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I'm interested in Denver. I've always seen it as a resort town. I'm probably just naive, but the West Coast has always been a mystery to me. Been to 5 countries and 20-something states, but the west eludes me. Out of curiosity, what makes Denver so special?
btw, whoever voted for Charlotte... ugh...ugh...ugh... There's really no appeal to it what-so-ever... Like, outside of a couple of nice concert halls and a bunch of clubs, it's really just a bunch of tall buildings clumped together...
DT Charlotte in a nutshell while driving "Oh, here it is... 3 minutes later... Oh, there it goes. Ooh, cows, pasture, trains, and... er, stuff
a nicer southern way to say it: charlotte hasn't put in its time. i love antiques. i love finely built furniture. it is the smell, the feel, the depth of color, alas, the patina that has to be present. most who have been to charlotte see something happening, growth, regrowth, etc. but, it will be so much more in 50 to 75 years. i wish that more of a historical perspective had prevailed, as their building boom got underway in the downtown area. but, just like so many places, that often takes a backseat to progress.
recently, my parish church was partially destroyed and heavily damaged by a tornado. decisions were made, two layers of black walnut flooring, solid walnut doors, old wide plank pine flooring, oak surrounds, etc., etc., were tossed out to the dumpster. late in the evening, my friend and i went through the garbage to pick out and salvage wood moldings that had been in place since 1736, in some instances. one item was a beautiful solid walnut lectern. the post, which is pegged to adjust the top of the reading desk, was found, then i found the lectern top. it was in two pieces, nevertheless, i found it, the hardware, and the ornamental wood mounts, along w/ the ornamental peg.
simply my point is cities that have beautiful patinas (nola, charleston, savannah, memphis, st. louis, louisville, new york, on and on) have those patinas because of preservation. it is sad when hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, or the lack of thought destroys years and years of beauty. going back and looking at some of the buildings that have been lost in charlotte is, somewhat, sad. progressive can be exciting and vibrant, but it is much better to see the new intergrated w/ the old. it has been my experience that most people who see the new south, see nothing but a cluster of big, shiny, new buildings. one can walk into a new mansion, have new furnishings throughout, yet after looking around, one realizes that the new has left no past.
having been born and reared in chicago, and, after living a while in the east, and being educated in the east, i think this is the reason i enjoy the perspective of those who live in the large urban eastern cities. they have the "patina". as more and more southern cities rise, i hope we will keep this in mind and incorporate, reuse, and integrate the old w/ the new.
a nicer southern way to say it: charlotte hasn't put in its time. i love antiques. i love finely built furniture. it is the smell, the feel, the depth of color, alas, the patina that has to be present. most who have been to charlotte see something happening, growth, regrowth, etc. but, it will be so much more in 50 to 75 years. i wish that more of a historical perspective had prevailed, as their building boom got underway in the downtown area. but, just like so many places, that often takes a backseat to progress.
recently, my parish church was partially destroyed and heavily damaged by a tornado. decisions were made, two layers of black walnut flooring, solid walnut doors, old wide plank pine flooring, oak surrounds, etc., etc., were tossed out to the dumpster. late in the evening, my friend and i went through the garbage to pick out and salvage wood moldings that had been in place since 1736, in some instances. one item was a beautiful solid walnut lectern. the post, which is pegged to adjust the top of the reading desk, was found, then i found the lectern top. it was in two pieces, nevertheless, i found it, the hardware, and the ornamental wood mounts, along w/ the ornamental peg.
simply my point is cities that have beautiful patinas (nola, charleston, savannah, memphis, st. louis, louisville, new york, on and on) have those patinas because of preservation. it is sad when hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, or the lack of thought destroys years and years of beauty. going back and looking at some of the buildings that have been lost in charlotte is, somewhat, sad. progressive can be exciting and vibrant, but it is much better to see the new intergrated w/ the old. it has been my experience that most people who see the new south, see nothing but a cluster of big, shiny, new buildings. one can walk into a new mansion, have new furnishings throughout, yet after looking around, one realizes that the new has left no past.
having been born and reared in chicago, and, after living a while in the east, and being educated in the east, i think this is the reason i enjoy the perspective of those who live in the large urban eastern cities. they have the "patina". as more and more southern cities rise, i hope we will keep this in mind and incorporate, reuse, and integrate the old w/ the new.
Underneath the big modern glass towers of some of the "newer" downtowns are some historic buildings and such. I recently did a tour of Downtown Houston where I went through such spots which you can see here.
That really isn't the "up and coming" for the most part though, yet it will be interesting to see what comes of the renewal project of Market Square (once the city's focal point, back in the streetcar days). I'd say the "up and coming" is east of Main Street, which is working on becoming a more entertainment-oriented place than the usual image of the office tower cluster that goes dead after dark.
Downtown St Louis has improved from a bombed out shell in the 90's to a respectable downtown today. There has been a lot of investment with quite a few improvements coming in the future. The renovation of the Kiel Opera House, riverfront, and if the credit market starts to improve some new construction. The population continues to grow and is gaining momentum.
I'd say that Charlotte has one of the Nation's fastest up and coming downtowns.
Meh... I really can't agree. I really wish I could, considering I'm here for school a few months at a time, but downtown (uptown?) really seems like a gimmick more than an actual attraction for Charlotte. I mean, it's better than other's in NC, but it's still lacking that real "downtown" feel that many other big cities have. There's really a lack of vibrancy most of the time. I do like that museum that's counter-balanced by one column.
a nicer southern way to say it: charlotte hasn't put in its time. i love antiques. i love finely built furniture. it is the smell, the feel, the depth of color, alas, the patina that has to be present. most who have been to charlotte see something happening, growth, regrowth, etc. but, it will be so much more in 50 to 75 years. i wish that more of a historical perspective had prevailed, as their building boom got underway in the downtown area. but, just like so many places, that often takes a backseat to progress.
recently, my parish church was partially destroyed and heavily damaged by a tornado. decisions were made, two layers of black walnut flooring, solid walnut doors, old wide plank pine flooring, oak surrounds, etc., etc., were tossed out to the dumpster. late in the evening, my friend and i went through the garbage to pick out and salvage wood moldings that had been in place since 1736, in some instances. one item was a beautiful solid walnut lectern. the post, which is pegged to adjust the top of the reading desk, was found, then i found the lectern top. it was in two pieces, nevertheless, i found it, the hardware, and the ornamental wood mounts, along w/ the ornamental peg.
simply my point is cities that have beautiful patinas (nola, charleston, savannah, memphis, st. louis, louisville, new york, on and on) have those patinas because of preservation. it is sad when hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, or the lack of thought destroys years and years of beauty. going back and looking at some of the buildings that have been lost in charlotte is, somewhat, sad. progressive can be exciting and vibrant, but it is much better to see the new intergrated w/ the old. it has been my experience that most people who see the new south, see nothing but a cluster of big, shiny, new buildings. one can walk into a new mansion, have new furnishings throughout, yet after looking around, one realizes that the new has left no past.
having been born and reared in chicago, and, after living a while in the east, and being educated in the east, i think this is the reason i enjoy the perspective of those who live in the large urban eastern cities. they have the "patina". as more and more southern cities rise, i hope we will keep this in mind and incorporate, reuse, and integrate the old w/ the new.
Wow, that was insightful... And I really have to agree w/ u there.
Meh... I really can't agree. I really wish I could, considering I'm here for school a few months at a time, but downtown (uptown?) really seems like a gimmick more than an actual attraction for Charlotte. I mean, it's better than other's in NC, but it's still lacking that real "downtown" feel that many other big cities have. There's really a lack of vibrancy most of the time. I do like that museum that's counter-balanced by one column.
Charlotteans are about to jump all over you lol. Im getting my popcorn.
I had to look up and actually see if that was the proper demonym for a Charlotte resident. Interesting they would call themselves something phonetically similar to "charlatan." Which these forums are full of, though not from any one city.
Anyway...
I couldn't call Uptown Charlotte (a downtown by any other name is...) a gimmick any more than I would any other Sun Belt city's downtown. It's still missing that one vital piece like the others, and that's a strong residential component. And in time I'd say Raleigh would have a downtown to be reckoned with - at least with other cities in its league, so to speak.
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