions... Anyone have any info on the Fresh Produce building? Thats the green building across the street from Thomas Street Tavern. It once housed a clothing store called Fresh Produce. Anyone know the owner? Rent amount? I also noticed a bulldozer taking out the "Sonic" place on Central Ave beside the Dairy Queen...anyone know if there are any plans for this lot? BTW- I would love to see a Lang Van type place in the former Creation spot. This was mentioned in the "Good New Restaurants" thread.

This is from a pretty reliable source and was confirmed yesterday. Not to dispute what you said about advertising, but the Vue was also confirmed yesterday. They are not announcing any good news YET, but those agents are holding on for dear life and they are still participating in the showcase.

Catalyst is still advertising FOR SALE units in next weekend's Urban Living Showcase from CCCP. I thought they were 100% rental as well, but apparently not. They are saying $160s - $390s for those units. For those that want to come out to the event, details are HERE. Lots of condo tours and great photo opps. No realtor pressure at all, you may encounter some leasing agents, but they aren't pushy.

Went to Soul last night finally. I saw the place when the upfit was in progress. This is a very nice addition to PM. The food was great (Greek Cheese Special was a little greasy, but still good) and the service was comparable to that of high end chain. I live just down the street so I have frequented every establishment within walking distance to Thomas Ave. Most of the servers in the area seem to just "hang out" instead of following the regimented rules expected in a popular franchise. My server actually offered great suggestions without being asked. :-) All in all, I loved the place and will return often. My only critical comment is directed at the customers: This is not necessarily a dinner destination, this is more of the "grab a light bite and some drinks while being seen" type of joint. This is totally fine with me, they have the "chill 'N nibble" crowd on lock! I love the place already and will certainly return. One Question: What the heck is 917 Central..........please, someone tell me this is as cool as it looks!

I am definitely not an expert in bridge construction, but wouldnt a ped bridge crossing 277 require longer than a 6 hour disruption? Could this be in reference to the ped bridge that is part of Center City Green? For the record, I am also extremely excited for the bridge over 277. I used to work for a company in the bottom of the Grandview building and would cross the highway walking beside the Trolley tracks (Pre-light rail obviously).

Anyone know what/where this pedestrian bridge is going to be constructed?