By Greg Lacour It’s a crisp, sunny late-autumn afternoon in uptown Charlotte, the kind of day the city’s leaders dream about as they try to transform Charlotte into the exemplar of The New Southern City. The sunlight glints off the office towers and freshly constructed museums and catches the bulk...

You’re out partying somewhere in the QC, and the inevitable occurs – it’s time to break the seal. Making your way through the crowd, you enter the bathroom and hope the line goes quickly so you can get back to your night. You finish your business, come out to wash your hands, and before you can...

A cracked and faded life preserver, seasoned more from the hot sun than from actual use, had been looking on with us as brown bubbles churned random patterns in the pool’s surface – its maritime feel at odds with its perch above the giant, brewing vat of wastewater. “Ever have to use that,” I...

Michael Gallis’ work studying urban networks has changed the way cities and transportation systems have been built nationwide. But today as he works quietly at a long red table among his books stacked around ornate pieces of his African and Chinese art collection, he looks more like a philosopher,...

I’m teaching Ben how to drive in his spotless car. Dust-free plastic flowers hang from the rear-view mirror. Catholic Social Services in Charlotte gave Ben the 15-year-old Volvo, so he could drive the other men in his family around.  Only 23, he must guide his older nephew as well as the younger. Ben...

The holidays are upon us, a time for giving a little more, eating a little more, celebrating a little more … and for some of us, making just a little more of an ass out of ourselves. As the Corporate Holiday Party season approaches, let’s take a moment to observe some of the oh-so professional...