Impressed or distressed by uptown?

I went to the Neil Diamond concert Friday night at Time Warner Cable Arena. (Loved it. Click here to read about it.)

Anyhow, driving into uptown I was struck by how many people were walking around -- with places to go and things to do. Certainly, many were in town for Diamond. But many others were heading to the opening night of "The Nutcracker" at the N.C. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center or opening night of the EpiCentre Theaters.

I am not a Charlotte cheerleader, but I'm not one to dog the city I live in either. Neither extreme is my style. But I have to say the uptown scene has changed A LOT since I moved here five years ago. Just that short while ago there was no basketball arena uptown and no Epicentre (mixed use entertainment, office and condo complex on East Trade). There were way fewer condo buildings, night clubs and upscale steakhouses, too.

My husband even remarked that it would now be possible to work and live uptown without a car. We never would have said that five years ago after moving from New York City. But think about it. Plenty of entertainment options and the aforementioned condo boom. Need to get groceries or shop at a big box store? In addition to the Harris Teeter that's been next to Fifth and Poplar for a while, there's now Trader Joe's at Metropolitan (just take public transportation). There's also big boxes, such as Target and Best Buy, there, too.

What do you think of uptown today? Plenty to do? Wish there was more? Comment here or send me an e-mail at abaldwin@charlotteobserver.com. Thanks.