Tell Me about Charlotte, NC

[Guy Berger]

I am moving to Charlotte, NC during the summer to start a new job, once I finish my PhD dissertation. Is there anything I should know about the city? I am guessing that there isn't much of a jazz scene.

Guy

[rockefeller center]

[Shawn]

Seems like it's all suburbs with no city...

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

I lived in Greensboro for 6 yrs and only traipsed over to Charlotte one time to see The Dead at the Coliseum in '79..........so, ummmmm ......y'all have fun!!!

[sjarrell]

Charlotte has lots of bank offices, more public sculpture than the rest of NC, a swell funnybook convention every summer, the Panthers, the Bobcats, at least one really good soul food eatery, and almost nothing else to recommend it. It wants to be Atlanta. But it's not...

Edit: Summers are excruciatingly hot.

Edited February 23, 2007 by sjarrell

[Brownian Motion]

Lived there twenty-five years ago for almost a year. Souless City.

[jazzbo]

Shawn and impossible probably have things to contribute to this thread. (My guess? Not that positive.)

[kulu se mama]

guy,

if you don't mind my asking - what company will you be working for?

also, a friend of mine lived in charlotte from 1995 - 2001.

if you have not been there recently - you have not seen charlotte.

they are building a new city down there.

[Randy Twizzle]

I can't tell you anything about Charlotte, NC, but I can tell you something about Charlotte Rae:

She's really annoying.

[Chuck Nessa]

while most places are weirder than they first appear, Charlotte is about as bad it gets-- there is NO worse southern city. one good soul food place & what's the pop? wake me when there's applebees!! seriously, if someone is able to make it there it's bc they don't ask for much culture or can get it via kinky sex & beer-- which ain't to say those things are bad... Charlotte is like a bigger Des Moines w/a slighter diff accent, minus girls six-on-six basketball-- think about THAT. 10 Southern cities that blow Charlotte the fuck away, working our way south--

Richmond

Charlottesville (but it's expensive)

Winston-Salem

Chapel Hill/Durham

Lousiville

Lexington

Morganton

Nashville

Memphis

ATL

Athens

Tampa-St Pete

not even gonna get into Tejas...

hell, even Jacksonville beats ass on Charlotte & you have a more interesting landscapes too.

hope you LOVE the work Guy & git a good car bc yr gonna wanna use it.

wait-- wait-- pull over!! is that a Cracker Barrel?!?! BENNIGAN'S!!!!

there is some killa Carolina 'Cue, as as killa' as it gets (ain't no Texas or Georgia, tell you that, Son) but it ain't in Charlotte.

edc

And then the bad shit happens.

G'bye Guy.

[Chuck Nessa]

Screw the "above". You make your own world nomatter the location. You can expend energy to change surroundings (or not), but take care of yourself and family.

I have lived thru a ton of the above, made mistakes and hope my corrections work.

Good luck.

All of this depends on your personal goals.

[.:.impossible]

Guy, tell me where you are going to be living. I can give you the soul food and neighborhood pubs that you are looking for.

MANIFEST DISC AND TAPE. Used to be a Kroger. Starmont and South, if I'm not mistaken.

[ep1str0phy]

I wound up somewhere in the city, a little close to midnight, back in my early teens--my ride had gotten pulled over by the cops and was "in custody" the whole evening (a hispanic dude with a chin piercing; he had been hanging around a fountain waiting for us to meet him there--the cop took one look at his legitimate CA ID and declared that it was "fake"). Wound up having to take a Taxi back to wherever it was we came from, scared shitless by the sordid nightlife, drunken buffoonery, and (I kid you not) skinheads on bicycles. *shudders*

For what it's worth, some of the richer neighborhoods are really beautiful.

And our Taxi driver was a helluva nice guy (no generalizations regarding the locals here).

Edited February 24, 2007 by ep1str0phy

[Eric]

I have lived in the Raleigh area a couple times and have spent some time in Charlotte, but not enough to comment intimately on the city. I do know that the mountains are close and the beach is maybe 4-5 hours away. Winston and the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill) are not too far away. There are definitely worse places.

Edited February 24, 2007 by Eric

[Guy Berger]

Guy, tell me where you are going to be living. I can give you the soul food and neighborhood pubs that you are looking for.

I don't know where I'll be living -- probably somewhere near downtown. I'll PM you once I get closer to figuring that out.

Guy

[Dan Gould]

Charlotte has lots of bank offices, more public sculpture than the rest of NC, a swell funnybook convention every summer, the Panthers, the Bobcats, at least one really good soul food eatery, and almost nothing else to recommend it.

You forgot Ric Flair.

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

The good thing about Charlotte is that it's close to the SC border and the fireworks are alot better. There's a good motel in Bennetsville, SC that's good to hole up in if you get caught in a freak snowstorm (it happens!!) while on the prowl for fireworks. You'd be surprised how many Roman Candles you can fire off in a room over a weekend before the carpet starts to melt.

[Guy Berger]

Edit: Summers are excruciatingly hot.

Are they really that bad compared to say, NYC?

Guy

[Scott Dolan]

Charlotte has lots of bank offices, more public sculpture than the rest of NC, a swell funnybook convention every summer, the Panthers, the Bobcats, at least one really good soul food eatery, and almost nothing else to recommend it.

You forgot Ric Flair.

Thank you!

[Guy Berger]

but face the fucking troof, the hordes who go for corporate cube glass tower jobs are rarely stirring the pot in any way... obviously we can't "fight" that but do you have to join it? UNC/Charlotte is OK so maybe you can fine some simpatico people there-- is that yr gig or one of the other schools?

Actually, I'm selling out to corporate America. Enough of the academic life for me!

Guy

[DukeCity]

I don't know anything about the town, but a good friend of mine- fine saxophonist, Will Campbell recently took a teaching job at UNC-Charlotte, leading the jazz program there. I'm guessing he would know if there's anything happening around town.

[sjarrell]

Edit: Summers are excruciatingly hot.

Are they really that bad compared to say, NYC?

Guy

Well, there are trees and stuff to help keep it cool in NC. But we get long stretches where the heat index exceeds 105 F, and we still have summer (less brutal but still summer) in October. Brace yourself.

[.:.impossible]

well... hope it works out for you-- start a record label-- or a jazz society, i.e. bring musicians to town-- w/the $$$, or sponsor others!

This recording was made possible by the generous contributions of the Guy Organissimo Foundation

edc

Get in touch with George Scala.

[Guy Berger]

Edit: Summers are excruciatingly hot.

Are they really that bad compared to say, NYC?

Guy

Well, there are trees and stuff to help keep it cool in NC. But we get long stretches where the heat index exceeds 105 F, and we still have summer (less brutal but still summer) in October. Brace yourself.

Uggh. I take it the humidity is pretty nasty?

I guess the tradeoff is "cold winter" vs "nasty summer".

Fortunately, unlike Connecticut, I imagine every place is air-conditioned.

Guy

[Guy Berger]

I don't know anything about the town, but a good friend of mine- fine saxophonist, Will Campbell recently took a teaching job at UNC-Charlotte, leading the jazz program there. I'm guessing he would know if there's anything happening around town.

Well, then, it sounds like there will be some jazz out there.

Guy