City Life Readers’ Picks 2020

A view from above, looking down on a street with the words Black Lives Matter painted on it. Each letter is a separate mural on its own. Around 100 people are congregated on the street.
A bird's eye view of the Black Lives Matter mural. (Photo by Alex Orellano)

Readers’ Picks were chosen exclusively by readers through a two-month nomination process followed by a two-month voting process. The nominations were not tampered with by Queen City Nerve staff at all — save for removing ourselves from a few categories to proactively dispel any notions of favoritism. In other words, if you disagree with these ones, that’s on your fellow reader, not us.

All categories

 

Best Activist

Braxton Winston
Runner Up: Kristie Puckett-Williams

 

Best Activist Group

Charlotte Uprising
Runner Up: Charlotte for Choice

Charlotte Jail Support
Jail Support provides supplies for protesters during a march in June. (Photo by Grant Baldwin)

 

Best Apartment Complex

The Village At Commonwealth
Runner Up: Novel Stonewall Station

 

Best Area To Live

Plaza Midwood
Runner Up: East Charlotte

Best Bike Club

Ride And Destroy
Runner Up: P-Ride Charlotte

 

Best Blog

Charlotte’s Got a Lot
Runner Up: Pachyderm Music Lab

 

Best Business Instagram

Suarez Bakery (@suarezbakery)
Runner Up: Black Wednesday (@blackwedco)

Some good lookin’ doughnuts from the Saurez Bakery Insta.

 

Best Camping Spot (in state)

Pisgah National Forest
Runner Up: Blue Ridge Parkway

 

Best House of Faith

Unitarian Universalist Community of Charlotte
Runner Up: Temple Beth El

 

Best Co-Working Space

Hygge
Runner Up: Advent Coworking

 

Best Disc Golf Course

Reedy Creek Park
Runner Up: Kilborne Park

 

Best Event For A Good Cause

RAINN Bingo
Runner Up: Joyride @ Goodyear Arts

 

Best Facebook Page

Camp North End
Runner Up: Burt Savage

Gama Goat Building
The entrance to the food stalls outside of the newly renovated Gama Goat Building at Camp North End. (Photo by Ryan Pitkin)

 

Best Free Event

Friday Nights at Camp North End
Runner Up: Juneteenth in Plaza Midwood

 

Best Golf Course

Charlotte Country Club
Runner Up: Highland Creek Golf Club

Best Group Workout

Charlotte Free Skate
Runners Up: THE JAM: CLT, Bloom Movement Artistry (tie)

 

Best Hero/Heroine

N.C. Sen. Jeff Jackson
Runner Up: Braxton Winston

Listen to N.C. Sen. Jeff Jackson on our Nooze Hounds episode from January. (Photo by Grant Baldwin)

 

Best Hiking Trail

Crowders Mountain
Runner Up: Little Sugar Creek Greenway

 

Best Hotel

The Dunhill Hotel
Runner Up: Kimpton Tryon Park

 

Best Instagram Influencer

Sydney Duarte (@traveling_gypsy)
Runner Up: Katie Levans (@katie_levans)

Sydney Duarte and a doggie. (Courtesy of @traveling_gypsy on Instagram)

 

Best Investigative Reporter

Joe Bruno, WSOC
Runner Up: Jeff Taylor, indie journalist

 

Best Local Celebrity

Brad Panovich
Runner Up: Luke Kuechly

 

Best Local Festival

Charlotte PRIDE
Runner Up: Yiassou Greek Festival

 

Best Local Mascot

Sir Purr
Runner Up: Hugo the Hornet

Best Local Sports Figure

Christian McCaffrey
Runner Up: Bubba Wallace

 

Best Local Sports Team

Carolina Panthers
Runner Up: Charlotte Checkers

 

Best New Thing

Black Lives Matter Mural
Runner Up: Charlotte FC

Black Lives Matter mural
A bird’s eye view of the Black Lives Matter mural. (Photo by Alex Orellano)

 

Best News Anchor

Morgan Fogarty, WCCB
Runner Up: Erica Bryant, WSOC

 

Best News Story of the Last 12 Months

Black Lives Matter Protests
Runner Up: Black Lives Matter Mural

 

Best Nonprofit

Charlotte PRIDE
Runner Up: Girls Rock Charlotte

 

Best Personal Instagram Account

Onya Nerves (@onyaofficial)
Runner Up: Jennifer Austin (@jenniferaustinphoto)

 

Best Photojournalist

Logan Cyrus
Runner Up: Alvin C. Jacobs Jr.

 

Best Place To Get Back To Nature

Blue Ridge Parkway
Runner Up: Crowders Mountain

Blue Ridge Parkway (Photo by Frankaustx/Creative Commons)

 

Best Place To Get Hitched

McGill Rose Garden
Runner Up: Petra’s

 

Best Place To People-Watch

Plaza Midwood
Runner Up: Optimist Hall

 

Best Place To Take Out-Of-Town Visitors

U.S. National Whitewater Center
Runner Up: Camp North End

 

Best Place To Volunteer

Time Out Youth
Runners Up: Jail Support, Crisis Assistance Ministry (tie)

 

Best Podcast

WFAE She Says
Runners Up: Mouthin’ Out, The Bad Seed Podcast (tie)

Listen to ‘She Says’ host Sarah Delia on an episode of our Nooze Hounds podcast from January. (Photo by Grant Baldwin)

 

Best Politician

Jeff Jackson
Runner Up: Braxton Winston

 

Best Radio Personality

Mike Collins, WFAE
Runner Up: Woody from Woody & Wilcox

 

Best Radio Show

WFAE Charlotte Talks
Runners Up: The MRL Morning Show, KISS 95.1; The John Boy and Billy Big Show, 99.7 The Fox (tie)

 

Best Rec Center

YMCA Dowd
Runner Up: West Charlotte Rec Center

Best Run Club

NoDa Run Club
Runner Up: Charlotte Running Club

 

Best Support Group

Time Out Youth
Runner Up: Safe Alliance

 

Best TikTok

@CharlotteforChoice
Runner Up: @alexthefeminist

 

Best TV Personality

Brad Panovich, WCNC
Runner Up: Larry Sprinkle, WCNC

Brad Panovich (Photo by Ryan Pitkin)

 

Best TV Sportscaster

Ashley Stroehlein, WCNC
Runner Up: Matt Harris, WSOC

 

Best TV Station

WSOC
Runner Up: WBTV

 

Best Twitter Account

@cltdevelopment
Runner Up: @katie_levans

Best Twitter Account for Humor

@clt_updates
Runner Up: @gussirBEEF

 

Best Use Of Tax Money

Affordable Housing
Runner Up: Parks & Greenways

 

Best Virtual Event

Girls Rock Charlotte Virtual Summer Camp
Runner Up: SkillPop

 

Best Way To Get Around Without A Car

CATS Blue Line light rail
Runner Up: Walking

The Blue Line light rail passing through South End. (Photo by Grant Baldwin)

 

Best Weekend Getaway

Asheville
Runner Up: Folly Beach, Charleston, SC

 

Local Issue That Needs More Attention

Affordable Housing
Runner Up: Homelessness

 

Thing We Need Less Of

Luxury Apartments
Runner Up: Expensive Housing

 

Thing We Need More Of

Affordable Housing
Runner Up: Arts Funding

 

Worst Politician

Sen. Thom Tillis
Runner Up: Tariq Bokhari

 

Worst Use Of Tax Money

Funding CMPD
Runner Up: Funding Political Trips

All categories



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