Out With The Old, In With The New 

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CHARLOTTE BOBCATS ARENA

Bob Johnson's controversial development opened its doors on Trade Street uptown with the sold-out October concert of the Rolling Stones and a weekend of open house fanfare. The street and foot traffic may snarl in the Arena's vicinity before and after shows but the area tradesmen and restaurateurs ain't complaining. The "If you build it, they will come" mantra seems to have worked, as patrons continue to flood the venue for high-ticket bills including Sir Elton John, U2, Dolly Parton and, soon to come in '06, Aerosmith and Larry The Cable Guy. There's definitely room for improvement in the sound department but, on the plus side, restroom waits are not dire. As long as you're not in the nosebleed section, you'll be sitting pretty at the Arena and efficiently entertained. (Crazy Horse)

CLUB TEMPO

Newsflash: Wilkinson Boulevard is not Siberia! It's the prime nightlife rival to Sixth & College, and the spot that's elevated the industrial area's stature is Jumaane Torrence's hot Club Tempo (formerly Eight Tracks). Tempo opened this summer and has had a slow but positive build, focusing on providing superb neo-soul entertainment for a young but sophisticated urban clientele. Tempo is the last word in hip, providing a watering hole for such out-of-town luminaries as Erykah Badu, Motor City loveman Dwele and OutKast's Big Boi, among others. Queen City party people can thrill to these stars, quaff to their hearts' content between sets with great spins from DJs Stacy Blackman and DR, or simply kick it on Sunday afternoons watching the game en famille. (Crazy Horse)

CL'S NEW OFFICES

Who knew there were industrial yards uptown? Our new place, located right where 77 and 277 touch in the north, is a renovated factory next to smoke stacks and a freight company that runs trains all day (these frequently block the way to the office, our on-the-level excuse for being late to work). Before they spruced up our factory, rumor is that it used to be a popular rave spot. Now, the walls that aren't old brick have been splashed an assortment of bright colors that can waver between funky and a little kid's unchecked fantasy, depending on your mood. We're the pioneers of the NC Music Factory's plans to turn their 270,000 sq. feet of space into an arts and entertainment community. There's still plenty more space if you want to be our neighbors. (Neumark)

PROJECT ACORN

The controversial grassroots group that has been instrumental to electoral victories up north settled in here before the 2004 elections and helped turn the county blue, handing a big victory to Presidential candidate John Kerry. Since then, the group has worked quietly behind the scenes to register those who normally wouldn't vote. (Servatius)

THE FORUM

Once-celebrated nightclub Mythos went dark in summer 2004. Then, this September, new cool "metaclub" The Forum arose on the same 300 N. College Street site, promising a fresh elevation of Charlotte nightlife. Gus Georgoulias, Andy Kastanas and other partners sought to contribute to the evolution of uptown's entertainment district, which is reflected in the club's nontraditional, multilevel design of recycled steel, brick, stone, copper and other materials. The Forum's five themes include a main dance floor, lounges and a fine roof deck. (Crazy Horse)

EXPANDED 485

In September, two new lanes added to I-485 in the southwestern part of the county opened. It was another historic moment in the state's screwed up construction history, because it added lanes to the least traveled section of I-485 while other sections near Pineville and Ballantyne, which carry three times as much traffic, were left as is. A quirk in state road construction law forbids the addition of the extra lanes where they're really needed. (Servatius)

IMAGINON

"Free your mind and the rest will follow." ImaginOn, a collaborative venture of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and Children's Theatre of Charlotte, challenges young minds to go beyond thinking outside the box. Encompassing an entire city block, the building was made for kids and families with engaging navigation, interactive games and exhibits, award-winning theater performances and classic stories that will bring them back again and again. It's the new home of Children's Theatre, though we're still sad that the group's old location on Morehead Street has been razed. (Calloway)

ANTHONY FOXX

A year ago, no one knew who Anthony Foxx was. But by the night of the at-large primary election, which he easily won, he was turning heads. The 34-year-old lawyer went on to win an at-large seat, a rare feat for a political newcomer. In the process, he assumed one of the top leadership roles in the black community and put himself on the future mayor track. (Servatius)

ROCKET 13 RECORDING STUDIO

This is a new recording studio on Central Avenue that's owned by local music catalyst Jeff Lowery, currently the publisher of music zine Amps Eleven. The reformed Lou Ford is presently recording there and several local bands, including Volatile Baby, recently cut tracks there for future releases. Lowery plans to run two record labels affiliated with the studio that are aptly named Rocket 13 Records and Eye Poppin Records. (Shukla)