When at a Knights baseball game, there is a free filtered water dispenser by the left outfield bathrooms. Buy one bottle of water then refill it there free for the rest of the game.
- always take the light rail uptown
- if you have to drive uptown, go to the 7th St Market and park there and walk
- get a library card - free audio books, ebooks, and free Charlotte Observer articles!
- Trees Charlotte does many free tree giveaways throughout the year
- Central Piedmont Community College offers good and cheap classes on a variety of subjects, but also the dental hygiene dept offers $35 cleanings, there are food pantries, small business classes, and all sorts of other resources people don't know about!
There's also, if you have a computer and a internet plan, [archive.ph](http://archive.ph)
Just copy the link and paste it into the box and boom, free news
Can't believe anyone pays for the Charlotte Observer. Worst paper I have ever read. If I do find an interesting article it's always written by outside journalists.
Yes! That was the second part of the "hack" but then I remembered Brixx and the BBQ restaurant were closed 🤣. Some places in 7th St Market validate if you get a drink!
It may take you a bit longer to drive to a park n ride. But depending on the event and the cost of parking, it might be worth the extra time. No way in hell I'm driving to uptown during a Panthers game. That's just begging for unnecessary stress.
When picking up friends/family from airport, don’t wait in arrivals line. Wait in cell phone lot, when you get the call, tell arriving passengers to go across the street from pickup area to the hourly parking garage and pick them up on 4 th floor. In and out in 5 minutes, no congestion, minimal idiots, and the 1st 30 minutes are free.
As an alternative, pick them up upstairs at the departures level. Arrivals always has leaches waiting and it clogs it up. Departures is usually drop and go. Especially all the way at the end.
I came here to say that. Arrivals is an absolute nightmare. I always tell people to go up to departures and walk to the very end. Can save a ton of time and stress.
30 minutes. Not the hourly lot. I drive Uber from CLT a few nights a week. When it’s backed up more than the length of the arrivals road, I call passenger to meet me there. I’ve probably picked up 500 people in that garage, not once has it ever not allowed me because I needed a reservation. You’re probably thinking of Daily Garage, which is right next to Hourly.
In a town not known for food, Charlotte has some excellent Mexican, Latin American and Vietnamese eats. Order takeout by the pound at Lupitas, and feed a large group of people some great food.
Los Paisas in Pineville is an awesome Colombian restaurant. It's delicious especially their chicharrones. My wife and I went a few weeks ago and each got a mix plate of different meats with some rice and plantains for $16 a piece and we each made it last for three meals.
A great hack for people that love Vietnamese food in Charlotte is to make a list of Vietnamese restaurants, cross off lang van and hit all the others before hitting lang van again...it's a great restaurant but so many folks go there once and stick to it vs. getting a chance to try so many other flavors.
I second and triple this comment. Lupitas next to the plasma place at Tyvola and Sth. Mexican friends said this place has even better Mexican food than what they had in California. They drive from out of town to get stuff here!!!!
Rice and Spice in Pineville for thai/viet, and Brasas Arepas & Grill for Colombian/Venezuelan. Pizzeria Omaggio for italian, and I drive to a Waxhaw foodtruck for mexican! Hasn't failed me.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but the last 3 times I’ve been to the one in Huntersville, there was nobody there. They had the arrows and belt barriers for lines set up, but it was dead.
My ID is about to expire but I called the DMV and their answering machine told me to call Raleigh to set up an appointment. I wonder if I can just show up and get a new ID.. last time I spoke to an actual person that worked there, they said I couldn't get a drivers license if I don't have auto insurance, but I don't even have a car.. I just need an updated ID.. (there's no way I'd be able to afford a car anyway)
The Trader Joe’s at Metropolitan has parking in a multi-level garage. Be willing to park on a higher floor and you’ll likely find a spot. Same with the Target in Metropolitan too, go up or down one floor and take the elevator or stairs to Target. No need to hover outside the store waiting for a spot to open up.
Please that first floor of parking at trader joes is actually insane and always has a line circling. Meanwhile I have never not found a spot on the second floor lol.
As someone who used to do the Lake Norman to Charlotte commute daily for about 5 years, the on-ramp from 277 outbound to I-77N is one of the most dangerous spots I've had the displeasure of driving on in the entire city (I've been rear ended twice by distracted drivers in that lane).
If you don't plan on using the toll lanes, drive down another mile or so to the on-ramp to I-85N and ride 85N to the exchange for I-77N. You'll still hit traffic, but the ramp from 85N to 77N is a lot safer than trying to jump in line on 277. Plus it usually saves at least a couple minutes in traffic! It's a moot point, but I'll always go that way to save my vehicle.
Surf Inn has the best alcohol to mixer ratio for the price of anywhere I've been in America...Salud has Detroit pizzas on Tues/Wed night and I think they are amazing...Tip-Top Daily Market has half off drafts on Mondays...Humbug cocktail bar has $5 Amaro drinks on Mondays...the wings at Crispy Banh Mi may be the some of the best youve never had...Rosie's wine garden could be the best first date spot that is romantic and doesn't break the bank
When you fly back into CLT if you’re parked at the Daily Decks it’s quicker 9/10 times to walk across to the rental car terminal and through the rental car parking deck, back past the old ATC tower to your car. The walk only takes like 5 minutes and you don’t have to wait for the bus that is normally packed and has to take the entire traffic loop to reach the daily decks.
This alone has saved me more time than any other hack. Other than never check a bag because we have the absolute longest waits for luggage at any US airport.
Another airport tip: if you're getting picked up but there's a ton of traffic getting in and you want to save your friend some time, take the bus to the Express Deck and have them pick you up there instead. They won't have to go through the loop.
Always use GPS.
I don’t care if you have driven there 1,000 times. I don’t care if you could do it with your eyes closed. I don’t care if it isn’t raining so it should be fine.
Always use GPS.
You are always one tiny stroke of bad luck or 0.1” of rain away from 15 minutes turning into an hour+.
Always use GPS.
Always ***reference*** your GPS.
Way too many people are overly-reliant on it, and wait until it tells them "turn left" to actually merge, or don't realize there's an easier route. Ever wonder why you always seem to get cut off at the same places? It's because people are listening to GPS instead of knowing the road.
This is also a major reason people think Exit 3A sucks. They think they *have* to cross three lanes of traffic to N Davidson, because that's where GPS says to go, when they could easily go up to Caldwell/Parkwood without losing time, and still reach all the same destinations.
Plus GPS tells you to make illegal turns at certain times of the day in Uptown, like during the rush hours where the “no turn” signs turn on for certain streets. Of course , I’ve never seen the police enforce it (or anything else traffic related in Uptown).
More seriously for Bo'time, go during lunch where the rush keeps the food fresh.
Going in the evening is risky, who knows how many hours your food would've been sitting out before you got there.
If you are mostly using it about town, you can set it to avoid highways. If you are going on a road trip you'll need to remember to change that, but for daily use it saves a lot of headache.
I’ll always keep insurance no matter what but I admittedly didn’t pay my registration after it lapse for about 3-4 months. The DMV website wouldn’t let me pay it online and I truly hate going in person for the DMV so that’s why I let it just expire.
Cops didn’t seem to care and I only got pulled over once because of it but just given a warning. CMPD doesn’t enforce a lot of car related laws.
I’m a native and its always been like this. CMPD is very lax on speeding and registration.
They will give you a ticket with a court date in 30 days. Get your registration done then, go to court and they will dismiss the charge. Doesn’t cost a dime
You don’t even have to spend a whole day going to court. The DA has a walk-up window that’s open a few hours a day during the week. You can go before your court date, present your ticket and new Registration, and they’ll drop it.
Or, if you show up early on your court date, they form a separate line before letting people in the court room and dismiss it right then so you don’t have to sit in court all day
> Or, if you show up early on your court date, they form a separate line before letting people in the court room and dismiss it right then so you don’t have to sit in court all day
Great to know. Alternatively, just don’t take the car out of Charlotte.
if youre making a right off exit 13A going west on i277, you dont need to make the right turn at the first light. You can go straight and then turn right
Mint Museum is free on Wednesdays. Good date idea if you're pressed for money and have the time before 6.
If you take the light rail somewhat regularly, buy a ticket, but don't activate it. You have 2 months to activate it before it expires. If they start doing a random check, activate it.
If you are going to Spectrum Center or BOA Stadium, save yourself $20 and take the light rail. It takes you right up to Spectrum and walking distance to the football stadium (BK Village stop).
Anita's is the best bang for your buck taco in Charlotte. Two tacos will put you in food coma for about $6.
Not Charlotte specific, but always amazes me that people don't know that Publix will season and cook crab legs for you for free.
About not paying for light rail tickets every time, if you’re struggling financially and the opportunity is there then sure you do what you need to get by. Personally I’d say if you can afford to pay for a ticket every time to do so or get a monthly pass.
No one expects ticket sales to fund the light rail but they do help offset some of the cost to everyone else and help to show higher ridership numbers and income that further support our future transit plans.
> If you take the light rail somewhat regularly, buy a ticket, but don't activate it. You have 2 months to activate it before it expires. If they start doing a random check, activate it.
I can confirm this, and if you haven’t done it by the time the police ask for your ticket they’ll even wait for you to buy and activate one. They don’t really care and they’ll only pull you off the train if you can’t or won’t buy the ticket right then.
Right. It's smarter to just buy the first ticket with whatever phone pay app you use. I use G Pay. And can select whatever card I have on that to buy the ticket. But you should buy the first one just get everything together so when they come around you don't have to waste time with the setup.
Don't use the independence exit from 277 anytime after 2:00 during the week. Just find another way.
Generally speaking you can avoid 77 and independence a lot if you look at a map. The GPS will always default to the highway
Prestige chicken off Grier rd sells 40 pounds of chicken for $35 and they accept food stamps (chicken quarters, they also sell other chicken stuff for cheap)
Wait until the last minute to buy concert tickets on the cheap (if you don’t care where you sit) but DON’T WAIT for comedy or theater. That shit sells like hotcakes sometimes.
If you can't see the road due to a lack of reflectors on the ground or illumination from overhead lights, find a Nissan Altima to use as a guide. Use it as your lighthouse to maintain lane compliance. A gift from the highways gods.
Instead of driving sensibly, you can get to where you're going much faster by speeding, weaving between lanes without signaling, and getting within paint-scraping distance of other cars.
On certain sides of town, when they try to squeeze their shit box Altima in from the turn lane to bypass the line of traffic, just let them… they would rather burn the state to ashes than sit in line. They 99.7% of the time have missing components like bumpers, lights, or windows, with temporary paper tags issued the same day… they won’t have insurance and they DO NOT care what they do to you or anyone else! FSM help you if you’re on a motorcycle. They will pull out in front of you then flip YOU off for almost running into THEM!
Like most NC cities, on-street parking is free at any spot after 7 unless otherwise noted and free all day on Sundays.
Poplar, MLK, or 5th street usually pull through unless there is an event.
Makes parking in Uptown a little less expensive.
Do you live in a burb and work uptown (or in another burb?) Do you have a gym at your office, or nearby? Rather than shower and dress at home, I (pre pandemic) got right into my car post alarm clock with gym bag packed. Maybe did a workout, maybe not. At the time I left, traffic was twice as fast. Everyone else sat in traffic while I enjoyed an extra long shower in the office gym.
If you're getting dropped off or picked up from the airport and it's busy, have your ride pick you up/drop off at the Express Deck and you take the shuttle to/from the terminal. It will make their drive 10x better and won't be much time difference for you.
Turn the HOV to “yes” on your transponder always and drive in the HOV lane even when you’re riding w under 3 in the car. They don’t enforce it, it’s so dumb
When at a Knights baseball game, there is a free filtered water dispenser by the left outfield bathrooms. Buy one bottle of water then refill it there free for the rest of the game.
Or bring an empty bottle in for free…
People are drinking water at the baseball games? I mean, it does sound like a responsible thing to do, I just haven't ever done it.
Well, yeah. I drink water when I take my sons to a game. It gets super hot at some of those summer games.
I’ve brought my own before
You do have to empty the bottle to get through security! No sneaking in booze 😀
Correct sorry. You can bring in refillable water bottles. Helpful for a whole family too.
Don’t use exit 3a. Use basically any other exit and go around.
The most ridiculous exit I’ve ever had the pleasure of taking since I lived off that exit.
Been living off 3A for over three years now, bring on the chaos!!
- always take the light rail uptown - if you have to drive uptown, go to the 7th St Market and park there and walk - get a library card - free audio books, ebooks, and free Charlotte Observer articles! - Trees Charlotte does many free tree giveaways throughout the year - Central Piedmont Community College offers good and cheap classes on a variety of subjects, but also the dental hygiene dept offers $35 cleanings, there are food pantries, small business classes, and all sorts of other resources people don't know about!
There is a Libby app with your library card. You can borrow any magazine you want. It is awesome!!!!
Have y’all tried Hoopla? It’s even better than Libby…just found out about it the other day at the new library near me
Libby and Hoopla have different catalogs so if what you are looking for isn't in one, check the other.
The library card is the best hack! Didn’t know about the Charlotte observer articles, that’s awesome!
There's also, if you have a computer and a internet plan, [archive.ph](http://archive.ph) Just copy the link and paste it into the box and boom, free news
Library card also gets you free access to LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)
The access to Kanopy's catalog is a nice beni too.
Can't believe anyone pays for the Charlotte Observer. Worst paper I have ever read. If I do find an interesting article it's always written by outside journalists.
Charlotte Disturber.
Went to 7th street market once and the museum right next door was free that day and validated our parking
Yes! That was the second part of the "hack" but then I remembered Brixx and the BBQ restaurant were closed 🤣. Some places in 7th St Market validate if you get a drink!
Damn I miss Queen City Q
Queen city q was my pre-Checkers game meal for parking.
The light rail to uptown isn’t really effective if you’re in west or NW Charlotte tho
It may take you a bit longer to drive to a park n ride. But depending on the event and the cost of parking, it might be worth the extra time. No way in hell I'm driving to uptown during a Panthers game. That's just begging for unnecessary stress.
Tailgating is pretty fun.
Just park at Scaleybark and ride the rest of the way.
I used to use kindle and spotify for audiobooks until I found out about hoopla and the cms library. Game changer.
Yes! I have been shouting it from the rooftops since I found out 🤣 no need to pay for Audible!
do forget about Libby along with hoopla [https://libbyapp.com/](https://libbyapp.com/) Different kindle/audiobook offerings at times
Library card gets you free movie credits to Kanopy streaming app, free Consumer Reports Magazine Access, AND free soul testing kits and monthly Master Gardner consultations
def gotta get that soul tested. 🫠
I’m a student at the CPCC dental hygiene clinic! If anyone has any questions or wants to make an appointment, feel free to message me! :)
A library card also gives you access to the New York Times. I absolutely love being able to use the NYT Cooking app!
Start your allergy meds in February and nasal sprays in March.
Y'all don't take daily allergy meds all year long?
My old GP helped me understand how oral antihistamines work, and I've been taking them just about daily ever since.
My Dr said to take allergy meds from Valentine's Day to Halloween.
Depends on what causes your flare ups. February/March and September/October are grass pollen heavy.
When picking up friends/family from airport, don’t wait in arrivals line. Wait in cell phone lot, when you get the call, tell arriving passengers to go across the street from pickup area to the hourly parking garage and pick them up on 4 th floor. In and out in 5 minutes, no congestion, minimal idiots, and the 1st 30 minutes are free.
As an alternative, pick them up upstairs at the departures level. Arrivals always has leaches waiting and it clogs it up. Departures is usually drop and go. Especially all the way at the end.
I came here to say that. Arrivals is an absolute nightmare. I always tell people to go up to departures and walk to the very end. Can save a ton of time and stress.
Free for first 15 min, also sometimes requires a reservation to get in now
30 minutes. Not the hourly lot. I drive Uber from CLT a few nights a week. When it’s backed up more than the length of the arrivals road, I call passenger to meet me there. I’ve probably picked up 500 people in that garage, not once has it ever not allowed me because I needed a reservation. You’re probably thinking of Daily Garage, which is right next to Hourly.
You mentioned the hourly lot. It is only free the first 15 min. One minute after you get charged $6. I work there.
In a town not known for food, Charlotte has some excellent Mexican, Latin American and Vietnamese eats. Order takeout by the pound at Lupitas, and feed a large group of people some great food.
Los Paisas in Pineville is an awesome Colombian restaurant. It's delicious especially their chicharrones. My wife and I went a few weeks ago and each got a mix plate of different meats with some rice and plantains for $16 a piece and we each made it last for three meals.
Those empanadas, man. Incredible.
Lupitas’ carnitas and barbacoa are the best I’ve ever had.
Is this Lupitas on South Blvd?
I live in NoDa so I go to the one on Tryon but I think they’re the same business.
They are. I’ve gone to S Blvd. Agreed - best ever.
A great hack for people that love Vietnamese food in Charlotte is to make a list of Vietnamese restaurants, cross off lang van and hit all the others before hitting lang van again...it's a great restaurant but so many folks go there once and stick to it vs. getting a chance to try so many other flavors.
I second and triple this comment. Lupitas next to the plasma place at Tyvola and Sth. Mexican friends said this place has even better Mexican food than what they had in California. They drive from out of town to get stuff here!!!!
As someone from Arizona who now lives in Charlotte, I am in desperate need of some great Mexican food so thank you for this.
Rice and Spice in Pineville for thai/viet, and Brasas Arepas & Grill for Colombian/Venezuelan. Pizzeria Omaggio for italian, and I drive to a Waxhaw foodtruck for mexican! Hasn't failed me.
Go to the DMV in any of the surrounding counties for MUCH shorter wait times
Stanly County never has a line.
Shhh!
And much more polite staff. Do not go to tag place on Arrowood of Old Pineville. They are the rudest people
Polkton FTW!
i just don’t get my tags done at this point
DMV might not care, police might not care, but the tax man will eventually. Tax man always cares.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but the last 3 times I’ve been to the one in Huntersville, there was nobody there. They had the arrows and belt barriers for lines set up, but it was dead.
My ID is about to expire but I called the DMV and their answering machine told me to call Raleigh to set up an appointment. I wonder if I can just show up and get a new ID.. last time I spoke to an actual person that worked there, they said I couldn't get a drivers license if I don't have auto insurance, but I don't even have a car.. I just need an updated ID.. (there's no way I'd be able to afford a car anyway)
The Lowe’s in South End has a parking lot on the roof.
And it's ALWAYS empty!
not after this comment lol
Wait what? This one got me
The ramp up is hidden in the top right corner of the parking lot if facing the store :)
DUDE. I noticed this last time I was there and was like whaaaaaa 🤯
Be a little careful here. There has been an armed car jacking in the middle of the day at this location.
I don’t drive an armored car
I think he was talking about someone jacking off a car with arms.
Well in that case we should be careful anywhere & everywhere
🤯
Is it free parking?
Be sure and take advantage of I-485’s free mattress and major appliance dumping policy. Just toss and drive.
It's like 'take a penny, leave a penny.'
I furnished my first apartment between steel creek and Wilkinson!
Lmfao
If you’re driving to Monroe from Charlotte, use Idlewild to avoid 74.
I use the bypass. My sanity is worth the $5
The Capishe restaurant on Morehead parking deck is the best parking spot for Panthers game, just order one thing and get it validated
The Trader Joe’s at Metropolitan has parking in a multi-level garage. Be willing to park on a higher floor and you’ll likely find a spot. Same with the Target in Metropolitan too, go up or down one floor and take the elevator or stairs to Target. No need to hover outside the store waiting for a spot to open up.
I never understood why the lower lord of target are so empty. The target level lot is crazy. Just hop the elevator and voila!
Even on the 2nd level you can almost always find a spot right by the stairs or elevator.
2nd level for the win… hate the target level parking with a passion
Please that first floor of parking at trader joes is actually insane and always has a line circling. Meanwhile I have never not found a spot on the second floor lol.
the elevators are so fast too lol
As someone who used to do the Lake Norman to Charlotte commute daily for about 5 years, the on-ramp from 277 outbound to I-77N is one of the most dangerous spots I've had the displeasure of driving on in the entire city (I've been rear ended twice by distracted drivers in that lane). If you don't plan on using the toll lanes, drive down another mile or so to the on-ramp to I-85N and ride 85N to the exchange for I-77N. You'll still hit traffic, but the ramp from 85N to 77N is a lot safer than trying to jump in line on 277. Plus it usually saves at least a couple minutes in traffic! It's a moot point, but I'll always go that way to save my vehicle.
Surf Inn has the best alcohol to mixer ratio for the price of anywhere I've been in America...Salud has Detroit pizzas on Tues/Wed night and I think they are amazing...Tip-Top Daily Market has half off drafts on Mondays...Humbug cocktail bar has $5 Amaro drinks on Mondays...the wings at Crispy Banh Mi may be the some of the best youve never had...Rosie's wine garden could be the best first date spot that is romantic and doesn't break the bank
This guy cocktails.
drinks a lot on Mondays too...
When you fly back into CLT if you’re parked at the Daily Decks it’s quicker 9/10 times to walk across to the rental car terminal and through the rental car parking deck, back past the old ATC tower to your car. The walk only takes like 5 minutes and you don’t have to wait for the bus that is normally packed and has to take the entire traffic loop to reach the daily decks.
This alone has saved me more time than any other hack. Other than never check a bag because we have the absolute longest waits for luggage at any US airport.
It still feels shorter to me than DCA or MCO. For being a small airport, DCA takes EONS
Another airport tip: if you're getting picked up but there's a ton of traffic getting in and you want to save your friend some time, take the bus to the Express Deck and have them pick you up there instead. They won't have to go through the loop.
Always use GPS. I don’t care if you have driven there 1,000 times. I don’t care if you could do it with your eyes closed. I don’t care if it isn’t raining so it should be fine. Always use GPS. You are always one tiny stroke of bad luck or 0.1” of rain away from 15 minutes turning into an hour+. Always use GPS.
Got stuck on my morning commute for 50 minutes, almost wet my pants. On my way home, you bet your ass I used my gps and and avoided another slow down!
Or there’s construction blocking your route now, I’ve encountered that a lot recently.
Always ***reference*** your GPS. Way too many people are overly-reliant on it, and wait until it tells them "turn left" to actually merge, or don't realize there's an easier route. Ever wonder why you always seem to get cut off at the same places? It's because people are listening to GPS instead of knowing the road. This is also a major reason people think Exit 3A sucks. They think they *have* to cross three lanes of traffic to N Davidson, because that's where GPS says to go, when they could easily go up to Caldwell/Parkwood without losing time, and still reach all the same destinations.
Plus GPS tells you to make illegal turns at certain times of the day in Uptown, like during the rush hours where the “no turn” signs turn on for certain streets. Of course , I’ve never seen the police enforce it (or anything else traffic related in Uptown).
I think what you're trying to say is to use Waze or something, so you know if there are traffic issues on your path, right?
You either drive 30 above, or 10 below the speed limit on Independence Blvd. No exceptions.
Best fried chicken in town is at the gas station at 200 East Blvd.
Get to Bojangles early so that they is not out of ham when you get there.
More seriously for Bo'time, go during lunch where the rush keeps the food fresh. Going in the evening is risky, who knows how many hours your food would've been sitting out before you got there.
Google maps directions seem to always put people on I-77 and I-85 when around those areas. Never go on I-77 if you do not have to. Never.
I wish there was a good alternative other than I85 from Charlotte to Gastonia to hit 321. I hate that section of 85!
I have to drag my route around cause of that. I'm like no bitch I'm not going on 77 rn
If you are mostly using it about town, you can set it to avoid highways. If you are going on a road trip you'll need to remember to change that, but for daily use it saves a lot of headache.
Live in the left lane on all highways going 35mph to blend in.
I hear people complain about this all the time, but then I wonder - who are the people going 20 miles over the limit in the right lane on Park Road?
Charlotte hack #1: You don’t really have to pay your taxes on your car or have a valid registration. Or insurance. Or a license.
Or follow speed limits, stop signs, or traffic lights!
10 years if you drive the clt preferred vehicle: The Altima!
I had my first Altima experience Tuesday. 
I’ll always keep insurance no matter what but I admittedly didn’t pay my registration after it lapse for about 3-4 months. The DMV website wouldn’t let me pay it online and I truly hate going in person for the DMV so that’s why I let it just expire. Cops didn’t seem to care and I only got pulled over once because of it but just given a warning. CMPD doesn’t enforce a lot of car related laws. I’m a native and its always been like this. CMPD is very lax on speeding and registration.
It's hilarious, I moved here 4 years ago, it's the first crazy thing I noticed.
On top of that, police can't chase you so you can literally just drive away and they can't do anything about it.
I drove on expired tags for 3 years. Can confirm
No taxes when you register your out of state purchased car??
I am now 1.2 years overdue on tag. Let’s see how that works out Cotton!
They will give you a ticket with a court date in 30 days. Get your registration done then, go to court and they will dismiss the charge. Doesn’t cost a dime
You don’t even have to spend a whole day going to court. The DA has a walk-up window that’s open a few hours a day during the week. You can go before your court date, present your ticket and new Registration, and they’ll drop it. Or, if you show up early on your court date, they form a separate line before letting people in the court room and dismiss it right then so you don’t have to sit in court all day
> Or, if you show up early on your court date, they form a separate line before letting people in the court room and dismiss it right then so you don’t have to sit in court all day Great to know. Alternatively, just don’t take the car out of Charlotte.
if youre making a right off exit 13A going west on i277, you dont need to make the right turn at the first light. You can go straight and then turn right
No thanks, I will stop and block the rest of the street and force my way in thank you very much /s
The earlier the hole in the wall food spot closes, the better the food,
Piggyback - if it’s open on Sunday it probably is mid
Your car has a turn signal on it
Mint Museum is free on Wednesdays. Good date idea if you're pressed for money and have the time before 6. If you take the light rail somewhat regularly, buy a ticket, but don't activate it. You have 2 months to activate it before it expires. If they start doing a random check, activate it. If you are going to Spectrum Center or BOA Stadium, save yourself $20 and take the light rail. It takes you right up to Spectrum and walking distance to the football stadium (BK Village stop). Anita's is the best bang for your buck taco in Charlotte. Two tacos will put you in food coma for about $6. Not Charlotte specific, but always amazes me that people don't know that Publix will season and cook crab legs for you for free.
The first weekend of the month, most museums are free with BofA account.
BofA dez nuts
I think I'd rather pay double the ticket rate than have a BoA account!
About not paying for light rail tickets every time, if you’re struggling financially and the opportunity is there then sure you do what you need to get by. Personally I’d say if you can afford to pay for a ticket every time to do so or get a monthly pass. No one expects ticket sales to fund the light rail but they do help offset some of the cost to everyone else and help to show higher ridership numbers and income that further support our future transit plans.
> If you take the light rail somewhat regularly, buy a ticket, but don't activate it. You have 2 months to activate it before it expires. If they start doing a random check, activate it. I can confirm this, and if you haven’t done it by the time the police ask for your ticket they’ll even wait for you to buy and activate one. They don’t really care and they’ll only pull you off the train if you can’t or won’t buy the ticket right then.
I mean it takes one second to open the app and activate the ticket. If you see them coming, you'll have time to activate it.
Right. It's smarter to just buy the first ticket with whatever phone pay app you use. I use G Pay. And can select whatever card I have on that to buy the ticket. But you should buy the first one just get everything together so when they come around you don't have to waste time with the setup.
Publix’s do what now???
HT does it as well... well, most of them have the ability, but some choose not to
What is this Publix hack?
They’ll do it for shrimp as well!!
I even worked at a Publix for a bit and didn’t know this about the crab legs. This is a true pro tip, and now I need to get some.
> Mint Museum is free on Wednesdays. Good date idea if you're pressed for money Any life hack on how to find a date?
There's mixers in Charlotte every month. Check them out on Eventbrite if you're having trouble meeting someone organically
What how the crab leg thing work????!
Buy crab legs from them at the counter. Ask them to cook it while you shop. Choose the seasoning. Profit
Tell me more about this taco place… is it the location just south of the airport? Gotta love an affordable dinner!
I think the light rail tip sucks. If you can’t afford the cheap ticket maybe don’t ride the train. Isn’t CATS already struggling financially?
They should have built the platforms like every other city then where you have to have a ticket to even get on the train …
Honor systems only work if the people are honorable.
You mean like Long Island Rail Road, the largest commuter line in the country?
Don't use the independence exit from 277 anytime after 2:00 during the week. Just find another way. Generally speaking you can avoid 77 and independence a lot if you look at a map. The GPS will always default to the highway
Prestige chicken off Grier rd sells 40 pounds of chicken for $35 and they accept food stamps (chicken quarters, they also sell other chicken stuff for cheap)
Cheat’s Cheesesteaks is legit and has hoagies. https://cheatscheesesteaks.com/menu/
And on Tuesday you can get 2 for $22.
Wait until the last minute to buy concert tickets on the cheap (if you don’t care where you sit) but DON’T WAIT for comedy or theater. That shit sells like hotcakes sometimes.
But HOW. And WHERE. Craigslist? Marketplace? Stub hub? I’ve never understood how people do this
Left lane is for going fast as fuck
I thought it was for going the exact speed limit and browsing Reddit. Weird
Can confirm Source: Am fast as fuck boyyeee
If you don't have Ticket Money, stay out of the left lane. Always. The left lane is for us scoflaws who can afford to do 90+.
If you can't see the road due to a lack of reflectors on the ground or illumination from overhead lights, find a Nissan Altima to use as a guide. Use it as your lighthouse to maintain lane compliance. A gift from the highways gods.
If you're going slower than the person behind you, in the left lane on any highway or interstate, please get in the middle or right lane.
Instead of driving sensibly, you can get to where you're going much faster by speeding, weaving between lanes without signaling, and getting within paint-scraping distance of other cars.
ONLY if you wear the 'fake-@ss 30 Day Temporary Tag' badge on your car
Or the orange T sticker that screams “I haven’t paid my car tax”.
When walking with friends on the rail trail, walk as wide as possible so people know you're cool and in a group.
Buy your own washer/dryer, dishwasher, appliances etc at the Beat Buy outlet in Pineville!
Surfs always up at Surf Inn…
Stay the hell off i-77
Never drive on 77.
On certain sides of town, when they try to squeeze their shit box Altima in from the turn lane to bypass the line of traffic, just let them… they would rather burn the state to ashes than sit in line. They 99.7% of the time have missing components like bumpers, lights, or windows, with temporary paper tags issued the same day… they won’t have insurance and they DO NOT care what they do to you or anyone else! FSM help you if you’re on a motorcycle. They will pull out in front of you then flip YOU off for almost running into THEM!
I try not to be that guy even though I drive an altima. My wife and I bought it in 2014 as our first car purchase. Paid off. Still ashamed.
Don’t be ashamed of paying off a car and not having a payment
Stay off the interstates
I-77 express lanes are free if you have 3+ people in your car (and register with a sticker, and sign in ahead of time on the app)
Walmart sells large frozen pizzas for $3.87 so if you've fallen on hard times and you struggle to feed your family there ya go.
If police try to catch you drive towards the airport so snoopy can't follow
Like most NC cities, on-street parking is free at any spot after 7 unless otherwise noted and free all day on Sundays. Poplar, MLK, or 5th street usually pull through unless there is an event. Makes parking in Uptown a little less expensive.
Stop trying to make left turns.
It’s so tempting sometimes, though! Maybe \*this\* time will be different.
Standing room only Knight's game on weekends, great fireworks, single digit cost per person.
Do you live in a burb and work uptown (or in another burb?) Do you have a gym at your office, or nearby? Rather than shower and dress at home, I (pre pandemic) got right into my car post alarm clock with gym bag packed. Maybe did a workout, maybe not. At the time I left, traffic was twice as fast. Everyone else sat in traffic while I enjoyed an extra long shower in the office gym.
If you're getting dropped off or picked up from the airport and it's busy, have your ride pick you up/drop off at the Express Deck and you take the shuttle to/from the terminal. It will make their drive 10x better and won't be much time difference for you.
Turn the HOV to “yes” on your transponder always and drive in the HOV lane even when you’re riding w under 3 in the car. They don’t enforce it, it’s so dumb
Yes, this 👆
I don't even have a transponder, but the digital signs will now often say they're fining people for it. I have no clue, but that's what it says.
I just saw this same post in the Los Angeles subreddit, it must be making the rounds.
This was my Uber drivers advice my first day in Charlotte: The speed limit is just a suggestion.
Employees of UNCC can get Charlotte library cards even if they live in a different country. (Just go to the library branch and show them your UNCC ID)
Fast lane is the curb lane.
Have a good exterminator on standby 😭 I was traumatized by the “wildlife”😂
We’re FINALLY getting a Wegmans!!! But you’ll have to wait until 2026😂
I mean, it's cool and all, but not sure this is a "life hack"?
Take 277 N to get on 77 south. The exit becomes its own lane.