Blogs / The DNC In The CLT / September 2012 / 5 Things I Never Expected to See in Charlotte

5 Things I Never Expected to See in Charlotte

Since I moved to Charlotte in early 2007, I've watched the city go through some major changes.

Since I moved to Charlotte in early 2007, I've watched the city go through some major changes. The Lynx was completed and opened. The Metropolitan opened in Midtown. The Bechtler opened, and The Firebird became the city's favorite (and most glittery) new landmark. The new Mint Museum opened uptown. The greenway was completed. Cam Newton arrived. We—finally—got a Whole Foods store.

It's been a whirlwind five years. But there are still some things I didn't expect to see in my city for a long, long time—if ever—and yet, some of them have happened this week.

 

Here are my top five moments:

1. I watched a woman hail a cab on College Street. The cab actually pulled over, picked her up, and drove away. This does not happen in the Charlotte I used to know.
2. The sidewalks in uptown have been crowded all day long, every day. And not just with suited up bankers and lawyers. 
3. I stood in line to buy coffee at Bar Cocoa, and realized that the guy in front of me (who bought a coffee and two key lime chocolates) was James Carville.
4. I rode a CATS bus that had a police escort. The only other time I have seen this happen? A Keanu Reeves movie from the 1990s.
5. Oh yeah, and then there was that one time when I watched Air Force One land in Charlotte. That was pretty unexpected, too. 

It's been fun—and a little strange—to see our city so completely transformed for a national event. And it's all going to be over very soon.

So, in true Charlotte fashion, I'll end with just one question: What's next?