My visit to Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, was all too brief, yet a vigorous walk the evening that I arrived and another the next morning gave me an introduction to this city of just under 800,000.  I dropped my bag in my room, grabbed my camera, and headed towards the door of the hotel.

It was early in February, and while the northeast was getting hammered with snow, Virginia and North Carolina were experiencing a clear 50 degree weekend.

Il Grando Disco (The Grand Disc) is a coin-shaped piece of art that sits at Bank of America Plaza on Tryon Street. The piece is a large, bronze wheel with dark edges and designs etched throughout. Created specifically for the space by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, Il Grande Disco was installed on October 2, 1974 (http://charlotte.about.com)

Across the intersection is a far more traditional installation.

My friend Tim pointed out that for a brief moment, the sounds of the traffic were drowned out by this fountain.

In the previous post I shared two images of the fence that surrounds the First Presbyterian Church. Built in 1857, the church is a one-story, Gothic Revival style stuccoed brick building.  The evening light was waning by the time I got there, so I’ve processed these two images differently, although they were taken just moments apart.

The power line remains in this photo, because it is a more accurate portrayal of the street scene.

The next morning, with my visit drawing to an end, I took a walk in search of coffee and breakfast.

The morning sun cast a bright light on this fountain and also of the homeless man still sleeping.

The Mariachi crepe at Hazelnuts Creperie, was filled with egg, black beans, bacon, tomato, mozzarella, onion, avocado & jalapeño cream.  Oh my gosh YUM!

The only other time I’d been to Charlotte, other than for runs to the airport, was to see my beloved Hokies play football, and I didn’t see much more than the stadium.  I’ll definitely return for more explorations soon!