Charlotte’s First 4-D Movie Theater Just Opened in Stonecrest

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Regal and CJ 4DPLEX have just opened Charlotte’s first 4-D theater in South Charlotte’s Regal Stonecrest. It’s also Regal’s first 4-D location in North Carolina and their 14th in the country.

Yesterday, Regal corporate invited me and a few other members of the media down to watch the premiere of Charlotte’s first 4-D movie – Captain Marvel.

The screen displayed the movie in 3-D while the simulator seats, massagers, water jets, air pumps, and strobe lights added a 4th dimension to the film.

(if you don’t enjoy the occasional water blast to the face, the sprayers can be turned off)

It reminded me of a 4-D movie I watched at Disney World, but I felt they really dropped the ball with merging the new technology to Captain Marvel.

There was too much seat-jerking happening, misplaced back-pokes, and the wind jets didn’t always match up with what I was seeing on the screen (why was the wind blowing when Nick Fury and Captain Marvel were driving in a car with the windows rolled up?)

At times, the 4-D aspects did make me feel more immersed in the movie, but for most of the experience, it just felt like I was watching a movie on a roller coaster.

The new technology is certainly powerful, but they really need to do a better job with syncing it to individual movie scenes.

Have you ever been to a 4-D movie? 

What are your thoughts on the new technology?

Uptown Charlotte’s Historic 94 Year Polk Building Being Demolished For New Apartments

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One of Charlotte’s last remaining buildings from the early 1900s is now being demolished to make room for yet another new luxury apartment complex in Uptown.

The Polk Building sits at the Northwest corner of Trade St and Graham St and was named after President James K. Polk, the only US President in history to be born in Mecklenburg County.

According to the SVM Historical Consulting Company, Charlotte’s Polk Building was first built to in 1925, to house C. C. Coddington’s Buick dealership and test driving track on the roof. In 1981, the building saw extensive renovations to become a modern office complex for state officials. The building was permanently vacated in the early 90s when the state moved to office developments in Charlotte’s suburbs.

The site will be redeveloped into one of Charlotte’s newest luxury apartment complexes – Northwood Raven’s 500 West Trade.

The 15-story development will include 354 apartments and 8,400 square feet of retail space at the street level. Amenities will include a rooftop bar, fitness center, private theatre, and an indoor spa and sauna.

What do you think about the new development?

Charlotte Ranked As 2019’s 2nd Worst Large City for College Basketball Fans

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With March Madness just under a week away, the personal-finance website WalletHub just released its report on 2019’s Best Cities for College Basketball Fans.

To find 2019’s top spots for NCAA hoops, the site analyzed data from over 280 cities using nine key metrics, ranging from the number of teams per city, to the winning percentage of each to stadium capacity, to social media engagement. You can find some highlights from both the report and the infographic below.

The Queen City ranked as the 2nd worst large city in America, just behind Tampa and just ahead of Minneapolis, MN;

Rank
(1=Best)
Large City
(Score)
Rank
(1=Best)
Midsize City
(Score)
Rank
(1=Best)
Small City
(Score)
1 Los Angeles, CA
(55.36)
1 Durham, NC
(56.99)
1 Lawrence, KS
(59.03)
2 Philadelphia, PA
(51.30)
2 Ann Arbor, MI
(42.33)
2 East Lansing, MI
(53.79)
3 Lexington, KY
(51.16)
3 South Bend, IN
(38.06)
3 Chapel Hill, NC
(52.94)
4 Washington, DC
(44.00)
4 Norman, OK
(37.44)
4 Storrs, CT
(51.78)
5 New York, NY
(42.86)
5 Cincinnati, OH
(34.50)
5 Fayette, MS
(47.07)
6 Boston, MA
(41.67)
6 Salt Lake City, UT
(33.99)
6 Loretto, PA
(46.35)
7 Houston, TX
(33.84)
7 Provo, UT
(32.62)
7 College Park, MD
(45.81)
8 Tulsa, OK
(32.87)
8 Syracuse, NY
(32.13)
8 Morgantown, WV
(44.65)
9 Louisville, KY
(32.16)
9 Columbia, SC
(30.32)
9 Bloomington, IN
(43.86)
10 Long Beach, CA
(31.42)
10 Providence, RI
(29.15)
10 Kingston, RI
(43.42)
11 Nashville, TN
(30.54)
11 Eugene, OR
(29.14)
11 West Point, NY
(42.20)
12 Chicago, IL
(29.98)
12 College Station, TX
(27.38)
12 Charlottesville, VA
(38.51)
13 Omaha, NE
(29.53)
13 Dayton, OH
(27.31)
13 Fayetteville, AR
(38.15)
14 Baltimore, MD
(28.20)
14 Gainesville, FL
(27.06)
14 Ames, IA
(37.26)
15 Tucson, AZ
(28.01)
15 Murfreesboro, TN
(26.55)
15 Lewiston, NY
(36.91)
16 Memphis, TN
(27.96)
16 Spokane, WA
(26.54)
16 Buies Creek, NC
(35.84)
17 Seattle, WA
(27.82)
17 Norfolk, VA
(26.26)
17 Iowa City, IA
(35.25)
18 Miami, FL
(27.48)
18 Lafayette, LA
(26.12)
18 West Lafayette, IN
(34.78)
19 Columbus, OH
(27.40)
19 Akron, OH
(26.03)
19 Stillwater, OK
(34.36)
20 Phoenix, AZ
(27.15)
20 Baton Rouge, LA
(25.91)
20 Itta Bena, MS
(34.24)
21 Dallas, TX
(26.95)
21 Waco, TX
(25.78)
21 Spartanburg, SC
(32.67)
22 San Francisco, CA
(26.52)
22 Madison, WI
(25.74)
22 Emmitsburg, MD
(32.09)
23 Milwaukee, WI
(26.17)
23 Toledo, OH
(25.35)
23 Champaign, IL
(31.62)
24 Pittsburgh, PA
(25.76)
24 Lincoln, NE
(25.31)
24 Murray, KY
(31.37)
25 Arlington, TX
(25.32)
25 Tallahassee, FL
(25.28)
25 Princeton, NJ
(31.35)
26 Jacksonville, FL
(24.74)
26 Boulder, CO
(25.28)
26 Clemson, SC
(31.11)
27 San Diego, CA
(24.39)
27 Savannah, GA
(25.28)
27 Lewisburg, PA
(30.90)
28 Corpus Christi, TX
(24.07)
28 Greensboro, NC
(25.24)
28 Orangeburg, SC
(30.49)
29 San Antonio, TX
(24.04)
29 New Haven, CT
(25.08)
29 Troy, AL
(30.46)
30 New Orleans, LA
(23.80)
30 Fargo, ND
(25.01)
30 Highland Heights, KY
(30.07)
31 El Paso, TX
(23.77)
31 Reno, NV
(24.98)
31 Olean, NY
(30.06)
32 Bakersfield, CA
(23.64)
32 Buffalo, NY
(24.91)
32 Pullman, WA
(29.24)
33 Portland, OR
(23.63)
33 Lubbock, TX
(24.73)
33 Ogden, UT
(28.76)
34 Austin, TX
(23.55)
34 Hampton, VA
(24.54)
34 Stanford, CA
(28.63)
35 Indianapolis, IN
(22.98)
35 Irvine, CA
(24.50)
35 Hamilton, NY
(28.62)
36 Raleigh, NC
(22.97)
36 Tempe, AZ
(24.49)
36 Nacogdoches, TX
(28.56)
37 Atlanta, GA
(22.94)
37 Newark, NJ
(24.40)
37 Athens, OH
(28.51)
38 Fresno, CA
(22.93)
38 Jackson, MS
(24.39)
38 Cheney, WA
(28.50)
39 Sacramento, CA
(22.55)
39 Abilene, TX
(24.35)
39 Carbondale, IL
(28.42)
40 Las Vegas, NV
(22.35)
40 High Point, NC
(24.28)
40 Huntsville, TX
(28.36)
41 Denver, CO
(22.31)
41 Charleston, SC
(24.28)
41 Cullowhee, NC
(28.23)
42 Detroit, MI
(22.01)
42 Boise, ID
(24.13)
42 Williamsburg, VA
(28.21)
43 Kansas City, MO
(21.44)
43 Chattanooga, TN
(23.79)
43 Laramie, WY
(28.16)
44 Colorado Springs, CO
(21.40)
44 Macon, GA
(23.57)
44 Oxford, MS
(28.15)
45 St. Louis, MO
(21.24)
45 Lowell, MA
(23.03)
45 Princess Anne, MD
(27.87)
46 Riverside, CA
(21.08)
46 Clarksville, TN
(23.01)
46 Brookings, SD
(27.60)
47 Albuquerque, NM
(21.06)
47 Fort Wayne, IN
(22.80)
46 Thibodaux, LA
(27.60)
48 Cleveland, OH
(19.98)
48 Orlando, FL
(22.59)
48 Durham, NH
(27.57)
49 Wichita, KS
(19.87)
49 Beaumont, TX
(22.24)
49 Boiling Springs, NC
(27.08)
50 Honolulu, HI
(19.81)
50 North Charleston, SC
(22.01)
50 Johnson City, TN
(26.88)
51 Stockton, CA
(19.68)
51 Birmingham, AL
(21.92)
51 Albany, NY
(26.80)
52 Fort Worth, TX
(18.88)
52 Worcester, MA
(21.90)
52 Moraga, CA
(26.77)
53 San Jose, CA
(18.77)
53 Little Rock, AR
(21.68)
53 Kent, OH
(26.65)
54 Tampa, FL
(18.65)
54 Mobile, AL
(21.59)
54 Cedar Falls, IA
(26.58)
55 Charlotte, NC
(17.53)
55 Columbia, MO
(21.45)
55 Radford, VA
(26.56)
56 Minneapolis, MN
(13.62)
56 Springfield, MO
(21.38)
56 Prairie View, TX
(26.55)
57 Fort Collins, CO
(21.36)
57 Ruston, LA
(26.34)
58 Cambridge, MA
(21.32)
58 Lexington, VA
(26.34)
59 Hartford, CT
(21.29)
59 Grambling, LA
(26.30)
60 Athens, GA
(21.28)
60 Mount Pleasant, MI
(26.29)
61 Denton, TX
(21.27)
61 Normal, IL
(26.24)
62 Las Cruces, NM
(21.27)
62 Long Branch, NJ
(26.14)
63 Evansville, IN
(21.25)
63 Rock Hill, SC
(26.12)
64 Greeley, CO
(21.13)
64 Amherst, MA
(26.11)
65 Green Bay, WI
(21.06)
65 Moscow, ID
(26.02)
66 Santa Clara, CA
(21.04)
66 Morehead, KY
(26.00)
67 Winston-Salem, NC
(20.97)
67 Ypsilanti, MI
(25.99)
68 Peoria, IL
(20.89)
68 State College, PA
(25.91)
69 Wilmington, NC
(20.38)
69 Corvallis, OR
(25.89)
70 Fullerton, CA
(19.96)
70 Stony Brook, NY
(25.70)
71 Richmond, VA
(19.58)
71 Hammond, LA
(25.55)
72 Berkeley, CA
(19.06)
72 Davidson, NC
(25.37)
73 Knoxville, TN
(18.70)
73 Bowling Green, KY
(25.29)
74 Des Moines, IA
(17.94)
74 Muncie, IN
(25.17)
75 Huntsville, AL
(16.32)
75 Valparaiso, IN
(25.10)
76 Jersey City, NJ
(13.86)
76 Annapolis, MD
(25.08)
77 Montgomery, AL
(12.61)
77 Fairfield, CT
(25.07)
78 Statesboro, GA
(24.99)
79 Conway, SC
(24.92)
80 Boone, NC
(24.89)
81 Jacksonville, AL
(24.86)
82 Elon, NC
(24.76)
83 Lynchburg, VA
(24.76)
84 Terre Haute, IN
(24.72)
85 New Rochelle, NY
(24.70)
86 Grand Forks, ND
(24.63)
87 Martin, TN
(24.53)
88 Easton, PA
(24.51)
89 Huntington, WV
(24.44)
90 DeKalb, IL
(24.36)
91 Greenville, SC
(24.27)
92 Starkville, MS
(24.23)
93 Towson, MD
(24.19)
94 Richmond, KY
(24.09)
95 Trenton, NJ
(24.06)
96 Davis, CA
(24.05)
97 San Marcos, TX
(23.98)
98 Asheville, NC
(23.79)
99 Charleston, IL
(23.70)
100 Hanover, NH
(23.68)
101 Harrisonburg, VA
(23.37)
102 Kalamazoo, MI
(23.23)
103 Cape Girardeau, MO
(23.19)
104 Ithaca, NY
(23.17)
105 Orem, UT
(23.10)
106 Blacksburg, VA
(23.08)
107 Natchitoches, LA
(22.99)
108 Santa Barbara, CA
(22.98)
109 Fort Myers, FL
(22.98)
110 Farmville, VA
(22.90)
111 Rochester Hills, MI
(22.83)
112 Bozeman, MT
(22.81)
113 Florence, AL
(22.69)
114 Monroe, LA
(22.67)
115 Hempstead, NY
(22.62)
116 Pine Bluff, AR
(22.53)
117 Fairfax, VA
(22.53)
118 Evanston, IL
(22.51)
119 Macomb, IL
(22.49)
120 Auburn, AL
(22.48)
121 San Luis Obispo, CA
(22.44)
122 Tuscaloosa, AL
(22.13)
123 Oxford, OH
(21.98)
124 Manhattan, KS
(21.96)
125 Vermillion, SD
(21.80)
126 Clinton, SC
(21.80)
127 Orono, ME
(21.53)
128 Edwardsville, IL
(21.47)
129 Lake Charles, LA
(21.34)
130 Jonesboro, AR
(21.27)
131 Bowling Green, OH
(21.27)
132 Youngstown, OH
(21.18)
133 DeLand, FL
(20.95)
134 Kennesaw, GA
(20.92)
135 Logan, UT
(20.80)
136 Newark, DE
(20.78)
137 Hattiesburg, MS
(20.49)
138 Binghamton, NY
(20.28)
139 Greenville, NC
(20.07)
140 Conway, AR
(19.67)
141 Cedar City, UT
(19.32)
142 Malibu, CA
(18.97)
143 Boca Raton, FL
(18.74)
144 Poughkeepsie, NY
(18.64)
145 Edinburg, TX
(18.62)
146 Dover, DE
(18.50)
147 Flagstaff, AZ
(18.34)
148 Burlington, VT
(18.33)
149 New Brunswick, NJ
(17.50)
150 Missoula, MT
(17.18)
151 Bethlehem, PA
(16.40)
152 Cookeville, TN
(15.55)
153 Hackensack, NJ
(12.91)
154 Daytona Beach, FL
(11.57)
155 Pocatello, ID
(11.07)
156 New Britain, CT
(10.21)

 

Out of 289 total cities analyzed, Charlotte ranked 277th overall and;

  • 251st – Winning Percentage
  • 139th – Conference Championships
  • 284th – Social-Media Engagement
  • 272nd – Stadium Capacity

What are your thoughts on Charlotte’s college basketball scene? 

NCDOT Receives Federal Approval For New $440 Million Bridge Across The Outer Banks

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The NCDOT has received federal approval for a new 6.2 mile $440 million toll bridge on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

The Mid-Currituck Bridge would run from the mainland, near where highway 17 ends, to the town of Corolla and the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge (with all those wild horses).

If you currently travel from where the new toll bridge would start, near Coinjock, NC, to the town of Corolla, it would take you over an hour;

Once the bridge is complete, that same drive would take you less than 10 minutes.

Environmental groups, however, are raising concerns about the half-billion-dollar price tag and how the new bridge might affect the surrounding landscape and wildlife patterns.

Before the new bridge could move forward, the NCDOT would need to provide evidence that the bridge would not significantly harm the environment, as well as acquiring the land, securing financing, and finalizing the construction plans.

The NC Turnpike Authority says the bridge’s revenue from tolls will cover most of its costs, but the state would still be responsible for coming up with initial upfront costs of about $173 million.

It’s not yet been determined how much the new toll might cost.

What do you think about the new bridge? 

CMPD To Begin Issuing Tickets To Anyone Who Leaves A Car “Running and Unattended”

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Charlotte police are now done with warning people and will now be issuing $50 fines to anyone who leaves their car ‘running and unattended’.

CMPD issued the warning on Twitter along with the following video;

Leaving a car unattended and unlocked on any street or public place in the city is against the law if the key is either left in the ignition or is in plain view inside the car. Police even warn against doing it in your driveway, as thieves have reportedly stolen running cars from just outside people’s homes.

If you need to warm up your car from inside your home on cold days, it’s recommended that you carry two sets of car keys so they can keep doors locked while the car is running, or just buy a remote car starter (Amazon sells several brands for around $50).

Nelly, TLC, and Flo Rida Coming To Charlotte This Summer

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Nelly, one of the biggest rap stars of the 2000s, is joining legendary R&B group TLC along with Flo Rida for a 21-city tour starting in July. They will be heading to the PNC Music Pavilion on July 26th.

Don’t miss “Hot in Here”, “Dilemma”, “No Scrubs”, and “Creep” for one of Charlotte’s most nostalgic concerts of the summer.

A presale event kicked off yesterday at noon for Citi card members. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. March 15 at LiveNation.com.

Tickets range in price from $25-$125.

Find out more info or buy tickets here (if you’re a Citi card member, you can buy presale tickets – your passcode is the first 6 digits of your Citi card).

Small Business Ideas for Charlotte Area

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Have you ever considered opening up your own business but been put off by the risk and the idea that you have to come up with? Your idea does not need to be a brand-new concept that no one has ever heard of, but your business will need to stand out in a crowd in order for it to succeed. We will now take a look at some ideas that you could consider and ways to help them succeed.

 

  • Gifts

 

There are so many occasions throughout the year that having a company that helps you pick an appropriate gift would be a great idea for a business. It is by no means a new idea but it is something that could be developed by putting your own ideas into practice. For example, your idea could be that you only provide gifts that are under $15 only. This would open up your clientele as the pricing is relatively low so you will have access to the masses.

 

  • Children’s Stationery

 

Children love stationery as it is a way that they can express themselves through play and creativity. A business idea could be to supply stationery items with a difference. For younger children that like to stamp, for example, you could contact a Singapore rubber stamp maker to create a signature design that you could be associated with your brand. This doesn’t just stop at stamps, as you could create other signature pieces of stationery that are associated with your brand.

 

  • Child Inspired Adult Items

 

Take an existing product such as slime, which is primarily for children, and adapt it so that adults can use it. Children love to play with and make slime and in fact it could be created for adults and used in situations such as team building equipment and exercise. This idea could be developed in many different areas such as play dough and putty. Additionally, to make this idea stand out from the crowd, you could even adapt it to have many different uses for adults i.e. as a stress relief tool.

 

  • Event Planner

 

Event planning may already be something that’s readily available online, however, doing it with a difference could make your idea supersede others. For instance, if you are planning a wedding, you may have a particular expertise in a certain style /theme and this needs to be used and marketed as the main aspect of your business. This way it is clear that what you offer is different to your competitors.

As you can see, the ideas that we have provided could benefit from being online. Companies such as Mandreel can help you to promote and develop a website presence as any businesses would benefit from having a strong online presence from the offset. This is simply because a lot of business is now conducted via the internet. This is not suggesting that you don’t need to pay attention to offline activity, as this also has its place when starting up a new business.

2019 ACC Tournament Begins Today In Uptown Charlotte

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Charlotte is about to host it’s 3rd nationally renowned basketball event of the year. Just weeks after the CIAA tournament and NBA All-Star games, the ACC tournament will be kicking off today at noon with #12 Miami taking on #13 Wake Forest at the Spectrum Center at noon.

One of the most popular tournaments in college basketball is back in North Carolina this year for the 50th time after a brief hiatus in NYC last year.

Tickets range from $6 for today’s games to over $1,600 for floor seats at Saturday night’s championship game.

Here is the complete schedule for this week (tickets can be purchased here);

First Round

Tuesday, March 12

Game 1: No. 12 Miami (13-17) vs. No. 13 Wake Forest (11-19), Noon, ESPN

Game 2: No. 10 Georgia Tech (14-17) vs. No. 15 Notre Dame (13-18), 2 p.m., ESPN

Game 3: No. 11 Boston College (14-16) vs. No. 14 Pittsburgh (13-18), 7 p.m., ESPNU

Second Round

Wednesday, March 13

Game 4: No. 8 NC State (21-10) vs. No. 9 Clemson (19-12), Noon, ESPN

Game 5: No. 5 Virginia Tech (23-7) vs. Game 1 Winner, 2 p.m., ESPN

Game 6: No. 7 Louisville (19-12) vs. Game 2 Winner, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Game 7: No. 6 Syracuse (19-12) vs. Game 3 Winner, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 14

Game 8: No. 1 Virginia (28-2) vs. Game 4 Winner, 12:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Game 9: No. 4 Florida State (25-6) vs. Game 5 Winner, 2:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Game 10: No. 2 North Carolina (26-5) vs. Game 6 Winner, 7 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Game 11: No. 3 Duke (26-5) vs. Game 7 Winner, 9 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Semifinals

Friday, March 15

Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner, 7 p.m., ESPN

Game 13: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner, 9 p.m., ESPN

ACC Championship

Saturday, March 16

Game 14: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

The Tournament will move to Greensboro in 2020, DC in 2021, and NYC in 2022.

The 2019 Charlotte Opera Auditions Will Take Place This Month

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The 2019 Charlotte Opera Guild Auditions will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at the St. John’s Baptist Church 300 Hawthorne Lane Charlotte, NC 28204. The goal of the competition is to encourage young talent as they pursue their education and careers in opera. Auditions will begin at 11:00 a.m.

Contestants must be between the ages of 20-30 by the competition date, and must have a permanent residence in North Carolina or South Carolina, or must be currently studying voice in North Carolina or South Carolina with serious intent for a career in opera. Previous first place winners are not eligible.

AWARDS:

  • First Prize $1200. 00 (and the possibility of a secondary role with Opera Carolina in the next two years. Will be invited to perform for the Opera Guild Installation program on May 16th, 2019 in Charlotte, NC.)
  • Second Prize $800.00
  • Third Prize $500.00
  • Encouragement $250.00
  • Encouragement $250.00

The competition is limited to the first 30 completed applications received. Click here to apply.

Uber Released The Top 10 Destinations for Charlotte Riders

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Uber released their annual list of the most frequented locations in the Queen City.

The list ranked the places that Uber riders requested to be dropped off the most about of times, excluding the Charlotte Douglas Airport and all Light Rail stops.

The report also noted that the busiest time of the week is 11pm on Saturdays and that the busiest day of the year was October 28th, the Saturday before Halloween.

According to Uber, these are the top 10 most popular destinations for Uber passengers in Charlotte;

#1 EpiCentre

#2 The Westin Charlotte

#3 Charlotte Marriott City Center

#4 Sycamore Brewing

#5 Ink N Ivy

#6 Le Méridien Charlotte

#7 Hilton Charlotte Center City

#8 PNC Music Pavilion

#9 Bank of America Stadium

#10 Selwyn Irish Pub

Have you used Uber this year?

Where were you dropped off most often?