Frankie's is in Brier Creek, we have ziplining in multiple spots. No amusement park so maybe that makes or breaks it for a mf on the fence
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People say the same shyt about both, "there's nothing to do here". Those people not even trying, if you get active in either one there's plenty shyt to do...
But they both still new to the "big city" landscape, so for many people it's gonna take awhile for perception to catch up to reality. Both Charlotte and Raleigh really just started getting national recognition like this in the last 15-20 years, most adults across the US grew up without these two not being considered anything special. Charlotte is in the same weight class as Denver, Baltimore, and Orlando but those cities have higher esteem because they've been recognized as big cities longer...
Haven't been to Denver or Orlando yet but I have been to Baltimore and I think Charlotte's a better city. But Baltimore been popping longer, people know it better...
Raleigh is in the same weight class as Jacksonville, Providence and Milwaukee, but again these are more established cities, so even though Raleigh is the same size as these cities people don't yet think of it that way. Haven't been to Milwaukee or Jacksonville but I've been to Providence, I do think it's a really underrated and dope city. Raleigh is on that level though...
It's gonna take awhile for perception to match reality but I think more people are aware of what both cities offer, as each year goes by...
Gotta elaborate on this comment, too!
I made that post on August 5, and then on October 15, I went to Denver for the first time...
I'm also heading back to Denver on March 1, for about a month and a half...
One thing Denver affirmed for me, is the bolded in my quote above: both Charlotte and Raleigh are new to being "big cities" so they are experiencing the growing pains that comes from being so young in the game...
I still say Charlotte is in the same general weight class as Denver, but if they are in the same weight class, Denver is a 225 pound heavyweight, while Charlotte just hit 205. There's a gap and you can see it soon as you hit the airport, for starters DIA is way bigger and they have monorail, which CLT doesn't...
You can also catch light rail to DIA and you can't do that in Charlotte. On the subject of transit in general, Denver is kicking Charlotte's ass, there is no commuter rail in Charlotte, and Charlotte has one light rail line that misses most interesting and needed places in the city, while Denver's rail network is significantly more expansive and developed...
Downtown to downtown Denver is much busier, you see it in foot traffic, transit, etc. Once you get away from Uptown Charlotte you lose walkability fast and Denver maintains that for much, much longer...
Now all these weaknesses for Charlotte, are also weaknesses for Raleigh, and for Sunbelt cities in general, to be fair. But Raleigh not even big enough to be compared to Denver, Charlotte is, so that's why this is a Charlotte specific post--->Charlotte has the size but is thoroughly behind in amenities across the board. It's big but big and kinda empty in comparison...
At the same time I'd still take Charlotte over Denver for climate and black people alone. Black people in Denver are mostly segregated to the NE and upper East sides of Denver, you also instantly notice ain't no black people there even close to what you see in Charlotte. So black-specific events and amenities favors Charlotte in a landslide...
What Denver also affirmed is that Charlotte and Raleigh are just the bigger/smaller variations of each other, and there's not a heavy gap between them. Charlotte and Raleigh is a Dallas/Houston relationship. Charlotte (Houston) is the bigger city, so more shyt going on, but Raleigh (Dallas) offers 85-90% of what Charlotte does. For some people, that extra 10-15% in Charlotte, or Houston, make all the difference to them, and I don't blame anyone for that...
For others, Raleigh, or Dallas, is comfortable enough in that it basically does give you what you can get in Charlotte for the most part, so that missing 10-15% isn't that relevant in my every day life. Raleigh's unique enough to offer it's own style, and both cities are to the Carolinas, what Houston and Dallas are to Texas...
And I maintain that while unique in their own rights, they are more similar than not...
That city don’t sit well with me. Pride was fun tho.
