The story goes that Ernest Hemingway once claimed his finest work consisted of six words: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
The people at Smith magazine took that idea and ran with it, asking readers to send in six-word memoirs. They're now collected in a book, "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs From Writers Famous and Obscure."
Some samples from the book:
Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends.
I still make coffee for two.
I like big butts, can't lie.
(Threw that last one in there to let you know they're not all bittersweet.)
So here's your challenge: How would you sum up Charlotte in six words?
Here's a few to get you started:
We tore that down years ago.
Don't go to church? Really? Hmmm....
Where Buffalo comes to get warm.
OK, this is harder than it looks. You can do better. Six words, no more, no less. Show us what you've got.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Sum up Charlotte in six words
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229 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 229 Newer› Newest»Used to be nice, not anymore.
Spent money uptown, ignored the rest.
No gang problem, crime is down.
Birthplace of the Hidden Valley Kings.
Carjacking is a way of life.
What Bobcats? We miss the Hornets!
Fast food, chain restaurants are everywhere!
Good weather, nice people, great times.
Grew up here, will die here.
Home of your favorite band, Antiseen.
At least we're not Detroit - yet.
Big bank buildings, but jobs outsourced.
We don't incarcerate criminals very long.
Sanctuary city for illegal alien invaders.
An affordable, vanilla, pretentious Southern 'town'
Charlotte's a beautiful place to live
Left Cleveland cold for Ballantyne warmth.
Couldn't survive without Tomlinson's insightful columns.
Panthers are ours win or lose.
Avoid 485 during all rush hours!
Providence to Waxhaw? I think not!
Native Charlotteans? I'm the only one.
One more transplant and I'll die.
Worst newspaper in the United States
Gastonia really ain't so bad anymore
MrAfternoon
northern invaders now own this place
Sunny Skies, nice people, beautiful city
What a beautiful blue sky today!
Smart, ambitious, still needs more work.
Grand in-town neighborhoods are the best.
Newcomers and natives are both needed.
NASCAR, global finance, nowhere but here.
Trees are our treasure, take care.
Trains, planes, automobiles are all here.
currently boring, but has some potential
Big City with a Town Mentality
Big city, with small town mentality
Too many Republicans spoil this town
Charlotte's the way, unless you're gay
Queen City, small town, small minds
There's a new sheriff in town
Who said light rail would fail?
Misery loves company, Charlotte ranks 9th!
Fake boob capital of the south.
Where shirt collars are still flipped.
Yankee transplants ran out native Charlotteans.
My hometown, moved out of county.
I want my old city back.
Thank God Nick Mackey isn't Sherriff.
To much crime and trashy neighborhoods.
To much hate not enough love.
Panthers the best no matter what!!
Valentine returned marked 'return to sender'
My heart thirsts for her smile.
For Sale Man's suits shirts shoes.
Found: scrap book in dumpster.
I never saw her again.
Never a word from the kids.
Natives whine about mean, pushy newcomers.
Newcomers gripe about slow-moving natives.
It's nice here. Quiet, all gripewhiners.
Too many drivers, too few highways
Working class folks need not apply.
Bankers and lawyers rule here now!
Look up superficial in the dictionary.
Iredell County looks better every day.
In need of its own identity.
Plenty of churches, but no soul.
High taxes, wasteful government, oldschool politics
Which church/bank do you belong?
Let's loosen our Bible belt again.
some progress, long ways to go
ungrateful newcomers complain but never leave
To the first poster:
Used to suck, much better now.
Used to be ugly, not anymore.
BOA, CMC, CMS, NASCAR, UNCC,77/85/485
Came here because our economy sucked
Complain, can't get job back home.
The backwards rednecks are really annoying.
Charlotte's better now more than ever.
Charlotte's only going to get better.
The Civil War has been over.
People will keep on moving here.
You can't do anything about it.
Republicans try to ruin Charlotte's potential.
The small town mentality must die.
Yes we have an identity crisis.
We're becoming where people move from
A city that hates different people.
A city that hates gay people.
A city influenced by jesus freaks.
A city that needs some work.
Boat shoes are not in style.
Gorgeous foliage spawns necessary evil - POLLEN!
A place that has no pride.
A place no one takes seriously.
A place where people continuously bitch.
Built between two nuclear power plants.
my home. I love it here.
Non-attainment of ozone air quality standards.
Moved out of county, laughing now.
To all the haters out there:
Charlotte is an awesome city now.
You will never have it back.
HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Can I have my traffic supersized?
Wish for more optimisim in everyone
Traffic, unclean air, school problems.
always evolving above ancient azalea blooms
Guns in school, all week long.
willow oaks, blue skies, wonderful people
Love my kids, so I'm leaving.
Haters pack up and move, now!
Destroy trees, name communities after them.
Build arenas who cares about schools.
Thank God for southern hospitality Ya'll!
Conformist norm bots love drinking lattes.
McJobs, McFashions, McBars, McMusic, McMalls, McPeople
I like Charlotte, sorry you don't.
Whiners, put barrel in mouth now.
I love to eat fried pickles.
Pick up trucks are not "cool".
Stop driving them like sports cars.
Venture out of your own neighborhood.
Then you won't think Charlotte's boring.
feel free to take I-95 north.
Halfway between Mexico and New Jersey.
Buenos dias, buenos tardes, buenos noches
Better than most cities its size.
More people does not equal progress.
Michael forgot to take his Xanax.
Home is where the doublewide is.
Full of selfish, profiteering people.
Too many yankees are moving here,
The place I hate to live
Run away from this place quickly!
Full of itself; not that great
vanilla vanilla vanilla vanilla vanilla vanilla
Build it and they will come
Friendly, but don't mess with Banks.
trainsn' cranes, banksn', yanks, driedn', fried
Far from a world class city
I'm rich, you're not, stop whining.
yankees need to keep moving here
Get carjacked outside your new McMansion!!
More people definately does equal progress.
Charlotte definately needs a lot more people.
This ain't a small town anymore.
Make this place just like Buffalo!!!
Molly Grantham and Morgan Fogarty rock!!!
Love to watch my city grow.
Come to visit, stay for life.
All the rednecks need to leave.
Yankees aren't just moving to Charlotte.
Lots of other people are too.
Get over it and shut up.
Charlotte is much better than Buffalo.
A lot of trailer parks everywhere.
No water, no worries, build more.
No water, drink gin and tonics.
Only the winners are supported here.
School Board that can't get along
City Council that can't get along
Tree lined streets killed by cankers
Tommy Tomlinson is our prize possession
The place everyone loves to hate.
Check Queen City Area dot net!
Twenty Years here and lovin' it.
Country Roads, Big stores, Traffic Sucks!
Charlotte bloggers like to ##### ALOT
Liberals caught in a conservative town
City with vision that needs glasses
Arrogant mayor, wannabe city, congested, moved
no leadership, no planning, no vision
Worst place I have ever lived
please please please please relocate me
build some fricken retail uptown ASAP
too bad it doesnt snow here
Banks! I bury money in backyard
sweet mother of god trade peppers
rick flair for mayor in 201_
Big City with nothing to do
Bad drivers worse roads nice weather
backwater city in a backwater state
Cash rules everything around mecklenburg county
Home is where the heart is.
charlotte's boring because you are boring.
An ever changing, progressive southern city.
What? You were born here?
Worst of north moving here
No jobs in Ohio, Upstate NY
Cool, but you don't own things
Learn to appreciate a vibrant city
Here long before you were born
Great for families, not single people.
My money is going towards THAT?!?!?!
Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Beats the hell out of Florida!
Library, Observer - great! Housing too expensive...
People vote "No"? Build it anyways
Wilkinson Blvd is our 8 Mile
Focusing on inside 277, nowhere else
Makes sense to build everything Uptown.
Quit your bitching, uptown is important.
Center City represents who we are.
Uptown should be healthy and vibrant.
planes leave hourly you arrogant ingrates
George Washington is a trifling surprised.
Whiners will still whine next stop.
Never happy, never give, constant moan.
Rust Belt sucks, we came here.
In NY/SF you'd whine and fail.
Griping follows you no matter where.
Relocate your !@#$% self (you can't.)
Most like Charlotte. Redneck losers scram.
Charlotte center city we love you.
Faux people passing through hurry up.
Be part of Charlotte or leave.
SO WHAT CHURCH DO YOU ATTEND?
YOU ARE NOT FROM AROUND HERE.
POLITICS AND RACE ISSUES TARNISH CHARLOTTE,
SCHOOLS NOT GOOD PAY TEACHERS MORE.
GROWTH WITHOUT INFOSTRUCTURE EQUALS CHARLOTTE'S DOWNFALL.
ICE OR RAIN SOUTHERNERS SHOULD'NT DRIVE.
TWO LANE HIGHWAYS NICE ENGINEERING CONCEPT.
Whiners look directly into the mirror.
You yourself are not so fabulous.
Coulda been in SF? Oh please.
Schools suck? How have you helped?
Anything Atlanta spends, we'll spend double.
City of potential, divided too far
Many with vision, Many so blind
Money rules life, Many see hate
Some with soul, Many don't care
City so clean, but dirty beneath
I'm a local, want a picture?
Where do you go to church?
Neo Big City, Politically Small Mind
Watched her grow, just love her.
Crockett Park, Cal Ripken played here.
Hornets rocked us like a hurricane.
Jake led Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII
Fans on fire shook the rafters.
Sometimes miss the way we were.
"Sum Up Charlotte in Six Words"
A CITY BUILT BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!
And that's the truth, people!!
Armed princes, fake princess - Queen City !!
We love cars, screw the air
Charlotte, controlled by Chamber of Commerce
Charlotte, a friendly place before Yankees.
Want different weather, wait three days.
Tax the natives, subsidize the Chamber.
Charlotte Native for 55 years
Fled NY taxes, now raising ours!
Ya'll let Colored folks eat here?
People, please learn how to drive.
Multiple vehicle wreck on Independence Blvd.
One hundred job applications, two interviews.
Big city wannabe, white professionals only.
Yippee! I live in Lincoln county!
Historic? Green space? Tear it down.
Illegals moved in. I moved out.
Bad Traffic. High taxes. Indifferent councilmen.
Born elsewhere; will grow old here.
So much for the middle-class!
no class, no style, misery, yes
subdivisions,strip malls,parking lots
Charlotte, it's not perfect, just great.
Charlotte? What state is it in?
Pathetic, naive, Yankee ridden city, yuck!
Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll (FBRNR).
Great weather,people,music,and golf :)
Friday nights listening to Lenny Federal
Slogan: Not quite all grown up.
City fueled by sell out realtors.
Hot, cliquey, traffic, bank-heavy, ruined
drive thru between mountains and coast
arrogant yuppies, redneck hicks, illegal gangs
Pepole proud of their plastic city.
Don't you mean Charleton South Carolina?
Live? Work? Live? Married? Live? Oh!
Don't like it here, try Atlanta!
Get outside, don't watch the game
Get the paper for the coupons
Most pretentious city in universe.
Unless you like Nascar, there's nothing
lousy: jobs,schools,housing,roads,sports
lousy: air,soil,water,parks,trails,lakes
lousy: shopping,restaurants,arts,newspaper
radio stations
roll up the sidewalks at dusk
Radios always use the word "queer"
yankee money eagerly accepted by locals.
wants more stadiums, where? no space
naive yankee marrying southerner equals hell.
southern hospitality another old southern myth.
Gone with the Wind southern delusions.
passports required by incoming furrin yankees
Gastonian fears Charlotte invasion builds wall.
It's no Kannapolis, but it'll do.
It's no Kannapolis, but it'll do.
Wow, Charlotte does sound pretty bad!
At least the skyline looks nice.
GET OFF THE PHONE AND DRIVE!!!
to seem, rather than to be
OUT WITH MANUFACTORING IN WITH BANKING.
NOT INCLINED FOR GROWTH POOR CHARLOTTE.
SO WHAT SIDE OF CHARLOTTE YOU IN?
OBSERVER STOP PUBLISHING UNC NEWS CONSTANTLY.
WAFFLE HOUSES SOUTHERNERS OBSESSION FOR BREAKFAST.
Charlotte, fat and fatter people unite!
Charlotte - the county that the state hates.
Grandmother's home now
a parking deck.
Nice uptown, surronded by all slums.
What are those silos off 277?
City trying to grow, no planning?
Build everything with no new infrastructure?
Nice weather, but it ends there.
Love it or Leave it, YES!!!!!
Push 1 to continue in ENGLISH!!!!
Tax base gets bigger, our expense.
Make friends with Raleigh, need money....
Big city, with DARK interstate roads?????
Enough bashing for one early morning
Was nice, before Yankees and illegals
Don't attempt The Philly Cheesesteak please!
Growth does not pay for itself!
Misery index soars, uptown does too.
How did I fall for this!
Leave subdivision, welcome to old country.
Friends shouldn't let friends buy vinyl.
To Charlotte Mecklenburg: Enforce Litter Laws
NC Motto: Esse quam videri. Charlotte ?
Cut down trees, build crappy houses.
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