Amy Baldwin writes about Charlotte-area newcomers in her New Around Town blog and Living Here columns in the Observer. She also is editor of the annual Living Here magazine. She grew up in suburban Dayton, Ohio, but was a newcomer in three other places - Birmingham, Ala.; Lexington, Ky.; and New York City - before moving to Charlotte in 2003. She likes barbecue, preferably pulled pork, but passes on sweet tea. Her favorite college basketball team is still to be determined. Reach her at 704-358-5179, abaldwin@charlotteobserver.com.
Elizabeth Shaffer grew up on a pig farm in Bardstown, Ky. Now she's in the most urban environment she's ever lived: uptown Charlotte.
I recently bought tickets for “Avenue Q,” a musical I loved on Broadway that's coming to the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center this month. In the process, I remembered one of my newcomer goofs – showing up 10 minutes before showtime at the wrong theater.
Ever have trouble navigating uptown? Don't know how to find Discovery Place, Mint Museum of Craft + Design or the nearest light rail station?
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Charlotte's four historic uptown wards are often in the news.
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There's a lot of excitement about big-box retailers setting up shop near uptown. Target and Home Depot Expo Design Center opened at Metropolitan in midtown last fall, and Best Buy opened there last month.
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Here's a question from Suzy Stidham, who worked at Charlottetown Mall – now the site of the Metropolitan mixed-use complex that includes retail big boxes: What happened to the time capsule that was buried inside the mall in 1959?
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How do you celebrate Memorial Day? It might depend on where you're from.
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Not everyone who moves here likes it. The mild weather might be a plus, and the access to beaches and mountains is ideal. But that's not enough for Matt and Barri Simpson, who moved to Huntersville 2 1/2 years ago from suburban Dallas.
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The circus is coming to town. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Boom A Ring opens Wednesday at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center and runs through May 26.
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In honor of Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday, here are two local Hispanic groups that bring a lot of richness to the Charlotte region. But a caveat: Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's independence day, a common misconception. It commemorates a victory by Mexican forces over French forces in 1862.
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Here's a question from Sandra Scherrman, 72, who has lived here 11 years.
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This time of year, I always miss my old Kentucky home. That's because the Kentucky Derby, which I attended three straight years while living in Lexington, Ky., is Saturday. (Post time is 6:04 p.m.)
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On my way to a recent Kiwanis Uptown meeting, I expected an older group -- some 40-somethings at least.
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The tax filing deadline is fast approaching. If you're new to the area, you might need to know where to turn for last-minute help filing state taxes. And you should also know the IRS has a new Charlotte office.
