Forrest

Yeah, there was a pretty epic flame war going in the CL's comments after the story broke yesterday. I still don't quite understand it all. The plan is to franchise the brand across Charlotte and beyond? The Ballentine family's younger generation is taking over, I think. The current managers and the crew are all moving to the Diamond. Never been a fan of the Penguin but value it's iconography in a town that has few authentic institutions left. The plans by the incoming group to add a patio and freshen the building up could be a good idea. But a franchise plan seems to promise a more plastic feel. We shall see. The Diamond seems destined to become the new haunt to those loyal to the current guys @Penguin.

Thanks for the update! What I heard a ways back is a gay bar called "Napoleon's Exile somewhere around Camden. Could be the further iteration of the same project. Glad they changed the name but have to confess that the theme sounds a little cheesball to me. Also good that it's not going where AA is now. Better to cluster the already successful Dharma, Apostrophe, and this place together. And hopefully another retailer will take over the American Apparel space and keep that block stable for shopping. Niche is going to reopen soon...... in Oct. New owner is going to keep what is popular and expand their selections more broadly.

Hmmm, about a year ago I heard that a gay club was coming to Southend too. Then just forgot about it after nothing materialized. Well, AA is gone when their lease is up this winter. That would be a prime spot. Who knows

What a gay weekend we have coming up.......Gaga and The White Party are both on the 18th. I am not going to either event. Uh oh, my gay card is going to be revoked I better hide it before the patrol shows up to snatch it away

I was in Spectrum today and found out that there was a big fight with cops called in front of the building over the weekend. Plus, the complex's club room was trashed. Really lame and inexcusable. Out of all the complexes I think Spectrum is the coolest and to treat such a nice brand new building so shabbily is horrible behavior. Hopefully the offenders are all evicted. Similar to what happened in Trademark I think, some generous parents are renting units for kids that have not grown up enough. Come on, it's not a dorm. Although I thought I was back in college on Saturday night. A nice but totally wasted girl invited me to a party down the hall from the apt I was visiting. I declined. Would not be surprised if the other nearby buildings are wild every weekend too.

Someone remind me what restaurant is going in @ Tryon & West? They are really moving on it too. I think it will go a long way in brightening up that corner.

I kid

As mentioned by Tozmervo in the closings thread, one of the partners left and now the remaining ones are changing up the format. I am surprised as well. Thought the food was good nothing spectacular but consistent and prices were decent.

I think a cluster would work well too, and a place like Blakes in ATL that was a combo bar/laid back restaurant would be cool. But we don't have the critical mass for it. Interesting that the business association for the downtown Columbia decided to support Pride down there by hanging rainbow banners along the main road. The City of Columbia and Richland County Government both donated money as they do for other civic events that bring in business to the city. I can't imagine Center City Partners or city/county gvt here doing anything close to this. It took years of prodding for CCP to even acknowledge our existence in minimal listings and now that we are at NCMF they will most likely conveniently ignore us again.

I should be free too. Could not get to the last one we tried a few years back. Oh and apparently the tab is on Urbanity I really have to go then Just did this and thought I would pass it along...... If you Google Wilderness Downtown and use Chrome, Arcade Fire has teamed with Street View to flash your old neighborhood in their video or actually movie for "We Used to Wait". A bunch of windows pop open back and forth but that's part of the production and not a virus! Thought it was very cool and a total memory lane mindfk.

Lawd, that pic makes this city look almost dare I say it......urban

IDK about Crobar but would have to add Common Market to the list of authentically gay friendly joints. I would mainly classify it as alt/hipster rather than gay specific but their vibe is equally welcoming.

Hmm, Tutto Mundo fit that bill but they closed down recently. That's not to say that other places are not mixed. I just think there are fewer that have the vibe that makes one feel really comfortable being just as normally affectionate wtih a partner as hetero couples are in bars.

I don't segregate my life based on sexuality either, I have straight friends as well. What I have always been into is politics, unfortunately our orientation is still a political issue. Which is tied into identity and I tend to favor cities that have a more visible gay vibe. Charlotte's vibe is conformist , blend in, and in general the gays here follow the same line. Our Pride Festival draws open minded straights as well as us.

I guess it all depends on what kind of "scene" you are into, I like Charlotte but would be open to future job opportunities in Chapel Hill or Asheville because the gay scene there is more activist and rainbow flag waving than here. We may have the largest pride attendancewise but Columbia's annual Pride set for next week is much more integrated into city life. It's held in Finley Park with a parade before the festival. They have not had the same harassment issues that we experienced in Marshall Park which resulted in moving onto private property. It's also hard for me to fathom a parade through Uptown but I bet we will get there eventually. Their Pride Guide is extensive and includes welcome letters from the Mayor on behalf of City Council ( I think Foxx will step up and issue one for us this year which will be progress). Columbia City Council fully supported a comprehensive equal rights ordinance several years ago. I don't expect any other members of Charlotte's City Council to issue letters, but I could be surprised. In addition, Richland County Government printed a welcome letter. There also seems to larger participation from restaurants and hotels marketing themselves. Columbia's strength on this issue certainly casts a shadow on Charlotte's " world class city of the carolinas" conceit.