Charlotte Review
The Queen City
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Hey everyone! I hope you had an amazing week! The college hoops madness has finally concluded with Uconn on top on the Men’s side and my home-state heroes in LSU on the women’s side (yeah I went to Tulane, but I grew up an LSU fan so it counts). The final games had some incredible moments:
SDSU became the first team ever to win on a buzzer-beater while being down in the Final Four or Championship:
Caitlin Clark popped off scoring 41 points, carrying Iowa past undefeated South Carolina to advance to the final
Uconn won the Men’s final in dominant fashion like they did all tournament long
LSU wins their first basketball championship in school history and star Angel Reese sparks controversy for taunting
The end of March Madness is always a little sad but leaves you with an amazing array of sports in the Master’s, playoff basketball, and playoff hockey to watch.
Enough sports talk, let’s get into my review of the third city in my 12 Cities 12 Months journey…Charlotte, North Carolina!
Overview
Just like every city review, I asked Chat GPT to give me quick synopses of the city to get everyone up to speed:
Charlotte is a city located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, USA. It is the largest city in the state and the 15th largest city in the United States, with a population of over 900,000 people in the city proper and over 2.6 million people in the surrounding metropolitan area. The city is a major financial center, home to the second largest banking center in the United States after New York City, and is also home to several Fortune 500 companies.
In addition to its status as a major financial center, Charlotte is known for its vibrant arts and culture scene, with numerous museums, galleries, and theaters throughout the city. It is also home to several professional sports teams, including the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Activities: 7.5/10
Favorite Activity: NASCAR Museum
Just like any major city, Charlotte has every standard type of activity you can think of (bowling alleys, trivia nights, four middle-aged men belting opera/pop music), which is a good place to start. On top of that, Charlotte also has quite a large sports scene, which, if you know anything about me, played to my liking.
The city hosts three main professional sports teams in the Panthers (NFL), Hornets (NBA), and Charlotte FC (MLS) as well as minor league hockey and baseball teams. None of them are that great at the moment (makes me happy as a Saints fan), but the sports aura was still felt in the city during the March Madness tournament. My favorite activity during the trip was probably the NASCAR museum, which took me by surprise, but I think I mostly enjoyed just crashing into people during the racing simulator
Also, for those who are outdoorsy, there are a plethora of activities that include hiking, white water rafting, kayaking, and more all within reasonable driving distance. Overall, there could’ve been a few more things available, but I never felt like I was lacking something to do.
Landmarks/Neighborhoods/Areas: 9/10
Best Iconic Landmark: Charlotte Skyline
Although it’s not technically a landmark or super well known, I enjoyed the Charlotte skyline every time I drove into uptown Charlotte (uptown is Charlotte’s downtown if that makes sense). The skyscrapers always looked incredible when they were lit up at night, especially driving back at night from Coyote Joe’s (more on that later).
I stayed in the Uptown area during my time in Charlotte. For being the first time I truly lived in the middle of a city, I was surprised at how easily walkable the area was. Outside of the city center, Charlotte has tons of cool neighborhoods to explore, my favorite being South End which boasts tons of restaurants, bars, stores, and more.
Food: 7/10
Favorite Restaurant: Mac’s & Noble Smoke
Local Delicacies: Carolina BBQ
The type of food that defines North Carolina the most is its barbeque, and Charlotte did not disappoint on that front. Mac’s (which had awesome live music) and Noble Smoke were two incredible BBQ spots that I would make monthly appearances at if I lived there full time. Also, if you happen to be in Charlotte and spend a late night in South End, the Garbage Truck is a must-try (particularly the pizza logs). Lastly, if you want you ever need a soulful burger, fries, and milkshake in the convenience of your car, check out South 21 Drive-In.
Outside of the BBQ and a few good meals here and there, the food in Charlotte was solid but didn’t wow me overall (especially coming from Charleston last month and being from New Orleans). There were a few meals here and there that were underwhelming, and the service at some places took significantly longer than expected to get food (no shade to the staff, I’ve worked in the service industry and it’s a grind). Overall, I was pleased, not amazed, but will miss the incredible pulled pork sandwiches with Carolina BBQ sauce.
Nightlife/Social Scene: 9/10
Best venue: Coyote Joe’s
Given that my roommate for the first two weeks was grinding away saving the regional banks in their investment banking job (hope the worst is behind us for your sake Kendel), I didn’t think much of the nightlife scene. However, in the second half of the month, I was introduced to one of the single greatest nighttime establishments I’ve ever been to in my life: Coyote Joe’s. It’s possible that I loved this place simply because I am always sober and most bars have nothing to offer besides alcohol, but the line dancing, bull riding, and everything being cash-only created immaculate country vibes that I absolutely adored. I could go on and on about why I love this place, but to sum it up, Coyote Joe’s played a crucial role in ranking Charlotte this high in this category (shoutout to Hailey for the rec).
Aside from that, Charlotte had a super fun and vibrant social scene. It has everything you can ask for ranging from rooftop bars to watch the beautiful sunsets, places to sit down and watch sports, and clubs where you can get table service (I didn’t do this, but heard about it from the banking people…naturally). The typical crowds were also generally on the younger side which was obviously beneficial to me, but also somewhat surprising given that there is no major college in the city. Overall, can’t go wrong with the Charlotte social scene.
History & Culture: 6/10
Coming from New Orleans, I am possibly over-critical in this department, but the lack of unique and interesting history in Charlotte disappointed me. Besides the interesting story of how the city received its name, there didn’t seem to be much that popped out about the city and its roots compared to NOLA and the other cities I’ve traveled to thus far. Even the man who partly inspired me to take this trip told me that he felt the same way about the city (shoutout to Porter S. if you’re reading this). To be fair to Charlotte, this is possibly because I mostly hung out with those who were from other areas of the country and had moved there for work (banking), but I still stand by it.
My take on the culture was also possibly influenced by the fact that I was surrounded by people working in banking, but I sincerely enjoyed it. It had a similar work hard, play hard hustle that you would see in New York (most likely due to…you guessed it…banking) while still maintaining the Southern hospitality roots of being a Bible Belt state. For someone who enjoys working but also enjoys a friendly environment, this was a great cultural fit for me.
Natural Beauty/Outdoor Spaces: 9.5/10
I’ve always had a love and affinity for the outdoorsy nature of North Carolina ever since my family went on trips back-to-back summers there where we hiked, white water rafted, and more. I enjoyed these trips so much that I initially wanted to attend college in the region. Thus, I had high hopes coming back to the state that it would still deliver on this front, and it truly did.
Within the city, Freedom Park offers a fun, family-friendly environment with all types of sports fields, playgrounds, and beautiful walkways. Even driving around the winding roads of neighborhoods outside of uptown was beautiful to see. Outside the city, any outdoorsy activities are only a 30-45 minute drive away where you can hike, kayak, white water raft, and more to your heart’s content. I went on one hike on a Sunday morning and was able to get an incredible view of the surrounding Charlotte area.
Transportation: 9/10
Charlotte is definitely a city where a car is required given the fact that it’s pretty spread out. However, I found that driving around in Charlotte was extremely easy to get around to the different neighborhoods, and even simple to drive around the city center in Uptown (it still feels weird typing Uptown to describe their downtown area). I never recall ever getting stuck in traffic besides being slightly inconvenienced during a Charlotte F.C. game, which is obviously to be expected.
The drives being fun and beautiful to go down outside the city center also made them feel much quicker than they actually were. Charlotte also has its public Light Rail which is one line that runs through the middle of Uptown and can take you across town fairly quickly (although it’s not technically, you can ride it for free. No one checks for tickets). The one downside on the transportation front is the odd and super quick highway exits that sometimes get a little hairy, but other than that, navigating Charlotte was a piece of cake.
People: 8/10
Although they are referred to as Charlotteans, I can assure you that the people of Charlotte, NC are not charlatans at all. From my interactions with both the banking bros and locals, I enjoyed the company of the majority of people I interacted with. Although there was one Karen that almost cause a scene at Coyote Joe’s, most people embodied the Southern hospitality that I love, which was appreciated.
One note to be aware of though is that there is a clear difference between the locals and those who come from different places of the country for work (guess what industry???). Just as you would expect, I did run into one or two banking people who were a tad bit cocky, but overall, the people of Charlotte were fun to be around.
Overall: 8.125/10
In conclusion, Charlotte, North Carolina, has a lot to offer visitors and residents alike. As the largest city in the state and a major financial center, Charlotte boasts numerous professional sports teams and plenty of outdoor activities but lacks in the history department history. The city's skyline, neighborhoods, and landmarks are impressive, with the Uptown area being a particularly convenient and walkable place to stay. The local cuisine, especially Carolina BBQ, is a must-try, and the social scene and nightlife are lively and fun (I’ll say it one last time: Coyote Joe’s is a must-go!). Overall, Charlotte is a great destination for anyone looking for a diverse and exciting urban experience.
Thanks for reading! I’m going to need to find time to fit a lot of writing over the next week as my next blog will be centered around a fun and impactful way (hopefully) to keep in touch with your mentors, which can hopefully help everyone here. Have a great week, and let me know if you’d like to meet up in Washington D.C.!
Here are my links if you feel inclined:
Good stuff! Grew up in Charlotte and like the city. For history you should drive 20 minutes and hike up Kings Mountain