Panoramas

Balfour Beatty Construction project manager Kyle Bolejack looks out onto the Bank of America Corporate Center complex from a 30th floor terrace of the new 1 Bank of America Center building. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

The top level of 1 Bank of America Center features a two-story glass room that stretches the length of the building, allowing a broad panoramic view of the southeastern Charlotte skyline and the rolling hills of the Carolina Piedmont. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

768 feet above the corner of Stonewall and Tryon Streets, the "handle" that tops the Duke Energy Center stands in stark relief against a brilliant Carolina sky. A crane is permanently installed to allow workers to be lowered onto the sloped glass faces of the upper stories beneath the handle. Panoramic photo composite by GARY O'BRIEN - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

NASCAR fans crowded the exhibits in the new Hall of Fame Tuesday after the opening ceremonies, lining up to take a spin in the racetrack simulator cars along. A pit crew challenge, historic artifacts and a chance to wave the checkered flag on television were just a few of the attractions. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlottteobserver.com

A sneak preview looking through time up and down "Glory Road" inside the Great Hall of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte, NC. After years of planning and construction, the facility opens to the public on Tuesday, May 11.

A crew from the Seattle-based Chihuly Studios and the Mint Museum of Art dismantled Chihuly's "Royal Blue Mint" chandelier, one of the last pieces remaining to be moved from the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in uptown Charlotte. The piece, dating from 1998, is made up of hundreds of asymmetrical pieces of hand-blown glass. Conservationists will clean the piece and it will be reinstalled in the summer of 2010 in the Mint's new home in the Arts Campus on South Tryon Street. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

Futbol fans from 29 states converged on Bank of America Stadium to watch Mexico play Iceland in a friendly match. The two countries will field teams in the upcoming World Cup tournament later this year. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

The Nigrelli, Dalton, Geitner and Roberts families kept snowplows away from 5th St. NW in Hickory so sledding could commence Saturday afternoon after a fast-moving, strong winter storm dumped a thick blanket of snow across the Unifour region of the NC foothill. Panoramic photo composite by Jeff Willhelm - jwillhelm@charlotteobserver.com

Behind the bright lights illuminating the speedway, a whole culture watches from the darkness. Some watch televisions, others climb atop their campers and motorhomes and see the race action first-hand.

Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

In September 2008, ironworkers were erecting scaffolding to support concrete forms for the lowest level of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, just outside the curved wall of the Full Throttle Theatre.
Panoramic photo composite by GARY O'BRIEN - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

A brief, fast-moving rain shower left a long-lasting double rainbow over the Charlotte uptown skyline on this sultry summer afternoon. GARY O'BRIEN - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

Backing away from the Lunar Module, Neil Armstrong shot 11 frames on a specially modified Hasselblad camera, capturing the scene at Tranquility Base. Behind Armstrong, the sun, unfiltered by any atmosphere, causes lens flare in two of the frames. Near the LM, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. unpacks a passive seismometer and a retroreflective array, two of the science experiments carried to the Moon by Apollo 11. NASA photos by Neil Armstrong, panoramic photo composite by GARY O'BRIEN - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. walked on the face of the moon. Their primary mission was to gather lunar rocks and soil, and take pictures to document the landing site. This panorama was compiled from one of the four panoramas they took during their time on the surface. In order to work in the harsh conditions of temperature extremes and vacuum, the astronauts used specially modified Hasselblad cameras.

The term sol is used by planetary astronomers to refer to the duration of a solar day on Mars. The Spirit rover has spent 1905 sols (1854 earth days) working on the Martian surface as of June 27, 2009. The panoramic camera on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took the hundreds of images combined into this 360-degree view, the "Husband Hill Summit" panorama. The images were acquired on Spirit's sols 583 to 586 (Aug. 24 to 27, 2005), shortly after the rover reached the crest of "Husband Hill" inside Mars' Gusev Crater. The panoramic camera shot 653 separate images in 6 different filters, encompassing the rover's deck and the full 360 degrees of surface rocks and soils visible. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

At 6593 feet, Mt. LeConte is the third-highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's one of the more remote sites for a mountaintop lodge anywhere in the Southeastern U.S. Panoramic Photo Composite by John Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

The only way up to the top of Mount LeConte and the LeConte Lodge is by foot. And the only way for the lodge to get supplies is through the efforts of Alan Householder and team of llamas three times every week. Householder loads large saddlebags on each animal with 60-75lbs of food, mail and all sorts of other necessities for lodge visitors and staff. The team then heads up the 6.5 mile Trillium Gap Trail through rain, fog, snow and the occasional black bear. But there's a treat for the llamas once they reach the lodge - a break from the hike, water and something they love, leftover pancakes from that morning's breakfast. After they rest behind the lodge dining room, Householder repacks the saddlebags with outgoing materials and they complete the 13-mile roundtrip journey back down the mountain.

A long-time tradition in the infield of NASCAR events is to fly flags showing support for drivers or car makes. The "Confederate Flag", a rectangular combination of the Army of Virginia battle flag colors with the Confederate Navy Jack is a common sight above the campers parked in racetrack infields. (Source: Wikipedia) May 18, 2007 file Panoramic Photo Composte by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

There are things on the shelves at Davis Store that have been there since the 1950s or earlier. Silas Davis has spent nearly four decades carrying on the family business in the tiny north Mecklenburg community of Croft.

In July 0f 2005, Silas Davis sat in the back of the store his grandfather founded in 1908 and talked about his nearly four decades carrying on the family's business.

The rooftop desk at The Arlington offers a broad expanse of land and sky, with uptown Charlotte directly in the center of the view. The Arlington is one of the featured locations of the Urban Living Showcase. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

The sunset paints the Charlotte skyline hues of rose and blue as seen from the rooftop deck of The Garrison at Graham, one of the featured locations in the Urban Living Showcase. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

The bright light of a clear morning lines the uptown Charlotte skyline from The Tower, one of the featured locations in the Urban Living Showcase. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

From the spacious penthouse desk atop TradeMark, the buildings at Trade & Tryon dominate the skyline. TradeMark is one of the featured locations in the Urban Living Showcase. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

Take a closer look at the Charlotte skyline as seen from a 14th floor apartment in Catalyst. Use the zoom tool to get close and see the detail - recognize anyone you know down there? Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

From the broad viewpoint of the Metropolitan Terraces, the uptown Charlotte skyline floats above the Sugar Creek Greenway. The Metropolitan is a featured location in the Urban Living Showcase. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

Looking to give a taste of what's it like to live in uptown or South End, Charlotte Center City Partners is hosting an Urban Living Showcase next Friday and Saturday, complete with tours of residential buildings and amenities. “When you come into an urban environment you live in a smaller space, but it's sort of like a cruise ship; it's about what's at your front door and back door,” said Moira Quinn of Charlotte Center City Partners. This view is from a 14th floor model at Catalyst, Martin Luther King Boulevard and Church Street. Panoramic Photo Composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

Lie back, relax and enjoy the skyline view from poolside at Catalyst. Tours of Catalyst and other uptown residential buildings on Saturday, May 9 will provide a rare chance to see the city's skyline from the unique perspective of upper floors, penthouses and roof levels of these buildings.

In what is thought to be the first commercial installation in Charlotte where a building generates its own green power, workers and engineers from Cyclone Roofing installed a new solar array Friday on the roof of the Outfitter's Store at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. According to Tim Munson, a sales executive for Cyclone, the company attended a symposium there last year and was impressed by the facility. He said, "After holding a couple of our events there, we decided to donate a solar system to the Center as a marketing and educational tool. We purchased the system from Advanced Green Technology, our supplier of thin film solar panels, and worked with our other vendors to donate time and materials." The array is made up of 36 18-foot-long by 15-inch-wide flexible solar panels which each generate 136 watts of power. At full noon sun, the array is providing almost 5,000 watts of power to the Center's office building. Munson said that the polymer-based thin film technology is competitive with conventional crystalline cells because it generates power in low light. It is also lighter and simpler to install as it can be adhered to many commercial roofing materials. Panoramic Photo Composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

It's 217 yards to the center of the green on Quail Hollow's 17th hole. Unfortunately, it's a 200-yard shot over water, to a 37-yard-deep island green which is sloped back-to-front and right-to-left. In any case, it's the course's signature hole, and has snared many a golfer.

Dew coats the 16th green as greenskeepers consult in the pre-dawn light. In the six years the PGA tournament has been played at Quail Hollow, the three finishing holes - known as the "green mile" - have always ranked among the five toughest finishing stretches on the PGA Tour. GARY O'BRIEN - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

After a gathering in Marshall Park in uptown Charlotte, a crowd of about 300 protestors marched on Duke Power headquarters, speaking out against the utility's expansion of its coal-fired Cliffside Steam Station in Rutherford County. With the crowd chanting "Arrest Jim Rogers," referring to Duke's CEO, several dozen protesters lined up to cross a pink spray-painted line that defined Duke's property and were cuffed by police and placed in waiting vans. Groups organizing the protest said 44 people were arrested for trespassing. No incidents of violence were evident during the three-hour demonstration.

Just outside Waxhaw sits one of the Charlotte area's most unusual private schools: Omni Montessori School, set on 13 rural acres, where working the land is part of going to school for a group of middle-school-age children. The land provides the students woods, ponds and fields to learn in. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

The nervous (electrical), circulatory (plumbing) and skeletal systems (joists and studs) of a new restaurant create a fine texture of detail as crews from McAllister Commercial Construction work on the interior of Ensō Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar in the EpiCentre in uptown Charlotte. This area will be the main entrance, with an elaborate Asian gate right about where the 12-foot-tall woman is, with the restaurant's bar and VIP area area to the right, while an elegant sushi bar will be to the left. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

About 40 UNC Charlotte students gathered at the Belk Tower on campus Tuesday to protest a state bill that would prohibit illegal immigrants from attending community colleges. They called for support of a federal bill that would allow undocumented students to earn citizenship after going to college or serving in the military. They joined more than 350 students from N.C. State, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina A&T State University who participated in demonstrations organized by the Coalition for College Access, a student group formed in Chapel Hill.

A crowd of city officials, reporters and photographers, and passengers on USAirways Flight 1549 packed City Council chambers in uptown Charlotte to honor Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and the crew of the plane that ditched in the Hudson River after striking several birds. The crew members each briefly addressed the gathering, and answered questions from the passengers and media. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

The quick reactions of airline pilots to emergency situations are learned in multi-million-dollar simulators. Instructors can present pilots with a wide array of situations in airspace over locations around the world, allowing them to make mistakes that aren't catastrophic as they learn. Training of this sort was crucial in the safe ditching in New York's Hudson River of USAirways Flight 1549. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

Inta Lidz has a garden she's been working on for years. It's going to be on tour this spring, but right now, it's asleep. Come full-blown spring, this space will be a riot of colors. Panoramic photo composite by Gary O'Brien - gobrien@charlotteobserver.com

The Levine Museum of the New South opens its latest exhibition this weekend in uptown Charlotte. "Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor" explores how people in the Charlotte area are coping with the growing influx of newcomers from the US and around the globe. The exhibition emphasizes the growing cultural diversity of the area's residents.

StrikeCity, the new upscale bowling alley and bar, quietly opened Saturday at the EpiCentre, beginning a week of pre-opening festivities that culminates in Friday's grand opening party. See Sarah Aarthun's "Paid To Party" blog for more: http://obsent.blogspot.com/2009/01/strikecity-is-now-open.html

Carolina Panthers fans are known for being polite - perhaps too polite. In the last three years, the stadium ranked last in the NFL for the number of false starts called on the visiting team - a penalty often attributed to noise from a hostile crowd.

On a warm August afternoon, breezes waft through the open windows of a drying room of the A.B. Vannoy Ham House in West Jefferson, Ashe County, North Carolina. Byron Jordan, the proprietor, is one of the last using a climate cure for his hams, where they are exposed to the surrounding environment. This makes for a ham like no other.

One of the things the public doesn't see is the work journalists do behind the scenes during campaign appearances. One of these is the "photo spray", where photograpers are allowed a short period of time to "spray" a candidate or politician. In this particular instance, still photographers from local and national agencies await the arrival of Sen. Barack Obama and his entourage outside McBryde Hall on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.

Sen. Barack Obama works the crowd in Horne Arena at Lander University in Greenwood, SC. This was another in a series of ralies with the theme "Fired up, ready to go", a phrase coined by Greenwood city councilwoman Edith Childs. The Democratic candidates for president are traveling far and wide in South Carolina, making campaign stop after stop in preparation for Saturday's primary election.

Spectators use the Confederate monument on the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse to catch a glimpse of speakers during the annual Martin Luther King Day Rally sponsored by the SC NAACP. Next to the monument flies the Confederate battle flag, which flew over the dome of the State House until July 1, 2000, when the flag was moved to the Monument to South Carolina's Confederate Dead on the north side of the State House grounds. The South Carolina State House is the only state capitol in the nation to have a monument dedicated to the contributions and history of African Americans on its grounds.

The Orchid Conservatory is the Carolinas only glasshouse, 8,000 square feet and five stories tall, dedicated to the display of orchids and tropical plants. It includes one of the largest displays of bromeliads in the Eastern U.S., along with a world of succlents, ornamental tropical fruits and of course orchids.

Scampering among the high branches with the agility of a squirrel and the safety of a rope and harness, climber John Smith of Cadieu Tree Experts harnesses an upper limb of an 85-year-old diseased red oak, 95 feet above ground. After securing the harness to the crane's cable, Smith will cut the branch and the crane will lower it slowly to earth. 2007 was not a good year to be a tree in Mecklenburg County -- or the Southeast for that matter. It started with a hard Easter weekend freeze that killed new leaves, and continued with the worst infestation of canker worms many treemen have ever seen. Then came the lingering drought that deprived trees of water -- their lifeblood. Now trees are dying across the county from insects and drought, and if we don't get sufficient rain this winter your favorite trees may not be leafing out this spring.

Take a virtual tour of the Avenue Condos, completed in November 2007. The panoramic image above is the entrance to a virtual tour of Avenue. As you move around the panorama, watch for the cursor to change - that indicates a "hotspot", which will take you to a different location. HINT: click on the arrow-? button in the tour controller to reveal the hotspots.