Learning from Other Places

[KJHburg]

We can a learn a lot for our own city of Charlotte by just travelling the state.  Like in downtown Durham and Raleigh have they actively save historic facades and buildings in face of growth like we have here in Charlotte. Or from Wilson which is using art to attract people and development to its downtown.  Or from even a very small town whose main industries are fishing, farming and some tourism Belhaven in a poor eastern NC Inner Banks county.  They have a restaurant there that is attracting people from over 100 miles around from the Outer Banks, VA Beach, Raleigh, Greenville, New Bern etc.   It is a farm to fork and fish to fork restaurant in a micro town of less than 1800 people with no stoplights.  It is revitalizing a little downtown. The restaurant is called Spoon River Market and Artworks in Belhaven.   With this last trip I have now been to all 100 counties of NC (so I ready to run for Governor now LOL) and I can truly say there is a lot big ole Charlotte can learn from the smaller cities and towns across this state from Manteo (been there) to Murphy (been there too).  

1. downtown New Bern  birthplace of Pepsi Cola 2.  Coffee shop in little Washington 3.4. new renovations in downtown Washington (first town named for our first President) 

5. My black drum Francaise from Spoon River 6. One big pork chop locally sourced too its fine 5 Star dining without the big city prices!      7. downtown Belhaven 8. Pungo River Belhaven

So get out this summer and explore the Tar Heel State!  (and I didn't eat a burger the whole trip LOL)

[elrodvt]

^Who has the best astroturf though?

[KJHburg]

19 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

^Who has the best astroturf though?

Charlotte of course! 

[QCxpat]

10 hours ago, KJHburg said:

We can a learn a lot for our own city of Charlotte by just travelling the state.  Like in downtown Durham and Raleigh have they actively save historic facades and buildings in face of growth like we have here in Charlotte. Or from Wilson which is using art to attract people and development to its downtown.  Or from even a very small town whose main industries are fishing, farming and some tourism Belhaven in a poor eastern NC Inner Banks county.  They have a restaurant there that is attracting people from over 100 miles around from the Outer Banks, VA Beach, Raleigh, Greenville, New Bern etc.   It is a farm to fork and fish to fork restaurant in a micro town of less than 1800 people with no stoplights.  It is revitalizing a little downtown. The restaurant is called Spoon River Market and Artworks in Belhaven.   With this last trip I have now been to all 100 counties of NC (so I ready to run for Governor now LOL) and I can truly say there is a lot big ole Charlotte can learn from the smaller cities and towns across this state from Manteo (been there) to Murphy (been there too).  

1. downtown New Bern  birthplace of Pepsi Cola 2.  Coffee shop in little Washington 3.4. new renovations in downtown Washington (first town named for our first President) 

5. My black drum Francaise from Spoon River 6. One big pork chop locally sourced too its fine 5 Star dining without the big city prices!      7. downtown Belhaven 8. Pungo River Belhaven

So get out this summer and explore the Tar Heel State!  (and I didn't eat a burger the whole trip LOL)

Woo Hoo!!!    @KJHburg  for Governor of The Tar Heel State!   Woo Hoo!!!  

The Old North State (North Carolina) - Lodge McCammon ... - YouTube

▶ 2:34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxxGize8S8E

1.  

Nov 14, 2015 - Uploaded by Lodge McCammon

Download the mp3, lyrics and additional materials from Discovery Education Streaming ...

[KJHburg]

another great small town downtown in North Carolina: Hendersonville just hours west of Charlotte.   Curving main street with diagonal parking, some parallel, artwork (bears) painted signs on buildings.  Real gem go see it for yourself.  Things the QC can learn make the smaller business districts in town like South End, Plaza Midwood, 5 Points Biddleville, NoDa etc.  Photos from today.  Come see downtown Hendo soon.  and yes it was quite busy today at lunch. 

[NcSc74]

On 6/22/2018 at 7:07 AM, QCxpat said:

Woo Hoo!!!    @KJHburg  for Governor of The Tar Heel State!   Woo Hoo!!!  

The Old North State (North Carolina) - Lodge McCammon ... - YouTube

▶ 2:34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxxGize8S8E

1.  

Nov 14, 2015 - Uploaded by Lodge McCammon

Download the mp3, lyrics and additional materials from Discovery Education Streaming ...

New Bern(Bonn) is quite the gem.  I visited there a few years ago and was surprised.  Very Historical and they managed to save a lot of 18th century homes, cemetaries from some of the first settlers of the state and of course Tryon Palace which is a replica of the original.  If it werent for some unfortunate events and infighting amongst the politicians New Bern may have grown larger.  Take a virtual tour on google earth and see the fantastic historic residential areas.  

[videtur quam contuor]

http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/national/201806/26/01-5187189-apres-le-mot-dordre-syndical-des-grutiers-rentrent-au-travail.php

In Québec there has been a strike of crane operators because the province allows truck crane operators to work with much shorter training than tower and other stationary crane operators. After a week off the job they may be returning. These men often work on the same site with the same contractor so some overlap and also inter-union disagreements. Continued building expansion creates problems as well as opportunity. Occasional crane operator shortages in the US, as far as the internet is concerned.

[QCxpat]

Here are links to 3 recent stories about urban life in China,  NYC, and Denver:

(1) The Economist, "A Take of 19 Mega Cities: China is trying to turn itself into a Country of 19 super-regions," June 23, 2018.  Cities in each of 19 urban clusters will be linked by high-speed rail and account for 9/10th of China's economic activity.

Link:  https://www.economist.com/china/2018/06/23/china-is-trying-to-turn-itself-into-a-country-of-19-super-regions

(2) Harper's Magazine, "The Death of a Once Great City: The fall of New York and the urban crisis of affluence," by Kevin Baker, July, 2018.  This story is a long jeremiad on gentrification's impacts on the look and feel of NYC.

Link:  https://harpers.org/archive/2018/07/the-death-of-new-york-city-gentrification/

Construction on 57th Street, Billionaires’ Row, by Fred R. Conrad

(3) Financial Times, "Boomtowns reshape America," by Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, 26 June 2018.  "Squeezed out by high prices, millennials are moving to cities such as Denver that offer community and an outdoors lifestyle."  ... "A recent analysis by Brookings Institution demographer William Frey found the strongest growth in America's millennial population between 2010 and 2015 was not in coastal cities such as New York and LA, but in smaller ones in the south and west." ... "Several of the other boomtowns they have flocked to include include San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Austin." 

Link:  https://www.ft.com/the-big-read  "Migrant Millennials are redrawing the Map of America," 26 June 2018 (Subscriber article).

[videtur quam contuor]

Had a nice chat with an occasional acquaintance today. He works for a development company. He is responsible for construction management and has a project in Nashville, apartments that are much like what we see happening here. He just returned from there and showed me a photo of the project. I asked him his opinion of Nashville. He screwed his face.

They are 20 years behind Charlotte. They think small or they do not think at all. The permitting, which he considers to be smooth and predictable here in Mecklenburg County, took 16 months for his Nashville project. Below the soil is limestone or granite which adds construction costs. Near the river there is a high water table which requires pumping for dry basements and foundations (these are multi family buildings). There are some attractive neighborhoods and a tourist mecca with nightlife and music to match but developable land in demographically positive areas now costs so much and with rising construction costs that his project is nearly unique. It should open for tenants by end of summer at 2$/square foot (!) rent. With few competitors he says people come to the site even now asking for lease opportunities.

[Cadi40]

Nobody go to the Nashville forum and give some constructive criticism you’ve noticed while on your visit, They won’t accept it and instead they’ll say “I gUeSs 30+ CrAnEs dOnT coUnT wHen tHeyre aLl tAlL shIny cOrporAte ToWeRs” 

Update - Now They’re stating that not only are they ahead of Charlotte but also they’re apparantly ahead of Austin. I’ll just stay off their Forum.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Cadi40

[Dale]

The Koch brothers role in defeating Nashville transit is VASTLY overestimated. Hard truth: Nashvillians just didn't want it.

[Dale]

Just got back from Vancouver ... and you guys don't realize how good we've got it here. For starters, nothing is hipper than affordability. And people can actually afford to live here. Spoke to a bus driver who lives there and he has to commute 3-4 hours a day to downtown. Close-in homes are being rented out to movie producers for $10,000 a day. And a $4 million dollar house (think something you could buy here for one-tenth that) pays $5,000 a month in city taxes. And don't get me started on how scruffy downtown Vancouver is looking. Think N Tryon, but with boarded up graffitied storefronts and people sleeping on the sidewalks.

[Cadi40]

Another comment from Nashville, It’s far overrated. Yea, Broadway is cool and all, But it’s just restaurants with live music and mediocre food at most. With a few other tourist attractions sprinkled around the undeveloped Downtown, It’s nothing that took my breath away. I was expecting hustling and bustling tourists all through out the city, Which is far from the truth. 

[Dale]

That Harper's article. on the death of NYC, was a thoroughly depressing read. Incidentally, it could have just as easily been about San Francisco or Vancouver.

[jtmonk]

19 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

Nobody go to the Nashville forum and give some constructive criticism you’ve noticed while on your visit, They won’t accept it and instead they’ll say “I gUeSs 30+ CrAnEs dOnT coUnT wHen tHeyre aLl tAlL shIny cOrporAte ToWeRs” 

Update - Now They’re stating that not only are they ahead of Charlotte but also they’re apparantly ahead of Austin. I’ll just stay off their Forum.

17 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

Another comment from Nashville, It’s far overrated. Yea, Broadway is cool and all, But it’s just restaurants with live music and mediocre food at most. With a few other tourist attractions sprinkled around the undeveloped Downtown, It’s nothing that took my breath away. I was expecting hustling and bustling tourists all through out the city, Which is far from the truth. 

Reading though all of your comments regarding Nashville I feel like you were going to the City with a negative point a view before you even got there.  You also gave your "constructive criticism" in a condescending way which started the whole city vs city talk over there (not saying that they don't have one or two people over there that do the same).  I really enjoy how enthusiastic your are regarding Charlotte development but sometimes you might want to think a little more about what you're going to write before you submit your reply. 

[Cadi40]

I had a neutral mindset going into the city, what turned it negative was there responses. 

[deleted]

10 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

I had a neutral mindset going into the city, what turned it negative was there responses. 

What is the point of going on another city's board and criticizing (constructively or otherwise)?  People there know what is good and bad about their city already.  This board has been unwelcoming to folks who relentlessly say similar things about Charlotte (especially when they don't live here).  You might have too much time on your hands if you spend your time on a city board if you have only visited once...

[Cadi40]

I wasn’t criticizing, I was reviewing and comparing. That’s why there is a platform like this. Too much spare time? I’m on vacation, There’s no such thing as too much spare time when I’m on vacation.

[deleted]

1 hour ago, Cadi40 said:

I wasn’t criticizing, I was reviewing and comparing. That’s why there is a platform like this. Too much spare time? I’m on vacation, There’s no such thing as too much spare time when I’m on vacation.

Enjoy your vacation.

[QCxpat]

"Everything's up to date in Kansas City."  Nice story in The New York Times this morning (Thursday, July 5, 2018) about Kansas City's new 2.2 mile streetcar, "The Perfect Way to Explore Modern Kansas City? A Streetcar, Believe It or Not," by Richard Rubin, July 4, 2018.   Excerpt: 

"Yes: Kansas City has a trolley. And not one of those old-timey trolleys that doesn’t go much of anywhere and goes there slowly. The one in Kansas City is sleek. Modern. Has air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. It runs a real route — 2.2 miles from end to end, then back again — through the heart of downtown.  ...  In my experience, the whole “Midwestern nice” thing can be overstated; but not when it comes to Kansas City. Step off the KC Streetcar (as it is officially known) and look around as if you don’t know where you are going and a passer-by will stop and ask where you’re trying to get to.  Sport that expression while you’re still riding it and someone sitting across the aisle from you will do the same thing.  Ask them how they like the streetcar and they will tell you, sincerely and in a fair bit of detail. And they do like it. They ride it. The city — which has a population just under a half-million — projected one million riders in the streetcar’s first year; it got twice as many by day 364. A year later that figure exceeded four million." 

                  

Link:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/travel/the-perfect-way-to-explore-modern-kansas-city-a-streetcar-believe-it-or-not.html

Edited July 5, 2018 by QCxpat
add images of KC streetcar

[deleted]

3 hours ago, QCxpat said:

"Everything's up to date in Kansas City."  Nice story in The New York Times this morning (Thursday, July 5, 2018) about Kansas City's new 2.2 mile streetcar, "The Perfect Way to Explore Modern Kansas City? A Streetcar, Believe It or Not," by Richard Rubin, July 4, 2018.   Excerpt: 

"Yes: Kansas City has a trolley. And not one of those old-timey trolleys that doesn’t go much of anywhere and goes there slowly. The one in Kansas City is sleek. Modern. Has air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. It runs a real route — 2.2 miles from end to end, then back again — through the heart of downtown.  ...  In my experience, the whole “Midwestern nice” thing can be overstated; but not when it comes to Kansas City. Step off the KC Streetcar (as it is officially known) and look around as if you don’t know where you are going and a passer-by will stop and ask where you’re trying to get to.  Sport that expression while you’re still riding it and someone sitting across the aisle from you will do the same thing.  Ask them how they like the streetcar and they will tell you, sincerely and in a fair bit of detail. And they do like it. They ride it. The city — which has a population just under a half-million — projected one million riders in the streetcar’s first year; it got twice as many by day 364. A year later that figure exceeded four million." 

                  

Link:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/travel/the-perfect-way-to-explore-modern-kansas-city-a-streetcar-believe-it-or-not.html

Absolutely right.  And KC is a great city.

[Cadi40]

Traveling to Kansas City today, Will do an overview soon, hopefully it won’t end up like my very own Nashville controversy. 

[KJHburg]

2 hours ago, Cadi40 said:

Traveling to Kansas City today, Will do an overview soon, hopefully it won’t end up like my very own Nashville controversy. 

They are still talking about you over there in Nashvegas LOL 

[Dale]

I'm confused, aren't we getting a streetcar system that's equal to or better than KC's ?

[deleted]

2 hours ago, Dale said:

I'm confused, aren't we getting a streetcar system that's equal to or better than KC's ?

Yes.  My impression is that citizens of KC have embraced theirs more (for a variety of reasons, including modern cars, lack of other light rail, etc.).