cjd5050
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Posts posted by cjd5050
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14 hours ago, JBS said:
MLB will expand by two teams in the next 10 years. There are only four logical candidates:
Montreal, Portland, Charlotte and (possibly) Nashville. If Oakland and/or Tampa don't build stadiums, there could be an additional 1-2 teams available (the White Sox aren't in play but probably should be).
Other cities mentioned have no chance:
Vancouver-great city, too close to Seattle (particularly if Portland gets in) and won't get a team if Montreal gets in (which they should)
Austin/San Antonio-very unlikely that Houston and Texas would allow that to happen.
Vegas-still digesting NHL and NFL, fast growing but too small of a market for 3 major league teams (plus, would require a dome).
Columbus-Cincinnati and Cleveland already in Ohio and neither draws particularly well.
Mexico City/Monterrey-too many political, economic and crime related concerns for a team at this time.
Portland is all but guaranteed a team because of their location (MLB needs more teams in West and they have a head start on ownership and stadium). It will come down to Montreal and Charlotte. Both are attractive markets and make sense geographically. If either/both come up with good ownership and stadium plans, one of the two will get a team. Nashville (with their smaller population and recent MLS team) only gets a shot if the two others fail. Ideally, the A's move to Portland (Oakland fans become Giants fans, AT&T is 11 miles away), Tampa builds a new stadium near downtown and the two expansion teams are awarded to Montreal (bring back the Expos) and Charlotte (likely branded as Carolina).
It's a slow game and my fandom of the Padres has mostly lapsed. However, nothing better than a MLB team. Don't follow the Knights but I would watch/listen to EVERY game if MLB was here. Listening to Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn in Philly and Jerry Coleman (Ted Leitner I could do without) in San Diego were a huge part of my childhood and early adult life. Also, in the stadium, baseball is conversational in a way that other sports aren't. I'd definitely buy a mini-season ticket package.
Maybe having the Padres as my MLB team is why I am not really a fan of the MLB.
I don't like the cost of MLB games but if that's what the community wants I fully support it. I am excited about the opportunity for a new stadium can do for an area outside of Uptown. Could provide enough gravitational pull to create its own district.
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8 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:
It’s not bigotry.
But transit systems need to cater to more than just the primary cities IMO. And LKN is due their fair share of a rail line.
big·ot·ry
noun
- intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself.I absolutely feel a level of intolerance exists here and is evident in comments like the one above towards people do don't live in the first or second ring. As if living on the Lake or in outside of the 485 is offensive. It's also a bit silly as Charlotte has some of the most suburban 'urban' neighborhoods out there. It's not like Myers Park is Park Slope.
Regional transit needs to serve the region. Especially when the region is paying for it. The silly idea that somehow the close you live to Trade/Tryon the more important your needs are or you're opinion being more valid is just that...silly.
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1 hour ago, dubone said:
You really have to feel for the folks living in the city of Charlotte which are 80% of the population of Mecklenburg county, live in more transit-supportive neighborhood density with more economic diversity, and live in a more reasonable distance from their workplaces and don't necessarily setup their daily lives around a 40 mile round trip interstate commute. North Meck towns are only 9% of the population of Meck County, and that counts a whole lot of area that is no where near the 77 / Red Line corridor.
The North Mecklenburg residents are amazingly lucky that they got an accelerated interstate expansion and all they have to do is pay for it. The rail that they wanted had a projected a small fraction of that of the much maligned streetcar because the streetcar route goes through dense neighborhoods with lots of human beings, living in an actual city.
Norfolk Southern actually saved the day by sparing us of a real boondoggle, the Red Line.
We all pay for infrastructure and public services we don't use, but we all want our leaders to sort out reasonable and fair ways to allocate that infrastructure, and not let people waste those resources.
Ya a whole lot of economic diversity in Meyers Park. Those estates in South Park are featured in New Urbanism weekly.
This kind of indifference towards people who are a part of our community but not like you is the epitome of bigotry.
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2 hours ago, kermit said:
there was never anything on paper. Some folks say that NS did change its tune on the tacit agreement to share tracks, others say that the handshake sharing agreement was nothing more than a figment of CATS' imagination -- the history is fuzzy.
Figured you would know where the bodies are.
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2 hours ago, JBS said:
I don't blame NS. Private company, no obligation to help. I agree though...lake folks got screwed and no end in sight.
I thought NS backed out of an agreement.
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You really have to feel for the folks living up there. No rail in sight after passing a tax for it. Boondoggle on 77.
What's interesting to me is how little bad press Norfolk Southern gets locally. Not sure if it would do any good but the CO has no problem running lines on other companies.
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37 minutes ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:
cjd5050: I agree. Have you been to the new Coin Bar at the Omni? It's incredible. I think more hotels will do renovations like this now. The Holiday Inn uptown surprisingly has an awesome rooftop pool area but needs some reno. I really think the new Kimpton missed one by not putting a pool where their 'Outdoor Yoga' is. Craft City Social Club which is the Le Meridien/Sheraton pool has set the bar for public pool parties. I know the owners of World (formerly club Label) were talking about putting in an outdoor pool for that Vegas vibe, but not sure about that.
Have not been to Coin Bar but that looks outstanding. I wonder if The Music Factory could find a location for a large pool at their complex. They already are booking some of the bigger DJs but it's just night gigs. When you're paying $50k to book you need to cover that.
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40 minutes ago, KJHburg said:
In defense of the EpiCenter and I hear people say we don't have the nightlife like big ole Nashvegas does but here is a concentration of it yet it is not good enough to many.
https://www.charlotteagenda.com/132165/20-reasons-epicentre-is-awesome/
Good article.
I think the issue with EpiCenter is that there is nothing special about it. It's just a collection of bars/clubs that you could find in any city. I think it's cool that there is a complex but it's nothing that someone visiting from out of town is going to say 'WOW' about.
What's a little shocking to me is how there isn't a hotel that has gone 'all in' on some sort of outdoor pool complex. With our weather here and the number of 20 somethings, it's crazy to me there is not a hotel with a very large pool/outdoor complex. I know the Le Méridien does this but I have been seen larger pools in the backyard of houses. Seems like a huge opportunity do 'day drinking' events for people who don't want to go to a brewery.
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I think this will be a good project for the region but fear it won't be great. The problem I see is that the 'River District' really does not connect to the river for anyone but a few landowners. That's a huge missed opportunity.
With the trends of people wanting to live a 'walkable' lifestyle I just don't understand why they can't spend a little more money and buy out just a handful of the owners. See below.
You could create at the endpoint a tight little village similar to what's found in the coastal cities of Europe. A bunch of shops and a hotel could anchor the village. Then you connect the village to the main commerce corridor with a grand parkway. Something that Olmstead would have designed. Two one way roads with a large median in the middle anchored by trees.
This grand parkway could be home to 'estate lots' in the middle and storefronts closer to the end. Addresses here would rival any address in Charlotte and it would create a grand parkway that would double as a park for everyone living off it.
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37 minutes ago, Matthew.Brendan said:
If capturing revenue is the goal, then enforce it consistently. These scatter shot random checks are nearly pointless.
Not really. It's like a speed trap.
I know that when I drive to NY and when I go through VA there is more often than not troopers looking to bust speeding. I also know that when I drive to NY and go through WV I hardly ever see a trooper. Because of this I speed in WV and drive close to the limit in VA. If people think there is a chance of a random ticket enforcement after they get off the train, unless they DGAF or are foolish, they are more likely to purchase a ticket.
It's an enforcement mesh without full resource deployment.
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3 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:
I know some of you may disagree with me completely and think I’m a loser and why I would get worked up about this and I sort of agree with anyone who thinks that of me...
But I know myself and I’m not getting off a train and going to fiddle around with farecheckers. At that point, I’m off the train leave me alone, I’m an adult, not a child. I’ll just throw my ticket in their direction and move on with my life. I paid my service and I’m done and I’m leaving.
Checking my ticket on the train, I’m completely fine with. Exchange greetings and pleasantries and show them my valid ticket and give a big smile. Impeding my exit or wanting to hold me from going about my merry day, I’m irrationally triggered.
I saw 2 farecheckers going through a black girls purse at the Carson station. I was sorta outraged even if she did something wrong they were going through her purse. Call the real cops.
I get where you're coming from but not sure I agree.
It's kinda like food. You can pay in advance before you get your food, pay at the table while eating or pay at the register on the way out. At the end of the day, you ate the food and owe the money. It's not like you can go into Chick-Fil-A and say you want to pay after you have eaten.
The problem, I think, is that you're looking at this from the spectrum of someone who purchases a ticket even if nobody is checking. That's not the world we live in sadly. I'd much rather have riders burdened a bit if it ensures that the most revenue possible is captured. ROI and all....
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59 minutes ago, asthasr said:
Yep, I know. My post was mainly about the "never having the chance" phrase. There are a lot of people who will never want to partake of our fair city, no matter what amenities are on offer, simply because it's different than their previous experience.
I get it. My point was mainly about the urban/rural divide being a one way street for many. There are a lot of people who will never take in 'small town' America. I have my thinking as to why this is the case but there are many reasons.
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9 minutes ago, asthasr said:
I grew up in the foothills and I can say that it goes beyond just "never having the chance." The feeling, a lot of the time, is that Charlotte/other urban areas are not available to them. They simply won't go. I've still got friends from my hometown who will talk about how they can't find a job, and I will tell them, you know, Charlotte's right there, they could come and find something. "But it's so far," etc. It's 45 minutes or an hour -- a bad commute, yes, but not insurmountable. You could make it work! But it's as if we have a wall around the county in some peoples' minds.
(Also weird are the "Oh, I've been to Charlotte, I didn't like it" people who, it turns out, drove by the city on 85.)
This isn't a rual thing. It's human nature for many people to fear change. There are just as many people who grow up in a part of the city, never leave their surroundings and are unable to pull the trigger on moving somewhere else and possibly more affordable because 'it's so far' from home.
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3 minutes ago, JBS said:
And...what impact has CLT had on Charlotte growth and economic development in the city? Personally, I'll gladly pay more for flights to have AA hub here (and I don't even like flying American).
Agree. Can't tell you how many layovers I have had in Atlanta because Delta thinks Atlanta is on the way to everywhere or having to fly past my destination city only to be rerouted back on a puddle jumper.
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1 minute ago, 49er said:
I know how to use google flights, thanks. Look, it has been a constant fact that CLT has some of the highest airfares in the country and there's no debating that fact. There's no need to defend AA here. They know they don't have much competition here.
If you get behind the paywall this is an excellent article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-an-american-airlines-monopoly-works-for-charlotte-1519225740
I am not defending AA. I am just simply pointing out facts and cherry-picking data isn't helpful. I think your view is a bit shortsighted in that you're only looking at the price. You're not considering the volume of flights and the number of destinations. Charlotte has 700+ daily flights which is absurd for a city our size. Nashville has like 450. Raleigh has 400 it appears. These extra flights provide benefit and come at a cost.
We have 3 daily nonstop flights to Buffalo. Buffalo! I know for a fact that these flights support several companies in the region that are here because of the connectivity. Now can I get a cheaper flight out of Raleigh? Yes. But it comes with a layover. There a 10s of cities like Buffalo that the HUB status of AA is driving companies to set up operations here. There is no debating this fact either.
Does Charlotte have higher prices than other cities? I guess, but as I pointed out that's not always the case. You might agree if you were better at using Google Flights. Does Charlotte have way more flights, nonstop flights, and destinations than other cities its size? Yes. Bank of America and Wells Fargo depend on this volume. Charlotte depends on BofA and Wells Fargo.
To look at just one data point and complain is shortsighted and unproductive.
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22 hours ago, LKN704 said:
It's definitely lack of demand.
There are plenty of other fortress hubs that have more other-airline service than CLT has. MSP has service to SEA/PDX/SAN on Alaska, in addition to service to SFO on UA. DTW has service to SEA/PDX on Alaska, along with service to SFO on UA. ATL has service to LAX on AA, SEA/PDX on Alaska, and
I will say it is unfair to compare CLT to any of these hubs, simply because they are all larger than CLT in population. The closest hub in population size to CLT is SLC, which suffers from a similar lack of other-airline service. The only flights on non-DL legacy carriers from SLC to east-coast hubs that operate year-round are to CLT and EWR, at a measly single daily flight each. There's no service to IAD/MIA/DCA, although east coast cities are accessible nonstop on JetBlue and Southwest.
I personally find RDU to be cheaper than CLT, especially on flights to the West coast-where there is often no comparison. On flights within the East coast (NYC especially) I usually find CLT to be cheaper.
A quick search on Google flights yielded the following results, for a round trip departing on 18 July and returning on 20 July:
RDU-SFO: $397 on both UA and Alaska (UA flies twice daily, Alaska flies once daily)
RDU-LAX: $391 on AA (AA flies RDU-LAX twice daily, as does DL)
RDU-SEA: $446 on Delta (Alaska also flies nonstop, but it was priced at $617)
CLT-SEA: $707 (4 AA nonstops/day)
CLT-LAX: $1025 (5 AA nonstops/day)
CLT-SFO: $827 (6 AA nonstops/day)
There is no comparison.
At the same time, we really should not be complaining. It is the high ticket prices on AA that are essentially subsidizing the large AA hub here (due to the lack of demand).
CLT <> SFO
I think you have some selective criteria here. The SFO pricing has more to do with Wells Fargo than American Airlines. You picked coming back on Friday...which is prime for bankers. If you adjust your flight search from departing Wednesday, July 18th to Thursday, July 19th and coming back Saturday, July 21st rather than Friday, July 20th you're presented with the same 6 nonstop flights but they average $382.00. Which is cheaper than your RDU flights on different days and cheaper than RDU on the same schedule.
I fly to SFO for work often. If I want to fly with the bankers I know I am going to pay more and I make that call. Most often I just hang out in SF for the night and eat great food and drink awesome beer.
CLT <> LAX
For this flight, again, if you switch the days to Thur/Sat you go to just $659 from $1025. If you go to Wed/Sun it drops to $447. It's just basic supply and demand.
30 minutes ago, 49er said:If you're a leisure traveller paying for yourself and a family those direct flights don't matter when they are market up 2-3x what they are elsewhere. AA conveniently screws over locals here. If you're a business traveller, the service is excellent and the company is picking up the bill so who cares what the flight cost is. I'm glad to see low cost airlines coming in and offering competition.
If you're a leisure traveler you don't fly from Charlotte to San Fran on a two day trip in the middle of the week. As shown above, they are not marked up 2X or 3X.
AA makes a nice profit on flying bankers from coast to coast. It doesn't scree locals over here in the slightest. It actually gives us lots of nonstop flight options each day and if you're flexible you can find some great deals.
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2 hours ago, KJHburg said:On the flip side of this issue, I saw an interview on WSOC with a woman from Myers Park who said she was opposed because she did not want downtown to come to Myers Park. I was baffled by that statement. If a tower of 20 stories was proposed at Queens/Queens or Selwyn/Queens I would understand that. There are already some 5-6 story midrises condo buildings in the heart of Myers Park near the country club now. As this city continues to grow more and more fights like this one will happen.
Holy Cow, the Myers Park HOA President comes off horribly entitled and completely out of touch with reality. She feels that this tower is 'bad for Charlotte' and her comment about 'Downtown' moving into Myers Park could be construed with a tinge of racism.
Let's call it what it is. There are people who live in Dilworth, Myers Park and Elizabeth who want the best of both worlds and none of the problems.
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20 hours ago, elrodvt said:@cjd5050 I think it's bad form to lurk around downvoting posts I make (as you've done many times now) without dialog. Just because we disagree on politics doesn't mean you have to go all angry old white man about it does it???
In this case i purposely wrote the above post in a manner less likely to offend people with your political views.
I don't think anyone could say the city handled the last incidents well? I think it's very debatable whether cities need their paramilitary gear? MY view is its unnecessary and inflames the situation most times.
Back to the thread- Given their reliance on that type of policing we could end up looking really bad over a small incident. Plus it's highly likely that conflict will occur. So I think having the convention here is a loser.
I think it's cowardly to mock police on a forum when you know it's likely to not have others disagree with you.
They were in riot gear because there were riots. There were riots because a wife beating and drug dealing 2 bit criminal pulled a gun multiple police officers and his piece of trash wife and her lawyers pushed a false narrative about a book. There were riots because Charlotte had an incompetent and progressive Mayor (in office because of many on this forum) who couldn't find their way out of a wet paper bag, let alone a press conference where the HRC wasn't giving her marching orders.
You're what they call a IPYS. You're the insulting in private, demanding when you need protection/service and when getting a ticket your most likely to drop I Pay Your Salary (as if you tax dollars entitles you to be a tool to) people.
You want to have a debate or critique about police in America? Let's have it. But at the same time, you need to have the courage to talk about crime in America. Can you and others here have that conversation without fumbling over yourself to play the race card? I have anecdotal comments and statistics. You seem to just have quips.
I don't think you're capable of that, so I just downvoted you. I also upvote many times without commenting as well. If you find some sort of self-worth based on the number of downvotes or upvotes you get, my suggestion would be to reach out to the developers of the platform.
I'd also like to point out your downvotes without dialog to some of my comments: Like Here , Here. You're that special kind of arrogant. Bless your heart.
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52 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:
Can EVERYONE do me a big favor and email in favor of this project. These guys are sharing missinformation. I challenge them to PROVE their TRIPLE TRAFFIC claim
Can someone paste an outline of what they are sharing? I'll email a revised version.
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1 hour ago, Crucial_Infra said:
There's got to be a way for KJ or someone on UP to negotiate a group rate subscription to the Business Journal so we can see these links.
A little birdie told me that if you use Chrome, go into advanced settings and disable javascript for bizjournals.com. Paywall is javascript so it won't load.
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1 hour ago, dubone said:
It's a charity and they have promised their donors that they plan to restore it as much as possible to original grandeur inside, but only to the degree of their budget. To increase their budget, feel free to donate: https://carolinatheatreclt.org/give/
Unlike prior commercial plans for restoring the theater which would have skipped the restoration, this team has promised all along that they will restore much of the detail to the 1920s style as much as they can. I doubt that time passing due to the complexity of the tower portion will have any bearing on their plan for the interior details in the theater.
They claim that they have fully funded their construction goal of $51.5 million. The only areas to donate are for specific items like a candy display case, supporting programming and the general fund. Nothing about increasing the restoration budget. So it looks like the scope of restoration is locked in.
I hope they do restore most of the interior but my fear is that this budget won't allow them to. As a supporter of FLW Darwin Martin House, I assume a faithful restoration would be 2X. It's just almost impossible to recreate the craftsmanship that existed back then and when you do...it's crazy expensive.
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It seems most everyone is focused on the hotel. I get it. But has there been anything released in terms of how much they are going to restore inside of the theater? The longer this drags out the more concern I have for that part of the project cutting corners.
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8 hours ago, JBS said:
Downtown Waxhaw on Friday night is unrecolnizable compared to five years ago. So many restaurants full of so many people. Great place for a walk down quiet streets also. Place would be a perfect setting for a movie. Can understand why it is growing so rapidly.
You mean Downtown Waxhaw on a Saturday night...right? Because if it's Friday the residents are still stuck in traffic on the way home.
Seriously...it's pretty nice down there.
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24 minutes ago, cltbwimob said:
I don't know that Pineville would have a choice if hypothetically the ROW went through property whose owners were willing to sell or if the ROW was along state roads, neither of which the town of Pineville would control. I am not sure but I imagine Pineville didn't actually stop the Blue line from going into town per se as much as they just made a stink about it and CATS voluntarily dropped the idea. IIRC their fundamental objection to the line occurred because the proposed ROW was to take the line right into the middle of downtown Pineville and they thought it would alter the character of the town for the worse. An extension of the Blue line to Ballantyne probably would not go through what is considered downtown Pineville, and even if it did I don't know the same objections from 11-12 years ago would still exist.
Good points.
I think the objections may be removed but I also think the opportunity has been squandered. I hope I am wrong and they are able to run it to Ballantyne. Would do wonders for me personally.
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CATS Long Term Transit Plan - Silver, Red Lines
in Charlotte
Posted
The reason I mentioned neighborhoods like Myers Park and South Park, and I could include most of Charlotte as well, is that these neighborhoods do nothing and actually work against the idea of providing the most service to the most people. These are not transit friendly or community friendly neighborhoods. The people who live here are not 'pitching in' to the collective good. If anything they are working against it. See. The NAI Southern project that was fought by many residents. There are multiple communities that are much more urban in design, better land use and everything that we all here want. The only difference is they are quite a bit of distance from Trade and Tryon and are closer to the lake. At it seems that people think they should be penalized for that arbitrary distance to uptown.
I understand that the gold line and the blue line don't go through these neighborhoods but that's a bit of the issue. No? Again, if the goal is to provide the most service to the most people we would be talking about a vastly difference Park Road and Providence Road. But ideas such as this are DOA. I suspect from people who wag their finger at North Meck residents, while at the same time, saying Not In My Back Yard...which is absurd.
By my estimation, less than 20% of Charlotte is urban and working towards the collective good when it comes to thinking about development and redevelopment from a regional perspective. So I have an issue with the claim that 80% live in Charlotte and they should be serviced first. We agree 100% on the Big Bang but I would like to go further than that. I want to see Charlotte create an 'open season' on Park, Queens, Randolph, and 7th for mixed-use design. Any parcel on these streets should get an instant approval for a massive density upgrade if the owners want it.