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I totally get what you are saying. Been to Seattle many times and I just don't have fun when I'm there. Maybe it's the people?? Nightlife blows unless you are into irish pubs and the like. For a big city, it seems so quiet, reserved, ie boring. Just checked and its only 54 degrees right now in the middle of the day. It's late June!! I guarantee if I were there now I'd be bored once again.
I hear ya. You've should gone to Capitol Hill or Ballard. It's just not in downtown.
I think San Jose, but I've never been there. It's just from what I hear. The high costs and lifestyle of nerdy tech workers constitute the boredom of this city, especially old tech workers.
Seattle Washington is one of the most exciting city in America , the most exciting city on the West Coast outside of the state of California. I don't even consider FRESNO....BAKERSFIELD...VISALIA..... STOCKTON....MODESTO...REDDING CA boring because I alway Have some of the greatest TOPOGRAPHY in The UNITED STATES
50 or 60 Miles Outside of town.
I totally get what you are saying. Been to Seattle many times and I just don't have fun when I'm there. Maybe it's the people?? Nightlife blows unless you are into irish pubs and the like. For a big city, it seems so quiet, reserved, ie boring. Just checked and its only 54 degrees right now in the middle of the day. It's late June!! I guarantee if I were there now I'd be bored once again.
First thing I like to do when visiting a city is checking out the art scene and there really wasn't much to check out. I ended up just opening up a book and reading on a bench where those art nouveau arches are and apparently a gathering site for tourists with a tour guide explaining the magic that is Totem Pole.
Not sure who's in charge of the city's art museum but whoever it is, needs to be fired ASAP. A friend of a friend needed a job ergo.
Because Charlotte is in my state I'm going to partially defend it, as the typical Charlotte resident says "it's improving, we have the EpiCenter (or whatever it's called)". You can find things to do in the metro area but the overall city is pretty boring for a city of its size. To put it into perspective, I visited Greenville SC for 1 day & Charlotte for two, I had more fun in Greenville SC city than Charlotte which may be strange to others but it's just my opinion. Yes Charlotte has better buildings than a lot of cities in America, it has plenty of chain restaurants, several upscale stores, and even a amusement park (if that's your taste, I didn't visit it) but something is missing that a lot of other cities have.
I guess thr reason why I say it's boring is because I judge my entertainment levels by the city-center (this applies to any city)k if the city-center cant cut it than no part will for me. But with all that said, Charlotte has potential and even the resources to become a fun city it just has to improve its city center. Tall skyscrapers may look good from a distance but it's all about the street-level activity levels at the end.
Because Charlotte is in my state I'm going to partially defend it, as the typical Charlotte resident says "it's improving, we have the EpiCenter (or whatever it's called)". You can find things to do in the metro area but the overall city is pretty boring for a city of its size. To put it into perspective, I visited Greenville SC for 1 day & Charlotte for two, I had more fun in Greenville SC city than Charlotte which may be strange to others but it's just my opinion. Yes Charlotte has better buildings than a lot of cities in America, it has plenty of chain restaurants, several upscale stores, and even a amusement park (if that's your taste, I didn't visit it) but something is missing that a lot of other cities have.
I guess thr reason why I say it's boring is because I judge my entertainment levels by the city-center (this applies to any city)k if the city-center cant cut it than no part will for me. But with all that said, Charlotte has potential and even the resources to become a fun city it just has to improve its city center. Tall skyscrapers may look good from a distance but it's all about the street-level activity levels at the end.
Wow, where to start...
No offense, but it seems that you have more of a small town mentality when it comes to places to visit and such. I say this because anyone who's familiar with larger cities will tell you that a lot of the downtown area will cater to visitors and businesses, but its the neighborhood villages that give you a feel for the true essence of the city. I know that's true here in Atlanta, and it's also true in Charlotte. In Greenville, you're pretty much limited to downtown because it's a small city; you've seen downtown and you've essentially seen it all. However, in Charlotte, in addition to Uptown, you have SouthEnd, Dilworth, NoDa, Plaza-Midwood, Elizabeth, etc.--the neighborhood villages with the local restaurants, entertainment, art galleries, etc. that provide several more options for hanging out. Even New Orleanians will tell you that if you want to experience the real New Orleans, you need to get away from the French Quarter and get to the Warehouse district, Faubourg Marigny, Mid-City, etc.
Now getting back to the downtowns--I love downtown Greenville and it has an advantage over Charlotte with more retail and an urban park, but outside of that, there's a bunch more to do in uptown Charlotte. You can catch major league professional sports for two teams (and Charlotte's arena is much better integrated into downtown than Greenville's), there's the Levine Center for the Arts, NC Music Factory (technically within the I-277 loop but physically separated from the rest of downtown), Epicenter (which allows you to go bowling, to the movies, etc. right in downtown), the convention center which is downtown, Discovery Place, Spirit Square, etc.--and you can get into downtown via light rail and leave the car home, which I did several times when I lived there and only adds to the "big city" experience. There's even some higher ed in uptown Charlotte with Johnson & Wales and the beginning of UNCC's Uptown campus. The nightlife in uptown Charlotte has also blossomed in a big way and, frankly, is a good bit more diverse than Greenville's in that regard (check out some clips here and here). The gap is only going to increase with the building of the Knights ballpark and Bearden Park. I think downtown Greenville is a little better for leisurely strolling, but in terms of actual destinations--actual things to do--while providing a solid and improving pedestrian experience, Charlotte clearly wins.
And I have to disagree with you on the notion that "you can find things to do in the metro area but the overall city is pretty boring for a city of its size." The vast majority of amenities in the Charlotte area are within the city itself--the museums and performing arts venues, the best of the retail and restaurants, Carowinds (partially), National Whitewater Center, etc. The only things worth mentioning that aren't are Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord Mills (if you're into malls), the Knights stadium (which is getting ready to move to uptown), and Lake Norman.
No offense, but it seems that you have more of a small town mentality when it comes to places to visit and such. I say this because anyone who's familiar with larger cities will tell you that a lot of the downtown area will cater to visitors and businesses, but its the neighborhood villages that give you a feel for the true essence of the city. I know that's true here in Atlanta, and it's also true in Charlotte. In Greenville, you're pretty much limited to downtown because it's a small city; you've seen downtown and you've essentially seen it all. However, in Charlotte, in addition to Uptown, you have SouthEnd, Dilworth, NoDa, Plaza-Midwood, Elizabeth, etc.--the neighborhood villages with the local restaurants, entertainment, art galleries, etc. that provide several more options for hanging out. Even New Orleanians will tell you that if you want to experience the real New Orleans, you need to get away from the French Quarter and get to the Warehouse district, Faubourg Marigny, Mid-City, etc.
Now getting back to the downtowns--I love downtown Greenville and it has an advantage over Charlotte with more retail and an urban park, but outside of that, there's a bunch more to do in uptown Charlotte. You can catch major league professional sports for two teams (and Charlotte's arena is much better integrated into downtown than Greenville's), there's the Levine Center for the Arts, NC Music Factory (technically within the I-277 loop but physically separated from the rest of downtown), Epicenter (which allows you to go bowling, to the movies, etc. right in downtown), the convention center which is downtown, Discovery Place, Spirit Square, etc.--and you can get into downtown via light rail and leave the car home, which I did several times when I lived there and only adds to the "big city" experience. There's even some higher ed in uptown Charlotte with Johnson & Wales and the beginning of UNCC's Uptown campus. The nightlife in uptown Charlotte has also blossomed in a big way and, frankly, is a good bit more diverse than Greenville's in that regard (check out some clips here and here). The gap is only going to increase with the building of the Knights ballpark and Bearden Park. I think downtown Greenville is a little better for leisurely strolling, but in terms of actual destinations--actual things to do--while providing a solid and improving pedestrian experience, Charlotte clearly wins.
And I have to disagree with you on the notion that "you can find things to do in the metro area but the overall city is pretty boring for a city of its size." The vast majority of amenities in the Charlotte area are within the city itself--the museums and performing arts venues, the best of the retail and restaurants, Carowinds (partially), National Whitewater Center, etc. The only things worth mentioning that aren't are Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord Mills (if you're into malls), the Knights stadium (which is getting ready to move to uptown), and Lake Norman.
I guess it all depends on what you look for in a Downtown or in Charlotte's case Uptown. I don't prefer small towns over big city or vice versa, I live in Greenville, NC (small town) but I'm from Baltimore (big city) so my taste ranges greatly. Charlotte may have nice village neighborhoods but I didn't see them last time I visited. I guess everything felt too new for me and with me going up there with friends who had no clue where to go in Charlotte we limited ourselves to Uptown & South Park. I went to the EpiCenter, the Bobcats are trash so I won't go to their games, and the panthers werent playing, so it was limited for us.
Most of the things you stated are outside the city-limits though, and the one museum that I wanted to go to was closed. In regards to Greenville, SC, I do like their downtown better than uptown but I prefer the crowd of uptown to their downtown. Because I don't know much about Charlotte I'm trying to give it the benefit of the doubt because I'm sure has more than what I assumed. One thing I do love about Charlotte is the light-rail, it's a great accessory to the city.
I guess it all depends on what you look for in a Downtown or in Charlotte's case Uptown. I don't prefer small towns over big city or vice versa, I live in Greenville, NC (small town) but I'm from Baltimore (big city) so my taste ranges greatly. Charlotte may have nice village neighborhoods but I didn't see them last time I visited. I guess everything felt too new for me and with me going up there with friends who had no clue where to go in Charlotte we limited ourselves to Uptown & South Park. I went to the EpiCenter, the Bobcats are trash so I won't go to their games, and the panthers werent playing, so it was limited for us.
Well you have to do your homework when visiting a large city because everything isn't going to be in downtown; even I had to do that one of the last times I went back to visit. I was hanging out at EpiCenter with some friends and went online on my phone to see what was going on and saw that the Blues, Brews, & BBQ festival was going on at the NC Music Factory and the Greek festival was going on in Dilworth, both of which draw large crowds; went to the former and had an awesome time. But now at least you know what to look for. And yeah the Bobcats suck right now, but it's always good seeing them play a good team.
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Most of the things you stated are outside the city-limits though, and the one museum that I wanted to go to was closed.
The stuff I listed at the end is outside of the city, and that's the point I was making--only a select few things are actually outside of the city. The things I mentioned earlier in the post--major league professional sports for two teams, the Levine Center for the Arts, NC Music Factory, Epicenter, the convention center, Discovery Place, Spirit Square, the neighborhood villages, etc.--are all in the city itself.
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In regards to Greenville, SC, I do like their downtown better than uptown but I prefer the crowd of uptown to their downtown. Because I don't know much about Charlotte I'm trying to give it the benefit of the doubt because I'm sure has more than what I assumed. One thing I do love about Charlotte is the light-rail, it's a great accessory to the city.
Well I think you're also a little more familiar with Greenville as well. As I stated, their downtown right now is a little better for a leisurely stroll, especially with Falls Park, but uptown Charlotte is much better for actual destinations. The leisure part will get better for Charlotte with the parks that are coming uptown (actually a total of 3) and the Knights stadium. And hopefully a lot of the retail that's bottled up inside the office towers can get turned outward towards the street.
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And yeah the Bobcats suck right now, but it's always good seeing them play a good team.