I don't know if you heard, but Charlotte Center City Partners announced that vendors will not be selling alcohol on the streets for the big Downtown Countdown. Instead Charlotte Center City Partners wants revelers to go to restaurants, hotels and clubs for their alcohol fix. The keepers of Uptown also asked the news media to remind all the lushes that it is illegal to walk around with an open container of alcohol unless they're on private property or in a closed festival area with an alcohol permit. Apparently, the beer-coozie clutching Panther's and Bobcats fans think they're on Bourbon Street.
Moira Quinn of Charlotte Center City partners says the NYE switch is so that Downtown Countdown doesn't steal alcohol sales from businesses. She assured me that the NYE change doesn't mean alcohol won't be sold at other uptown street events. She also says the open container law is old school.
I'm a little bummed about the alcohol-free countdown, but I'm even more disappointed about the open container law reminder. Walking around with cups of beer or Bloody Mary is part of the ballgame tradition. You tailgate with friends and carry your cocktail or brewski from the asphalt party to the gate. Then you guzzle your drink before you go inside. It's all part of the game-day ritual, like players taping up their ankles. Ball games are special events. It's not like people are drinking beer on the streets uptown every night.
Partiers, am I the only who thinks the city is being a bit too uptight? Post your comments below. (P.S. no cursing, your post will be rejected.)
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
No alcohol for New Year's? No way!
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12 comments:
Definitely sounds like an uptight reaction. Should be a lot of N.C. State fans left in town after the bowl game -- hope they get the word. Or maybe we can just have massive civil disobedience. Beer drinking protesters!
I'm having difficulties understanding how allowing revelers to drink on the street correlates with loss of business for the uptown bars. Is the argument that it's only vendors that can sell alcohol to be consumed in public and not bar owners?
And why limit the sale of alcohol to just the established bars? Shouldn't vendors be allowed to cash in on what could be a very profitable evening for them? Or does Charlotte City Center partners only want bars that are a part of the "establishment" to reap the profits? If established bars are concerned about vendors "stealing" alcohol sales, then the bar scene uptown has bigger issues.
I think this has more to do with their efforts to control the crowd and to make this event "family-friendly" more than anything. I just wish they'd be more honest about it.
How pathetic you are! You must live in an unbelievably boring world if you are only happy when drinking or "shaking your caboose". However, this isn't new information since that's all you know how to write about. Alcohol has its place and I like it as much as most people, but I also know how to enjoy life without sopping up the booze. Get a life, girl!!
Response to the person who wrote in at 1:03 PM - Did you even read what the blog is about? If you choose not to drink on NYE while on the streets, then that is your choice. The city of Charlotte should not cater to the "bible belt" image it has. Why take away something that has been around for years. I know they want to make this more family friendly, but taking away alcohol is not the answer. Having vendors sell beer in the streets is not going to hurt the businesses located uptown. The people who choose to visit the bars/clubs/restaurants will be in those establishments...like we are every weekend. This gives the people who do not enjoy being in bars/clubs a place to go and enjoy a beer if they choose. The people who want to change everything are the same people who want "Christmas" taken out and replaced with "Happy Holiday". The city planners are changing this city and its not for the better.
Well, I don't want to be in a crowd of drunken Charlotteans for New Year's anyway. Good job. Some folk don't know how to act when they drink any way and after the SkyShow, I'm all for the ban on alcohol. If you want to get drunk and act a fool, stay home or better yet go to Atlanta.
Since the event is free, and they are supplying a fireworks show and at the same time trying to allow the uptown business to make money (permanent businesses uptown), then I say that's a great idea. If I owned a business uptown and paid high prices to rent the buidling,then I think it's only fair play to allow local business to make money vs a vendor on wheels. The uptown bars are assisting Charlotte loosen up, and no longer be a 9-5 uptown, therefore they deserve the revenue from beer sales uptown.
I do think it is silly that one can't walk around with an open container.
If a business is willing to pay HIGH monthly rent uptown all year long, then they deserve the beer revenue from the NYE celebration. I like that the Center City partners are not taking away from the local business that helps move Charlotte forward as each year passes. This used to be a 9-5 city uptown...but now it's really beginning to have a great nightlife at night.....(still has a way to grow, but it's growing).
I do think the no open container thing is a stupid law..just as I think South Carolina's blue law is silly.
I think for one that Charlotte is uptight.
Is Charlotte a part of The Land of The Free and Home of the Brave?
Have We become a City of lights for the money Hungry?
Is the Constitution being violated?
I seem to have lost Dick Clark's phone # if someone would call and ask the NYC Mayor maybe they could ask for an audience vote.
I think inside or outside if Charlotte is going to party, let it be controled by the police we pay, and let us buy from whom we please one the streets we bought with tax money the bars to sell booze from.
Is It A Hometown Tradition?
I Say Yes to all the above questions.
Yours truly John Q taxpayer.
First off, for some of you who suggest that the city leaders' decision to disallow street vendors from selling alcohol at the New Year's Eve uptown celebration was influenced by the "bible thumpers," you are totally off base and you truly miss the point. The main reason they are not allowing street vendors to sell alcohol is simple, they are trying to prevent a repeat of what happened on Fourth of July. It has nothing to do with the conservative, religious right trying to prevent you from having your fun on New Year's Eve at all. If that was the case, then the whole thing would have been cancelled completely.
For anyone out there to suggest that the reason the city leaders are not allowing street vendors to sell alcohol during the New Year's Eve celebration uptown is because of influence from the conservative "bible thumpers" or to keep the vendors from competing against the uptown establishments are completely out of their mind. The main reason they did not allow the vendors to sell alcohol on New Year's Eve is because of the fact they're trying to prevent what happened on Fourth of July from happening again. It had nothing to do with preventing street vendors from taking profits away from the bars and restaurants uptown that night, and it definately had nothing to do with pressure from the "religious right." I know that there are a lot of churches in Charlotte, but c'mon, it is not like Charlotte is run by Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell. The way some of you people talk on here, you would think that Charlotte was. Furthermore, if the "religious right" had their way, wouldn't you think there wouldn't be any NYE celebration period? I think a lot of you need to know the full truth about certain things instead of taking Ms. Jameson's slanted viewpoints as the gospel truth. The religious references are not what was said by Ms. Jameson, but by some of the other people that have posted comments on here, so let me just clarify that right now just to make sure we're clear on who said what.
Welll...certainly not Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell, but Billy Graham Parkway stands out on the map. But the alcohol-free NYE, while a bummer, is probably a good idea this year. (Yes, I'm sitting here with my first cocktail of the evening.)
If you want to party outside on New Year's, try this. Drive South of the Border and pick up some fireworks. (Yes they're illegal, but the cops will all be uptown.) Invite all the neighbors outside, crank up a radio (I'm sure the teenager next door would play his Mazda-box for you), and pop a top. Do your own lightshow, and kick a soccer ball over the house for midnight.
The big thing is certain people in town seem to have a habit of shooting each other at get togethers. That's why we're avoiding Uptown this year and looking forward to it.
Party on in '06!
I'd like to know what you meant by "CERTAIN PEOPLE" Please- be specific. Let's see who you're pointing the finger at?
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