Visiting Charlotte from NY (Greenville, Cornelius: to rent, condo, hotel)

[Doctor Mumbles]

My fiance and I are thinking about moving to Charlotte...we live in NY. My parents live in Greenville SC which we love but we don't think we'll be able to get jobs there (TV Production for me,Finance for Her) and we are kind of hoping that while Charlotte may not have as many job options, culture, sports, shopping, food options etc..as New York it will have more than Greenville and sort of be a happy medium.

I'm interested in playing golf, going to sporting events, outdoor parks and activities and she is a girl so........SHOPPING! Think Saks.

Can anyone give some suggestions on Public Golf Courses (reasonably priced) and any Parks? And as far as Lake Norman goes do you have to own or rent a boat to enjoy it? Can people just go swimming there, or fish off a pier?
As far as the Shopping goes where are the High End Stores and then your regular Old Navy, Gap etc...

Any recomendations on good Irish Pubs or Sushi restaurants?

I'm visiting in July and can't wait!

[kmway]

Originally Posted by Doctor Mumbles

My fiance and I are thinking about moving to Charlotte...we live in NY. My parents live in Greenville SC which we love but we don't think we'll be able to get jobs there (TV Production for me,Finance for Her) and we are kind of hoping that while Charlotte may not have as many job options, culture, sports, shopping, food options etc..as New York it will have more than Greenville and sort of be a happy medium.

I'm interested in playing golf, going to sporting events, outdoor parks and activities and she is a girl so........SHOPPING! Think Saks.

Can anyone give some suggestions on Public Golf Courses (reasonably priced) and any Parks? And as far as Lake Norman goes do you have to own or rent a boat to enjoy it? Can people just go swimming there, or fish off a pier?
As far as the Shopping goes where are the High End Stores and then your regular Old Navy, Gap etc...

Any recomendations on good Irish Pubs or Sushi restaurants?

I'm visiting in July and can't wait!

Nice backhanded compliment, I suppose.

Nevertheless, you should be just fine if job searching. There are a ton of finance jobs. We are, after all, the second largest financial center in the United States behind New York. As far as TV production, check each station's websites. I am assuming you are interested in TV news production? wsoctv.com, wbtv.com, wcnc.com and also Google Fox Charlotte and News 14 Charlotte. Also check Cutters Productions, they do a variety of shows for PBS and are based off Arrowood Rd. Try tvjobs.com and news blues.

Here's a listing of golf courses: http://www.golfholes.com/brchar01.htm

Since we should "think Saks" when recommending shopping, she needs to stay at SouthPark Mall for shopping. If the Gap is beneath her, the rest of our lovely malls won't be a good fit. http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=788

I am in Lake Norman, and there are plenty of boats to rent if you don't want to buy. But most people who frequent the area own their watercraft. It is really not a swimming lake, nor a fishing off the pier lake. It is man-made, so the fishing is not generally good in my experience.

Irish Pubs: RiRa in uptown and Galloway Hooker in Cornelius.

I prefer Sushi 101 and Ru-San's for Sushi.
http://www.sushi101.net
Ru-San's is off Park Rd.

[deevee]

Originally Posted by kmway

Nice backhanded compliment, I suppose.

My thoughts exactly!

[kkahne9]

I too work in TV in NY and am visiting the Charlotte area in June. I am looking for work on the master control end of the business. I have a couple of connections at Speed TV that I will meet on my visit. What type of work do you do ? I'll see if I can get you some leads if you like.

[Keith "Baby-Face" Lutz]

Originally Posted by Doctor Mumbles

and we are kind of hoping that while Charlotte may not have as many job options, culture, sports, shopping, food options etc..as New York

Nice backhanded compliment, I suppose.

My thoughts exactly!

Cut the guy some slack , Charlotte is not New York, nor do I hope it will ever be!

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by Keith "Baby-Face" Lutz

Cut the guy some slack , Charlotte is not New York, nor do I hope it will ever be!

I 2nd that my friend

[kmway]

It was a backhanded compliment, that's not an insult. It is what it is. And I tried to help him with all his questions. I hope he likes it here, it's a great place.

[JusSumGuy]

Since your chick is into the shopping, might was well get a condo near Southpark mall. Louis, Neimans, Tiffany

[Anigirli]

Kmway you are so right about it being a backhanded compliment. It is one of the reasons why some of the "natives" are hesitant towards NYers. It's comparing like oranges and apples. The comparison is not fair. The old saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans" has some validity. New York might have all the best flagship designer stores, arts & culture, food options ect but in all honesty when I lived there I noticed that only a few percent off the population can really enjoy all of it, since the cost of living is very expensive. Manhattan has the highest income disparity.

The commute from Lake Norman area to the city is pretty congested. From reading your post Doctor Mumbles it seems you like all the finer things in life. (Like me) I would recommend the South Charlotte areas like Dilworth, Elizabeth, Cotswold, Myers Park, Eastover and South Park for a place to call home. Those areas are were you will find the old-money families, upscale homes, exclusive country clubs(where it takes more than money to get invited), and niche businesses like organic food stores, art galleries or antique shops etc.

Your fashion-forward fiance might not like South Park Mall that much since it has only one wing of "high End" shops. It is were Neiman's and Nordies sit. Here is a list of what they offer.

• They are Louis Vuitton(accessorizies only no Marc Jacobs designed Pret-a-Porter collection)
• Burberry London(Christopher Bailey's much adored Burberry Prosum line is not sold here)
• Bob Ellis(The place to buy those 6-inch crocodile Christian Louboutin pumps)
• Hermes(I so want a Birkin or a Kelly bag)
• Polo Ralph Lauren(Women's and Men's Collection, Black Label, Blue label & childrens clothes)
• Nordstorm
• Neiman Marcus
• Anthropologie(for the rich-boho look)
• Tiffany's
• St.John
• Montblanc

Then you have what market people call "mid-level" stores such as:

• Ann Taylor (I love the fit of their pants and good for basics.)
• Ann Taylor Loft
• BCBG
• Coach
• Kenneth Cole
• Black & White
• Kape Spade
• Juicy Couture(Yet to open)
• J.Crew(the new prepster)
• Banana Republic
• The Gap

And for the teenybopper set or the young at heart;

• Abercrombie & Fitch
• Hollister
• Urban Outfitter's(Anthropologie's little sister store, get the rich-boho look for less)

If she is not the mall type of person, there is Phillips Place nearby on Fairview Rd. It is a faux streetstyle shopping street with a hotel, cinema, bars, fur salon, Dean & Deluca, day spa, and small little darling botiques that carry hard-core fashionista labels Lanvin, Balmain, Blumarine, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabanna. For an Irish pub try Ri Ras's . Moorehead Street Tavern is also popular with the 20-something yuppies and their willowy blonde girlfriends. For culture you can always visit the:

• Charlotte Symphony
• North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
• North Carolina Dance Theatre
• The African American Cultural Center
• Charlotte Wine & Food (An Organization for wine & food enthusiasts who host a series of events to raise money for worthy causes.)
• The Mint Musuem
• Charlotte Museum of History
• Levine Museum of the New South
• Discovery Place

And for some quirky or hipster areas you can go to NODA tha arts district and the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.


P.S.
I remember as a kid, after coming out of the lake my swimsuit was filled with the "red stuff" as I used to call it.

[TerryMcDonald]

Originally Posted by Anigirli

Kmway you are so right about it being a backhanded compliment. It is one of the reasons why some of the "natives" are hesitant towards NYers. It's comparing like oranges and apples. The comparison is not fair. The old saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans" has some validity. New York might have all the best flagship designer stores, arts & culture, food options ect but in all honesty when I lived there I noticed that only a few percent off the population can really enjoy all of it, since the cost of living is very expensive. Manhattan has the highest income disparity.

The commute from Lake Norman area to the city is pretty congested. From reading your post Doctor Mumbles it seems you like all the finer things in life. (Like me) I would recommend the South Charlotte areas like Dilworth, Elizabeth, Cotswold, Myers Park, Eastover and South Park for a place to call home. Those areas are were you will find the old-money families, upscale homes, exclusive country clubs(where it takes more than money to get invited), and niche businesses like organic food stores, art galleries or antique shops etc.

Your fashion-forward fiance might not like South Park Mall that much since it has only one wing of "high End" shops. It is were Neiman's and Nordies sit. Here is a list of what they offer.

• They are Louis Vuitton(accessorizies only no Marc Jacobs designed Pret-a-Porter collection)
• Burberry London(Christopher Bailey's much adored Burberry Prosum line is not sold here)
• Bob Ellis(The place to buy those 6-inch crocodile Christian Louboutin pumps)
• Hermes(I so want a Birkin or a Kelly bag)
• Polo Ralph Lauren(Women's and Men's Collection, Black Label, Blue label & childrens clothes)
• Nordstorm
• Neiman Marcus
• Anthropologie(for the rich-boho look)
• Tiffany's
• St.John
• Montblanc

Then you have what market people call "mid-level" stores such as:

• Ann Taylor (I love the fit of their pants and good for basics.)
• Ann Taylor Loft
• BCBG
• Coach
• Kenneth Cole
• Black & White
• Kape Spade
• Juicy Couture(Yet to open)
• J.Crew(the new prepster)
• Banana Republic
• The Gap

And for the teenybopper set or the young at heart;

• Abercrombie & Fitch
• Hollister
• Urban Outfitter's(Anthropologie's little sister store, get the rich-boho look for less)

If she is not the mall type of person, there is Phillips Place nearby on Fairview Rd. It is a faux streetstyle shopping street with a hotel, cinema, bars, fur salon, Dean & Deluca, day spa, and small little darling botiques that carry hard-core fashionista labels Lanvin, Balmain, Blumarine, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabanna. For an Irish pub try Ri Ras's . Moorehead Street Tavern is also popular with the 20-something yuppies and their willowy blonde girlfriends. For culture you can always visit the:

• Charlotte Symphony
• North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
• North Carolina Dance Theatre
• The African American Cultural Center
• Charlotte Wine & Food (An Organization for wine & food enthusiasts who host a series of events to raise money for worthy causes.)
• The Mint Musuem
• Charlotte Museum of History
• Levine Museum of the New South
• Discovery Place

And for some quirky or hipster areas you can go to NODA tha arts district and the Plaza Midwood neighborhood.


P.S.
I remember as a kid, after coming out of the lake my swimsuit was filled with the "red stuff" as I used to call it.

This is quite a post but spot on. Charlotte is not, can't be New York, or LA, Las Vegas or London either. Thankfully, we aren't trying to be. As far as Greenville goes, you could put 20 Greenvilles in Charlotte, so we are considerably larger. However, I spend time up and down the East Coast, Boston, NYC, Washington and Tampa this year, and Charlotee is home, and home base. A Great place to live with things to do and charm on its own. Just make it an adventure, resist the urge to comapre everything to "How its done up North" and to see for yourself.