Doug Smith

With Charlotte's outerbelt still at least four years from completion, people already are talking about an outer-outerbelt.

People who haven't visited Charlotte for a decade are dazzled by how rapidly it's changing.

This is Saturday, the first day of my weekend off, the fourth day after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center ripped apart our world.

Sen. John Glenn's spectacular return to space after 36 years has rekindled the nation's interest in traveling to the stars.

Sen. John Glenn's spectacular return to space after 36 years has rekindled the nation's interest in traveling to the stars.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Doug Smith is retiring June 5. This is the 15th in a series of his most requested columns. This first ran in the Observer on Wednesday, May 23, 1990. Doug still clings to the quilt.

You're accustomed to seeing me write about business in this space. Today, I've got something else on my mind.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Doug Smith is retiring June 5. This is the 13th in a series of his most requested columns that will appear over the next three weeks. This encore column first ran in the Observer on Sunday, March 4, 2001. Bentley's on 27 has since replaced the private Tower Club, giving customers a bird’s eye view of the skyline. And if you have the money you can buy a view in a condo tower.

Just two years ago uptown Charlotte seemed ready to burst with high-rise housing.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Doug Smith is retiring June 5. This is the 12th in a series of his most requested columns that will appear over the next three weeks. This encore column first ran in the Observer on Sunday, August 5, 2001. Do neighborhoods like this still exist?