Open Streets 704 Recap
Our Charlotte Adventures took a brief hiatus as Bryan traveled to Ireland for a week. Don’t worry. He didn’t leave me all alone. My mother stayed with Deacon and I, and we had a great time catching up.
Now he’s back and the adventures continue as he described on Charlotte Today earlier this week (he’s a little too shy to share a link to his second television appearance, but I’m not). This week, we experienced a different view of Charlotte with the inaugural Open Streets 704.
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About Open Streets 704
Open Streets 704 is a new initiative in Charlotte that was modeled after a phenomena that has taken place in over 100 cities. For an afternoon, a long stretch of city streets are closed – not necessarily for a street festival, but for usage by the public for biking, jogging, roller-skating, or, in our case, stroller pushing.
This past weekend’s Open Streets 704 was the first of four similar events scheduled over the next year through a partnership between the Partners for Parks, Mecklenburg County Government, the City of Charlotte Department of Transportation, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, the Mecklenburg County Health Department, and The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police and Charlotte Fire departments.
The route covered three miles of roads from Memorial Stadium in Elizabeth through to NoDa. Along the way were various “zones” to help promote the event’s over-arching initiatives – Arts & Sciences, Family, Green, and Wellness.
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Our Experience with Open Streets 704
Bryan and I joked as we set out for Open Streets 704 that Charlotte was becoming a lot like Portland. As we both come from a more conservative viewpoint, this is at times a little unsettling (especially for Bryan who became jaded to all politics after living in Washington DC).
Joking aside, it was an awesome afternoon for many reasons. First, it was just good to get outside and exercise. We’re both office dwellers and former indoor gym rats. Sometimes we forget that we need a little Vitamin D on our skin.
Second, it was cool to see neighborhoods that we normally only pass through on our way to NoDa from a completely different, much slower perspective. For example, how many times have we passed under the Matheson Bridge and not noticed the giant mural depicting the signing of the Mecklenburg County Declaration of Independence. We also didn’t realize how short of a walk it was from Uptown to NoDa.
Finally, it was fun to see the community experience our great city together. It was something Charlotte desperately needed – to share the city and a smile with fellow Charlotteans.
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Our Open Streets 704 Route
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to explore the entire Open Streets 704 Route. Instead, we started at the food trucks, which were located in the middle, and pushed Deacon towards NoDa. This included a portion of the Green Zone, the Family Zone, and the Arts & Science Zone.
We enjoyed stopping to watch some of the street entertainment and checking out the various chalk artists along the way (the fossil etched into the construction was hysterical). As the weather did heat up, our walk moved at a slower pace with a stop at Free Range Brewery and Salud Bottle Shop for a refreshment. I was also good to get Deacon a little air conditioning after being cooped up in the stroller for too long.
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Overall, we had a great time at Open Streets 704. Our only issue was that it ended too early and we were stranded in NoDa after the streets closed. We had to walk from NoDa to Uptown via city sidewalks that could use some care. Thus, dotting the need for awareness of a more pedestrian friendly city.
What was your experience like with Open Streets 704?
I’ve gotta pack up the family and go do this next year – sounds like so much fun! (And I’m also guilty of not getting enough outdoor exercise… always feels so good!) Love that there are so many activities and stops to keep little ones entertained and it’s always nice to get a walking perspective of new parts of the city. You see and learn so much more that way!
I think there is going to be another one this year. The web site says there’s four budget with two this year and two next year. There’s no dates listed. It’s a fun event for the whole family. Thanks for reading and sharing awesome recipes on your blog!