Perception of Charlotte Nationwide

[CLT Development]

On 6/7/2023 at 8:51 PM, RANYC said:

I do like his style, delivery, and analysis, NGL.  He nailed it on Camp North End.  No pedestrian islands anywhere near it.  The design totally assumes you'll be driving there.  I suppose that's not in Camp North End planners' control, but I'd certain lobby relevant road authorities to institute "devices" that make it much more comfortable to access the grounds on foot and by micro-transit.

Graham Street is NCDOT and they have denied stoplights, pedestrian crossings, pedestrian refuge islands and all of the other solutions that Camp North End has begged for. They would kill for people to walk to Camp. There is no lobbying, they want Graham to be a 45+mph road.

Edited June 9, 2023 by CLT Development

[KJHburg]

3 hours ago, go_vertical said:

Are you sure you're not talking about Charlotte?  So much of what you said sounds very familiar.... and I haven't been to Nashville in many years.

He is indeed talking about Nashville.  I notice it many times the lack of sidewalks on somewhat major roads.  While Charlotte is by no means perfect in this respect Nashville is behind us and I was just there in April. 

[Professor]

On 6/7/2023 at 1:51 PM, sclark said:

IMO, this video was hard to watch... too smug.

Not exactly a "man's man."  One thing I would bet is that he didn't meet a girlfriend while here. Where in the world is he from? I bet he is from some cow-town in Indiana. With the fast growth for which he eludes, does he think that those empty spaces will remain empty forever. Does he not know that when the population is exploding, they will be swept up soon.  Criticism is fine, but somehow, he isn't the one to present such a presentation. 

[CLT Development]

I'm amazed that people are taking this so personally. He gave very valid criticisms, and I had the opportunity to talk to him in person at CNU, as well as after he published this video. Originally I had offered to give him a tour on the Blue Line to give him context but he wanted to do it on his own and make his own judgements and then circled back for context.

[DownEast]

58 minutes ago, Larry Singer said:

Not exactly a "man's man."  One thing I would bet is that he didn't meet a girlfriend while here.

What? lol. 

For the rest... He basically criticizes the things that we all criticize Charlotte for.  and his take is actually soft and quite respectful. We've been bashed far worse. The only part I disagree with with is "The most sprawled city in the world" bit.  He did say for UA's over a million. Not sure if that defines sprawl in its entirety, but certainly a legit metric. And yes, Huntsville is bad, but Knoxville's sprawl is 8th Wonder-ish.

Edited June 9, 2023 by DownEast
wildfires

[sclark]

1 hour ago, CLT Development said:

I'm amazed that people are taking this so personally. He gave very valid criticisms, and I had the opportunity to talk to him in person at CNU, as well as after he published this video. Originally I had offered to give him a tour on the Blue Line to give him context but he wanted to do it on his own and make his own judgements and then circled back for context.

I admit after watching a second time, I was much less “triggered”  

He made valid points and actually showed some of the better sides of Charlotte in this video. 

[go_vertical]

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

He is indeed talking about Nashville.  I notice it many times the lack of sidewalks on somewhat major roads.  While Charlotte is by no means perfect in this respect Nashville is behind us and I was just there in April. 

I hope it's understood that my post was made in jest, albeit with a pinch of truthiness.

[LKN704]

Launching personal attacks on someone who gave very valid and meaningful criticism just screams that one has insecurities about the way Charlotte is portrayed. Might be wise to take off the rose-colored glasses/stop drinking the Kool-Aid and take the criticism in stride and acknowledge it, and see if there is anything one can do as an individual to make the city better. 

14 hours ago, JacksonH said:

I watch his videos frequently and just watched the one on Charlotte.  When I got to this part about his walk to Camp North End, I couldn't help but think about the neighborhood in Cornelius where I just bought a condo.  It's technically about a 15-minute walk to Birkdale Village but to get there on foot you have to cross a very busy Catawba Avenue where there are NO CROSSWALKS!  A few blocks from my place there is a Harris Teeter.  I was excited about this until I discovered that at the intersection where the store is located, again NO CROSSWALKS.  No pedestrian walk signal, either.  This is a very densely populated part of Cornelius.  How could they possibly not have considered putting in crosswalks?  Here in San Diego, my primary residence, I can't think of an area of the city without sidewalks and crosswalks and pedestrian walk signals, even in the most suburban areas.  It's what I'm used to.  I don't understand why Charlotte has to be so hostile towards pedestrians.

Not necessarily unique to Charlotte,  but I often get the vibe that folks in car-centric cities view pedestrians outside of downtown as vagrants, with the thought process being "Who would electively choose to walk if they owned a car?"

Reminds me of the time I was going to a friend's house for dinner in South Charlotte a while back. I would take the light rail there and then walk the mile to her house. I walk fast, so it probably would have been only a ten-minute walk, but she was most insistent that she picked me up because she was genuinely concerned people about what people would think if they saw a man walking around the neighborhood. 

[videtur quam contuor]

This is a next door  comment waiting to be posted.

Urgent! Strange man walking through neighborhood. Checking addresses. Walking fast and looking guilty. Anyone else see this?

[Temeteron]

1 hour ago, LKN704 said:

Launching personal attacks on someone who gave very valid and meaningful criticism just screams that one has insecurities about the way Charlotte is portrayed. Might be wise to take off the rose-colored glasses/stop drinking the Kool-Aid and take the criticism in stride and acknowledge it, and see if there is anything one can do as an individual to make the city better. 

Not necessarily unique to Charlotte,  but I often get the vibe that folks in car-centric cities view pedestrians outside of downtown as vagrants, with the thought process being "Who would electively choose to walk if they owned a car?"

Reminds me of the time I was going to a friend's house for dinner in South Charlotte a while back. I would take the light rail there and then walk the mile to her house. I walk fast, so it probably would have been only a ten-minute walk, but she was most insistent that she picked me up because she was genuinely concerned people about what people would think if they saw a man walking around the neighborhood. 

I don’t understand why people act like it’s a sin to walk.  I am from Charlotte but live in Chicago now for a year.  I just met a guy who moved here from LA and he’s 36.  He told me it was his first time riding a city train. I couldn’t believe it.  Although I do Uber from time to time I don’t miss driving at all.  

[go_vertical]

I think part of the problem is that too many people truly believe that their material objects is an announcement of their status in life and a car is the most visible object one can have that is noticed by others.  Also, for a majority of this country a vehicle is a necessity and not having one is, for many, a sign that you "haven't worked hard enough" or "disciplined yourself enough" to acquire and maintain one.

[LKN704]

2 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

I think part of the problem is that too many people truly believe that their material objects is an announcement of their status in life and a car is the most visible object one can have that is noticed by others.  Also, for a majority of this country a vehicle is a necessity and not having one is, for many, a sign that you "haven't worked hard enough" or "disciplined yourself enough" to acquire and maintain one.

Exactly.

I remember many of my teenage friend's parents being "disgusted" when I would mention in passing that I would ride my bike to X, Y, and Z and invite my friend to tag along. Other than the "it's dangerous" comments, they often said, "He worked all summer to buy himself a car. Why would he bike?" or "We don't want the neighbors to think we are bad parents and won't drive him places!"

[CLT Development]

I only drive to pick up stuff for the vegetable garden every week or two at various nurseries, and I'm doing just fine. I shop for groceries uptown at Whole Foods (which honestly isn't much more expensive than a Teeter if at all), I hit the CVS at Epicenter for Pharmacy things which is a rarity. My life is fully covered on foot and bus/train. If I need to go somewhere on the double I grab an uber, the few $9 charges I end up with a month is drastically lower than car+insurance+gas.

Edited June 9, 2023 by CLT Development

[JacksonH]

7 hours ago, LKN704 said:

Not necessarily unique to Charlotte,  but I often get the vibe that folks in car-centric cities view pedestrians outside of downtown as vagrants, with the thought process being "Who would electively choose to walk if they owned a car?"

Reminds me of the time I was going to a friend's house for dinner in South Charlotte a while back. I would take the light rail there and then walk the mile to her house. I walk fast, so it probably would have been only a ten-minute walk, but she was most insistent that she picked me up because she was genuinely concerned people about what people would think if they saw a man walking around the neighborhood. 

Well Cornelius better be prepared because I'm going to be walking around there every opportunity I get.  I also walk fast and I refuse to get in a car to go to a place that's less than a 15-minute walk.  I will be buying a collapsible shopping cart to transport groceries, and dodging traffic if I have to.

[SMSRedux]

Pleasantly surprised at the video actually. I expect what's put off some is likely centered around the sensationalist title and first few minutes or so, the balance of the video is reasonable and valid observations from an outside perspective it seems, nothing surprising. I have watched many of his videos so I am more accustomed to his style potentially. The south generally being defaulted to dumpster territory in several of his other videos generally helped set expectations and better understand where he comes from. Generally I believe he gave us a fair shake.

Glad to ultimately see the positive takeaways and the eye opening South End experience. I've seen far worse accusations and criticisms of our city on this forum than anything levied in the video. Thanks for posting it and hope to see other content and perspectives spun off from the conference being in town.

[smeagolsfree]

Honestly he was much more positive than I thought he was going to be for his Charlotte video. It was actually one of his better videos. One of the things that drives me crazy is his presentation is he is so boring. He has a lot of good info but delivers it like a fish on crack. Not much personality. He just seems to always find the worst in his cities list.

I really enjoy reading the comments here. It is a nice getaway from the hell that is the Nashville board at times, LOL. Hope the folks from Nashville are not reading this!

As far as walking the city, I love to walk and I come into the city and walk. I use to do it a lot more, but when there are events going on it is not the same anymore. You just can’t get away from the crowds, the traffic, the noise, or even find a parking place to eat in the core. Nashville is just a different animal than it was ten years ago.

[Professor]

On 6/7/2023 at 4:35 PM, carolinaboy said:

I'm a Southerner from Texas, and I live in the Northeast now. I've been to Charlotte once. It's so strange because there's no reason for it to be such a big city: it's not a seaport of any kind (like Houston or New York), it's not near any major rivers (like New Orleans or St. Louis), there's no tourist draw (like Orlando or Miami), there's no huge military presence (like San Diego or San Antonio), and yeah it's a major banking center but bank headquarters can be anywhere. It's a boring city in a boring state with boring barbecue. I've never understood the attraction to Charlotte, or North Carolina as a whole for that matter. There's no there there.

 

Boring BBQ? What the.........

Obviously, you missed several venues like Carowinds, cultural festivals,  lots of motorsports, professional Soccer (#2 attendance in the U.S.) basketball, football and semi-professional baseball,  hockey, rugby, Broadway productions,  excellent restaurants and music venues, tons of breweries and cool areas like Southend, Noda, Birkdale, Ballyntyne, museums (highly recommend the Mint),  I could go on, but you only spent a day here so you don't have a clue about my references. There are very few big cities that weren't originated without shipping or a port and Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix, were just a few examples.  Charlotte grew during the past century because of its desired location between NYC and Miami and without the extreme weather of either. Charlotte is good enough for the almost 3 million in the area and growing.  If one can't entertain himself in a city the size of Charlotte and thinks that it is boring, there is definitely a socialization issue or personal problem..  I agree that good ole Carolina BBQ is best bought in Salisbury, Shelby, or other places. I've visited unimaginably bad places, but I have never not been able to find some happiness and something to do.  By the way, I moved here from Boston just before covid.  Never been bored and it keeps getting better.

[Professor]

On 4/6/2023 at 2:36 PM, LKN704 said:

I think partisanship plays a big part as well and the same narrative works conversely. 

If you asked anyone who lived in a deep Blue city in the northeast or west coast what they thought of rural counties in the south, they would likely think of gun-flinging residents who had multiple Trump/Confederate/"Don't Tread On Me" flags in their yard and lived in small towns run by a corrupt, tyrannical sheriff. 

So you are saying that those that live in "deep Blue cities" of the northeast or west coast are idiots? I lived in Boston and people there were generally more educated and well-traveled or even had relatives living in southern towns.  The U.S. is a free country and one can support whomever one pleases. This area is not pro-socialistic or anti-military as they tend to be in your aforementioned places.  So patriotism may manifest its appearance in a difference manner. The good thing is that this is the U.S. and everyone is free to move away.  Fortunately, many that move south accept the way it is and many assimilate. You also mentioned the lack of foreigners here. You need to educate yourself before  making such statements. Almost eighteen percent of the Charlotte population was born in another country. How did you not know this? 

[15895]

That video caused quite the stir. 

[carolinaboy]

1 hour ago, Larry Singer said:

Obviously, you missed several venues like Carowinds, cultural festivals,  lots of motorsports, professional Soccer (#2 attendance in the U.S.) basketball, football and semi-professional baseball,  hockey, rugby, Broadway productions,  excellent restaurants and music venues, tons of breweries and cool areas like Southend, Noda, Birkdale, Ballyntyne, museums (highly recommend the Mint),  I could go on, but you only spent a day here so you don't have a clue about my references. There are very few big cities that weren't originated without shipping or a port and Charlotte, Atlanta, Phoenix, were just a few examples.  Charlotte grew during the past century because of its desired location between NYC and Miami and without the extreme weather of either. Charlotte is good enough for the almost 3 million in the area and growing.  If one can't entertain himself in a city the size of Charlotte and thinks that it is boring, there is definitely a socialization issue or personal problem..  I agree that good ole Carolina BBQ is best bought in Salisbury, Shelby, or other places. I've visited unimaginably bad places, but I have never not been able to find some happiness and something to do.  By the way, I moved here from Boston just before covid.  Never been bored and it keeps getting better.

Just to be clear the top part of my post was a quote from someone else.

I called out the boring BBQ part.

[go_vertical]

I have a friend that lives in rural Stanley county and whenever I visit him I pass multiple, and I DO mean multiple, Trump, Confederate, "don't tread on me", and anti LGBTQ signs and flags.  He doesn't think that way, obviously or we wouldn't be friendly enough for me to drive 45 minutes plus to visit, but he likes the space and piece and quiet.  Out in parts like that you just have to keep your head down and ignore that stuff.  

[RANYC]

Functional walkability needs to be reframed for the country.  I believe there's an economic case to make for it.  It shouldn't just be a means of recreation or some sort of touristic indulgence.  It should be fundamental to existing and operating.  You don't carve out 30 minutes of your day to breathe, and you shouldn't have to do that to walk.  Bipedalism was a game-changer in human evolution and dominance, and it should be inherent in the design of our surroundings for day to day mobility and moving about clusters of commerce.

Edited June 14, 2023 by RANYC

[Windsurfer]

On 6/11/2023 at 2:51 PM, go_vertical said:

I have a friend that lives in rural Stanley county and whenever I visit him I pass multiple, and I DO mean multiple, Trump, Confederate, "don't tread on me", and anti LGBTQ signs and flags.  He doesn't think that way, obviously or we wouldn't be friendly enough for me to drive 45 minutes plus to visit, but he likes the space and piece and quiet.  Out in parts like that you just have to keep your head down and ignore that stuff.  

Same crap here in Oregon. Rural versus urban.  

[Professor]

Stanley is a southern town which accounts for the Rebel flags, practices freedom of expression which verifies the Trump advertisements, patriotic which justifies the "Don't thread on me" flags or whatever.  I have never seen a anti LGBT sign or flag anywhere in the state. I simply ignore hate group signs like "BLM" signs I see near my home.  We can't be selective with our freedoms if no one is harmed.  The meaning of symbols is in the eyes of the beholder. In regardsto rural versus urban, in the urban area people kill and shoot each other routinely and racism is rampant. In the rural area, they co-exist without incident basically. 

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by Larry Singer

[Temeteron]

35 minutes ago, Larry Singer said:

Stanley is a southern town which accounts for the Rebel flags, practices freedom of expression which verifies the Trump advertisements, patriotic which justifies the "Don't thread on me" flags or whatever.  I have never seen a anti LGBT sign or flag anywhere in the state. I simply ignore hate group signs like "BLM" signs I see near my home.  We can't be selective with our freedoms if no one is harmed.  The meaning of symbols is in the eyes of the beholder. In regardsto rural versus urban, in the urban area people kill and shoot each other routinely and racism is rampant. In the rural area, they co-exist without incident basically. 

 

I’m sorry, how is BLM a “hate group”?