atl2clt

I don’t think it’s hyperbole. I wholeheartedly believe that the pedestrian experience from the New Bern light rail station up to and through Uptown is among the best stretches in urban walkability in the Southeast. Born and raised in Atlanta, lived adjacent to the Beltline for 3 years and walked it thousands of times with my dog. It is much less interconnected than most would think. On the Eastside Trail, yes, it’s great for visitors to walk from Ponce City Market to Krog Street Market, but as a resident, there aren’t many local conveniences along the Beltline (that is, it’s mostly devoid of grab-and-go lunch, convenience stores, etc.). As a South End resident, I can go weeks without touching my car; that’s something I couldn’t dream of while living in Atlanta. Other than Charleston and Savannah, I think Charlotte’s pedestrian landscape far outpaces the other cities mentioned. Yes, there are pockets of decent pedestrian activity in many Southern cities, but to compare Charlotte’s pedestrian experience to Birmingham? Memphis? Knoxville? A pedestrian in Charlotte can walk through 3 miles of continuous density from Suffolk Punch in South End to Queen City Grounds in Uptown—the sole portion of dead space being I-277. That is unmatched in the Southeast, even before considering the light rail system. Developers certainly recognize this, and that properties like 110 East are geographically situated right in the middle of this pedestrian corridor.

Do people actually tolerate parking on the 8th floor (or higher) of a parking deck? I cannot imagine a more frustrating start to my day than driving up 8 floors of occupied parking spaces. And the frustration of waiting in line to leave during the 5:00 PM "I need to get home in time for dinner" rush? No thank you. W/r/t South End parking decks, have any of you noticed the Instagram account @100westworthingtongarage? In short, it's an account about the new parking deck at the Lowe's building (mostly pictures of parking promos, parking apps and stuff like that). Today, they even had staff outside waving signs for $5 parking. It seems apparent that South End developers do not view parking decks solely as a vehicle storage space for employees, but an independent and highly profitable revenue stream. I don't blame them (and who would?), but this is really a shame. We have the foundation for one of the best pedestrian districts in the Southeast, but there is overwhelming financial pressure to add more cars and more parking decks to shuttle visitors in and out. It's a weird kind of self-fulfilling prophecy where (1) a pedestrian-friendly corridor develops organically, (2) to capitalize on the growing demand, developers prioritize the development of hourly-rate, mega-size parking decks open to the public and (3) with automobile oriented-infrastructure at every stop light and entire blocks filled by lifeless concrete parking decks, the area loses much of what made it special in the first place. I would imagine that the 110 East parking deck will turn into an hourly-parking, money-printing bonanza (same with the Portman Pedestal at 2151 Hawkins).

Totally agree with this. I've been wanting to respond in this thread for several weeks to note that I like "Charlotte, NC" as a naming convention. On a national scale, there is something particularly alluring about the State of North Carolina and I think Charlotte could actually do a better job of promoting its NC attributes. North Carolina is Variety Vactionland. It is home to the most visited National Park in the country. It is home to he namesake of "OBX"; that is, the car magnet on the back of every other minivan in the South. It has one of the best public university systems in the country. It is the unofficial capital of college basketball. It is among the top ten states in number of craft breweries. Interestingly enough, in a survey of 1,211 adults, North Carolina was ranked as the fifth "best" state in the country. I don't know about the methodology in this study, but I would agree with the general sentiment. People love North Carolina. There is no shame at all in calling it Charlotte, NC and, in fact, I think we should proud of it.

This building reminds me of something...

Wow. That link is awesome. I was extremely disappointed when I first heard that Tyber Creek was going to be demolished and replaced with apartments. I was assured that it was going to be another monoculture 5-8 story luxury apartment building. However, I'm impressed by the site proposal: +/- 3,000 sq ft of ground floor retail +/- 4,500 sq ft of ground floor restaurant space +/- 313 apartments in 24-stories located above the parking deck; total building height is anticipated to be +/- 31-stories +/- 405 parking stalls in a 7-story above grade parking deck While I am certainly excited about the prospect of even more towers rising in South End, there are some clear negatives with this project. (1) A seven-story parking deck is only going to make the intersection of South Blvd and Tremont even more of a nightmare. (2) We lose one of the more unique nightlife options in South End. Tyber Creek is one of the only bars in the area that stays open until 2:00 AM (and it's usually busy until close). Tyber Creek is a gross and smelly bar. The music is loud, the drinks are mediocre and it's often full of obnoxious drunk people who venture across South Blvd to end the night. But overall, I think Tyber Creek offers something special. It has character--which seems to be an ingredient missing from so many new developments in South End. Tyber Creek provides a degree of nightlife and energy that very few bars in this city can match. Tyber Creek will be sorely missed (by me at least). I will make sure to order extra curry fries and leave a nice tip during my next visit.

Following up on the conversation earlier today at the UP Meetup, I think Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is slowly developing a presence here in Charlotte. On May 20, 2021, Bloomberg released the following article: UBS Loses Nine TMT Investment Bankers to SVB. The first person mentioned in that article is Bob Casey, who is a Senior Managing Director in Tech Investment Banking located here in Charlotte. Bob's LinkedIn was just updated as having filled the role at SVB in August 2021. LinkedIn results suggest that there are only two SVB employees currently in Charlotte (with Bob being one of them). That number, I imagine, will certainly grow—though I'm not sure by how much. I would be surprised to have a Senior Managing Director setting up camp in Charlotte without any a presence of analysts, associates, VPs, etc. SVB will be an interesting group to track over the next few years.

As a UGA grad, I can't believe I was able to experience a Dawgs game in Charlotte. So glad I was able to show off my new city to friends and family and watch Georgia bring home the W. Other than the weird mayonnaise themed festivities, Queen City really shined. The streets were absolutely packed with people. ESPN College Gameday in Romare Bearden Park showcased the city perfectly. New additions to the skyline like Honeywell and FNB make the stadium's vista even more impressive. Every restaurant and hotel was slammed with out-of-town guests. Most importantly, every single person I talked to enjoyed their experience in this city. Though the game itself was less than exciting, the weekend was everything it was hyped up to be.

I can second this. I take the light rail into the office about twice per week from South End to CTC. I have been pleasantly surprised by occupancy levels. It isn't shoulder to shoulder, but it does still feel lively. I couldn't find a seat on the way home from work yesterday if that counts for anything. I will also add that the light rail is an extremely pleasant transit experience. My morning train ride almost always starts my day off on a bright note.

Looks like there's a crane going up at the Sycamore Brewing site. Is Portman already starting on the residential tower?

This is true. Nashville historically has a "cool factor" that Charlotte and other peer cities in the South do not have (and perhaps never will have). A few things come to mind: The NFL is one of the biggest media machines the country. There is a reason that the NFL has hosted the NFL Draft in Nashville, but has never hosted the draft in Charlotte. Nashville is a major destination for bachelor and bachelorette trips. The honky-tonk aesthetic of Broadway is among the best nightlife destinations in the South. I would imagine that large swaths of Nashville's CBD are dependent on the travel/tourism dollars (which can be both a blessing and a curse). Charlotte, on the other hand, lacks a distinct nightlife scene to compete with this kind of leisure travel. Nashville draws music artists from around the world to play at the Ryman Auditorium--one of the most culturally significant music venues in the country. For instance, when Wu-Tang Clan played at Ryman Auditorium, it was national news. There are no music venues in Charlotte that have anywhere near that kind of pull. In fact, I am routinely surprised that US tours often skip over Charlotte in favor of Greensboro. Why is that? As you pointed out, Nashville benefits tremendously from the Cumberland River (which eventually meets with the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River) . It cannot be understated just how important waterways were in developing the cultural identity of American cities. Landlocked cities in the US are, almost by definition, post-industrialization cities. It is no coincidence that many cities lacking navigable bodies of water (e.g., Charlotte, Dallas, Atlanta and Phoenix) struggle with identity issues. All of the foregoing cities are lumped into the category of "transplant cities." They were generally blips on the map prior to railroads. Nashville, on the other hand, was a trading outpost dating all the way back to the 1600s. Having Vanderbilt University located in the heart of Nashville provides enormous economic and cultural benefits to the city. Vanderbilt is among the most competitive universities in the country, boasts an enormous and renowned medical system, and hosts SEC sports. To have that same effect to Charlotte, it would be like someone picking up Duke University and nestling it neatly within Plaza Midwood. The reason that Google and Amazon and other FAANG companies are moving to Nashville has to do with all of the reasons you and I listed above. These companies are confident that Nashville will attract young talent. I have noticed that many "Instagram influencers" (e.g., fitness junkies, health gurus, food critics and fashion personalities) are based in Nashville. While this may sound trivial, it is not. There is an entire generation of kids, teenagers and young adults that follow Instagram personalities as the newest form of media. Whenever an "Insta-celebrity" posts about their favorite new restaurant in Nashville or posts about a "Girls Trip to NashVegas", it reinforces to future generations that Nashville is cool. Charlotte is entirely lacking in this online media presence. It is foolish to think that Charlotte will ever have the cultural amenities of Nashville. Charlotte and Nashville, I don't believe, are necessarily competitor cities, though they are peer cities due to their relatives sizes and location in the South. On a final note, there is an old quote that's escaping me (not sure if anyone can help me find it?) that I think may be relevant here. It's from the 1950s or 1960s, I believe, and it basically goes something like: "The people of Charlotte have always struggled with this feeling of inferiority. If the Soviets ever decided to attack American cities, the people of Charlotte would be very disappointed if Charlotte was not one of them."

These pictures are awesome. In the final picture, there's something about the porch/patio on the Honeywell building that makes me laugh. I like to imagine that the Honeywell CEO comes out on gamedays to look down upon his royal subjects.

As a lifelong Atlantan now relocated to Charlotte, I have LOTS of conversations with friends and family about the similarities/differences between the two cities. A few things stick out: Cleanliness: The most common thing I hear from visitors, unfortunately, is that "Charlotte is so much cleaner than Atlanta." While I understand this sentiment, I really dislike this statement. It always seems to have a weird racial and socio-economic undertone. In essence, what it sounds like people are saying is, "I feel more comfortable walking around this city." While that statement may be true, I think that commenting on the "cleanliness" of a city is, in many cases, a red herring (i.e., an avoidance technique to shy away from commenting on more complex and more controversial observations). Architecture: Charlotte has some really impressive buildings and, for the most part, they actually have some character. Both BofA towers, Duke Energy Center, Hearst Tower, the Wells Fargo jukebox building, 300 South Tryon. They all have a little bit of flair and nuance. Most importantly, they are all concentrated in a central downtown hub that lights up beautifully at night. Atlanta, on the other hand, went through a glut of development in the 70s and 80s that has aged very, very poorly. I'm looking at you Peachtree Center, Georgia Pacific building, AT&T building, Mariott Marquis, Coca-Cola Building. I mean, yuck. I routinely hear Atlanta friends/family say that they really like the buildings and the skyline in Charlotte. Instagram photos with skyline backdrops are a thing in Charlotte; they are not in Atlanta. Also, rooftop bars/restaurants are a thing in Charlotte; they are not in Atlanta ("Why don't we have any of these in Atlanta?"). Food: I don't know if I'm just getting lucky, but I routinely go to amazing restaurants in Charlotte whenever I have company in town. I haven't had a single guest leave without saying "I ate too much this weekend" (which is great, because it means I did my job as a host). While Atlanta has a larger and more diverse culinary scene, Charlotte somehow seems to have a more distinct culinary identity. It's BBQ; it's fried chicken; it's craft beer. It is undeniably Southern in ways that Atlanta is not. While that might sound cheap and kitschy, it's not. In fact, it's really cool. It adds character and definition to the city. Charlotte will quickly climb the ranks as a culinary destination, if it hasn't already. Shopping: Atlanta wins this hands down and it's not even close. Atlanta has a number of world-class shopping districts (more on this here). On the other hand, Charlotte shopping is bland, maybe even exceptionally bland. I can't think of a single shopping area I would take friends and family while they're in Charlotte. South Park Mall? That's gonna a hard no from me. That said, Charlotte's identity as a destination for furniture and antiques outmatches Atlanta. Which city is more interesting (i.e., culture)?: Whether a city is interesting is, in my opinion, rooted in whether a city has culture. "Culture" is a complex term, though, and it's difficult to unpack all of the normative assumptions packed into that single word. In short, I think culture = history. Which city has more history? Atlanta does, by a mile. Atlanta is the cradle of the Civil Rights movement. It hosted the 1996 Olympics. It was the birthplace of Outkast and Southern rap. And now, it's the Hollywood of the South. I mean, "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" were both filmed in Atlanta--two of the top five highest grossing films of all time. If you spend enough time in Atlanta, you'll find Atlanta's cultural identity everywhere, from the Billboard Top Charts to some of the most watched Netflix shows (e.g., Ozark; Stranger Things). Atlanta is also an intensely important political node, as the recent January 2021 runoff had the entire country focusing on how Atlanta residents were voting. Atlanta's recent upswing in cultural popularity was no overnight feat, though. It took decades of cultivating a unique image. Charlotte, in comparison, is usually greeted with the comment that "everything is so new!" This sentiment runs directly counter to the idea (or at least my idea) of culture. The buildings mostly look brand new; there is no iconic personality that defines the city; there was no major history lesson in grade school about Charlotte. Of course, I'm sure that plenty of multi-generation Charlotte residents recognize that Charlotte too has a unique culture and history. But from the outside, it does not appear that way. Walkability/Urbanism: Charlotte--all day every day. I just had in-laws in town this past weekend and we didn't get in the car once. We walked all around South End and Uptown and took the train up to NoDa. Once the street car is open, I'll even add Plaza Midwood to the itinerary. "This city is so walkable" is perhaps my favorite comment to hear from out-of-towners. Is there a rivalry between the cities?: Nope. First, from a business relocation standpoint, each of Charlotte and Atlanta have different identities in the types of businesses they attract. Second, from a sports perspective, I don't consider the Hornets or the Panthers to be, respectively, the primary rival of the Hawks or the Falcons. Overall, Charlotte and Atlanta have a symbiotic relationship as fast-growing Southern cities, separated by a mere 4 hours on I-85. Both cities are experiencing similar levels of growth and similar migration patterns. That said, I don't think most Atlantans have ever been to Charlotte, so it often comes as a surprise when they first visit and find out that Charlotte is bigger and cooler than they were expecting. Apologies on the essay. Slow day at work today.

Wasn't sure where else to post this, but I figured this thread would be appropriate (I hope). This past weekend, I had some family in town from ATL. For their brief 24-hour trip from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday, here was our itinerary: Walk around Southend and get lunch at a local brewery; Walk into Uptown (e.g., Romare Bearden, Tryon Street) with a guided audio tour (by me) of all the cool buildings; Take the light rail back home to South End; Drive into Plaza Midwood for dinner and walk around the area; Drive down Queens Road to ogle at big houses; Get drinks and dessert in NoDa; and Get brunch at Suffolk Punch. And, wow. To say that this city impressed would be an understatement. Everywhere we went, the streets were bustling with people moving about. Uptown felt lively and vibrant. NoDa at night was absolutely roaring with people and music. (The fire department in NoDa was even outside shooting the crap with passersby). In multiple parts of town, there were pop-up stands and shops with merchants selling art and trinkets. I'm not quite what I'm trying to say here other than something truly special is brewing in Charlotte. This city is undoubtedly taking off right now and for us to be able to watch its growth and development will be a treat for many years to come. My family is already planning a trip back.

As a lifelong Braves fan, I 100% agree with this. The Battery is (for now) passable as an entertainment district. It has decent restaurants and sports bars and even a PBR bar ("Professional Bull Riding") with a mechanical bull. Wow! However, just like the Epicenter, the entire complex feels artificial. Like it sprang up out of the ground just a few years ago (which it did) and has no sense of place or history. It entirely lacks the feeling of being "live in." In fact, while there are lots of apartments at the Battery, I don't think many of them are occupied by full-time residents. Whenever I go to games, I find it odd that there never seems to be any patio furniture on any of the apartment balconies. I think the majority of these apartments are rented out solely as Airbnbs to out-of-town fans. Therefore, the entire customer demographic at the Battery is fleeting and transient. This type of customer demographic cannot support the types of neighborhood joints that make communities special: hole-in-the-wall sub shops; corner grocers; dry cleaners; flower shops; immigrant-owned restaurants with a couple of plastic tables; smoky dive bars. In essence, no one is "a regular" at the Battery. The Battery will eventually go out of style. (And the mechanical bull at PBR will seen as weird and awkward in a few years). I'm not sure when, but I imagine there will be talks of relocating out of the Battery in 20 years or so. Then, that entire complex will be a dying relic of suburban parking decks. There are timeless baseball parks like Fenway and Wrigley that will never go out of style. Then there are more recent baseball parks like PNC Park (Pittsburgh) and Petco Park (San Diego), which are both located near downtown and have incredible vistas of the skyline. These are the types of parks that are heralded as the best in the league and will prove much more prudent economic investments in their respective cities. The Battery currently ranks as #26 out of 30 on this list of best MLB parks: https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/nationals/ranking-all-30-mlb-ballparks. According to the link, "one of MLB's newest ballparks, Truist Park does its best not to be ugly but offers not much else in terms of quirks and originality."