Charlotte light rail stops, ranked
I love the LYNX Blue Line light rail, and if it came anywhere near my southeast Charlotte home I’d use it every day. (Maybe one day …)
But not all light rail stops are created equal. So I decided to rank them, based on what you can eat, drink and do near that stop. Disagree? Fire away in the comments.
Note: I didn’t include the light rail extension stops since, well, it might another year before that opens.
(15) Sharon Road West.
There’s nothing here. Except for a parking lot. And the Snyder’s-Lance factory. They could at least have some pretzels sitting out at the station or something. I would stop there just to get pretzels. Now I really want pretzels.
(14) Arrowood Station.
The only reason this is ranked higher than Sharon Road West is because you could conceivably walk to a Bojangles’, and a Cajun filet biscuit makes everything better.
(13) Archdale Station.
Holy cow these Park-N-Ride stations are the worst, but at least this one’s near a place called The Burrito Factory, which I’ve never heard of but has 4 stars on Yelp and this review: “99¢ Taco Tuesday!! Do I seriously need to say any more?!” No, Dionah, you don’t. You really don’t.
(12) I-485.
Welcome to the farthest-out stop on the light rail. Please enjoy the Target store nearby. Hungry? We’ve got Steak ‘n Shake, Popeyes and Golden Corral. Oh, and an ABC store nearby. What more could you possibly want?
(11) Tyvola Station.
This is the closest stop to Bill Spoon’s Barbecue. And … yeah, that’s pretty much it.
(10) Woodlawn Station.
FINALLY, A BREWERY. Granted, it’s a .3-mile walk down Old Pineville to get to Three Spirits Brewery, but it’s better than nothing.
(9) Carson Station.
For being so close to town, this stop doesn’t have a whole lot going for it — except for Midnight Diner. Late night food is clutch. And Unknown Brewing is a half-mile away, if you’re up for a walk.
(8) New Bern Station.
The station is across the street from South End’s only Chick-fil-A — ’nuff said. Oh yeah, and Triple C and Lenny Boy breweries are nearby to wash down that chicken sandwich.
(7) 3rd Street Station/Convention Center Station.
Convention Center Station may not sound sexy, but it’s the closest to the new Amelie’s uptown and also not far from the NASCAR Hall of Fame — the world’s sexiest sport, amiright?
(6) Stonewall Station.
This stop will be AMAZING in a few years when Stonewall Street is transformed with crazy amounts of development. Right now, though, it’s a great mix of culture (The Mint, Bechtler and Gantt Center) and sports (Bank of America Stadium). And if you’re hungry, there’s also a Buffalo Wild Wings! OK, seriously, you can grab some food at the JP Charlotte in The Westin.
(5) Scaleybark Station.
AKA Station LoSo. GoodRoad Ciderworks, Queen Park Social, Doc Porter’s Distillery, Great Wagon Road Distilling, Sugar Creek Brewing, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Red Clay Ciderworks … thirsty yet? Too bad all of this stuff about a half-mile walk from the actual station.
(4) 7th Street Station.
The end of the line (for now) drops you slam in the middle of uptown — right beside 7th Street Market, ImaginOn and the Levine Museum of the New South, across the street from First Ward Park and the Google Fiber Space, and around the corner from Mert’s and Flight. If you get stranded at the end of the line, you better hope it’s this end. (See: I-485 station.)
(3) Charlotte Transportation Center/Arena Station.
There’s something wonderful about stepping off of the train and right into The Cable Box for a Hornets game or a concert. This is also the stop for the Epicentre (either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your mindset/blood-alcohol level) and The Punch Room. Or you could get off here and hop on the trolley toward Elizabeth. Choose your adventure — but choose wisely.
(2) East/West Station.
This one would have a stronger case for the top spot if the station was actually closer to Atherton Mill and Market and Sycamore Brewing, but getting dropped off at the back door of Tupelo Honey and The Liberty ain’t bad. Plus, you have quick access to arguably the two best places to get chicken in Charlotte — that Shell gas station at the corner of East and South and Price’s Chicken Coop.
(1) Bland Station.
Don’t let the name fool you — Bland Station is anything but.
For one, the station is right in front of Futo Buta (get in my belly, ramen). But it’s also a quick walk to Wooden Robot Brewery and Brass Tap. You can see All American Pub from the station. The Gin Mill is right around the corner. Golden Cow Creamery and Bulldog Beer and Wine are less than two blocks away. You’ve also got the Charlotte Art League a stone’s throw away and Elder Gallery a short walk down the street.
And it’s still the top stop despite the fact that all of these nearby places have closed in the past couple of years: Common Market, Phat Burrito, Black Sheep Skate Shop and Amos’ Southend.
You could spend a whole day around this station and not get bored. But if you did, you could just hop onto the light rail and head to the next stop.
Photos: Charlotte Observer file; CharlotteFive file
This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 1:01 AM with the headline "Charlotte light rail stops, ranked."