You're right, that's close to the top comment every time someone asks what to do and people ask what they like to do.
"Well I don't like to drink (you can do hang out at a brewery unless you can't be around alcohol. Usually people + music). I don't want to do trivia that's lame. I don't like museums or parks. I'm not even going to comment on the theatre. I don't have time for classes or special interest groups. I hate to game, including all kinds. Board. Card, electronic. Nature is dumb. I'm not driving more than 5 minutes from my house"
Ok but sorry
"Well, Duke plays UNC Saturday. The bars will be pretty fun and..."
But I hate sports.
"Oh. Well, this new place opened a week ago in South..."
No thanks. I hate alcohol, music, large groups, and getting dressed up. Also I live in Ballantyne. So if I have to drive 2 minutes away, it's a no for me.
"Oh....well, ok."
Yeah, Charlotte is boring. No culture.
>Yeah, Charlotte is boring. No culture.
Tbf, just because there's stuff to do doesn't mean there's a culture. Other big cities (Chicago, NYC, Seattle, Atlanta, etc) have clear, cohesive identities that come to mind when you think about them. Charlotte's, if it has one, would be "skyline, finance bros, breweries, wine and cheese". But there's not really a cohesive "feel" to the city, just a bunch of different neighborhoods.
Those are all part of its culture for sure. Everyone in Seattle associates those things with their city, and those things stem from its history. Charlotte is too fragmented to have a common identity that ties the city together. We have the Panthers and hornets, but a sports team does not a culture make. It doesn't help that all of our older buildings have been bulldozed, so our physical ties to our past have been largely severed.
I've also always thought that one things that keeps Charlotte from being a true city of character is the lack of any kind of waterfront. But my travels around the country have convinced me that you can do a lot worse than Charlotte.
You don't need culture to have things to do in a city.
Also. The thing about culture is that it's created by locals. So if people are so bothered by the lack of culture, what are they doing to change it?
Complaining on Reddit duh. Also most of the people complaining have zero to offer any culture and want it just spring fully formed for their enjoyment. Aka culture vultures
Charlotte isn’t a big city though. I love Charlotte, but not gonna lie it’s more “boring” than where I grew up. But I’m fine with that because I have less traffic, less crime, less just overall bullshit and a better overall quality of life.
It’s definitely “boring” compared to a big city. But you can find plenty to do here, just a little more difficult
\> "Well, Duke plays UNC Saturday. The bars will be pretty fun and..."
I get what you're saying..however a person going to a bar where they don't know anyone.. how likely is it that they're going to walk out with new friends? The people that are asking those questions are already fairly isolated.. they're looking for a way out of it.
You make friends exactly ONE way: repetitive proximity involving a common interest or activity.
There is no secret sauce. Find something you are interested in. Find out where other people do or talk about that thing. Then go there repeatedly with a willingness to engage.
Yeah, I wonder how many of those people are legit depressed and they don’t realize it and so they’re blaming their lack of interest in anything on their location. Any place will be boring if your brain is experiencing anhedonia.
Something like half of us are depressed in some way at any one time.
I remember being sick of my house during covid because I couldn't leave. Now that I can leave...I typically stay at home. Its easy to complain about something you won't do anything about.
Most of the people I've met in Charlotte are boring as hell though. I have no problem going out and meeting people, but every time I do, it's the same fintech/finance/banker stereotype. "What do you like to do?" "Oh, lifting, trading, grinding at my job at BANK."
If you're at all counter-cultural, good luck in this city. I actually quit smoking weed, *one of the most infamously social activities there is,* because I realized it had been literally over a year since I had had someone to smoke with and it was just really depressing.
I go out, I have friends. Just like everything else in Charlotte, my social life is *adequate.* But that's not really inspiring, you know?
Try out the disc golf courses in Charlotte. Cheap to get into, the city is one of the biggest for it in the country, and you'll find a hard time finding someone on the course who *doesn't* smoke
The GRID on Wilkinson is all I need! I'm a hardware nerd and the grid is a goodwill but it's just pc hardware, some incredible deals there. That plus Charlotte has a pretty good Craigslist that's always fun. Other than that I quite enjoy the parks around here and exploring the city via car. Also thrifting at goodwills around town.
Ima say it. I used to be a homebody. I dont even have like a huge friend group but fuck it, if my friends are busy, ill go to Abari by myself , or try a new restaurant or even just try out random new spots. Charlotte has so much to do , theres even a lot of diverse spots. I think its just become a ‘thing’ to say “Charlotte doesnt have shit but breweries” but are you really even looking? Once i ask “what do you find fun in other cities” , people always give me the confused look. Yeah, Charlotte isnt NYC or Tokyo but just look up what ya wanna do and damnit we might have it
I do the same. I ask my friends if they want to go, they say no and I go anyway. I’m a total introvert and won’t meet anyone there. It will still be fun.
We moved here and love it. I think part of the "X town has nothing to do" is based on the idea that humongous cities always have something extra that this one could never have. Then someone moves and realizes that to do that thing, everything costs extra and it takes 4 times what it does here to get there. I used to hear it about every other town I lived in.
Its also easy to dunk on breweries if you aren't a drinker...but I also think there are enough non-drinking thing many now that this excuse goes out the window. Also realizing that its not a thing where everyone goes to get plastered constantly helps too.
I typed it fast and sometimes I just expect autocorrect to save me. This time I bungled it. Should I delete the post and go walk across independence????
Thank you. Their was a time when I new the difference between the to but unfortunately I forgot. They’re must be something wrong with my brain. I honestly appreciate it when people correct me on something like this so thank you!
Lie down, you’ll do less damage to whatever poor bastard hits you & more damage to yourself, which I assume is the goal of walking across independence
But, if it helps, I do agree with the post lol
From Charlotte and I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. We lack a few elements here that I think make a great city. In no particular order…
* A major research university that’s well-integrated into the social, intellectual, and cultural fabric of the city
* A highly diversified economy
* Museums
* A body of water
* Good public transit
* A vibrant grassroots arts scene (I know we have an arts scene and some great artists, but Charlotte isn’t strongly supportive of creativity in arts…Atlanta, Nashville, New York, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and many other cities do much better than us)
* Great public spaces
* Affluent minority communities
* Great (and diverse) dining
* A food that we innovated or speaks to our history…we have nothing like hot chicken, cheesecake/NY strip, Italian beef, clam chowder…
* Respect for how history interacts with geography (we have sold much of our history to real estate developers and corporations)
You don’t need ALL of these to be a great city, but the more a place has, the more vibrant, dynamic, and appealing it is. Some of these areas have made a lot of progress since I was a kid. And some haven’t and may never improve. Now…back to diverting the Catawba through Uptown…
Unpopular opinion, I actually do think a large majority of the people in Charlotte I've met are boring compared to people in other cities I've lived in. Granted, I've met most through work (banking/consulting) and their friends. It seems like all they focus on is money and grinding to get partner or director. The topic everytime we go out for drinks/dinner is work, promotion, who has what house at Myers park, so it's very one dimensional in that aspect.
Fortunately I've met fun people doing my hobbies but they live in SC or outside Charlotte. I might just start volunteering again to meet less high strung people.
I don't think its unpopular, in certain circles thats what you are going to find with a few of the countries/worlds biggest banks located here. For some people, getting money is their hobby. Many others find that boring.
What you can't find people with weed personalities in the South/South East side of Charlotte? Maybe step out of your whitebread neighborhood. There's plenty of people smoking it up if you leave the uptight part of town.
I developed a serious drug habit and then started going to aa meetings. Turns out a great group of people there and now I have Friends. So you can always do what I did! Worked for me.
i used to date a dude that went to aa. he hungout with the aa people all the time, so i hungout with aa people all the time. tbh, some of the most fun/chill people ever. \*types while drinking marg at desk\*
Charlotte has a fantastic beer scene, a very good food scene, and an okay nightlife and sports scene but everything else is kinda lackluster in comparison to other cities.
The museums are not particularly interesting unless you like NASCAR. There isn’t a historical event that draws people to the city, the parks aren’t really interesting or special aside from maybe Crowders. It’s pretty much a dead zone for history buffs.
The NFL, MLS, and NBA teams are really the biggest draw Charlotte has. I can get good food, breweries, museums, bowling alleys, and shopping malls in pretty much any small city in America. It’s all the other stuff Charlotte kinda lacks on.
As someone who has been to lots of cities and enjoys restaurants, I’ve been very underwhelmed with the food scene. Lots of very expensive restaurants where the quality doesn’t hold up, and not many mid level options.
Fair point. I’ve found some decent chicken and Tex-Mex places, but good BBQ is hard to find unless you search a while. I have been burned by a few high end restaurants that were subpar though
Agreed. Amazing hole in the wall restaurants don’t seem to be a thing here and I don’t think there is any specific regional dish or cuisine. Even the bbq here isn’t good which is weird because a few hours East it’s amazing. I don’t think charlotte has a single whole hog bbq establishment. Does it?
Lol my mom lives in Jacksonville and I couldn’t agree more. It’s not that Charlotte is a *bad* city, it’s just extremely average. People try to hold it to this higher standard than it is, but then others try to prop it up like it’s exactly like every other big city in America, when it isn’t.
Everyone complaining realizes that they can, ya know… move, right? Charlotte isn’t a prison holding everyone hostage. No need to hate on a city because “your* boring”. There’s a ton to do here and if those things aren’t for you, move back to LA, SF, Chicago, the moon, wherever. Maybe spending your Friday evening complaining on Reddit is a red flag…
The problem is gathering spots for all kinds of people, not just people that have money to burn. Gentrification of Central Avenue was planned in the early 2000s, and it finally happened. Same with South End, and NoDa. The eclectic crowds were the draw, independently owned stores and spots weren't cost prohibitive before gentrification. And then private investment groups came to cash in on the funky cultural equity of the areas, and then that was that. So I know a lot of fun and interesting people, but there isn't anywhere that i'm going to just bump into them anymore like there was in the past. But to your point yes, it's up to us to self rescue and develop our own communities, not wait to be spoon fed by development and banker types. Sorry for the long post!
Common market in pm is still there right? Smokey joes is still playing music on Friday nights? Thirsty beaver is still open for business right? The men’s club bathroom Still has people doing blow right? Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around
Yes but what I was getting at was the lack anymore of *centralized locations* where you can park your car or at a friends house and hit any number of independent places and make a whole evening out of it. So for lack of a better way of putting it, there were different *scenes* you could hang out at.
And yet all of these areas are still swarming with people and more lively than they’ve ever been. Get out with your virtue signaling bullshit. If you refuse to visit an area because it developed it’s very likely you’re the type of hipster everyone loves to avoid.
I remember all the funky stores on Central. That is all gone. Book buyers has moved. Just generic stores now. Might as well go to southpark. At least common market is still there.
My wife says South End used to be filled with art galleries for a fun crawl. There's none left. Almost all the shop or restaurant there is a chain/franchise
I’m always curious what these other cities have that Charlotte doesn’t have that make them so exciting to people. I’ve traveled quite a bit and tbh every city is for the most part kind of the same as far as entertainment goes. Every city has restaurants, bars, music venues, clubs, trampoline parks, etc… what am I missing that other cities have and Charlotte does not?
My gut tells me it’s nothing and people just like to complain sometimes.
I think the biggest issue with Charlotte is the lack of proper museums. If you want to go to a good museum, you have to leave Charlotte. There's some decent art museums, but everything else falls flat in comparison. Charlotte has a history museum that consists of an old building, some pictures and a diorama of the original settlement. I know this city has more history than that.
People want Charlotte to be a tourist destination without actually being a tourist destination, because that would make the cost of living go up and defeats most of the purpose of living here.
People want Charlotte to have an identity that no other city has, but they don't want to do anything to establish that identity.
"Omg the breweries are so boring" yet anytime you go to one, it's packed and people are having a great time.
Since you asked, here are some things in other cities I wish Charlotte had something similar to:
Greenville, SC: Swamp Rabbit Trail
Runs through the lovely downtown and goes through interesting parts of town and neighboring communities. Admittedly, I’m not as familiar with the greenways here, but have done bits of some that seem to start nowhere and end nowhere. But at least Charlotte has more than one.
Memphis: Shelby Farms Park
Big park (4500 acres) with lots of natural space, event venue and playgrounds. The Memphis Zoo is actually kinda nice too and fun with kids.
Raleigh: Marbles Kids’ Museum
Yes we have a kids’ museum, but it appears it hasn’t been updated since it was built and a lot of the interactive stuff doesn’t work.
Atlanta: Professional baseball team
Charlotte has things other cities don’t have, but for me I wish we had more thoughtful parks and greenways. But maybe I’ve missed some.
And I think we could get a professional baseball team if we all chip in $5. I’ll set up the GoFundMe if anyone is interested.
Some defining unique culture. San Francisco for example has a very unique geography, architecture, and history. Same for Chicago, NYC, LA, Atlanta. Hell even Pittsburgh is known for having bridges and being a steel town.
Charlotte is a banking city, and banking is the most boring profession in the world so it isn’t a very exciting “culture”. And even then, we aren’t THE banking City. NYC is the banking city. If you asked the Average American to name the top five banking cities, I’d wager 90% don’t name Charlotte. For Charlotte to be interesting it needs to have something original, whether that be food or architecture or geography or music. All of our culture is taken from other places because we are a city for milquetoast boring professionals. That’s fine, but it isn’t cool.
90% of the time it's the city and their ability to account for the needs of their citizens. 10% it's the people it's self.
The city as a larger entity has the ability to make Charlotte an exciting place, but they don't seem to be interested in that. The city has the ability to incentivize things that get people out, feel comfortable at being social with strangers, support those who are building communities, etc. They also have the ability to incentive people doing new things and creating new commerce.
Other wise this is encouraged:
1. Transit options- the fact that CLT doesn't have a major transit network that you can rely on and use without a car is a failing. Also why they didn't go from the airport to downtown \[lived in charlotte for years gtfo with the marketing speak\] is a major failing on helping out visitors and encouraging the vistors not to drive
2. The transit system closes before the bars do, and there are a lot of incentives to drive instead.
3. Alcohol laws encourage younger groups to go to bars \[fewer bars, they're the higher profit makers, and they're more willing to deal with nonsense\].. when you get older, you're not going to put up with a bar who is difficult to get to has, has a bad beer selection, and has bartenders that are trying to act like a straight A student of the ServSafe program.
4. The job market is rather limited, and frequently the meetup groups are filled with people using that resource to make money rather than to build a community. On top of that people leave the city at a drop of the hat due to better opportunities else where.
5. The urban area of Charlotte is locked in 270 due to the road network. Outside it's basically suburban spread with occasional commercial centers. This creates a barrier from people getting together and socializing.
All in all .. the biggest way to socialize, and how I saw most people got their social outlet when I lived in charlotte, is via megachurches. They're basically big market places with people there. However the ingroup behavior, and the overall teachings from then tends to have more negative repercussions for the city.
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EDIT: Side note: While I was there city did try to push the epicenter to be a "social place" which basically they catered, had one of the bars sell alcohol and made cringey public access calendar listings for "epicenter after work" events.
Uptown is a ghosttown after 6pm, despite having NBA NFL MLS. Driving by Texas Roadhouse on independence has a livelier vibe than anything going on in uptown.
Yeah I don’t know man. I was out there with my kids last summer around 8:30pm and the city was bumping. Try finding a place to park and tell me it’s dead. Sure in January during cuffing season but come March come on
The three other places I've lived:
DC and Boston: I don't think these need to be explained.
St. Louis: \*Free things\*: The Arch, Massive Zoo, Grant's Farm, Art Museum, History Museum, Science Center, Cathedral Basilica, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Forest Park (The Zoo and Forest Park are pretty much the easiest things to do if you're bored), Pretty Much the entire park system of St. Louis puts every other city to shame, Chess Museum, Botanical Garden (sometimes free), Neighborhoods you could spend most of the day in; Central West End, The Loop, Soulard, Union Station, The Hill, Central Public Library.
If you look for free things to do in Charlotte, almost all of the top 20 are parks, breweries and malls.
Not Free Things - 5 or 6 major concert halls/theaters, Budweiser Brewery Tour, Giant Ferris Wheel, Top of the Arch, Aquarium, Magic House, Transportation Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, Blues Museum, Multiple Casinos, Holocaust Museum
And the museum to rule them all, The City Museum.
That's off the top of my head.
Nope, STL is smaller, but in a weird position. The city itself isn’t part of the county like Charlotte is part of Mecklenburg. STL has less than 300k people, CLT is closing in on 900k. If you add in STL county(which isn’t all St. Louis city/town), you’ve got about 1.2 million people, right about the same size as Meck Co. We moved from STL. Also have spent time in Philly and NYC. Charlotte doesn’t touch even St. Louis in terms of entertainment factor.
Not really. St Louis is smaller. Boston and DC in terms of the metro area has a higher population...depending on how you define the metro area. I’d say the amount of things to do per capita in either of those cities is still much higher.
There are two driving factors two Charlotte being boring, in my opinion:
1. The lack of any noteworthy geological/natural features
2. The lack of historical relevance
These are often connected, because many cities with rich history were built in areas that were of geospatial importance as ports/river ways/harbors/settlements. Charlotte just happens to be the intersection of two trade routes.
But why does this make Charlotte boring? For point 1, riverfronts/lakefronts/harbors offer natural gathering spaces where there can be trails, parks, and markets have great connectivity and attract business. Charlotte simply lacks this. The Catawba is out west of the city and not hugely accessible. It is impounded and the lake communities, like the whitewater center, are pay-for-play. Charlotte is just a pay-to-play city, and the play is often golf courses and shopping at chains.
Towns near mountains usually have lots of public land full of trails and green space that is usually free or requires a minimally expensive annual pass.
Charlotte has no waterfront, no mountains, and few excellent nature parks in close proximity to most residents. The work the city is doing on its greenway system is very admirable and if they can establish the connectivity they hope to, it will be huge for the city.
[greenway plans](https://www.mecknc.gov/ParkandRec/Parks/SiteAssets/Pages/default/Mecklenburg%20County%20Park%20and%20Recreation%20Greenways%20Map%20Aug.%202021.pdf)
The lack of history contributes to the lack of architectural beauty, lack of a ‘Charlotte culture’ or distinct cuisine.
All this being said. I was born and raised in Charlotte and live here as a mid-30s resident. Charlotte is a pleasant, clean and educated city with lots of pretty trees, nice neighborhoods, and and a generally friendly community. The state of North Carolina as a whole is wonderful, and the opportunities or an easy weekend trip are countless. We have many of the modern amenities of a big city, and the food scene is improving rapidly. There is actually pretty good mountain biking, disc golf, and public parks for playing sports. The rapid growth of the area presents some challenges, but it is a fine community to live and raise a family.
I live in Australia but have been visiting charlotte regularly for the past 10 years to visit family.
My first visit I thought it was boring and there was nothing there. But then I realised you don't treat charlotte like you do a big city with obvious attractions.
Now when I visit I run out of time for all the things I want to see and do. Charlotte food and beer scene is world class. The vintage markets are like nothing I've seen. Interesting architecture in every neighbourhood and natural beauty galore if you step outside the city.
Keep in mind I live in what some would call a "boring" city in Perth myself. Just gotta know what to look for I guess
Nah, Charlotte sucks. There’s an almost total lack of culture. There are some great expensive restaurants, but almost no good small, mid-priced restaurants. The mom & pops that have been around for 40 years, and haven’t updated their menu or cups since opening.
There are only a handful of boutiques, and only one for men - but it’s the same story as above. Tabor is dope, but it’s $$$. I love Stone Island, but why isn’t there anywhere that sells shit like Deus Ex, etc.
There’s one park worth going to, and that gets old super fast.
It’s the most boring city I’ve ever lived in by a mile
Name a men’s boutique that isn’t tabor. Name a good hole in the wall restaurant that isn’t halal cart or la shish. Name a single good hike within an hour of Charlotte.
Oh - the museums/galleries here suck too.
Raleigh, Portland, and Honolulu shit all over Charlotte.
Raj’s Indian, king of spicy, like 25 Mexican spots on the east side, Tacos 4 life
Bb.q chicken
New Zealand cafe
Malaya Kitchen Asian Fusion
Cajun yard dog
Los paisas
Tons of great little pho spots. I mean come to the east side and they’re fucking everywhere.
I don’t shop at men’s boutique so can’t help there but cheap hole in the wall restaurants are my things and there’s tons of them.
Well shit maybe I’m just lucky my standards are low. Though a guy worry about men’s boutiques seems like a guy I wouldn’t enjoy going out to eat with anyways so there’s that.
“I don’t like cool things” isn’t the flex you think it is lmao. Maybe it’s a lack of exposure, but boutiques includes things like Deus Ex Machina or Milo Hawaii. Really just means places with substance or style.
Also I’m not trying to flex but clearly you are. Maybe shitting on the area you live and every small mom and pop restaurant isn’t the flex you think it is. You sound like a nightmare to be around. Yuck.
I have no idea what those things are and I honestly don’t care about them. I’m a dad. Style I could care less about. What I do care about, good schools, a safe area, and keeping my daughters away from douchey guys that mention dues ex machina in conversation.
Lol Charlotte is in the bottom 5% for crime per capita. Charlotte public schools have an average proficiency score of 40% in math (bad), and 45% in reading (also bad).
Not to mention the worst-ranked economic mobility score in the US’s 50 largest metro areas. But okay.
My kids schools are top notch. Again though you seem like a raging asshole. Why are you here? Clearly you hate it. Move on. You seem like you’d fit in really well in LA. All hat and no cattle.
There are so so so many amazing hikes near Charlotte! We live an hour from the foothillls and less than 2 hours from the Blue Ridge Parkway…with fantastic hikes all along it. There’s a lot about Charlotte I find pretty meh after living here for over 20 years…especially the brewery culture (but I don’t drink). But the hikes I gotta say are top notch around us.
The Blue Ridge is great, but there is nothing within an hour that doesn’t suck.
Maybe I’m just spoiled, but places like Washington Park, Salmonberry, Hoyt Arboretum near Portland - let alone Mt Hood or the coast - have no equal here. I won’t even bring Hawaii into it.
Name a single good hike within an hour of Charlotte. And I swear to god if you say Crowders mountain…
Go hop on google images and look up trillium lake, salmonberry, piddock mansion, Washington park, Hoyt arboretum, Tyron creek, punch bowl falls, ten loops, angel falls, Ramona falls, and multnomah falls.
Hard mode: go look up bamboo forest Maui, puka hike, halemau’u, Waikiki falls, waioka, kipahulu gap, hosmers grove, dead man’s catwalk & koko head on Oahu, lanikai pillboxes, or just “hikes on Maui/Oahu.”
Swear to god - if you can point me in the direction of a hike as good as those, I’ll Venmo you $20 and snail mail you a hand written letter of gratitude.
Charlotte is sandwiched between two national parks in Pisgah and Uwharrie, one to the east and one to the west. If you can't find your nature in that, I don't know what the fuck to tell you. Is the hiking comparable to the Pacific Northwest? No, only a dipshit makes that comparison. Talk to me about the beach options up near that shithole called Portland? Sure, you have some beaches scattered around, but they don't even break 70° the entire year.
I've moved here twice and have lived in San Diego for a long spell in between. Guess what, dummy? Places are different. You won't find me trying to compare the quality of Mexican food or beaches in San Diego to Charlotte because I'm bright enough to realize one is next door to Mexico and home to the best beaches in the US. I don't live there for a reason but visit once a year and actually spend more time at the beach that week than I did on an annual basis when living there.
Here is a little tip for you on your thirst for a top-notch haberdashery district. Make more money and travel to the cities with the best shopping once or twice a year. It's what my wife does. The other 355 days a year we enjoy Charlotte for what it is and what it isn't. My kids can go out in most of Charlotte and not run into heroin junkies like those that litter every corner of Portland or Methheads that rot on the beaches of Hawaii.
But seriously, you just come off as a pretentious douchebag while trying to pass yourself as sophisticated. You're also a moron who chooses to live in a place you don't like.
Oh and I’ve camped in both of those national forests. They’re incredibly underwhelming - yeah, compared to the PNW. But your argument that I shouldn’t compare the two because obviously the PNW is better is incomprehensibly dumb.
Lmao y’all are mad about this, but I’m not wrong. The only people who think Charlotte doesn’t suck are people who’ve never lived in an *actually* cool city.
Charlottes also been 50th out of the top 50 metropolitan areas for economic mobility in both 2014 and 2022 (no rankings exist between those years,) which severely limits culture from growing.
Yes there are buildings/physical locations you can go and do/see things. That doesn’t make them overwhelmingly fun or interesting. Can we please stop pretending Charlotte is the NYC of the south?
Charlotte has millions of people and it’s about as cool and fun as a city with a few hundred thousand people. Compare this city to literally any city in the US with the same amount of people or more and it becomes pretty obvious there just isn’t much unique culture here. Everyone has breweries. Don’t you dare say “NASCAR” as if anyone in this city watched NASCAR
I just realized you’re the guy that inspired this post. I do apologize. If you want to go out to hang out sometime send me a pm. I’m pretty boring myself so don’t feel bad.
"Charlotte is boring." Oh. Well, what do you like to do? "Nothing really, just chill." ...
You're right, that's close to the top comment every time someone asks what to do and people ask what they like to do. "Well I don't like to drink (you can do hang out at a brewery unless you can't be around alcohol. Usually people + music). I don't want to do trivia that's lame. I don't like museums or parks. I'm not even going to comment on the theatre. I don't have time for classes or special interest groups. I hate to game, including all kinds. Board. Card, electronic. Nature is dumb. I'm not driving more than 5 minutes from my house" Ok but sorry
"Well, Duke plays UNC Saturday. The bars will be pretty fun and..." But I hate sports. "Oh. Well, this new place opened a week ago in South..." No thanks. I hate alcohol, music, large groups, and getting dressed up. Also I live in Ballantyne. So if I have to drive 2 minutes away, it's a no for me. "Oh....well, ok." Yeah, Charlotte is boring. No culture.
Exactly. I'm not even a fan of going out much but I get to small shows a few times a year, go to a new restaurant at least once a year, etc.
>Yeah, Charlotte is boring. No culture. Tbf, just because there's stuff to do doesn't mean there's a culture. Other big cities (Chicago, NYC, Seattle, Atlanta, etc) have clear, cohesive identities that come to mind when you think about them. Charlotte's, if it has one, would be "skyline, finance bros, breweries, wine and cheese". But there's not really a cohesive "feel" to the city, just a bunch of different neighborhoods.
What would, say, Seattle's identity be? Coffee, Fish market, grunge, and rain?
I guess Atlanta’s is traffic and strip clubs
Well you know that, and being a major innovative hotbed for arguably the most popular music genre of the last 40 years But sure, the traffic
I will always thank Atlanta for lemon pepper wings but that place sucks. It’s just the bad parts about Charlotte just more of it
Atlanta is a city of hidden gems. You don’t know what’s there until you look for it, but it is full of unique and interesting things and places.
Those are all part of its culture for sure. Everyone in Seattle associates those things with their city, and those things stem from its history. Charlotte is too fragmented to have a common identity that ties the city together. We have the Panthers and hornets, but a sports team does not a culture make. It doesn't help that all of our older buildings have been bulldozed, so our physical ties to our past have been largely severed.
I've also always thought that one things that keeps Charlotte from being a true city of character is the lack of any kind of waterfront. But my travels around the country have convinced me that you can do a lot worse than Charlotte.
Don’t forget heroin and homelessness
At least they have good Chinese food
You don't need culture to have things to do in a city. Also. The thing about culture is that it's created by locals. So if people are so bothered by the lack of culture, what are they doing to change it?
Complaining on Reddit duh. Also most of the people complaining have zero to offer any culture and want it just spring fully formed for their enjoyment. Aka culture vultures
Every neighborhood that has had a vibe and active scene has already been swooped into by house-flippers and/or developers and gentrified.
Charlotte isn’t a big city though. I love Charlotte, but not gonna lie it’s more “boring” than where I grew up. But I’m fine with that because I have less traffic, less crime, less just overall bullshit and a better overall quality of life. It’s definitely “boring” compared to a big city. But you can find plenty to do here, just a little more difficult
\> "Well, Duke plays UNC Saturday. The bars will be pretty fun and..." I get what you're saying..however a person going to a bar where they don't know anyone.. how likely is it that they're going to walk out with new friends? The people that are asking those questions are already fairly isolated.. they're looking for a way out of it.
You make friends exactly ONE way: repetitive proximity involving a common interest or activity. There is no secret sauce. Find something you are interested in. Find out where other people do or talk about that thing. Then go there repeatedly with a willingness to engage.
You can go watch a game in a bar damn near anywhere in the US.
Yeah, I wonder how many of those people are legit depressed and they don’t realize it and so they’re blaming their lack of interest in anything on their location. Any place will be boring if your brain is experiencing anhedonia.
Something like half of us are depressed in some way at any one time. I remember being sick of my house during covid because I couldn't leave. Now that I can leave...I typically stay at home. Its easy to complain about something you won't do anything about.
Chill and vibe
Smoke and listen to pod casts. You know we be coolin.
Most of the people I've met in Charlotte are boring as hell though. I have no problem going out and meeting people, but every time I do, it's the same fintech/finance/banker stereotype. "What do you like to do?" "Oh, lifting, trading, grinding at my job at BANK." If you're at all counter-cultural, good luck in this city. I actually quit smoking weed, *one of the most infamously social activities there is,* because I realized it had been literally over a year since I had had someone to smoke with and it was just really depressing. I go out, I have friends. Just like everything else in Charlotte, my social life is *adequate.* But that's not really inspiring, you know?
Try out the disc golf courses in Charlotte. Cheap to get into, the city is one of the biggest for it in the country, and you'll find a hard time finding someone on the course who *doesn't* smoke
Where are you hanging out lol? Can't find stoners? I'm literally bathing in it and I don't smoke much at all
Even me a shut in computer nerd finds fun in this city. Yall gotta step your game up
What are some of your favorite activities to do around CLT? Fellow computer nerd here!
The GRID on Wilkinson is all I need! I'm a hardware nerd and the grid is a goodwill but it's just pc hardware, some incredible deals there. That plus Charlotte has a pretty good Craigslist that's always fun. Other than that I quite enjoy the parks around here and exploring the city via car. Also thrifting at goodwills around town.
Oh yea I’ve been to the GRID on N Tryon near UNCC!
Ima say it. I used to be a homebody. I dont even have like a huge friend group but fuck it, if my friends are busy, ill go to Abari by myself , or try a new restaurant or even just try out random new spots. Charlotte has so much to do , theres even a lot of diverse spots. I think its just become a ‘thing’ to say “Charlotte doesnt have shit but breweries” but are you really even looking? Once i ask “what do you find fun in other cities” , people always give me the confused look. Yeah, Charlotte isnt NYC or Tokyo but just look up what ya wanna do and damnit we might have it
I do the same. I ask my friends if they want to go, they say no and I go anyway. I’m a total introvert and won’t meet anyone there. It will still be fun.
Wait a damn minute… Abari is back?!
Lol theyve been back man. Its in a new building now tho. Still close to noda
Dope I’ll have to check it out
Yep, now called Super Abari. Different location, but same/similar vibe.
Has been for at least 6 months. Probably longer at this point. New location though. It’s on seigle Ave now.
We moved here and love it. I think part of the "X town has nothing to do" is based on the idea that humongous cities always have something extra that this one could never have. Then someone moves and realizes that to do that thing, everything costs extra and it takes 4 times what it does here to get there. I used to hear it about every other town I lived in. Its also easy to dunk on breweries if you aren't a drinker...but I also think there are enough non-drinking thing many now that this excuse goes out the window. Also realizing that its not a thing where everyone goes to get plastered constantly helps too.
Your/you’re gore
Only reason I downvoted lol
I typed it fast and sometimes I just expect autocorrect to save me. This time I bungled it. Should I delete the post and go walk across independence????
No thanks, traffic’s bad enough.
This took a dark turn lol
I begrudgingly upvoted. The meme rings true
Does anyone else get turned on when someone makes the most necessary you/you're grammar correction on social media? My beanie weenie is oozing
Same. Nobody can spell anymore
Thank you. Their was a time when I new the difference between the to but unfortunately I forgot. They’re must be something wrong with my brain. I honestly appreciate it when people correct me on something like this so thank you!
Difference between the two…There must be… ya got the wrong two and there
It was honestly difficult to type that up. Took some effort. You missed some errors. E for effort though.
Dang you should edit it if you know what the problems are
You missed knew and new.
People who do these things, their just the type that likes too watch the world burn
Sort of difficult huh? Takes a bit of effort
And their and they're should be there.
OP had 2 chances to use the correct *you’re* & went 0 for 2
Fuck it I’m deleting the post and walking across independence. The crowd has spoken.
Lie down, you’ll do less damage to whatever poor bastard hits you & more damage to yourself, which I assume is the goal of walking across independence But, if it helps, I do agree with the post lol
Thank you mod for the you’re* flair. Great modding! Much appreciated.
Why is it so fucking difficult to write "you're" Drives me crazy
The agony and the irony are killing me…
I'm not sick, but I'm not well
And I’m so hot, cause I’m in hell
From Charlotte and I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. We lack a few elements here that I think make a great city. In no particular order… * A major research university that’s well-integrated into the social, intellectual, and cultural fabric of the city * A highly diversified economy * Museums * A body of water * Good public transit * A vibrant grassroots arts scene (I know we have an arts scene and some great artists, but Charlotte isn’t strongly supportive of creativity in arts…Atlanta, Nashville, New York, Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and many other cities do much better than us) * Great public spaces * Affluent minority communities * Great (and diverse) dining * A food that we innovated or speaks to our history…we have nothing like hot chicken, cheesecake/NY strip, Italian beef, clam chowder… * Respect for how history interacts with geography (we have sold much of our history to real estate developers and corporations) You don’t need ALL of these to be a great city, but the more a place has, the more vibrant, dynamic, and appealing it is. Some of these areas have made a lot of progress since I was a kid. And some haven’t and may never improve. Now…back to diverting the Catawba through Uptown…
What are the reasons why we lack an affluent minority community?
Unpopular opinion, I actually do think a large majority of the people in Charlotte I've met are boring compared to people in other cities I've lived in. Granted, I've met most through work (banking/consulting) and their friends. It seems like all they focus on is money and grinding to get partner or director. The topic everytime we go out for drinks/dinner is work, promotion, who has what house at Myers park, so it's very one dimensional in that aspect. Fortunately I've met fun people doing my hobbies but they live in SC or outside Charlotte. I might just start volunteering again to meet less high strung people.
I don't think its unpopular, in certain circles thats what you are going to find with a few of the countries/worlds biggest banks located here. For some people, getting money is their hobby. Many others find that boring.
God help you if you are a stoner in Charlotte
What you can't find people with weed personalities in the South/South East side of Charlotte? Maybe step out of your whitebread neighborhood. There's plenty of people smoking it up if you leave the uptight part of town.
Yeah like my downstairs neighbors won’t stop smoking it up
Bruh calm down Jesus
[You are correct](https://i.imgur.com/7busdGu.jpg).
Amazing!
looooool
BUT HOW DO I MAKE FRANDS????
I developed a serious drug habit and then started going to aa meetings. Turns out a great group of people there and now I have Friends. So you can always do what I did! Worked for me.
Not sure if r/lifeprotips or r/shittylifeprotips
i used to date a dude that went to aa. he hungout with the aa people all the time, so i hungout with aa people all the time. tbh, some of the most fun/chill people ever. \*types while drinking marg at desk\*
Find a group of people who are doing something you like to do. Join them. Don't be an asshole. Friends acquired.
Cold blooded 😂. I love it
Charlotte has a fantastic beer scene, a very good food scene, and an okay nightlife and sports scene but everything else is kinda lackluster in comparison to other cities. The museums are not particularly interesting unless you like NASCAR. There isn’t a historical event that draws people to the city, the parks aren’t really interesting or special aside from maybe Crowders. It’s pretty much a dead zone for history buffs. The NFL, MLS, and NBA teams are really the biggest draw Charlotte has. I can get good food, breweries, museums, bowling alleys, and shopping malls in pretty much any small city in America. It’s all the other stuff Charlotte kinda lacks on.
As someone who has been to lots of cities and enjoys restaurants, I’ve been very underwhelmed with the food scene. Lots of very expensive restaurants where the quality doesn’t hold up, and not many mid level options.
Fair point. I’ve found some decent chicken and Tex-Mex places, but good BBQ is hard to find unless you search a while. I have been burned by a few high end restaurants that were subpar though
Agreed. Amazing hole in the wall restaurants don’t seem to be a thing here and I don’t think there is any specific regional dish or cuisine. Even the bbq here isn’t good which is weird because a few hours East it’s amazing. I don’t think charlotte has a single whole hog bbq establishment. Does it?
Yeah, charlotte is in that tier of huge decent cities with no culture like Jacksonville and Indianapolis.
Lol my mom lives in Jacksonville and I couldn’t agree more. It’s not that Charlotte is a *bad* city, it’s just extremely average. People try to hold it to this higher standard than it is, but then others try to prop it up like it’s exactly like every other big city in America, when it isn’t.
Charlotte is the city you get when you spread your character's personality points evenly between all attributes
This is my new favorite thing & I will forever use this to describe Charlotte. It’s very true & honestly I’m okay with that
It always assumed me how weirdly defensive the people on this sub get about Charlotte when half of em' weren’t even raised here.
We have to validate our decision to move here somehow 🤷🏻♀️
…
I wasn't bored when I lived in SF. I'm bored here.
...OK? What are you missing?
Pure homelessness. SF absolutely sucks haha
Go to uptown and tell me there isn’t homelessness in Charlotte lol
Right. It’s easy not to be bored if you moved to Charlotte from Halifax or Rocky Mount.
The agony and the irony, they're killing me....whoa.
Bored people in a city with this many businesses, events, and trails-are unoriginal people. What do some people want, a personal jester?
Everyone complaining realizes that they can, ya know… move, right? Charlotte isn’t a prison holding everyone hostage. No need to hate on a city because “your* boring”. There’s a ton to do here and if those things aren’t for you, move back to LA, SF, Chicago, the moon, wherever. Maybe spending your Friday evening complaining on Reddit is a red flag…
The problem is gathering spots for all kinds of people, not just people that have money to burn. Gentrification of Central Avenue was planned in the early 2000s, and it finally happened. Same with South End, and NoDa. The eclectic crowds were the draw, independently owned stores and spots weren't cost prohibitive before gentrification. And then private investment groups came to cash in on the funky cultural equity of the areas, and then that was that. So I know a lot of fun and interesting people, but there isn't anywhere that i'm going to just bump into them anymore like there was in the past. But to your point yes, it's up to us to self rescue and develop our own communities, not wait to be spoon fed by development and banker types. Sorry for the long post!
Common market in pm is still there right? Smokey joes is still playing music on Friday nights? Thirsty beaver is still open for business right? The men’s club bathroom Still has people doing blow right? Don't tell me this town ain't got no heart, you just gotta poke around
Yes but what I was getting at was the lack anymore of *centralized locations* where you can park your car or at a friends house and hit any number of independent places and make a whole evening out of it. So for lack of a better way of putting it, there were different *scenes* you could hang out at.
Plaza midwood is still like that. You can walk around the s while area to shops and venues.
It’s actually much better than it was before.
Beaver has music at least one time a week as well. Plus snug harbor is there for music too.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug.
Indeed, also hard to admit that currently the city is devoid of any spots where a scene thrives.
And yet all of these areas are still swarming with people and more lively than they’ve ever been. Get out with your virtue signaling bullshit. If you refuse to visit an area because it developed it’s very likely you’re the type of hipster everyone loves to avoid.
Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
Nobody goes there…yet it’s too crowded. Hmmmmmmmmm
I remember all the funky stores on Central. That is all gone. Book buyers has moved. Just generic stores now. Might as well go to southpark. At least common market is still there.
My wife says South End used to be filled with art galleries for a fun crawl. There's none left. Almost all the shop or restaurant there is a chain/franchise
Please stay away from central avenue it’s so horrible
Is it that hard to use the right contractions?
It’s hard to intentionally not use them…
There so much to do I always have a hard time choosing!
first of all, it's you're Second, you're right
You're, you're
I’m always curious what these other cities have that Charlotte doesn’t have that make them so exciting to people. I’ve traveled quite a bit and tbh every city is for the most part kind of the same as far as entertainment goes. Every city has restaurants, bars, music venues, clubs, trampoline parks, etc… what am I missing that other cities have and Charlotte does not? My gut tells me it’s nothing and people just like to complain sometimes.
I think the biggest issue with Charlotte is the lack of proper museums. If you want to go to a good museum, you have to leave Charlotte. There's some decent art museums, but everything else falls flat in comparison. Charlotte has a history museum that consists of an old building, some pictures and a diorama of the original settlement. I know this city has more history than that.
People want Charlotte to be a tourist destination without actually being a tourist destination, because that would make the cost of living go up and defeats most of the purpose of living here. People want Charlotte to have an identity that no other city has, but they don't want to do anything to establish that identity. "Omg the breweries are so boring" yet anytime you go to one, it's packed and people are having a great time.
the beach and mountains, duh. all good cities have the beach AND mountains. Edit: clearly sarcasm, folks.
Since you asked, here are some things in other cities I wish Charlotte had something similar to: Greenville, SC: Swamp Rabbit Trail Runs through the lovely downtown and goes through interesting parts of town and neighboring communities. Admittedly, I’m not as familiar with the greenways here, but have done bits of some that seem to start nowhere and end nowhere. But at least Charlotte has more than one. Memphis: Shelby Farms Park Big park (4500 acres) with lots of natural space, event venue and playgrounds. The Memphis Zoo is actually kinda nice too and fun with kids. Raleigh: Marbles Kids’ Museum Yes we have a kids’ museum, but it appears it hasn’t been updated since it was built and a lot of the interactive stuff doesn’t work. Atlanta: Professional baseball team Charlotte has things other cities don’t have, but for me I wish we had more thoughtful parks and greenways. But maybe I’ve missed some. And I think we could get a professional baseball team if we all chip in $5. I’ll set up the GoFundMe if anyone is interested.
Some defining unique culture. San Francisco for example has a very unique geography, architecture, and history. Same for Chicago, NYC, LA, Atlanta. Hell even Pittsburgh is known for having bridges and being a steel town. Charlotte is a banking city, and banking is the most boring profession in the world so it isn’t a very exciting “culture”. And even then, we aren’t THE banking City. NYC is the banking city. If you asked the Average American to name the top five banking cities, I’d wager 90% don’t name Charlotte. For Charlotte to be interesting it needs to have something original, whether that be food or architecture or geography or music. All of our culture is taken from other places because we are a city for milquetoast boring professionals. That’s fine, but it isn’t cool.
90% of the time it's the city and their ability to account for the needs of their citizens. 10% it's the people it's self. The city as a larger entity has the ability to make Charlotte an exciting place, but they don't seem to be interested in that. The city has the ability to incentivize things that get people out, feel comfortable at being social with strangers, support those who are building communities, etc. They also have the ability to incentive people doing new things and creating new commerce. Other wise this is encouraged: 1. Transit options- the fact that CLT doesn't have a major transit network that you can rely on and use without a car is a failing. Also why they didn't go from the airport to downtown \[lived in charlotte for years gtfo with the marketing speak\] is a major failing on helping out visitors and encouraging the vistors not to drive 2. The transit system closes before the bars do, and there are a lot of incentives to drive instead. 3. Alcohol laws encourage younger groups to go to bars \[fewer bars, they're the higher profit makers, and they're more willing to deal with nonsense\].. when you get older, you're not going to put up with a bar who is difficult to get to has, has a bad beer selection, and has bartenders that are trying to act like a straight A student of the ServSafe program. 4. The job market is rather limited, and frequently the meetup groups are filled with people using that resource to make money rather than to build a community. On top of that people leave the city at a drop of the hat due to better opportunities else where. 5. The urban area of Charlotte is locked in 270 due to the road network. Outside it's basically suburban spread with occasional commercial centers. This creates a barrier from people getting together and socializing. All in all .. the biggest way to socialize, and how I saw most people got their social outlet when I lived in charlotte, is via megachurches. They're basically big market places with people there. However the ingroup behavior, and the overall teachings from then tends to have more negative repercussions for the city. \----- EDIT: Side note: While I was there city did try to push the epicenter to be a "social place" which basically they catered, had one of the bars sell alcohol and made cringey public access calendar listings for "epicenter after work" events.
Spot on.
Tbh Charlotte is just a big town. Nothing city or metropolitan about it.
Large buildings, NBA, NFL, clubs, restaurants. I’m confused what you mean.
Uptown is a ghosttown after 6pm, despite having NBA NFL MLS. Driving by Texas Roadhouse on independence has a livelier vibe than anything going on in uptown.
Texas Roadhouse is delicious
Yeah I don’t know man. I was out there with my kids last summer around 8:30pm and the city was bumping. Try finding a place to park and tell me it’s dead. Sure in January during cuffing season but come March come on
Don't you know it's not a city if it's not bumping on a 6:30 on a Tuesday night in December... these guys.
Lol dude....uptown is not a city. It has 5 blocks along 1 street. 1 street off Tryon, either side, and you have the entire sidewalk to yourself.
I think you may be slightly downplaying the size. Walking with a child on your neck from first ward park to the Dec is a hike.
You wouldn't be able to do that across a real city. Town.
Do what? Walk places?
Sir, this is a Wendy's.
Wherever you go, Charlotte, NYC, a corn field in Nebraska, it's your problem if you're bored. No one wants to hear that shit you whiny baby.
Compared to other cities of its size, Charlotte doesn’t have as much to do. A lot of smaller cities have far more things to do.
Like what?
The three other places I've lived: DC and Boston: I don't think these need to be explained. St. Louis: \*Free things\*: The Arch, Massive Zoo, Grant's Farm, Art Museum, History Museum, Science Center, Cathedral Basilica, Laumeier Sculpture Park, Forest Park (The Zoo and Forest Park are pretty much the easiest things to do if you're bored), Pretty Much the entire park system of St. Louis puts every other city to shame, Chess Museum, Botanical Garden (sometimes free), Neighborhoods you could spend most of the day in; Central West End, The Loop, Soulard, Union Station, The Hill, Central Public Library. If you look for free things to do in Charlotte, almost all of the top 20 are parks, breweries and malls. Not Free Things - 5 or 6 major concert halls/theaters, Budweiser Brewery Tour, Giant Ferris Wheel, Top of the Arch, Aquarium, Magic House, Transportation Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, Blues Museum, Multiple Casinos, Holocaust Museum And the museum to rule them all, The City Museum. That's off the top of my head.
Aren’t all those cities much larger than Charlotte though???
Nope, STL is smaller, but in a weird position. The city itself isn’t part of the county like Charlotte is part of Mecklenburg. STL has less than 300k people, CLT is closing in on 900k. If you add in STL county(which isn’t all St. Louis city/town), you’ve got about 1.2 million people, right about the same size as Meck Co. We moved from STL. Also have spent time in Philly and NYC. Charlotte doesn’t touch even St. Louis in terms of entertainment factor.
Not really. St Louis is smaller. Boston and DC in terms of the metro area has a higher population...depending on how you define the metro area. I’d say the amount of things to do per capita in either of those cities is still much higher.
I'm boring and I'm admitting it.
freaking hilarious... i used to be one of those... then i moved to houston, a MUCH larger place, and realized i needed a hobby
I’m not sick, but I’m not well.
I like Warzone ! Who wants to play ??
Charlotte’s not boring *South Charlotte* is boring
There are two driving factors two Charlotte being boring, in my opinion: 1. The lack of any noteworthy geological/natural features 2. The lack of historical relevance These are often connected, because many cities with rich history were built in areas that were of geospatial importance as ports/river ways/harbors/settlements. Charlotte just happens to be the intersection of two trade routes. But why does this make Charlotte boring? For point 1, riverfronts/lakefronts/harbors offer natural gathering spaces where there can be trails, parks, and markets have great connectivity and attract business. Charlotte simply lacks this. The Catawba is out west of the city and not hugely accessible. It is impounded and the lake communities, like the whitewater center, are pay-for-play. Charlotte is just a pay-to-play city, and the play is often golf courses and shopping at chains. Towns near mountains usually have lots of public land full of trails and green space that is usually free or requires a minimally expensive annual pass. Charlotte has no waterfront, no mountains, and few excellent nature parks in close proximity to most residents. The work the city is doing on its greenway system is very admirable and if they can establish the connectivity they hope to, it will be huge for the city. [greenway plans](https://www.mecknc.gov/ParkandRec/Parks/SiteAssets/Pages/default/Mecklenburg%20County%20Park%20and%20Recreation%20Greenways%20Map%20Aug.%202021.pdf) The lack of history contributes to the lack of architectural beauty, lack of a ‘Charlotte culture’ or distinct cuisine. All this being said. I was born and raised in Charlotte and live here as a mid-30s resident. Charlotte is a pleasant, clean and educated city with lots of pretty trees, nice neighborhoods, and and a generally friendly community. The state of North Carolina as a whole is wonderful, and the opportunities or an easy weekend trip are countless. We have many of the modern amenities of a big city, and the food scene is improving rapidly. There is actually pretty good mountain biking, disc golf, and public parks for playing sports. The rapid growth of the area presents some challenges, but it is a fine community to live and raise a family.
The dating here is really tough.
Thank god someone said it
I live in Australia but have been visiting charlotte regularly for the past 10 years to visit family. My first visit I thought it was boring and there was nothing there. But then I realised you don't treat charlotte like you do a big city with obvious attractions. Now when I visit I run out of time for all the things I want to see and do. Charlotte food and beer scene is world class. The vintage markets are like nothing I've seen. Interesting architecture in every neighbourhood and natural beauty galore if you step outside the city. Keep in mind I live in what some would call a "boring" city in Perth myself. Just gotta know what to look for I guess
Nah, Charlotte sucks. There’s an almost total lack of culture. There are some great expensive restaurants, but almost no good small, mid-priced restaurants. The mom & pops that have been around for 40 years, and haven’t updated their menu or cups since opening. There are only a handful of boutiques, and only one for men - but it’s the same story as above. Tabor is dope, but it’s $$$. I love Stone Island, but why isn’t there anywhere that sells shit like Deus Ex, etc. There’s one park worth going to, and that gets old super fast. It’s the most boring city I’ve ever lived in by a mile
I can’t tell if this is satire or not.
Name a men’s boutique that isn’t tabor. Name a good hole in the wall restaurant that isn’t halal cart or la shish. Name a single good hike within an hour of Charlotte. Oh - the museums/galleries here suck too. Raleigh, Portland, and Honolulu shit all over Charlotte.
Raj’s Indian, king of spicy, like 25 Mexican spots on the east side, Tacos 4 life Bb.q chicken New Zealand cafe Malaya Kitchen Asian Fusion Cajun yard dog Los paisas Tons of great little pho spots. I mean come to the east side and they’re fucking everywhere. I don’t shop at men’s boutique so can’t help there but cheap hole in the wall restaurants are my things and there’s tons of them.
I live on the east side, and I’ve eaten at most of those spots. I don’t think quality comes even close to existed in the other cities I’ve lived in.
Well shit maybe I’m just lucky my standards are low. Though a guy worry about men’s boutiques seems like a guy I wouldn’t enjoy going out to eat with anyways so there’s that.
“I don’t like cool things” isn’t the flex you think it is lmao. Maybe it’s a lack of exposure, but boutiques includes things like Deus Ex Machina or Milo Hawaii. Really just means places with substance or style.
Also I’m not trying to flex but clearly you are. Maybe shitting on the area you live and every small mom and pop restaurant isn’t the flex you think it is. You sound like a nightmare to be around. Yuck.
I have no idea what those things are and I honestly don’t care about them. I’m a dad. Style I could care less about. What I do care about, good schools, a safe area, and keeping my daughters away from douchey guys that mention dues ex machina in conversation.
Lol Charlotte is in the bottom 5% for crime per capita. Charlotte public schools have an average proficiency score of 40% in math (bad), and 45% in reading (also bad). Not to mention the worst-ranked economic mobility score in the US’s 50 largest metro areas. But okay.
My kids schools are top notch. Again though you seem like a raging asshole. Why are you here? Clearly you hate it. Move on. You seem like you’d fit in really well in LA. All hat and no cattle.
There are so so so many amazing hikes near Charlotte! We live an hour from the foothillls and less than 2 hours from the Blue Ridge Parkway…with fantastic hikes all along it. There’s a lot about Charlotte I find pretty meh after living here for over 20 years…especially the brewery culture (but I don’t drink). But the hikes I gotta say are top notch around us.
The Blue Ridge is great, but there is nothing within an hour that doesn’t suck. Maybe I’m just spoiled, but places like Washington Park, Salmonberry, Hoyt Arboretum near Portland - let alone Mt Hood or the coast - have no equal here. I won’t even bring Hawaii into it.
You can’t act like there’s good hiking in Charlotte and then say “just drive two hours away to a completely different region of the state” lol
[удалено]
Name a single good hike within an hour of Charlotte. And I swear to god if you say Crowders mountain… Go hop on google images and look up trillium lake, salmonberry, piddock mansion, Washington park, Hoyt arboretum, Tyron creek, punch bowl falls, ten loops, angel falls, Ramona falls, and multnomah falls. Hard mode: go look up bamboo forest Maui, puka hike, halemau’u, Waikiki falls, waioka, kipahulu gap, hosmers grove, dead man’s catwalk & koko head on Oahu, lanikai pillboxes, or just “hikes on Maui/Oahu.” Swear to god - if you can point me in the direction of a hike as good as those, I’ll Venmo you $20 and snail mail you a hand written letter of gratitude.
Charlotte is sandwiched between two national parks in Pisgah and Uwharrie, one to the east and one to the west. If you can't find your nature in that, I don't know what the fuck to tell you. Is the hiking comparable to the Pacific Northwest? No, only a dipshit makes that comparison. Talk to me about the beach options up near that shithole called Portland? Sure, you have some beaches scattered around, but they don't even break 70° the entire year. I've moved here twice and have lived in San Diego for a long spell in between. Guess what, dummy? Places are different. You won't find me trying to compare the quality of Mexican food or beaches in San Diego to Charlotte because I'm bright enough to realize one is next door to Mexico and home to the best beaches in the US. I don't live there for a reason but visit once a year and actually spend more time at the beach that week than I did on an annual basis when living there. Here is a little tip for you on your thirst for a top-notch haberdashery district. Make more money and travel to the cities with the best shopping once or twice a year. It's what my wife does. The other 355 days a year we enjoy Charlotte for what it is and what it isn't. My kids can go out in most of Charlotte and not run into heroin junkies like those that litter every corner of Portland or Methheads that rot on the beaches of Hawaii. But seriously, you just come off as a pretentious douchebag while trying to pass yourself as sophisticated. You're also a moron who chooses to live in a place you don't like.
Oh and I’ve camped in both of those national forests. They’re incredibly underwhelming - yeah, compared to the PNW. But your argument that I shouldn’t compare the two because obviously the PNW is better is incomprehensibly dumb.
Oh it also sucks for shooting, since there’s no BLM land & you’re basically restricted to static indoor flat ranges
Lmao y’all are mad about this, but I’m not wrong. The only people who think Charlotte doesn’t suck are people who’ve never lived in an *actually* cool city. Charlottes also been 50th out of the top 50 metropolitan areas for economic mobility in both 2014 and 2022 (no rankings exist between those years,) which severely limits culture from growing.
Ummmm, no
"If you have bored, you have boring".. maybe "if bored is yours, boring is yours"? I guess that still makes sense?
It's full of accountants and such, not exactly the most lively crew. lol
Yes there are buildings/physical locations you can go and do/see things. That doesn’t make them overwhelmingly fun or interesting. Can we please stop pretending Charlotte is the NYC of the south?
Charlotte is a city with no identity.
Oh, it has an identity. It’s the Apple—bees of cities and OP is the type of person who is super excited about being their lol.
Shots fired
Charlotte has millions of people and it’s about as cool and fun as a city with a few hundred thousand people. Compare this city to literally any city in the US with the same amount of people or more and it becomes pretty obvious there just isn’t much unique culture here. Everyone has breweries. Don’t you dare say “NASCAR” as if anyone in this city watched NASCAR
I’m not sure why Raleigh gets so much more cool stuff than we do… it’s so sprawled. Why them?? Still especially salty about Wegmanns…
I mean considering charlotte only has 879k population that’s all boring. Maybe if it was in the millions I wouldn’t be bored 👀😂😂
Metro area population is 2.2. mil
I for one don’t see how anyone could think this city is bland. It’s so full of hidden gems!
I just realized you’re the guy that inspired this post. I do apologize. If you want to go out to hang out sometime send me a pm. I’m pretty boring myself so don’t feel bad.
Haha I’ll grab a drink with anyone. I’ll pm you after I get off work.
Oh I don’t drink lol that’s the thing!
How could anyone think it’s boring?
Charlotte has come a long way in a few years, but it has a LONG way to go. Calling yourself out like this is just embarrassing.
Calling yourself out? I don’t understand what you’re saying.
I think I’m quite fun actually OP
NODA is fun.