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Yes, If Ziggy's and The Garage would book better shows and WS would get a decent inexpensive vietnamese place I would get the hell out of Charlotte and get back to WS. Actually I plan to get out of Charlotte anyway, but WS looks better and better.
While I'm glad to see the old Border's space filled, the enthusiasm for Trader Joe's is going to make that area an even worse snarl of traffic. Stratford Road is barely able to convey the current load; the entrances to Thruway are cumbersome; the parking lot can be slow to navigate.
The diagonal parking in front of the store needs to go since the main routing of traffic can make it stop-n-go as people try to back out of those spaces. And the speed bumps - *ouch* They serve to make the traffic slow down, but I wish someone would shave a few inches off their height.
I'm surprised TJ didn't choose a Hane's Mall Blvd location. That road has been widened to handle the surge of traffic that has occurred since the late 90s explosion of development. Stratford is hemmed in by the railroad tracks, industrial buildings and commercial businesses which make it practically impossible to do anything with the road to make it more easily navigable.
silverwing, while I agree that Thruway traffic can be frustrating, I really wouldn't want to see it turn into just another big strip mall with a huge parking lot like the Target/Kohl's strip or the Lowe's strip on University. I like the different feel of Thruway, and I wish they would take it in the other direction by restricting cars further. Wouldn't it be cool if the entire area--Thruway, Stratford Place (across the street where Firehouse Subs and Bruegger's are located), Krispy Kreme, Edwin McKay's, Starbucks, etc.--was more pedestrian friendly? Limit parking to the edges of the area, install some walking bridges and/or tunnels to Stratford Rd., have some small electric trams running a loop through the area to move people around, install benches and lots of trees, fountains, and lots of landscaping. It would require careful planning and thought to pull it off, but I think it really has potential We could also use the train tracks beside Stratford to move people from Thruway out to the mall, or downtown. It would probably never happen, but I think it could be a really unique shopping experience if they could pull it off.
So anyway, I've been in a Trader Joe's only a few times and that was a while ago. What's the attraction?
silverwing, while I agree that Thruway traffic can be frustrating, I really wouldn't want to see it turn into just another big strip mall with a huge parking lot like the Target/Kohl's strip or the Lowe's strip on University. I like the different feel of Thruway, and I wish they would take it in the other direction by restricting cars further. Wouldn't it be cool if the entire area--Thruway, Stratford Place (across the street where Firehouse Subs and Bruegger's are located), Krispy Kreme, Edwin McKay's, Starbucks, etc.--was more pedestrian friendly? Limit parking to the edges of the area, install some walking bridges and/or tunnels to Stratford Rd., have some small electric trams running a loop through the area to move people around, install benches and lots of trees, fountains, and lots of landscaping. It would require careful planning and thought to pull it off, but I think it really has potential We could also use the train tracks beside Stratford to move people from Thruway out to the mall, or downtown. It would probably never happen, but I think it could be a really unique shopping experience if they could pull it off.
So anyway, I've been in a Trader Joe's only a few times and that was a while ago. What's the attraction?
Another corporate box to amuse consumers?
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They serve to make the traffic slow down, but I wish someone would shave a few inches off their height. 
