nakers2

It definitely seems that Southend has resurged much stronger post pandemic, I live in the 4th ward, which was already kind of the quiet corner of Uptown, but it's insane that last night, my first Saturday off in quite some time, I went back to my home in Uptown to get some peace and quiet after spending the evening in Southend. If I were from out of town I truly would've still said I was in "dowtown'

I have to disagree, I have a blue collar job so a polo shirt and rugged pants are my "style" for work, but living Uptown I often see men my age (26), and into their 30's still sporting at least slacks and dress shirts, which I think is plenty in the summer here. Going out I see a variety of style (and yes, sometimes lack thereof) but depending where you go you still will often see young men sporting, if not suits or dress shirts, at least stylish button ups or well fitted shirts and pants. Frankly a well cut T-shirt, even an inexpensive one, can give off a classy casual vibe more than a suit in some settings, I will say though, some people do have difficulty reading the room, I've seen people both over, and under dress here, so from that perspective it's a fair critique. Charleston is more old south, I don't think it's a viable comparison but I admit I'm always compelled to pack my blazer when I visit at a minimum.

The Aescent deck is a crime against humanity. I live in the Camden Cotton Mills, which has similar "exposed podium" parking deck, but at least the upper floor is utilized as a sun and pool deck, and it is strategically hidden by the surrounding structures. Aescent will never have anything blocking it's lower floors.

Haven’t seen a lot of photo updates from this project, figured I would add one from my balcony.

I've seen things like this happen even in Europe, but I have noticed over the past few days the cars parked along the curb for the food cart at the square slowly shifting to Tryon Street in front of the Corporate Center.

I enjoy the occasional smoke, I'm certainly not a 300 dollar a week smoke like some of the big wigs that come here.

I didn't even notice the lack of wires, but it does look that way. I live a block from the gateway stop and saw two streetcars stop there the other day, one arrived as the other was leaving, seems weird they delayed till August. As someone who's family lives in a European city with an extensive tram system (Antwerp) I find the overhead wires somewhat romantic, but I also understand why they wouldn't want them on the square.

It's probably been explained before, but the Epicenter caught a tough break from day one. It opened on the eve of an economic recession, and right as talks were ramping up for a rebranding in 2020, the pandemic came tearing through. I was pretty young, but as far as I was aware, the initial intention was for a higher end retail and restaurant scene, but it came down to either having half the complex vacant, or taking what you could get. The mistake, IMO, was not booting out some of the more problematic tenants when times were good, clubs made money and the lost sight of the original goal. The only option at this point is rebranding, and remodeling, there's too much connected infrastructure to do otherwise.

Glad to see my girlfriend isn't the only one who can't differentiate between cigarettes and cigars.

This literally looks like a rendering photo, which I guess is a good thing? Joking aside, I've seen them running, I don't know their actual speed, but visually they appear to be keeping with the flow of traffic.

I like Northlake's architecture enough, but I think it lays the Carolina's theming on a little thick, like the "locally themed" murals at a military town's Texas Roadhouse. (Or the Concord one, but I'll digress.) To me personally, Northlake was an idea that fell short. I went to the Olive Garden there recently, and besides having a parking lot that could satisfy the bus parking needs of a normal elementary school, it just felt so disconnected from everything, the mall could've been a keystone part of a walkable development, but instead became a receptacle for all the North Charlotte retail that one might typically find in a shopping mall, and even then, many have moved out, whether it be Birkdale or elsewhere.

It's incredibly frustrating and disheartening to see this take so long. I *know* it's unrealistic to expect the car centric US to have the same level of transit infrastructure as our European counterparts, but seeing as South Carolina, of all places, can replace a bridge over the Catawba in two weeks time, the fact we're getting on, what is it, four years with this project is unacceptable. Charlotte was really getting ahead of its transit needs there for while, but John Lewis and CATS management has and actively are creating a scenario where Charlotte will be at Atlanta or LA levels of congestion before the public appetite for transit opens up again. Build now while we don't "need" it for a future where we will.

Why though? For all intents and purposes it looks effectively done. They’ve even had cars running at night. We deserve a better explanation.

Thoughts on this? Possible signage coming to BofA plaza.

Thoughts on this?

Charlotte has three successful malls. I'll spare numbers, because frankly most consumers don't look up stats before they shop, they go off of image, selection, and clientele. Southpark, Concord Mills, and the Premium Outlets will continue to thrive for different reasons. The premium outlets are in a part of Charlotte that is exploding with growth, the outlets were one of the first major developments in that area, and that was only six years ago. They might not have been the catalyst, but they're benefitting from the simple fact that outlet malls are inherently tourist draws, even if they're just on the highway. Concord Mills has more stores than any mall in the area despite a smaller footprint, and being *technically* an outlet mall, and being in a tourist area, and an area of growth, it's location is ideal for a traditional brick and mortar mega mall. Southpark mall is it's own beast. The mall itself is a tourist draw, but it also draws business travelers, wealthy customers, and just folks who wanna go gawk at the prices at Neiman Marcus (but will still buy lunch or something at Belk) not to mention it's in an urban area, which trends have shown inherently make retail/restaurants more appealing, especially as the population continues to boom. Northlake, and Carolina Place, are in the suburbs. Northlake is objectively suburban despite it's Charlotte address, and the area truly makes it feel that way. People young and old have begun to develop a strong distaste for the traditional suburban design. Places like Birkdale, which provide at least a faux urban feel which call satisfy that need for walkability, Northlake requires a car for even a cruise to the PF Changs. Same for Carolina Place. Charlotte will be a car city for a long time, but even your suburban soccer mom will recognize that having to strap Timmy into the back of their Suburban for a cross parking lot jaunt is a bit ridiculous. Sprinkle some crime into the mix and you've just added another reason the skip the mall and keep going down 77 a bit further to Lululemon in Southpark where you can go to Cheesecake Factory as well with covered parking to boot.

This is why I like the controlled crosswalks. On major roads it's difficult sometimes to see pedestrians, especially if there's a vehicle blocking the view. This can be especially true for large vehicles that can't stop on a dime.

Cant even go to the prayer garden in peace, damn!

Is this the final result? Please tell me this indicates redevelopment of that deck, or maybe at least some glass sheeting.

What do you do though? I’ve been to malls with “curfews” and stuff, and when it gets to that point, it just feels draconian.

Visited Charleston last weekend, not my first time, but my first time staying outside of the downtown area (last min trip, couldn’t find a good deal on the peninsula) and it led to me having to contend with parking in a dense, pre-automobile downtown area. Charleston does have public transit, and free circulators, but the reality is that most people drive, and it was busy. Despite this, I had no issues with parking, and while I did have to pay, the $1 per half hour public decks, and street parking were more than enough to satisfy my needs. Some cities, like Charlotte, have TONS of parking, and charge a premium. Charleston has cheap parking, in well concealed decks and along nearly all streets, and most importantly: walkability. Not a scientific observation at all, but I’ve always been of the opinion that there’s a sweet spot where parking remains welcoming enough not to deter visitors, while also maintaining a cost that encourages walking, and as a result, reduces unnecessary “in and out” driving. Much like when I visit a city like DC, I often park and don’t touch the car for the day, or multiple days. I’d compare Charleston’s parking to that of a lot of European cities. It exists, but it doesn’t make itself “known.” Like in Charlotte or other places with massive “early bird special” signs on each block.

Late breaking (per Citizen app) there’s been a shooting at the mall. Nobody hurt but mall is closed.

As much as I beotch about the heat, I’ve never had the heat make me depressed. I can’t stand the gloomy, snow free winter.

I don't know if "plenty" is how I'd describe it. Some retailers have also taken this time to remodel their locations, which speaks to the sheer volume Southpark normally attracts, that retailers were actually holding off on remodeling due to potential business implications. Also two of the vacancies are restaurants, not saying a conversion can't happen, but frankly Southpark has too few food options for a mall of its size. The space in question is prime due to it being at the top of the "up" escalator coming from the parking garage. Obviously not *everyone* comes in this way, but unless I'm just going for the food court, this is where I usually go first to find parking.

My girlfriend's mom is a rich retired and divorced lawyer from Louisville, KY. She moved down here and is renting to take care of her other daughter's baby as both her and her husband are working. Though she plans to move back, my girlfriend has taken a liking to the city and plans to stay. Even when people move here temporarily, they can leave behind people who fall in love with the city, or in many cases might end up staying themselves.