abttown

^There should only be another 3 or 4 floors until this one is topped out. This building does have a great and imposing presence from Bearden and even BB&T ballpark. I really enjoy the floor plate detail/designs, but hope the parking deck gets some TLC.

I drove by Brookhill yesterday morning. There are many homes which appear to be in the dismantling process. The siding has been ripped off several structures and windows are boarded up with plywood. Not sure if this is a renovation job or something else...

Post to your heart's content! That last photo is brilliant.

Lovely! I like them all, but the view from Alexander Street park is my favorite. Thanks for the awesome pics!

You're right. My apologies to caterpillar for hurling a low blow earlier. I enjoy this forum precisely because there are different perspectives represented and there is always room for those perspectives. This topic of HB2 though really makes my blood boil. It serves as the cherry on top of what has been a sh*t sundae served up by our state government. As a NC native, I've had the opportunity to see this state shine as a southern state known for being progressive, tolerant, friendly, you name it. We were known for our great commitment to education and for having some of the most advanced voting rights in the nation. All of this took DECADES to build up and in just 5 or 6 short years, all of that progress has been wiped away. I can't help but think of the long and difficult struggle we have to regain the respect we once commanded. I honestly don't know whether to scream or cry sometimes, but it is all very disheartening.

At this point, I'm convinced caterpillar2 is Larry Bumgarner. Who's with me?

I can't help but think that blaming Charlotte or the mayor or the city council for HB2 and it's fallout is akin to blaming a rape victim for getting raped because their skirt was too short. We were only trying to look nice, we weren't asking to be violated.

http://governor.nc.gov/contact/email-governor

Yes it is hypocritical of PayPal to keep jobs in places with shoddy human rights records, but I think anger should be directed at the General Assembly who just decided to take a big dump on human rights for an entire American state in the year 2016. No one forced Jennifer Roberts or the city council to pass the ordinance, but all they were trying to do was be more inclusive and add Charlotte's name to the long list of other cities/towns in this country that have done the same. For all we know, Charlotte could have many more companies wanting to move here if the Charlotte ordinance had been allowed to stay. This could have been a big boon to our economy. Please write the Governor and let him know how you feel. Try to be thoughtful, even though it is rather difficult. Repeal the bill! http://governor.nc.gov/contact/email-governor

Not very surprising in the least. After looking at that list Miesian posted, this is very disheartening. What exactly are our legislators going to do about Chapel Hill's ordinance? Do they not care about the helpless kids and women of Chapel Hill? IF there is a positive in all this, it serves to create a real dichotomy between Charlotte and North Carolina. Hopefully people view Charlotte as a little more progressive and just forget that we're located in this state (seems to be the case most of the time anyway).

^A crappy cell phone shot is all I can muster at the moment

You're all right. Now it suddenly doesn't look as funky. Good thing is you can't really see it from street-level except from that small section of Church. Maybe the Sun can help fade it out over time?

If you check out the 300 South Tryon webcam, you can see the workers at Packard Place painting (?) a funky looking design on the lounge area patio. This project seems to be moving very sloooowly, but it's looking good

Eli, we feel your pain!

Don Draper would not approve

What a game! Watching all the excited fans and hearing the announcers state how the press boxes were shaking almost brought a happy tear to my eye. Just read this article about Cam from Bleacher Report that sums up my feelings for him. His antics have annoyed me a little in the past, but they've become somewhat endearing to me now. Keep Pounding!!! http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2610770-cam-newton-is-the-breath-of-fresh-air-the-super-bowl-and-the-nfl-need?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

^ Wow! To think I once wondered how they were going to fit an apartment building on this lot. This sucker looks massive and will be a lot more intimidating than I originally thought.

Oh! Well sounds like Greenlight A Vet is a pretty good cause as well. I love how wicked that first Observer pic looks with the dark clouds behind the tower. Thanks for the info!

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/real_estate/2015/12/02/hottest-housing-markets-2016/10.html CNN Money has posted the 10 best housing markets in the country for 2016. Of course the "NC" is attached, but they actually used an updated and very nice skyline view of the city. (We're #8)

I noticed the BofA corporate tower is lit up in green. I'm guessing this is for the Paris climate talks? It creates a nice contrast with the other towers and seems to stick out even more than the blue they occasionally use for Panther's playoff games. Maybe they could make it permanent and have it symbolize money or greed

I've been noticing that crane as well. The Meck GIS website shows that parcel as being owned by Drury Development Corp, so I'm guessing it's to be a hotel.

Wasn't exactly sure where to place this review, since this does not qualify as a "good" new restaurant and has yet to "bite the dust". Anyway, I had dinner at Hot Taco last week and have to say I really miss Greek Isles. The food was pretty mediocre. We ordered the stuffed jalapenos for an app and I had the steak fajitas for an entree. The jalapenos were okay, but there was quite a bit of breading on the peppers, which I did not like. The dipping sauce was some sort of chipotle mayo concoction which was not very tasty. My fajitas were fine but again, they were nothing to write home about. My date's quesadillas were under cooked, as the shredded cheese inside was not even melted. Also, service was extremely slow! The place was not very busy, but I noticed all of the other patrons waiting a long time for drinks and food as well. The interior is very bright and colorful, which is a plus. Obviously the location is great, so maybe they will last, but the ambiance (minus the lazy Mexican statues) and locale are the only things going for it. I will not be making a second trip here. *Edited for typos

Looking good! I was initially a little concerned Duke Energy would obscure this building, but it is proving to be much more visible than I had imagined. Off topic, but my eyes can't help but be drawn to that parking monstrosity on the bottom. Jesus, someone slap something, ANYTHING up there! Thanks for the photo updates Carolina Crown

I completely forgot I had these on my phone. The original wasn't very clear, so I played around with my sketch and cartoon settings. Taken from the top of CPCC parking deck on 7th Street...amazing views up there!

Just send an email to Mayfield venting my frustrations. I really encourage all of you to do the same, especially since there still seems to be time. As you all have said, this building could be more thoughtfully integrated into the neighborhood in so many ways. Developers pull this crap because this city allows them to do so...gag!