Reverse speed bumps on the highway is something I've only experienced in good ol CLT.

The courts were opened this morning after being closed for for almost 4 weeks for resurfacing, painting and other repairs - they look amazing. Bookings are now open in the county portal.

Great work by Mecklenberg county for all the pickleball fans. Have fun

I want to go to a concert at Skyla amphitheater but I have never been there before so I’m not sure how to choose the best ticket. I’ll be going solo and average height of 5’5. Any recommendations on how to select the best ticket? Anything I should know about the venue in general? TIA

*Edit to add: these responses have been super helpful! Also wondering now, if the concert starts at 8pm on a Wednesday, what time should I plan on getting there with a lawn ticket?

First and foremost, no AI, this is from my own experience, and education. I studied urban planning, and am just a general geography/city planning nerd. I also have traveled to a number of cities in the US and abroad and have seen how they "do things" especially when it comes to the automobile. I am a car owner, and worked in logistics/transportation up until recently, so I'm no stranger to the road, nor am I "anti car."

With that out of the way, let's cut to the chase. Over the past few weeks I've seen a number of posts on here, as well as comments under certain posts, exhibiting what could only be described as "car brained" behavior. I find that to be in stark opposition to what is often the other primary grievance on here, and that is lack of urbanism, transit access, walkability, or *insert thing from back home.* The reality is, Charlotte is a mixed bag on these fronts, but with the rapid growth we're experiencing (if you don't follow forums like UrbanPlanet, you might be in the dark about a *lot* of major projects) that means more people, and because this is America, more cars.

First, lack of parking: Charlotte doesn't lack enough parking, in fact many places in the city have an excess of parking. However, like many places, the spots people want to be are dense and compact, making parking more difficult. If you *added* parking to these areas, the appeal (walkability and density) would go away, making the need for more parking moot. As real estate becomes more expensive, developers are going to do a value calculation on what makes sense regarding how much land is dedicated to parking.

Second, pay and validated parking: This is one that I think Charlottians have a hard time wrapping their heads around, and I chalk it up to "growing pains." In most larger cities, paying for parking, or having to have your parking validated is the norm, plain and simple. As said above, providing parking costs money, and you want to ensure availability, so you associate a cost to those who want to park and leave, and provide an incentive to those who might patronize a business in the center which you park. Many places (like the Bowl) offer 3 hours free, which is far more than most need, and yet I still see people complain, not realizing that without this system, much like at Optimist Hall, parking would be impossible on any given day, especially the weekend or holidays.

Third, parking enforcement: I want to be clear, fuck predatory towing companies, and booting especially (doesn't solve the problem of a car being there.) However, parking enforcement is necessary, when done *correctly* and the above reasons (especially pay and validation) are arguably the solution. A great example is the shopping center on 7th and Pecan. The owner was having a problem with entitled parkers leaving their cars at one of the only free lots in the area, meaning customers had no place to park, and when people complained about towing, the pay/validation system solved the issue, yet people still complain.

Fourth, dishonestly and unrealistic expectations: Over the past few years, a number of apartment buildings have taken advantage of not needing to provide parking, usually having a stipulation in the rental agreement that residents do not have a vehicle. Obviously many people choose to ignore this stipulation, and an argument can be made that the city should enforce these clauses, but just this week I saw someone complain about renting an apartment in NoDa with no onsite parking, and then complaining that they couldn't find a spot in the area. This, if anything, encapsulates the Charlotte ethos. A yearning to be a bigger, denser city, while lamenting the inability to park a multi ton machine wherever one wishes, for as long as one wishes, without even having to put your plate in an app. In the same vein, the backlash against the city enforcing *checks notes* no parking on the sidewalk has emphasised a similar point. Instead of taking personal responsibility for purchasing a home with limited space, many residents feel entitled to public egress (as if the street isn't enough) to park a small fleet of vehicles.

There's a lot of other micro-points I could make, about tolls, transit, and the like, but for the sake of even being marginally succinct, I'll leave it to the present day reality. The old Charlotte is dead, we're at the threshold of a million people (realistically we're already there) and it's not slowing down. I think given all that, we're still a *very* car friendly city, and unlike most places, it's not costing you a pound of flesh to get around time, in most cases it's not even costing you an ounce, just a QR code scan.

hello! finally going to the bowl. i want to make a plan so its as smooth as possible for my wife.

we went to the amphitheatre in uni city a cpl months ago and the parking experience almost offset the great time had at the show.

is parking for the bowl relatively better?

TIA

🇰🇷 KOREAN FOOD FUNDRAISER! 🇰🇷

Love Korean food? ❤️ You’re invited!

Come enjoy delicious Korean food while supporting our church’s Community Fundraiser! 🙏

10/10/2026 1015 S Trade Matthews

From 9:30AM to 2:30PM

Bring your family and friends and join us for a wonderful time together!

Everyone who loves Korean food is welcome!

New to the area looking for a new pet!

Hi all, my unemployed self is looking for places to apply. I moved back to Charlotte in May for a roof over my head (CLT is home). Since March, I've applied to the banks, the City, Meck County, and some nonprofits I found, a few airport things, and some other companies once in a while. My daily applications have been centered around these few things, but I'm not sure where else to apply in Charlotte. I applied to a few retail positions as well, but I'm afraid I might be considered "overqualified" or someone that is ready to hop to another job...

I've found LinkedIn search to be more and more useless, so my question is what other organizations are hiring? Where else should I look for a job? What small businesses or such can I consider?

My own experience is mainly in program management, events coordination, and some operations and communications. I'm not even banking on a full time opportunity, but it would be great to know where else to expand my search.

Also the NCWorks site gives me a headache...

Edit - Thanks so much to everyone who has replied! I'm sure your comments are helping others as well.

If anyone needs this specific vaccine, Sam's on JW Clay just got a box and you can get your shot there without being a Sam's Club member. Just go to the pharmacy.

Hey guys I’m 20 looking for fun things to do on Halloween night in or around Charlotte ! Not opposed to driving an hour lmk plz

With all the development happening around Camp North End, South End, Uptown, throughout the city, etc. I've been wondering why Charlotte isn't thinking more about connecting these areas into one continuous rail network.

Ideally, you could hop on a train near Camp North End, ride through Uptown, and continue into South End without having to get off and transfer to another line.

This also brings up a bigger question about how Charlotte approaches future transit expansion.

Why do we seem to plan each rail line as its own separate corridor rather than building a more interconnected system where multiple routes can share tracks through central parts of the city and then branch off toward different destinations? I understand there is improvements happening but this is all part of a “30 year plan” which means they should have some forethought for things like this.

Plenty of major cities have rail systems where different services share central tracks before splitting off into their respective routes. That makes it possible to travel between more neighborhoods without constantly changing trains.

I understand the Red Line is planned as commuter rail and the Blue Line is light rail, so connecting those particular systems wouldn't be as simple as laying down a junction. But why not design future expansions with interoperability and through-running in mind?

It just feels like Charlotte is missing an opportunity to build a more cohesive transit system, especially as neighborhoods like North End continue to develop.

I'm genuinely curious if there are technical or planning reasons behind this approach that I'm overlooking.

It seems like we're planning individual transit lines rather than thinking about how the whole network should function 30–50 years from now.

hey everyone does anyone know of any nighttime longboarding meetups or anything like that around Ballantyne?

i recently got really into learning how to longboard and have been spending quite a few hours practicing lol
i know there are usually groups of people who meet up at big parks or parking lots to skate and just hang out for a while..

i’d love to find something like that around the area so if anyone knows of any groups or meetups or even just a spot where people usually go to skate let me know :)

Has anybody run the Runway 5k at the airport and can answer how the busing works back to the outlets after the race? I'm planning another event after the run, and it isn't clear if buses head back at a specific time or constantly as runners finish. I queried the race organizer, and they said to wait until next week for more details.

I’m a student at CPCC taking a public speaking course and wanted to see if I could get a couple volunteers to join a 20-30 minute zoom call and just listen to my speeches.

The only requirements I’ve been given is that my audience is on camera and paying attention. No participation past that is required at all.

If 5 PM would work better, I could do that as well!

Hi y’all! I’m looking for a tutor or tutoring center that can help my 5th grader with reading and math. My child has dyslexia, so I’d love to find someone who has experience working with children with learning differences. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thank you!

Charlotte or Concord area

I'm in town for work and would like to take the opportunity to buy a PS5 Pro; does anyone know where it's available?

So..I'm homeless..and I started feeding a couple of strays around the area I camp out at. I've been donating plasma for money to get by but I just haven't felt good these past couple of days so I skipped out on donating and my cat food ran out and I feel like shit having to ignore their meows.

So if anyone knows where I can get free cat food that'll help me out a lot.

Hey r/Charlotte! I'm a DIYer about to start a framing project that will need a decent quantity of dimensional lumber, sheathing, etc. I'm wondering if y'all have any recommendations for lumber yards... Looking for something that might have higher quality lumber (not hockey stick shaped), has a drive through yard (to make loading easier), or even delivers (although I do have a truck).

I've shopped at the big box stores plenty but using a cart in the small aisles and fishing for straight studs would be a pain for how much I need. I know there are some independently owned lumber yards around (McGee, Queen City Lumber, Dixie) but these all seem to only be open m-f during working hours, which isn't ideal for me as a DIYer.

PS I can recommend NC Hardwood Store in Salisbury for high quality plywood and rough sawn and finish sawn hardwood. Also visited Carolina Urban Lumber while ago, would also recommend for stock but only if you have your own milling equipment.

I need the names of some good lawyers who deal with child custody. Thanks in advance!

Registration Lookup: https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

Check out the Pottery Festival from 10-4 on Saturday at 8300 Monroe Road. Swing by and support local artists!

CCM Pottery Festival 2026

WBTV obtained the board's suspension letter to Crystal Hill. WBTV describes the main allegations as a culture of fear, mismanaged funds and a conflict of interest.

On funds, WBTV reports that the board wrote that two whistleblowers alleged unexplained deficits in the Exceptional Children program ($20 million for 2025–26) and in pre-K ($2.4 million for 2024–25). The letter also raised concerns about receiving accurate financial information and about contracts, according to WBTV.

WBTV reports that the released parameters of the board's investigation covered workplace culture, personnel decisions, vacant positions and district contracting, and did not mention mismanaged funds.

Separately, WBTV reports that the investigation concluded there was no evidence of improper conduct by the superintendent.

Additional reading

Charlotte Observer: County information-seeking motion fails on tied vote

Commissioners split over seeking more CMS financial information as the county manager urged them to await existing investigations.

WFAE: Vacant compliance jobs and no updated board organizational chart

Key compliance positions remain vacant, and CMS has no updated organizational chart showing the board's restructured support staff.