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Our family moved from Maryland a year ago and I have to say that I really miss the DC Metro system. We have yet to drive into the city as it is just too confusing to navigate. The street names change way too often and in the most unusual places. Even trying to navigate 77/277/Brookshire areas are stressful. I love the neighborhood we live in and our neighbors are absolute angels. If it weren't for them I'd be back in Maryland right now. It amazes me how hard it is for the City of Charlotte to prioritize when it is obvious they need the metro system up and running much more than they need a NASCAR Hall of Fame and a Baseball stadium. There are NO buses in the area we live in so if I ever had to rely on public transportation I'd be out of luck. And yes....the drivers down here are not necessarily worse than DC but they are definately oblivious to the "rules of the road'.
Our family moved from Maryland a year ago and I have to say that I really miss the DC Metro system. We have yet to drive into the city as it is just too confusing to navigate. The street names change way too often and in the most unusual places. Even trying to navigate 77/277/Brookshire areas are stressful. I love the neighborhood we live in and our neighbors are absolute angels. If it weren't for them I'd be back in Maryland right now. It amazes me how hard it is for the City of Charlotte to prioritize when it is obvious they need the metro system up and running much more than they need a NASCAR Hall of Fame and a Baseball stadium. There are NO buses in the area we live in so if I ever had to rely on public transportation I'd be out of luck. And yes....the drivers down here are not necessarily worse than DC but they are definately oblivious to the "rules of the road'.
You must not have driven much in Maryland? I say that because if you had and could navigate the DC area you would not find Charlotte's 277 loop stressful at all I've done lots of driving in DC, Atlanta, New York - Charlotte driving is nowhere near as confusing or stressful. I think you just need to give it more time. Once things become more familiar to you I bet you'll feel a lot better. The mass transportation issue is a complicated matter. There are only so many dollars to go around. Charlotte may be prospering but the majority of the rest of the state is still rural and not wealthy. Things like a metro depend on federal and state dollars, not just city money. Snagging the NASCAR Hall of Fame was a major coup for our city - something we had to fight hard for. That and a new baseball stadium can bring lots of money in to Charlotte. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money
I have to agree - I moved from the Baltimore area 2 months ago and driving here is nothing like up there. Drivers are much worse in MD and driving the beltway is a lot more stressful. 485 in the morning is a piece of cake compared to that of 795/695 in Baltimore. Also to some from MD the NASCAR Hall of Fame would be a waste of money, but to those that appreciate the sport and the drivers, it is a great opportunity. I am sorry you feel this way about Charlotte and sometimes relocating to a new area is not for everyone. But I have to say I love it here and I have no intention of relocating back to MD, even though my entire family is still there.
Our family moved from Maryland a year ago and I have to say that I really miss the DC Metro system. We have yet to drive into the city as it is just too confusing to navigate. The street names change way too often and in the most unusual places. Even trying to navigate 77/277/Brookshire areas are stressful. I love the neighborhood we live in and our neighbors are absolute angels. If it weren't for them I'd be back in Maryland right now. It amazes me how hard it is for the City of Charlotte to prioritize when it is obvious they need the metro system up and running much more than they need a NASCAR Hall of Fame and a Baseball stadium. There are NO buses in the area we live in so if I ever had to rely on public transportation I'd be out of luck. And yes....the drivers down here are not necessarily worse than DC but they are definately oblivious to the "rules of the road'.
I agree with everything you're saying, but you comment about Charlotte drivers being oblivious to the "rules of the road." Don't forget about those DC drivers. I lived in DC for 13 years and I'm in California now (used to live in Charlotte as well). I've driven in many cities, including New York City, but I must say, I found the DC drivers the rudest of any place I've ever been. And there were a lot of road rage incidents there that sometimes resulted in a death. I loved everything about DC (and miss it terribly) except the weather and the drivers. They may be bad in Charlotte, but at least (for the most part) they aren't downright mean.
Thanks brichard, mdtonc and lovesmountains - I think I may have sent out the wrong vibes on how I feel about living here in the Charlotte area. I am slowly getting use to how things are down here and for the most part I like it. I really am most impressed with just how friendly everyone is down here compared to Maryland or DC. When I made my first trip back up to Maryland I realized just how aggressive, rude and unfriendly the people I had been living with are and I am totally embarrassed for them. I didn't realize just how much negative attitude there is up there. I'm sorry but I am not like some of the rude and obnoxious people I lived with in Maryland. I guess I'm just basically a nice person who must have been a southerner in my previous life. In any event...I learned to drive in DC and yes they are the most aggressive drivers I have come across. It's not just there though...it's everywhere. I just wouldn't expect it from this area. However, someone blatantly passes me on a double solid line or...waits until the green light is turning yellow to make their move at an intersection it takes me totally by surprise. I don't plan on leaving this area and maybe in time I'll get use to the way things are done. My best friend told me the hardest thing to get use to in the South is slowing down. Not just your speed but your whole lifestyle. I hope I can do that. Thanks for your input and keep them coming. maybe it will help in my transition.
Thanks brichard, mdtonc and lovesmountains - I think I may have sent out the wrong vibes on how I feel about living here in the Charlotte area. I am slowly getting use to how things are down here and for the most part I like it. I really am most impressed with just how friendly everyone is down here compared to Maryland or DC. When I made my first trip back up to Maryland I realized just how aggressive, rude and unfriendly the people I had been living with are and I am totally embarrassed for them. I didn't realize just how much negative attitude there is up there. I'm sorry but I am not like some of the rude and obnoxious people I lived with in Maryland. I guess I'm just basically a nice person who must have been a southerner in my previous life. In any event...I learned to drive in DC and yes they are the most aggressive drivers I have come across. It's not just there though...it's everywhere. I just wouldn't expect it from this area. However, someone blatantly passes me on a double solid line or...waits until the green light is turning yellow to make their move at an intersection it takes me totally by surprise. I don't plan on leaving this area and maybe in time I'll get use to the way things are done. My best friend told me the hardest thing to get use to in the South is slowing down. Not just your speed but your whole lifestyle. I hope I can do that. Thanks for your input and keep them coming. maybe it will help in my transition.
Hang in there, I'm betting things will get better over time I love that line of having been a southerner in a previous life!
I think it is worth mentioning that the bad driving you are witnessing is probably not a "southern" thing since the true southerner is in the minority of the population here now
I grew up in NC, but have lived in four parts of the coutry, with 13 years in DC. The thing I have learned is that people are pretty much the same at their core. DC, being a faced-pace big city, I think makes people more aggresive and less friendly on the OUTSIDE. But I found that, once you get past the surface and get to know people there on the INSIDE, they are just as genuine and good as elsewhere. I have a ton of wonderful friends in the DC area that I remain in touch with and will always cherish (I'm in California now).
There is an adjustment wherever you go. For me, moving up to DC from NC, I had the opposite adjustment to make than the one you're going through. Having grown up in the South, I was used to people being openly friendly to strangers. And that's the way I was. But I found I couldn't always be that way in DC. If I smiled and spoke to a stranger in DC like I was accustomed to doing, they would often look at me strangely like I was trying to hit on them. I had to train myself not to be so overtly friendly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiYaBB
Thanks brichard, mdtonc and lovesmountains - I think I may have sent out the wrong vibes on how I feel about living here in the Charlotte area. I am slowly getting use to how things are down here and for the most part I like it. I really am most impressed with just how friendly everyone is down here compared to Maryland or DC. When I made my first trip back up to Maryland I realized just how aggressive, rude and unfriendly the people I had been living with are and I am totally embarrassed for them. I didn't realize just how much negative attitude there is up there. I'm sorry but I am not like some of the rude and obnoxious people I lived with in Maryland. I guess I'm just basically a nice person who must have been a southerner in my previous life. In any event...I learned to drive in DC and yes they are the most aggressive drivers I have come across. It's not just there though...it's everywhere. I just wouldn't expect it from this area. However, someone blatantly passes me on a double solid line or...waits until the green light is turning yellow to make their move at an intersection it takes me totally by surprise. I don't plan on leaving this area and maybe in time I'll get use to the way things are done. My best friend told me the hardest thing to get use to in the South is slowing down. Not just your speed but your whole lifestyle. I hope I can do that. Thanks for your input and keep them coming. maybe it will help in my transition.
Thanks brichard, mdtonc and lovesmountains - I think I may have sent out the wrong vibes on how I feel about living here in the Charlotte area. I am slowly getting use to how things are down here and for the most part I like it. I really am most impressed with just how friendly everyone is down here compared to Maryland or DC. When I made my first trip back up to Maryland I realized just how aggressive, rude and unfriendly the people I had been living with are and I am totally embarrassed for them. I didn't realize just how much negative attitude there is up there. I'm sorry but I am not like some of the rude and obnoxious people I lived with in Maryland. I guess I'm just basically a nice person who must have been a southerner in my previous life. In any event...I learned to drive in DC and yes they are the most aggressive drivers I have come across. It's not just there though...it's everywhere. I just wouldn't expect it from this area. However, someone blatantly passes me on a double solid line or...waits until the green light is turning yellow to make their move at an intersection it takes me totally by surprise. I don't plan on leaving this area and maybe in time I'll get use to the way things are done. My best friend told me the hardest thing to get use to in the South is slowing down. Not just your speed but your whole lifestyle. I hope I can do that. Thanks for your input and keep them coming. maybe it will help in my transition.
Also, thought of something else I wanted to share with you
You mentioned the streets changing names in the middle of nowhere for no reason and how confusing that is. Maybe it will help you to feel better about that if you understand why that has happened. See, no one ever planned the city of Charlotte. Until the 50's and 60's it was a city with many different sections, most separated by natural land forms or our creek system. Though all sections were in the same county they had their own identities and were unincorporated, not in the city limits.
As Charlotte began to incorporate these areas and the population began to grow (especially after IBM located here in the early 70's) it was obvious we needed to connect our different sections to make roads that would take people to all the other parts of what was becoming the city of Charlotte. So, a lot of roads were formed by making little connections between existing roads by going thru undeveloped land, or in some cases through a few neighborhoods.
As you can imagine, tight knit little community sections didn't like that. To appease the natives, the city leaders offered to let each community retain their original road names. So... now everywhere you see a sudden name change in Charlotte where nothing has seemingly changed at all to warrant a name change, you can be assured at one time in the not too distant past you would have been leaving one community and entering another
Our family moved from Maryland a year ago and I have to say that I really miss the DC Metro system. We have yet to drive into the city as it is just too confusing to navigate. The street names change way too often and in the most unusual places. Even trying to navigate 77/277/Brookshire areas are stressful. I love the neighborhood we live in and our neighbors are absolute angels. If it weren't for them I'd be back in Maryland right now. It amazes me how hard it is for the City of Charlotte to prioritize when it is obvious they need the metro system up and running much more than they need a NASCAR Hall of Fame and a Baseball stadium. There are NO buses in the area we live in so if I ever had to rely on public transportation I'd be out of luck. And yes....the drivers down here are not necessarily worse than DC but they are definately oblivious to the "rules of the road'.
You think DC is easier to drive in than CHarlotte???? Where roads go every which way and stop and start at other points? Downtown Charlotte is a grid, very easy to drive in. If you get a map, you'll see for example that Providence Rd runs right up to downtown from south charlotte, yes it does change names but still the same road...74 runs downtown too from the south. I never have relied on public transportation so I guess for me it was a non issue. The metro is nice when you want to go into the city but driving and parking is a LOT easier here (especially post 9-11 DC) so I don't mind driving. Definitely get a good map of downtown Charlotte.
I agree with everything you're saying, but you comment about Charlotte drivers being oblivious to the "rules of the road." Don't forget about those DC drivers. I lived in DC for 13 years and I'm in California now (used to live in Charlotte as well). I've driven in many cities, including New York City, but I must say, I found the DC drivers the rudest of any place I've ever been. And there were a lot of road rage incidents there that sometimes resulted in a death. I loved everything about DC (and miss it terribly) except the weather and the drivers. They may be bad in Charlotte, but at least (for the most part) they aren't downright mean.
That is for sure! LOVE when you get cut off by someone and they give you the bird
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Our family moved from Maryland a year ago and I have to say that I really miss the DC Metro system. We have yet to drive into the city as it is just too confusing to navigate. The street names change way too often and in the most unusual places. Even trying to navigate 77/277/Brookshire areas are stressful. I love the neighborhood we live in and our neighbors are absolute angels. If it weren't for them I'd be back in Maryland right now. It amazes me how hard it is for the City of Charlotte to prioritize when it is obvious they need the metro system up and running much more than they need a NASCAR Hall of Fame and a Baseball stadium. There are NO buses in the area we live in so if I ever had to rely on public transportation I'd be out of luck. And yes....the drivers down here are not necessarily worse than DC but they are definately oblivious to the "rules of the road'.
I've done lots of driving in DC, Atlanta, New York - Charlotte driving is nowhere near as confusing or stressful. I think you just need to give it more time. Once things become more familiar to you I bet you'll feel a lot better. The mass transportation issue is a complicated matter. There are only so many dollars to go around. Charlotte may be prospering but the majority of the rest of the state is still rural and not wealthy. Things like a metro depend on federal and state dollars, not just city money. Snagging the NASCAR Hall of Fame was a major coup for our city - something we had to fight hard for. That and a new baseball stadium can bring lots of money in to Charlotte. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money 
