After a successful run last summer, The Center City Green Market will bring back free walking tours beginning this Saturday, July 10^th.  The walking tour will leave from “The Square” at Trade and Tryon at 10:30am Saturday morning and last approximately 1.5 hours.  The tour starts on the North side of Trade Street (aka Bank of America territory) and weaves through Historic Fourth Ward.  After a brief stop back at the Green Market for water and to pickup those wishing to opt-in for the 2^nd half, the tour will continue on the South side of Trade Street (aka Wachovia territory….I mean Wells Fargo territory) through the new Cultural Campus and past the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  The tour will be complete at approximately Noon and those walking the entire tour should wear comfortable shoes and plan to walk about 1.5 miles.  Below is an excerpt from a Blog post I wrote last July providing some highlights of the tour.

Plan to spend time looking up at the Charlotte skyline

The walking tour participants range from all ages, backgrounds, and home towns.  The majority are not from Charlotte.  They either heard about the tour from the Uptown hotel where they are staying for the weekend, or they are visiting friends who live in Charlotte and have asked to see what downtown Charlotte has to offer.  I typically have visitors from the West coast (usually bankers that decided to extend their business trip to Charlotte for the weekend) and at least one couple from overseas.  I was very surprised last year how many foreign visitors we have pass through Charlotte.  And now with US Airways extending the international flights to/from Charlotte and the opening of the Cultural Campus, I expect even more visitors from the likes of Paris, Rome, and Germany.  Last summer, I even had a former neighbor from South Charlotte come up from the burbs and to his surprise, the converted suburban to urban-guy was leading the tour.

Victorian Homes in Historic Fourth Ward

People are very enthusiastic about the city and are surprised to still see so many cranes still rising in a deep recession.  I get comments about how clean our city is, the diverse use of public art throughout the city, and how we intelligently use our green space (everyone thinks that our interactive park, The Green, is so cool).  Visitors also comment on Charlotte’s commitment to the arts (4 new arts venues on South Tryon doesn’t hurt) and how livable they perceive the city to be.  Unfortunately, I can’t avoid our one black eye along the tour path – The Park – but all in all, our city shows very well.  In addition, I carry my pen and paper to pickup an occasional tidbit that I didn’t know.  For example, I now know that the huge flowers in Fourth Ward Park are Canna Flowers – hey, I never claimed to be a Botanist!

The new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

During the tour, I have several morsels that I share such as the fact that both Elvis and Frank Sinatra played at the now fire-gutted Carolina Theater.  Or that Bank of America corporate center may be the tallest building in Charlotte with 60 stories, but there are 24 other skyscrapers in the United States that are taller.  It is hard to imagine that the World Trade Center towers were almost twice as tall as B of A – wow!  Or that Eifirds, Belk, and Ivey’s Department Stores anchored Uptown’s retail from 1924 to 1990, the year when Dillards acquired Ivey’s and shut down the last of our big box department stores in the Center City.  After the acquisition, a bond referendum to turn the Ivey’s building into a magnet high school was shot down, and instead the mixed use development that now boasts one of Uptowns premier residential addresses in Charlotte now anchors 5^th and Tryon (by the way, some very cool condos in the Ivey’s).

Finally, I always get a few off the wall questions such as “why would I raise my children in the center city?”  My response is that I actually received a Christmas card from one of our regular homeless women last December (true story, and my kids know Terri by name).  I consider the city a very safe place as long as you are street smart.  People always ask where our professional athletes live – the Trademark condo is a trendy spot for several Panthers.  I suspect several will be making The Vue their home later this Fall.  My favorite question is, “why do you do the tour for free”?  My response – I love to show off Charlotte and if this is my small contribution to turning Charlotte into a world class city, then that’s what it is all about.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the northeasterners head home to their congested city only to later decide to relocate to an ‘easier life’ in CLT.  That’s what happened to me….and I will never look back.  I’m even eating que, banana pudding, and Bojangles now.

Following this weekend, the next tour will be run from the Green Market on Saturday, July 24^th.  I will tweat the August schedule shortly.  I hope you can join me.  And please send me ideas, atta boys, and criticisms via this blog.  You can also follow my tour tweets at @robcummingsclt.

I surprised my son for Christmas and scored 2 tickets on eBay to the Carolina Panthers-New York Giants game over the holidays.  It would be his first trip to a visiting team’s venue.  What a better place for his first visit than the confines of the Meadowlands, for the last game at Giants stadium, complete with New York fanfare.

Dec 27th Panthers vs. Giants (photo courtesy of hearldonline.com)

The morning of the game we met two Panthers fans at the hotel clad in full Carolina blue and black.  Little did we know that those would be the last Panthers fans we would see until the end of the game 7 hours later!  We are used to Bank of America stadium where thousands of visiting fans fill seats throughout our stadium.  But not in New York, not when “Big Blue” is playing.  Maybe we were just two of the very few that had the nerve to venture into a Giants game without sporting Manning, Boss, or Umenyiora jerseys.

Opening Day at Giants Stadium circa 1976 (photo courtesy of Giants.com)

My son’s curiosity peaked throughout our NJ Transit train ride to the stadium.  Why did the Giants play in New Jersey?  Why is it so dirty outside?  Why did the guy in the Secaucus connection tell me I was “crazy”?  Why did the Giants and Jets share a stadium but it is called Giants Stadium?  Why are they building a new stadium next door instead of in the city?  Why does everybody curse a lot?  Why did we have to buy a program instead of getting one at the gate?  And why did he, an 8-year old kid, get patted down for a weapon at the entrance.  Welcome to New York son!

The game was great.  The Panthers had the game well in hand by the middle of the first quarter and eventually crushed the Giants.  The fans booed their team after each possession, Eli Manning was told, “your not your brother” multiple times by fans in our section, another group of fans chanted “lets go Yankees”, and 80% of the stadium cleared out by the middle of the third quarter.  My son and I maintained a low profile with simple high fives after each touchdown.  Nobody acknowledged or spoke to us.  But we didn’t get a beer thrown on us either, as many of our Panthers friends suggested would happen.

We stayed until the clock hit 0:0 and reveled in the shellacking we applied for the closing on the Giants 33-year old home.  As the last few die-hard fans trickled out, we noticed a guy carrying a small box down to the field.  I couldn’t help but think he was taking ashes down to the turf to be buried in the swamps of the Meadowlands with the other famous NY/NJ icons.  But I kept that thought to myself….my 8-year old didn’t need to hear my Jimmy Hoffa theory.

After we got back to Charlotte, I asked my son the three things he remembered the most about our visit to Giants Stadium.  His response was, 1) the scary bathrooms (small, “no flushers”, and surly fans), 2) the bad language (he heard more F-bombs in the first quarter alone than he has ever heard in his life, and 3) the decorated history of the stadium (several vignettes of memorable plays and players were shown in a Giants Stadium tribute at halftime.

Fast forward to this past Sunday for the Panthers-Saints game in Charlotte.  Plenty of New Orleans fans filled our stadium.  A group of Saints fans were walking out at the end of the game and I said, “Good luck in the playoffs.”  A lady in the group stopped and thanked me, mentioned the wonderful hospitality Panthers fans had shown to her group, and what a beautiful city and stadium we had.  My son looked at me and said, “That wouldn’t have happened in New York.”  I responded, “Welcome back to Charlotte son.”

Are you trying to figure out what to do for your Halloween weekend?  How about a horse-drawn carriage ride through ‘historic and haunted’ Fourth Ward Uptown?  Southern Breezes Carriages will be offering tours this Friday and Saturday nights from 6-11pm leaving from the Square at Trade and Tryon.  Hear creepy tales about haunted Victorians, public executions, paranormal activity, ghost hunters, and the Uptown morgue. 

view these photos on Flickr

Your spine tingling journey will begin at Trade and Tryon and head West into Fourth Ward.  Your first stop will be at the Old Fire Station #4, relocated to 5^th Street years ago.  Hear how Firefighter Pruitt L. Black missed the slide pole and plunged to his death in 1934, but has refused to leave the premises since that fateful day.  He even leaves the scent of his cigar from time-to-time in the now-converted fire museum. 

Your next frightful stop will be along Poplar Street at the old St. Peter’s Hospital, a historic structure recently converted to condominiums.  But what few people know about is the many patients that died long ago at the hospital.  Where were the bodies stored?

Continuing along Poplar Street will bring you to 7^th and Poplar Street and the site of a quaint Victorian home haunted by a Bootlegger from years past.  The current owners of the house still wonder why faucets turn on and off, and wet footsteps mysteriously appear on the steps of the old house. 

As you wind deep into Fourth Ward, you will pass by the 1876 Overcash House situated at 8^th and Pine Streets.  Look for the candle that burns 24×7 in the turret, presumably to provide light for the ghost of a woman that broke her neck after plunging down the steps to her death years ago.  Ghost hunters have even confirmed paranormal activity in the home.  Don’t be surprised if you see her face looking out the turret window on Halloween night.

Your next stop will be at the popular neighborhood pub and restaurant, Alexander Michaels.  Find out why the staff of Al Mike’s refuse to go to the old Apartment upstairs at the former Berryhill grocery store.  Does E.W. Berryhill still haunt this popular watering hole?

Your horse-drawn carriage will then weave through Settlers Lane to the location of the old ‘hanging tree’ and the site of a reported 28 public executions back in the day.  You will find the tree downright spooky.

Finally, you will make your way back to Tryon Street but not before hearing about the balcony ghosts at the Old Carolina Theatre. Technicians report seeing ‘Fred’ from time-to-time kicking back taking in a show, or the old lady in tattered clothes in the projection room.  Maybe they like their old home as is, and not as a shiny new theatre and condo tower that is planned for that site.

Your carriage driver will tell you many more creepy stories along your journey that should put you in a Halloween mood.  And after your ghostly trek through the city, I am willing to bet that you will never see Uptown the same again.  Who says that Charleston and Savannah are the only old haunted cities of the Southeast?

The tales described above have not been proven to be factual.  Many of these ghost stories have been recreated as told in Ghost Stories of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County by Stephanie Burt Williams.  Thanks also go to James Willamor for the use of several Fourth Ward photos.

On Tuesday, September 15^th, the Business Leaders of Charlotte – BLOC and First United Methodist Church Uptown  had Jerry Reese, a self proclaimed “villain”, tell his side of the Uptown baseball story as part of their Tuesday Topics monthly speaking series.   The meeting was well attended with a number of people with pent-up anxiety about the legal hurdles that Mr. Reese continues to throw up to derail minor league baseball Uptown.  But most of those people, including myself, have only heard one side of the baseball story.  That is the side of the story that says that Charlotte could not support major league baseball and that the land swap deal is good for Charlotte.  So Mr. Reese had the podium for 45 minutes to explain why he is fighting tooth and nail to block minor league baseball and the land swap, a wildly popular proposal conceived several years ago by Charlotte Center City Partners.

Mr. Reese gave 10 points as to why he believes the land swap is a bad deal for Charlotte and why we are a major league city.  Here is a summary of his points, sans any commentary about the validity of each.

1. If we bring minor league baseball Uptown, we are telling the country, along with prospective residents and relocating businesses, that we are not the big-time city we continually tout that we are.
2. The County Commissioners voted an 8.5 acre public park to be built on the proposed site of the stadium.  According to Reese, the voters passed a bond referendum for $1million in land improvements for the site back in 2004.
3. It was also stipulated that that same land could be sold, but not leased, for economic development.  The proposed deal with the Knights is a $1 annual lease for 49 years.
4. Mr. Reese contends that the land swap deal represents poor urban planning by Uptown’s leaders because it does not address the need for family friendly parks Uptown to continue to attract families to live in the center city.  He cited other urban parks in rival cities that had athletic fields, etc.
5. The Knights would be a $15 million business leasing a facility for $1/year on a $35 million piece of land.  Mr. Reese reiterated that this would be a sweetheart deal for the Knights or any other business with those types of lease terms.
6. The Knights do not control their own destiny.  If major league baseball (MLB) was courted to the Charlotte area, the Knights would have to relocate.  For example, if a group convinced a MLB team to move to Iredell County, any type of baseball in Charlotte-Mecklenburg would immediately be dead.
7. The current proposed Second Ward Brooklyn Village project is not a true urban project.  According to Reese, it is a suburban plan for an urban environment.
8. If a MLB stadium is not put in Second Ward under Mr. Reese’s proposed Brooklyn Renaissance Project, then Charlotte loses the opportunity to locate a MLB stadium inside the 277 loop.  Reese’s contention is that there is no other available land Uptown where the stadium could be situated to the east with the skyline in the background and sun behind the batters.  And the proposed Third Ward site for the minor league stadium is not large enough for a MLB stadium.
9. The Knights cannot afford to build the stadium.
10. There is not a corporate draw to minor league baseball.  Minor league baseball would only pull fans from a radius of 20 miles (lots of single A to AAA baseball competition in surrounding counties) whereas major league baseball would draw fans from at least 100 miles along with businesses and tourists.

Mr. Reese also contends that Charlotte is ready for the major leagues because of our population density within 100 miles ($7.1million people) and the Neilson television market estimates for the region.  Reese provided handouts showing how the Charlotte Designated Market Area compares favorably to other major league cities. 

Finally, Mr. Reese insinuated that he had inside information about “certain benchmarks being achieved” to realize his goal of bringing major league baseball to Charlotte.  He also went as far as saying that he has privately spoken to an existing team that has interest in relocating to Charlotte.  But he was tight-lipped about the benchmarks and team, and adamant that he will continue to fight the land swap even if it means brining more lawsuits against the city.

I thought Mr. Reese had some salient points and a well rehearsed argument (he has been at it for 8 years).  However, he wasn’t able to defend his points well when tough questions were raised by the audience, and was standoffish when questioned about his insider knowledge.

As a huge sports fan and Uptown resident, I would love to bypass minor league baseball and bring a major league team to the city.  However, I believe that under the current structure of major league baseball (no salary cap and competition against huge media markets), it would be next to impossible to put a winning team on the field.  And we all know that a losing team is not supported in Charlotte, particularly with the competition for the public’s entertainment dollar.  In fact, I am not convinced that baseball will survive in cities like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee under the current MLB structure.  So how could we expect it to be successful in Charlotte.  What are your thoughts?  Is there anybody out there that believes in Jerry Reese’s views?

Two shocking announcements have come in less than 24 hours from one another.  First, in a short press release Monday night, the General Contractor for The Vue condominiums announced they were halting construction on the project because they had not been paid the July draw by the owner, MCL Companies of Chicago.

And then on Tuesday afternoon, the Panthers announce Team President Mark Richardson and Stadium President Jon Richardson are resigning from the Panthers organization.  These are two stories that are missing some details – I am sure we will hear much more in the coming weeks.

Completed 4th floor unit at The Vue condominiums

Scott Fowler does a nice job in his blog assessing the Panthers announcement.  Read his response, “Strange Panther doings at the Top”. 

As for the Vue, this announcement is particularly unsettling.  The work stoppage may just be a blip and restart fairly quickly, or we may have a 51-story condominium shell sitting empty in the historic Fourth Ward neighborhood.  As a Fourth Ward resident I don’t want to hit the panic button as of yet since everything that I am hearing and reading is all second hand.  But to find out that MCL was unable to obtain financing for a halted Atlanta condo project last year is particularly unsettling.  That project, The Skyline @ Lindbergh, is apparently sitting with 4 of 21 stories completed.  When clicking on the project website, I get the infamous “page cannot be found” message.

We are continually reminded of a bad ending to a promising condo project every time we look towards the government center and see The Park Condominiums.  That project was halted over a year ago and has been through several foreclosure and auction proceedings.  As the legal ramifications are played out, the building is being battered by the weather and likely occupied by vagrants.  Simply put, it is an eyesore and the one “black eye” that I am always asked about when conducting my center city tours.

Could this be the path for The Vue?  I really hope it is not.  The trickle-down effect and impact to the condominium buyers and subcontractors in Charlotte would be widespread. 

MCL’s website has the tagline, “A Foundation of Integrity”.  I certainly hope that is the case.

I had the opportunity to get an up close and personal tour of Bank of America stadium over the weekend.  Before describing my experience, I want to give a quick shout out to John Schwaller and the Third Ward neighborhood association for arranging the tours, and to Jeff Wells and Riley Fields of the Panthers organization for taking us through what seemed to be an endless maze of walkways, doors, and rooms, in the non-public corridors of the stadium.

Panthers Field Without Chalk Lines and Endzones

Our tour started in Section 105 of the stadium.  Jeff told us how opposing players rank our bermuda grass hybrid as the second best playing surface in the league.  We also learned that the sound system is pointed northeast towards the city so that the sounds are projected away from residential neighborhoods (I do wonder if this was just a tidbit to get our tour guides in good graces with the Third Ward crowd).  And that when a player throws a ball into the stands they are fined by the NFL, but when he hands the ball to a fan they are invoiced as a charitable donation.   I noted that Steve Smith always hands the ball to a fan when he scores a touchdown….now we know that he is also making a charitable donation.

From the seating bowl we made our way to the club level.  Jeff and Riley kept us full of interesting facts along the way.  For example, when Jerry Richardson purchased the team he wanted to make sure the Panthers were a regional team and represented both North and South Carolina, and not just Charlotte.  He had dirt brought to the construction site from every county in both states.  In addition, he contemplated putting the stadium down near Carrowinds and the Knights stadium, with the 50-yard line as the border of North and South Carolina.  Sounds like a cool idea but I am glad they built the stadium at its current location where the Good Samaritan Hospital used to stand.

After visiting the plush air conditioned corridor known as club, we then went ‘behind-the scenes’.  Our first stop was the press area – press lounge, press box, and individual studios (NFL on Fox, visitor’s radio, Spanish radio, etc., etc.).  It was here that I was asked, “Who are you a reporter for” as I took copious notes for my Charlotte Blog article….I responded,”just livin’ the dream” since my secret passion is to be a member of The Sports Reporters on Sunday morning on ESPN!   In the press lounge we also learned that there are currently 882 flat screens, and over 800 miles of wires and cable in the stadium.  Check out this view from the press box.  Note that without the chalk lines, end zones, and players, the field is actually rotund and much larger than it appears on game days.

View From The Press Box

Our next stops were the media room, locker rooms, and training room.  Along the way we got a visit from Sir Purr on his motorcycle.  The kids loved it.  The Topcats also emptied out of their locker room on the way to their practice on the Cedar Street field.  We peeked into the visitors’ locker room.  Nothing special except Jeff and Riley pointing out Brett Favre and Peyton Manning’s lockers.  The next door took us to the media room where I was enamored with the sheer size of leather chairs in the theatre-style seating arrangement.  But in reality, these chairs typically hold 300-pound men so that should have been expected.  We then meandered our way into the Panthers locker room, an opportunity not typically afforded during public tours.  The players had left the night before on their way to Miami for the pre-season game against the Dolphins.  Suit bags, hundreds of shoes, personal photos, and media request notices for the upcoming week were the typical items I saw in each locker.  Jake’s locker had a nice size container of fan mail waiting to be opened.  I couldn’t help but think that maybe there was a reason it hadn’t been opened – I suspect many of those letters are not so friendly.  It was eye opening to see how these refrigerator-sized cubbies served as each player’s office – and just as you may personalize your office or cubicle, the players do the same to their locker cubby.

Panthers Training Room

If you were to ask me what I saw that I didn’t expect to see it would be the number of inspirational statements on the walls in and around the players locker room.  For example, “Great Players Thrive On The Pressure Situations”.   And, “Don’t Be Afraid To Be Great”.  There was also a painted replica of John Wooden’s Pyramid Of Success.  This reinforced to me the type of players the Panthers covet to represent the organization.

Panthers Locker Room - "Don't Be Afraid To Be Great"

If you want to take your own tour of Bank of America Stadium, show up between 9:30 and 9:45a.m. on a Wednesday morning in front of the Stadium Ticket Office.  The ticket office is located between the East and South gates on Mint Street.  Public tours for groups of 10 or less do not require a reservation.  Tours start promptly at 10:00 a.m.   The cost for public tours are as follows: free for children under the age of five, $3 for children ages 5-15, $5 for adults and $4 for senior citizens age 55 and older.  Children must be accompanied by a paying adult. The Bank of America Stadium Ticket Office accepts cash, personal checks verified with a driver license or an American Express or Visa card.   Send me your comments on some of the hidden treasures you may see or hear during your tour!

Week 13 Panthers Slugfest vs. the Green Bay Packers

My son (Cole) and I took in the Panthers Fan Fest activities this past Saturday at Bank of America Stadium. At the beginning of Fan Fest, the Panthers played a 20 minute video recapping last year’s season. It is amazing what kids retain. It has been close to a year since the beginning of the 2008-09 season but my son could tell me what happened in each game as soon as the video commentator announced the opponent. When the video progressed to the Packers game, Cole turned to me and said, “this is the disaster when Jonathan Stewart fumbles at the goal line. But we still scored and won the game.” How did he remember the game, let alone the series of plays that led to the Panthers second quarter touchdown?  I can hardly remember who the Panthers played last season. So that got me thinking…let me have my son recap last season from his vantage point….through the eyes of a 7-year old boy. Here is what he had to say.

My name is Cole and I love the Panthers. I have Panthers stuff all over my bedroom including 2 fatheads on my wall and an autographed Steve Smith photo when the Panthers beat the Giants in the playoffs back in 2005. I also love to play Madden 09 on my Xbox 360. I always play as the Panthers and always win. My Dad has season tickets to the Panthers and I get to trump my Mom, my sister, and even Dad’s friends when it comes to using our 2nd ticket to the game. I went to 6 games last year.

Last season started out great. I have never heard Dad yell as loud as he did when Jake threw that pass to Dante Rosario to beat the Chargers in the first game of the season. I thought he was going to jump through the TV. Then the first home game against the Bears was awesome. At the end of the game, I went down to the Panthers tunnel and Mushin Muhammad (Moose) threw me his hat. My Dad keeps calling it my Mean Joe Green moment because Moose said, “hey kid, catch” when he threw me his hat. I still don’t know who Mean Joe Green is. The next game the same thing happened after beating Atlanta – Rhys Lloyd gave me a wrist band and Jeff King threw me his glove. That was really cool. We are lucky our seats are right next to the Panthers tunnel.

The next home game against the Chiefs we went to the Kids Combine at the practice fields. I did all of the stations and won a T-shirt. My Dad and his friend kicked field goals. Dad made a 27 yarder and says if he can hit that after not having kicked a ball since his high school soccer days, that there is no excuse for John Kasey to ever miss a field goal. Of course he didn’t have 71,000 people screaming at him either. My sister met the cheerleaders at the Combine also. They were pretty….or as Dad says, “hot”.

The next game against New Orleans the guy in the next section was really intoxicated (funny word my Dad uses for drunk). He actually ripped the seat out of its place and the ushers escorted him out of the stadium. A similar thing happened at the Lions game a few weeks later. A guy got in a fight and the police hauled him away in hand cuffs. It is always the visiting teams fans that seem to get into trouble.

Dad wouldn’t let me go to the Monday night game against the Bucs since it was a school night. He said the atmosphere was electric. Apparently there were crazy things happening in our section again. Dad is tight lipped about exactly what happened but apparently the medics had to haul away a couple of fans, leaving some extra teeth behind. They say we are a ‘wine-and-cheese-crowd’ but apparently that isn’t the case in Section 107. You’ll have to ask Dad about that night – he isn’t filling me in on all of the details.

The Broncos game was my favorite all season. It was cold (see the photo with me in my ski mask) but everyone was really into the game. Dad says the night games are always more fun.

Cole Cummings bundled up at the Broncos-Panthers game

We were in Vermont for the last game of the season against the Saints. Dad and I reserved a TV at the local pub. All of the Patriots and Giants fans were none too happy about losing one of their precious TVs to an NFC South game. But we were there first and had squatters rights. During the game, Dad kept telling me that we were going to go to the Playoffs in Charlotte if we won. I was so excited. But then Drew Brees started picking apart our secondary. I started to cry. All of those Giants and Patriots fans at the pub started to pull for the Panthers when I got so upset. Needless to say we jumped for joy when John Casey nailed the final field goal to win it.

Two weeks later and it was playoff time vs. the Cardinals in Charlotte. I got the nod to go to the game even though it didn’t start until 8:15pm. We were so excited but it went downhill quickly. I hate fireworks and they went off and scared me during the Star Spangled Banner. In addition, the fans were really loud – much louder than they had ever been. And a bunch of Cardinals fans bought the seats around us and were hootin’ and hollerin’. I couldn’t take it. I had to call Mom to walk down to the stadium to come get me. When I got home, I turned on my Xbox 360, loaded up the Cardinals and Panthers, and subsequently beat the Cardinals 42-0. That’s the way that night should have gone anyway. I went to bed happy. Dad hasn’t been the same since.

watch this video on YouTube

Do you ever wonder where Kurt Cobain, Brandon Flowers, The Edge, or Eddie Van Halen got their start?

Like many other aspiring musicians, they probably endured tireless lessons and hours upon hours of practice as young kids. Eventually they got pretty good, found a couple of buddies (or brothers) who could also play and formed their first band. After several fits and starts with band members, they eventually cobbled together Nirvana, The Killers, U2, and Van Halen. The rest is history.

As far as I know, no big time rock and roll bands have sprouted out of Charlotte. Although, we have had our fair share of American Idol contestants and The Avett Brothers are enjoying new found fame, but who will be next to burst onto the scene?

I’ve attended four kid-band concerts over the past 6 months. The latest was last Friday night, where ‘Dynamo’ rocked the Fourth Ward’s porch crawl.

Dynamo is a five-member band of 5^th, 6^th and 7^th graders. Check out their rendition of Katrina & The Waves’, “Walking on Sunshine,” and their play on words to Tone Loc’s “Funky Cold Medina.”

I bet you have the same reaction I did – these kids are good!

You can download more of their songs from iTunes.

watch this video on YouTube

The other kid shows I have recently attended were at The Alley Cat, where the Paul Green School of Rock put on two concerts highlighting Pink Floyd and The Beatles.

The kids put on a heck of a show. As a lifelong Pink Floyd fan, I couldn’t help but to sing along to some old high school favorites from The Wall.

The School, whose tag line is “Saving Rock & Roll one kid at a time,” teaches kids a whole bunch of songs they probably have never heard before. Then, they’re taken to real clubs to jam. The cool thing is, each kid gets to play various instruments as they rotate some 25 kids in and out of the set. I can’t think of a better way to prepare a kid for the big rock and roll stage.

School of Rock’s next theme is the 40-year anniversary of Woodstock.

On Sat., Aug. 15, the School of Rock kids are going to belt out some old favorites from The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Crosby Stills Nash & Young at the Symphony Park in Southpark. For more information on this free show, visit their Web site.

Maybe one of those kids will become a famous front person for the next big rock and roll band out of Charlotte. I look forward to saying, “I remember when …”

the Center City Green Market in action, watch this video on YouTube

So I’m the guy that has been leading the Uptown Walking Tours each Saturday from the Green Market Uptown at Trade and Tryon.  It all started back in early May when Center City Partners sponsored the Uptown Living Showcase.  Myself and several other ‘tour guides’ gave walking and Gold Rush tours around the city.  It was a huge success so I decided to volunteer my time to carry the torch and continue the tours (with more of a historic theme) each Saturday during the summer months.  The momentum is growing–I had 45 people join the tour on July 18^th. 

photo: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr

The tour participants range from all ages, backgrounds, and home towns.  The majority are not from Charlotte.  They either heard about the tour from the Uptown hotel where they are staying for the weekend, or they are visiting friends who live in Charlotte and have asked to see what downtown Charlotte has to offer.  Last weekend my tour group included a couple from San Fran along with two businessmen from Italy.  All of the northeast states along with France have been represented along the way.  I even had a former neighbor from South Charlotte come up from the burbs and to his surprise, this converted suburban to urban-guy was leading his tour.

photo: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr

People are very enthusiastic about the city and are surprised to still see so many cranes rising in a deep recession.  I get comments about how clean our city is, the diverse use of public art throughout the city, and how we intelligently use our green space (everyone thinks that our interactive park, The Green, is so cool).  Visitors also comment on Charlotte’s commitment to the arts (4 new arts venues on South Tryon doesn’t hurt) and how livable they perceive the city to be.  Unfortunately, I can’t avoid our one black eye along the tour path–The Park–but all in all, our city shows very well.  In addition, I carry my pen and paper to pickup an occasional tidbit that I didn’t know.  For example, I now know that the huge flowers in Fourth Ward Park are Canna Flowers–hey, I never claimed to be a Botanist!

photo: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr

During the tour, I have several morsels that I share such as the fact that both Elvis and Frank Sinatra played at the now fire-gutted Carolina Theater (good luck Jim Donnelly with his proposed project to restore the theatre).  Or that Bank of America corporate center may be the tallest building in Charlotte with 60 stories, but there are 24 other skyscrapers in the United States that are taller.  It is hard to imagine that the World Trade Center towers were almost twice as tall as B of A – wow!  Or that Eifirds, Belk, and Ivey’s Department Stores anchored Uptown’s retail from 1924 to 1990, the year when Dillards acquired Ivey’s and shut down the last of our big box department stores in the Center City.  After the acquisition, a bond referendum to turn the Ivey’s building into a magnet high school was shot down, and instead the mixed use development that now boasts one of Uptowns premier residential addresses in Charlotte now anchors 5^th and Tryon (by the way, some very cool condos in the Ivey’s).

the historic Ivey’s building; photo: James Willamor; view this photo on Flickr

Finally, I always get a few off the wall questions such as “why would I raise my children in the center city?”  My response is that I actually received a Christmas card from one of our regular homeless women last December (true story, and my kids know Terri by name).  I consider the city a very safe place as long as you are street smart.  People always ask where our professional athletes live – the Trademark condo is a trendy spot for several Panthers.  Or my favorite question, “why do you do the tour for free”?  My response – I love to show off Charlotte and if this is my small contribution to turning Charlotte into a world class city, then that’s what it is all about.  I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the northeasterners head home to their congested city only to later decide to relocate to an ‘easier life’ in CLT.  That’s what happened to me … and I will never look back.  I’m even eating ‘que, banana pudding, and Bojangles now.

I have the next few weekends off for vacation and the Presbyterian Invitational Criterium on August 8^th (no Green Market that weekend).  But my tour will resume on August 22^nd,, departing from the Square at 11am (North Tryon corridor) and Noon (South Tryon corridor).  I hope you can join me.  And please send me ideas, atta boys, and criticisms via this blog.  You can also follow my tour tweets at @robcummingsclt.