We asked a cross-section of Charlotteans what kind of city they hope for in 2020.

Headlining Merlefest has been but one of 2008's defining moments for the Avett Brothers, a trio rounded out by bass player Bob Crawford. However, 2009 may be the year that changes everything.
My love affair with Charlotte started in the mid-'70s. My family would stop at the old Krispy Kreme on Independence Boulevard on the way to the beach.
Long before going to work as a call girl for Sallie Saxon, Charlotte's most notorious madam in recent history, Wendy Kohn needed money to pay her bills.

Slideshow: Eye's Holiday Gift Guide Here are some ideas for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Seven high-end steakhouses sit comfortably within two miles of Uptown's 277 loop.
In the family album is a picture of Kristin Wells, age 3, on a ladder and wearing a tool belt. Her path to a job on HGTV was being crafted even then, following in her dad's footsteps.
When the Lynx Blue Line debuted November 2007, the 9-mile railway that connects the center city to I-485 at South Boulevard was a cultural game-changer – the mass transit equivalent of the Bobcats putting Shaq or Kobe or LeBron on the roster. (Hey, we can dream!)
In these uncertain times, traditional holiday entertainment doesn't always fit the bill.