Registered to vote?

Tomorrow is the deadline for registering to vote in N.C. Your registration form must be postmarked by Oct. 10. (The S.C. deadline was Oct. 4.)

If you want info on how and where to register, click here for the N.C. State Board of Elections.

You can also get a form e-mailed to you from JustVote.org.

If you are a newly registered voter -- either because you are a newcomer to the Charlotte region or newcomer to the election process -- I'd love to talk to you for a potential story. Please e-mail me. Thanks.

Charlotte good for entrepreneurs?

I am heading soon to an event for female entrepreneurs in N.C. and S.C. That made me think this morning about whether Charlotte is a good place for start-up business owners.

Are you an entrepreneur? Did you move to Charlotte to chase your dream? How's it working out? Please post your comments here and if you are willing to have a follow-up conversation, please email me your name and daytime phone number. Thanks.

What do you think of I-485?

In yesterday's column on why I hate Interstate 485 and how I rarely know what the signs mean, I asked readers to share their thoughts. And did they. So far I have recieved about two dozen emails and phone calls. Some people empathized and others think I'm -- um -- directionally challenged (no doubt!). Some shared tips. I promised to post some to my blog, so here you go:

"The best way to tell location on the 485 beltline is to refer to the 'inner' or 'outer' and use the mile markers. I am the owner of Ace Towing & Recovery, Inc. here in Charlotte. In the beginning when 485 first opened we had a tough time finding the cars that were broken down. Tryon Street crosses 485 at S. Tryon and N. Tryon. I-85 crosses twice also. We ask people if they are on the inner or outer beltline and where they are coming from. We also try to find out the last exit they remember passing or mile marker. This has eliminated the location problems. Enjoyed your article." -- Michael Melandro

"In your attempt to navigate I-485, you made two -- no, make that three -- mistakes. Your first mistake was using MapQuest. Forget MapQuest ever existed. ...Your second mistake was forgetting that I-485 is a subsection of I-85, and that odd-numbered interstates travel North/South, and even-numbered interstates travel East/West. If you remember that N I-85 will take to almost to Richmond, Va., and S I-85 will take you to Montgomery, Ala., the N/S designation makes more sense. Your third mistake -- or, really, perhaps your first -- is living in a part of Charlotte that requires you to ever get on I-485 in the first place." -- Jonathan Webber
(Blogger's Note: I live inside 485, so I rarely use it. I was travelling between two assignments.)

"I was born and raised in Charlotte and I-485 makes no more sense to me than it does to you! I totally agree that the North, South, East, West, Inner, Outer directions are confusing and often pointless. I suggest that 'Counterclockwise.' Everyone knows what that means! They could easily be abbreviated to CW and CCW. A visual aid would be easy too: a dot representing the city with a ring around it representing the loop. A you-are-here arrow pointing the direction one is traveling (CW or CCW) lets the driver know if s/he is heading towards 5:00 or towards 11:00. For now, I ignore those useless signs and try to picture the whole thing as a clock. Uptown is the center of the clock. Mint Hill is about 3:00. Matthews is 4:00, Pineville is 7:00...Huntersville is 12:00... I'll bet if I told you to take I-485 CCW from Pineville to Mint Hill you'd know just what to do! Good luck navigating the loop!" -- Julie Gilland-Hubbard

"Well, East and North are the same and West and South are one. I never look at the words outer loop or inner loop. I just look at where it leads to." -- Unsigned

"I was elated to read your article on I-485. As one who lives in the mountains and uses the road to bypass Charlotte, I have been extremely confused on more than on occasion. When coming North on 77 and just trying to get to 85, the signs are no help. The Goode Freeway (is there a Bad?), Martin, Inner, Outer…..help! I just want to get to 85! Thanks for the observations. I was dying to tell somebody, and you did it for me. Now do you think anyone will do something about it?" -- Mark Van Arnam, Boone

"I'm pretty new to the Charlotte area and also found 485 to be somewhat confusing. The only thing I know is that Route 51 ( I'm not sure of the exit # but I know it's either before or after South Blvd depending on the direction your going ) is where the East/West turns into North/South. So as far as 485 is concerned if I'm going east I'm also going north and vice versa. I pay no attention to the inner/outer nonsense. I don't know if clears anything up for you or not, I just thought I'd throw it out there." -- Myk Altritt

"I totally agree with your confusion about N, S, E, or W signs on I-485. Directional signs not only make no sense on a beltway, they actually obscure which way to go. My choice would be 'clockwise' or 'counterclockwise,' but I believe that would never pass government muster since the average driver would understand it instantly. Failing that, consistent use of 'inner' and 'outer' would be the next best thing, I believe." -- Bill Jones, Hickory


"I have a novel idea for you. Get yourself a map of Charlotte and a compass. Spread out the map on your kitchen table and study it for an hour, concentrating on 485. Then take the compass with you in the car. Voila. Problem solved!" -- Mike Petrie

"I don't have a trick for 485 as is, but I sure would be helped by something that could be added to the signs: a simple word or diagram that indicated clockwise or counterclockwise. Wouldn't that pretty much take care of it? Those directions don't change as you go around. Either you're going around the city one way or the other." -- Brad Bostian

I love summer but...

I love summer. I really do. I love the heat. I get cold when it's 70 degrees out (to borrow a line from "When Harry Met Sally.") But I'm ready for fall. I'm tired of my summer clothes.

And the fact is that even after five years here I don't know how to dress for a Carolina-style fall, which is more like an extension of summer.

The mornings start out cool. I dress accordingly and then am roasting by noon. I layer but I never get that right either -- long sleeves when I should have had on short. Etc. etc.

Case in point: I should have worn shorts and a t-shirt to the pumpkin patch on Saturday instead of a long-sleeve T and jeans. It was so warm and sunny they weren't even serving hot apple cider. But I love what we had instead: a big apple cider slushy.

Today is supposed to be in the low 80s and then I think the weather forecasters are calling for more autumn-like weather with highs in low 70s. That's not fall to me, but I'll take it.

Charlotte good for singles?

Guess which city is tops on Forbes.com's list of best 10 U.S. cities to be single?

Answer: Atlanta.

It's the first time Atlanta has ranked No. 1 in the survey.

According to Forbes.com: "The capital of Georgia and home of Coca-Cola earns the top slot because of its hopping nightlife, relatively high number of singles and sizzling job growth. To those who know 'Hotlanta,' the ranking should come as no surprise. In the eight years that we have been ranking America's largest urban areas in terms of their friendliness to the nation's 74 million single adults, only once did Atlanta place outside the top 10."

Charlotte didn't make the top 10. The survey based rankings on these categories: culture, night life, number of singles, job growth, cost of living alone and online dating.

Charlotte is the first city I moved to not single, so I don't know what it's like to be a singleton here. So you tell me -- especially you singleton newcomers -- how Charlotte rates for those not coupled off.

Reader's take on best skyline view

In Living Here magazine, I wrote about the best spot in the city to see the skyline: the Seventh Street Station parking deck.

Reader Jeffrey Houser, who moved to Charlotte from Maine in May 2007, begged to differ -- and that's cool.

"While there are probably several great viewpoints, my favorite has always been at the top of what I call 'the Panthers' parking garage,' which is really the garage behind the hotel next to the BofA Stadium," House said in an e-mail.

He continued: "Of coure, the skyline is changing daily and some of the newer buildings that are going up aren't seen as well from that vantage pint, but the heart of the city is in all its glory from there. It can look fabulous on a warm summer evening as the sun sets in!"

Houser also sent two photos -- at the top of this post -- from that vantage point, both taken this past summer.

Where do you go for skyline views?

More pumpkin patches

In my Monday column on pumpkin patches, I listed where around the region you can go for pumpkins, hay rides and apple cider. And I promised if I missed any to add them to this blog. So, here's two more:

Hodges Dairy Farm in Charlotte. In addition to pumpkins, it has a crop maze and hay wagon and horse rides. Click here for the Web site.

Patterson Farm Market & Tours, Inc. in Rowan County. This third-generation working farm is about 30 miles north of Charlotte. Click here for the Web site.

If there are any other pumpkin patches around the area that should be included, please post them here. Thank you.