Downtown Was Alive Last Night!

Wooo--there was quite a scene downtown last night. Within a few square blocks of North Tryon Street, thousands of people filled the sidewalks heading to a variety of events. From couples in swank cocktail attire to a woman in a lowcut red leather minidress and spiked heels (she turned quite a few bankers' heads outside the Hearst Tower),

folks who have been aiming to animate the center city must have been positively giddy last night.

Most of the masses were heading to Van Halen's first concert in twenty years (including, I'm guessing, red leather lady). A block from the arena, Levine Museum of the New South was hosting an Exreme Barbecue event, complete with a huge smoker rig and Johnson and Wales students hand-pulling smoked pork for a hungry crowd. Up the street, the well-to-do set (as well as local media types like, um, me) mingled at the Booth Theatre for a presentation by the developers of OneCharlotte, an exclusive condo hi-rise (and a gorgeous building, by the way). The group booked modern dance troupe Pilobolus for the evening. About 60 stories up, celebrity chefs mixed with Charlotte Shout sponsors (as well as local media types like, um, me) in another reception. Plus, the usual assortment of uptown revelers flled bars and restaurants. It was fun to be a part of the scene, even if I won't be purchasing the $10 million penthouse at OneCharlotte.

Now just imagine what it'll be like in a couple years, when the condos and arts facilities add a similar amount of energy to South Tryon…