[EastSideHBG]

Okay all, I am currently in preliminary talks (very preliminary) with my job about accepting another position that would be a pretty big promotion. The only "issue" is that the job will now be located in Charlotte, NC vs. here in the Philly area. As "luck would have it" (and damn, do I use that term loosely lol) my g/f of 4 yrs. and I decided to part ways recently, so...while I do have many friends still here and my family back in South Central, PA I really have nothing large holding me here or tying me down as of now. Also, while I do love Philly in many ways and am happy here, I am feeling restless again and think that I may need a big change in my life once again.

I was in Charlotte about 7 yrs. ago twice, and both times were very brief. What I saw then seemed nice, but it was far too brief to really learn a lot about the place. Also, that is all null and void now IMO because I have changed quite a bit as a person over those years, and I am positive Charlotte has too!

What I am curious about and would like to know is basically the place in general: night life, vibe, urbanity (I know it won't compare to Philly, and that's fine), the straight singles' scene, etc., etc...anything and everything will be fair game! And maybe you moved from the NE to there and if so, what's your take? I know nothing will beat me going down there myself if I need to and seeing what I think, but...locals are always the best source of info IMO! :tup: If I get offered this job and need to make a decision, things will move very fast and I will need to be prepared.

Thanks, all! :)

[initiald]

If someone visited the city 7 year ago, then came back, they would hardly recognize it. In that time there's been the new downtown arena, the light rail line, Epicenter (5 floor entertainment development downtown that includes theater, bowling alley, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs), and 16 new buildings downtown which are 12 or more floors - 7 of which are 25 or more floors.

A brief rundown of districts:

The Jar - What some of us call uptown/downtown. Separated from the rest of the city by the I-277 beltway, the glass walls lock the world out and the lid is on tight. This is touristville, but more so it is the corporate owned world. It is Banktown. It is suits and money. If you like expensive restaurants and anything that fits the adjective "upscale," especially nightclubs, this is for you. A nice place to visit, but it isn't the soul or cultural center of the city. A kagillion dollars worth of cultural and art facilities are set to open here next year, if you're into view art by Warhol and Picasso and the like. (details here) (http://cltblog.com/3910).

Southend - Gentrified warehouse district served by the light rail line. A glut of new urban condos and apartment buildings have been built here. A favorite with the young professionals who ride scooters and blog a lot.

NoDa - Rapidly gentrifying arts district of the city. Cool and quirky restaurants and music venues, and quite a few art galleries. A hub of hipster activity.

Plaza-Midwood - A streetcar suburb that is working on getting a streetcar line again. Interesting mix of original restaurants and shops. Lots of bicycle riding, PBR drinking types here.

Central Avenue/East Side - Lots of immigrants, including great Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, and lots of taco trucks and street vendors. White suburophiless hate this area, which is always a good sign to a dyed in the wool urbanist.

Elizabeth/midtown/Chantilly/Westly Heights - Neighborhoods just outside the 277 beltway that are desirable.

Southpark - Rich suburb. If you like to shop at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Louis Vutton, then eat at Cheesecake Factory, this is for you.

Dilworth and Myers Park - Rich, semi-urban historic neighborhoods. Beautiful tree-lined streets.

University City - Suburban area around UNC Charlotte. 21,000+ students and a good number of immigrants.

The Toon - BallanTOON (Ballantyne) - A sprawling suburban wasteland of shotty McMansions and seas of asphalt that is so full of itself, it gets off on smelling its own farts. It is the Toonery because it is a parity of itself and the worst suburbia has to offer.

A few of threads that I hope may help:

Charlotte - Ton of downtown street scenes and skyscrapers (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=171279)
Street life in Plaza-Midwood, Charlotte (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=170483)
Charlotte aerial photo tour (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=169745)
CHARLOTTE - Culture and People (Part 1)
(http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=158200)
CHARLOTTE - People & Culture (Part 2) (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=160454)

[EastSideHBG]

initiald, thanks a million for the information and for the links to the photos! :) Like you said, I figured that with as much time has passed since I was down there last that much would've changed and I probably wouldn't even recognize it...and judging by your photo threads, that is exactly the case!

I am going to wait and see what pans out w/ this job and if things start to get really serious, I'll hop down there for a few days and see what I think. I'll keep ya posted for sure! :)

[nouveau_Mauvilla]

NoDa - Rapidly gentrifying arts district of the city. Cool and quirky restaurants and music venues, and quite a few art galleries. A hub of hipster activity.

This is funny, because in Mobile we have LoDa (Lower Dauphin, a street that runs through downtown) that is our arts district. It has galleries, artists, restaurants, bars, etc. It it the heart of our downtown. The second Friday of every month is the LoDa ArtWalk. Just thought this was curiously similar.

By the way, great shots you have there! :cheers:

[EastSideHBG]

Just a quick follow up:

We had another discussion yesterday (Friday) and things are looking pretty good at this point. If it continues on this route, I will be planning a weekend down there in the very near future to scope things out. A large portion of this will come down to the dollars and cents and if the move will be worth it of course, though. I am definitely open as more time progresses and with the more I learn, though. :)

Oh and as luck would have it, a friend of the family's was in the running for a job down there and he and his wife took a trip there to check things out, etc. They had a really nice time, enjoyed the area immensely and had nothing but great things to say about it!

[initiald]

Just a quick follow up:

We had another discussion yesterday (Friday) and things are looking pretty good at this point. If it continues on this route, I will be planning a weekend down there in the very near future to scope things out. A large portion of this will come down to the dollars and cents and if the move will be worth it of course, though. I am definitely open as more time progresses and with the more I learn, though. :)

Oh and as luck would have it, a friend of the family's was in the running for a job down there and he and his wife took a trip there to check things out, etc. They had a really nice time, enjoyed the area immensely and had nothing but great things to say about it!

What kind of place that you're looking for will greatly affect what areas you should check out - apartment, condo, townhome, large SFH, moderate historic SFH, transit oriented, suburban, etc?

[EastSideHBG]

Just a quick update:

I have accepted another job w/ my company that will keep me here...the job in Charlotte wasn't going to move quickly enough and I was ready to step up and out of my current position and when this came along, I jumped on it. Thanks again for the help, initiald, and I may still be traveling from time to time to Charlotte. And also, who knows what the future may bring! :)