The Quietest Busy City in America
by Scott Veith

Charlotte is the quietest busy city in America. Rarely does the entertainment and nightlife of a big city merge with the peaceful, calm neighborhoods of a small town. The Charlotte metropolitan area has both.

Charlotte has everything a New Yorker would want and lacks most things he could live without. The entertainment scene is loaded and the bar and restaurant list is long. On the other hand, traffic is nothing compared to larger cities and quiet neighborhoods are tuned in with the busy night life.

Trip Magazine, Charlotte's visitor resource publication, breaks the Queen City down into 10 sections. The breakdown is as follows: 1. Dilworth/Southend;2. Southpark; 3. I-77/Coliseum; 4. I-85/ Airport to UNCC; 5. Highway 51/Pineville-Matthews Rd.; 6. Independence Boulevard; 7. Providence Road; 8. Uptown; 9. Cabarrus County; 10. Lake Norman.

Uptown is the place to eat. The intersection of 7th and Tryon is perhaps the best place in the city to stuff your face. Atlantic Beer & Ice sits directly across the intersection from Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery. Both offer inexpensive but filling meals, an extensive beer menu and outdoor seating. Uptown also includes at least a dozen more eateries that deserve a try.

Discovery Place, a children interactive museum, is also located in Uptown and is only a few doors down from the aforementioned restaurants. Other Uptown attractions include The Museum of the New South, The Mint Museum of Craft and Design, The Performing Arts Center and two fine cigar bars. Ericsson Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League, is also located Uptown.

Independence Boulevard is the place for someone who likes everything. Every building is home to something to do. The road stretches across most of the city and has countless, stores, restaurants, movie theatres and pool halls. It is also home to numerous adult locations including bars and gentlemen's clubs.

Cabarrus County is NASCAR heaven. Lowe's Motor Speedway, a 2.5-mile track that hosts two Winston Cup events each year, and a smaller race about twice a week, is this area's largest tourist attraction. Newly opened Concord Mills Mall is less than two miles from the track. The mall is said to be larger than three football fields and features a NASCAR simulation station.

Concord Mills blends entertainment with shopping. The stores, most of which claim to sell first class merchandise at outlet prices, include The Gap, American Outpost, Lids, Payless Shoes, and Osh Kosh B'Gosh.

Southpark is Charlotte's upscale shopping area. The Southpark Mall includes stores like Banana Republic, The Limited, Ann Taylor, The Learningsmith, Warner Brothers, Brookstone and Belk's. The area also includes a smaller, but just as impressive, shopping plaza that features an enormous Borders Book Store.

An occasional appearance by professional basketball players and other local celebrities who are on hand to sign autographs is also common at Borders and the mall.

The Charlotte Sting of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Charlotte Hornets of the men's league both make their home in the Charlotte Coliseum, located in the I-77/Coliseum area. Sports bars and sports related entertainment facilities are abundant by the Coliseum. Jock's and Jill's Restaurant and Michael Jordan Golf (driving range and miniature golf course) are two are the section's hottest tickets.

Lake Norman features golf courses owned and designed by golf's greatest names, including Greg Norman. Fishing and boating is also popular on the man-made lake. The area is a 25-minute drive from Uptown, but well worth the travel for a round of golf on some of the most spectacular courses on the East Coast. Travelers not interested in golfing, fishing, boating or beautiful landscape and scenery need not make the trip to the lake.

The I-85/Airport to UNCC area is, quite obviously, home to the Charlotte-Douglas Airport and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Business travelers may find the area resourceful, as lodging is plentiful. Many business conferences are also held in the area, often at hotels near the university. The traditional college-style eatery's are here as well as several upscale restaurants.

The Providence Road, Dilworth/Southend and Highway 51/ Pineville-Matthews Road areas offer little more entertainment than the average small city. Restaurants and bars are abundant in these areas, as they are everywhere in the city, but few major attractions are located in these parts of town.