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For me, Charleston has by far the best downtown, it combines elements of historical structures, water, unique shops/national retailers and great restaurants.
I agree. Greenville has done a great job with what it has and the locals should be proud of it, but Charleston just has much more. It has a couple of major corridors, several active side streets, tons of downtown retail (local and national), historic homes, historic churches, historic sites, a large waterfront, prime open spaces, a beautiful downtown college campus, etc. There's a reason Charleston is nationally and internationally acclaimed. It has one of the most unique downtowns in the South and the nation.
I agree. Greenville has done a great job with what it has and the locals should be proud of it, but Charleston just has much more. It has a couple of major corridors, several active side streets, tons of downtown retail (local and national), historic homes, historic churches, historic sites, a large waterfront, prime open spaces, a beautiful downtown college campus, etc. There's a reason Charleston is nationally and internationally acclaimed. It has one of the most unique downtowns in the South and the nation.
Its known because it's a tourist attraction, but so is Myrtle Beach! Does that make Greenville any less desirable? I don’t think so. Have you been here lately? Where did you get the idea that our side streets are dead? Seeing as how we aren't a tourist attraction, government hub, or have a large college presence we should be left in the dust right? But what is happening here? Tell me because I don’t know.
Haywood is a nice mall but, it hardly puts anything to shame. Lenox Square, SouthPark, Streets of Southpoint and others may put a lot of malls to shame but, when you have Sears and JC Penny as 2 of your main anchors, it is not putting anyone to shame. Besides, as anyone in retial knows, retail is opportunistic. You don't see a huge nice mall in Charleston because most of the stores are in SC's best downtown area on King's Street. With Columbia's demographics, it is not a question of support but, where they will go. As good of a spot as 5 Points is for Apple, do you really think they will go there as long as it floods....doubtful. Comparing malls is silly.
Ummmm....perhaps you should try to travel a bit more so your post can be a bit more factual. Streets of Southpoint has both JCPenney and Sears as anchors.
One of the South Florida's best malls Aventura, has them as well. Lots of nice malls around the country have JCPenney and Sears as anchors along with other better anchors.
Check out Dadeland where Saks, JCPenney and Nordstrom all share the same customers.
Haywood is nice due to the fact it has stores like Apple, Pottery Barn, J.Crew, Aldo, Guess, Ann Taylor, Coach, etc, etc.....most stores Columbia sadly just doesn't have.
I agree. Greenville has done a great job with what it has and the locals should be proud of it, but Charleston just has much more. It has a couple of major corridors, several active side streets, tons of downtown retail (local and national), historic homes, historic churches, historic sites, a large waterfront, prime open spaces, a beautiful downtown college campus, etc. There's a reason Charleston is nationally and internationally acclaimed. It has one of the most unique downtowns in the South and the nation.
Well I do think Charleston has a great/unique downtown, but I disagree with the notion that it is better than Greenville's. There is a reason why downtown Greenville has won many awards, why it has high-end hotel chains like Westin and Hyatt, and why leaders from other cities throughout the country come to check it out.
Exactly....who has the best downtown is an opinion as you will see all over this site. But, it is interesting that a number of people from Greenville always think that Greenville puts all others to shame. For me, Charleston has by far the best downtown, it combines elements of historical structures, water, unique shops/national retailers and great restaurants. Columbia has a lot of nice areas such as the Vista, 5 points, Finlay Park, The University, and The State House. What it needs is a common thread to bring them together, that could be the Main Street Projects. Greenville has done a nice job with Main Street and the West End. As a native of SC, That's my opinion.
Charleston definitely has a fun and unique downtown area, and nobody here is arguing that. The history is unmatched among southern cities, and there are certainly some great restaurants. Many of the homes there are magnificent. It is a great city that we should be proud of as SC residents.
However, downtown Charleston also has some very rundown areas. There is a big problem with homelessness and poverty - a stark contrast between the haves and have-nots, less than a mile apart - which you don't see nearly to that extent in other SC cities. The city has done a poor job being proactive when it comes to parking, and this is important since Charleston's nodes of activity are difficult if not impossible to walk between. Sounds like another SC city...
Much of the nightlife is geared toward College of Charleston students, Citadel students, and the young 20's crowd. Just about all of those bars are the same. Every city has them.
And while many historic structures have been preserved, the flip side of that is that many progressive developments have been prevented because of such a firm stance that everything old must be historic and valuable. Take a walk around Charleston and you will see many old buildings that are eyesores, left standing simply because they are old, but often not renovated or well-maintained. The city often smells, whether due to pluff mud or the paper mill. And the many great restaurants there, while outstanding, are almost all some variety of Lowcountry/seafood fare. That's great if you're a tourist, but if you live there it gets old not having access to great cuisine from around the world (like you can find in other SC cities).
Again, Charleston is a cool city but for me it remains a fun place to visit for a weekend, not a place I want to live. To each his own.
Its known because it's a tourist attraction, but so is Myrtle Beach! Does that make Greenville any less desirable?
No and I didn't argue that it did. But you get all hypersensitive about this stuff, so I'm not surprised that you ASSumed this. And Charleston is a tourist attraction in a much different way than Myrtle Beach. People come to Charleston to see Charleston, to experience the essence of Charleston, just to stroll aimlessly along its streets, walk the Battery, lounge on Marion Square, shop on King Street, etc. On the other hand, people go to Myrtle Beach just for the beach and a couple of gaudy attractions. Waaaayyyy different.
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Where did you get the idea that our side streets are dead?
Where the hell did I say anything about Greenville's side streets being dead? All I did was point out the strong points of Charleston's downtown, and you see that as beating up on Greenville. Get real man. But Charleston's side streets are much more extensive and active than Greenville's because its downtown is larger. It's not rocket science man.
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Seeing as how we aren't a tourist attraction, government hub, or have a large college presence we should be left in the dust right? But what is happening here? Tell me because I don’t know.
If someone isn't bowing down to Greenville and proclaiming it to be the best thing since sliced bread, you get all in a tizzy. I can extol the virtues of Charleston without denigrating Greenville, but apparently you don't know the difference. You've NEVER known the difference. Just because I say Charleston has a better downtown, all of a sudden that translates to me thinking that Greenville "should be left in the dust"? Please.
Last edited by Akhenaton06; 08-26-2010 at 12:42 AM..
Well I do think Charleston has a great/unique downtown, but I disagree with the notion that it is better than Greenville's.
That's your opinion, and I disagree. Charleston's downtown is larger, more historic, more urban, and more well-rounded than Greenville's. However, Greenville has done a great job with its downtown as I have stated. The fact is, they are two different types of downtowns and in a certain sense, shouldn't really be compared in this sense.
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There is a reason why downtown Greenville has won many awards, why it has high-end hotel chains like Westin and Hyatt, and why leaders from other cities throughout the country come to check it out.
Again, downtown Charleston is just a different beast. It's past the point of winning awards and such (even though it does win them). It's a mature, historic, unique place and you don't get all sorts of delegations from other cities visiting to get ideas because its downtown simply cannot be replicated. Charleston was just dealt a really, really good hand. I know you Greenville homers are the perpetual cheerleaders for your city's downtown, and you have much to be proud of but Charleston is simply on a different level. Accepting that doesn't make your city inferior as you and your partner in crime seem to think. I suspect you guys really do, which is why y'all don't go into the Charleston subforum.
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