Which major city has the best up and coming downtown? (compared, taxes)
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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.
one thing that i always remember about the cities that i visit is their cultural neighborhoods and the ethnic influences in them. st. louis, in my opinion, has some beautiful downtown neighborhoods. any city would be proud of the many architectural housing styles in their area. really, really, nice to drive around and visit.
Charlotteans are about to jump all over you lol. Im getting my popcorn.
There is no need. Uptown Charlotte is an "up and coming" downtown. It has added tons of things in the past decade. Someone that has just moved here would not appreciate Charlotte's progress simply because they have not seen Charlotte's past.
Besides, only here on the forums do I see folks openly complaining about Charlotte. In real life, most of Charlotte's newcomers are quite happy and enjoy their outings into the downtown area. The only folks I ever see in real life complaining about uptown are the folks that can't afford to enjoy it. Just an observation.
I love what's happening in dt Dallas with its new arts district. Totally amazing. Also dt Los Angeles has always had lots of action imo. I was recently in Atlanta and still seemed rather small and not much action. I was at the Hyatt and wanted to pick up a couple of dress shirts but not many choices for shopping. I'm still amazed at Atlanta not having one dt dept. store.
The only folks I ever see in real life complaining about uptown are the folks that can't afford to enjoy it.
In the vast majority of cases, I'd say they haven't even made time to enjoy it. Something new is constantly being added Uptown, so more and more it's becoming "everybody's downtown."
In the vast majority of cases, I'd say they haven't even made time to enjoy it. Something new is constantly being added Uptown, so more and more it's becoming "everybody's downtown."
This is true. Lord knows I am NOT rich. However, I recently spent an entire day uptown and I never ran out of things to do.
That day, me and a friend rode the train into uptown from Tyvola station. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the McDonald's in the Overstreet Mall (McDonald's is the way to go when you're NOT rich ). From there, we walked over to the YMCA on College Street to play some half court 3 on 3. After the Y (and after changing back into our "good clothes"), we bowled a few games at Strike City (fun but VERY expensive). My friend then left uptown on the train and about 15 minutes later, my wife met me Uptown for dinner and a movie (Epicentre Theaters is a good deal; MUCH cheaper than I expected). After the movie, we were about to head home, but then we noticed the guys on the street selling Bobcats' tickets (some for as little as $5). We couldn't pass up a deal like that so we went to the game.
That day, I spent over 12 hours uptown and never ran out of things to do. If I weren't so tired, the wife and I could have EASILY stayed 4 hours longer than we did for Charlotte's late night scene.
As much as I have been uptown, I can honestly say that retail, a large park, and more residential is needed. Other than that, uptown has everything else. You're right, too many newcomers to Charlotte are not taking the time to explore and learn uptown. My guess is that they never really explored the downtown area of the place they came from, and brought that habit here to Charlotte. Some folks (no matter what city it is) are just NOT "downtown" type folks. I do have a few friends that ONLY go out in Ballantyne and NEVER go out uptown.
Last edited by urbancharlotte; 02-13-2010 at 09:51 AM..
This is true. Lord knows I am NOT rich. However, I recently spent an entire day uptown and I never ran out of things to do.
That day, me and a friend rode the train into uptown from Tyvola station. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the McDonald's in the Overstreet Mall (McDonald's is the way to go when you're NOT rich ). From there, we walked over to the YMCA on College Street to play some half court 3 on 3. After the Y (and after changing back into our "good clothes"), we bowled a few games at Strike City (fun but VERY expensive). My friend then left uptown on the train and about 15 minutes later, my wife met me Uptown for dinner and a movie (Epicentre Theaters is a good deal; MUCH cheaper than I expected). After the movie, we were about to head home, but then we noticed the guys on the street selling Bobcats' tickets (some for as little as $5). We couldn't pass up a deal like that up so we went to the game.
That day, I spent over 12 hours uptown and never ran out of things to do. If I weren't so tired, the wife and I could have EASILY stayed 4 hours longer than we did for Charlotte's late night scene.
And if you had kids in tow, you could have done even more. Once the NASCAR HOF opens, that will be one more attraction. I don't get into NASCAR, but I do plan to visit once it opens.
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As much as I have been uptown, I can honestly say that retail, a large park, and more residential is needed. Other than that, uptown has everything else.
Yep. I've said elsewhere that I don't think we realize how much a signature urban park will do for Uptown. When I go to other cities in the region, I typically find myself spending appreciable time in their parks just enjoying myself and people-watching. Finlay Park in Columbia, Falls Park in Greenville, Waterfront Park in Charleston, the Squares of Savannah, Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, etc. are all great centerpieces of those cities' downtowns and once we get one like that here in Charlotte (Romare Bearden Park), we're going to wonder how we ever did without it.
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You're right, too many newcomers to Charlotte are not taking the time to explore and learn uptown. My guess is that they never really explored the downtown area of the place they came from, and brought that habit here to Charlotte. Some folks (no matter what city it is) are just NOT "downtown" type folks. I do have a few friends that ONLY go out in Ballantyne and NEVER go out uptown.
Philadelphia...it's center city population is already third largest in the country and has grown by approximately 10,000 residents since the last census; obviously this implies that it's "downtown" is still growing and "up and coming"...IMHO. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_City,_Philadelphia
There is no need. Uptown Charlotte is an "up and coming" downtown. It has added tons of things in the past decade. Someone that has just moved here would not appreciate Charlotte's progress simply because they have not seen Charlotte's past.
Besides, only here on the forums do I see folks openly complaining about Charlotte. In real life, most of Charlotte's newcomers are quite happy and enjoy their outings into the downtown area. The only folks I ever see in real life complaining about uptown are the folks that can't afford to enjoy it. Just an observation.
Oh no... I complain about in the outside world too. I'm from Atlanta so I keep comparing Charlotte to it, which really isn't fair. Uptown's really nothing special. I could see why people think Charlotte "could" be big one day, but outsiders from larger cities really don't see it. At least the ones I've conversed with
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