Mailbag: Highlighting 25 spicy electronic feedback letters

General

“I get your daily newsletter, and I love it. It makes me late for work just about every morning because I can’t help perusing it as soon as I see it in my inbox. So please don’t take what I’m about to say as any criticism, but rather just a friendly and lighthearted challenge. I hereby challenge you (are you up for this challenge?) to: publish one (just one) of your daily newsletters without any mention whatsoever of beer/wine/liquor/alcohol, yoga, or restaurants. Can you do it?” -B

“I’m a native Charlottean. (I’m real. You can touch me to make sure.) I used to write for a national weekly newspaper, had a super witty blog, taught high school English for 12 years, and now, single and 34, I’m living off the government while attending nursing school full time. I can school you on a thing or two about my city. In full disclosure, CA is my go-to reading material in the bathroom. Take it as a compliment. Potty breaks serve as valuable time for nursing students. Keep up the awesome work. Can’t wait to hang out with you kids.” – J

“You guys need more diversity.” – A

“I think you should do some investigating and find out where the Seahawks will be staying. Release that info in your newsletter. Maybe a devoted Panthers fan will greet them to the QC with a 3am fire alarm like they did to us earlier this year in Seattle. GO PANTHERS! KEEP POUNDING!” – S

“I absolutely love your newsletter and look forward to it every morning. There’s two things I read before I get up and that’s the Axios Charlotte and TheSkimm. As a matter of fact, I don’t even live in Charlotte anymore, but I do own a house, and your newsletter gives me a pulse on everything Charlotte. Really appreciate everything you all pull together!!” – M

“Many a hangover has been cured by an Owen’s bagel. Not to mention, the people there are wonderful. It took less than a month for Pam to know my name and my order. That’s what I look for in a good local joint. You guys also completely dropped the ball on any news pieces from when some idiot drove a car through Owen’s kitchen and shut them down for several months (almost shut them down for good!). Thank the hangover-curing Gods they were able to come back though.” -E

“I have been reading your articles for a few months since my husband told me about you and I will have to say that I really enjoy it a lot! I was wondering if you have thought about doing a section other than the “Charlottean” where you are showcasing someone looking for a job? You also have today’s “Job” which I look at everyday. Why, you ask? Because I have been on the lookout and searching my little brain out for almost 2 years to no avail. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do have a job, but not one that stimulates or enriches my life-it’s retail. So, I thought if you had a section where you might interview someone looking for a job (actually looking and finding 0) you would be doing a big help. Just a thought! And if by the off chance that you actually want to do this and need your first person to interview for the section-please feel free to hook a girl up.” – S

“My name is Fabio and I am an editor of a news website in Natal, a small city of Brazil. I read about you in an article from Nieman Labs and I need to tell you that your work is great and it is inspiring me. I will have a few change in the way we sell ads, and in our policy for freelance writings, and my inspiration is you guys.” – F

In response to: The most beautiful street in Charlotte

“I live in Elizabeth and often walk the surrounding neighborhoods. Several years ago I was walking my two dogs and one urinated (no poop) on a small bush in a yard next to the sidewalk on Hermitage. My dog was only 1-2 feet into the yard as I do not use a long retractable leash. I continued down the street wearing my headphones when I heard noise behind me. A man with his large dog ran up to me and proceeded to yell at me about my dog urinating on his $500 bush and how inconsiderate I was. The dogs almost got in a fight (as my lab is very protective when strangers run up and start yelling) and I was completely shocked and shaken. I could not even think of any good retorts at the moment. I still walk down Hermitage and always laugh to myself that some folks can be so uptight about their beautiful yards. I also always pause in front of that house just in case my dog has to urinate 😜 Maybe that’s why I live in Elizabeth. The yards aren’t as manicured but the people aren’t as uptight and the he house and trees are beautiful.” – A

In response to: Is this the best sandwich place in Charlotte?

“Unbelievable. I don’t know how to thank you. So I just thought I would show up here at your office and give you this Bill Murray thank you poster. We had a line out the door and our weekly sales went up 101% after you ran that story.” – Max, Owner of Sandwich Max

In response to: Food Diary: What 16 Charlotte fitness professionals eat in a day

“Not a single vegan on your list of fitness people in Charlotte? Their diets are mostly gross. At least the Hilliard owner has some sort of a clue. The rest eat like crap. Yuck. Life in the south I guess…” – K

In response to: Can Charlotte fix SouthPark’s problems in a week?

“No amount of studying will do anything to alleviate traffic problems at SouthPark. Too many people, too many cars, to simple. It looks great on paper and things like that. However if someone has the money too blow, do the study. As an old retired geaser, I plan my trips to avid the traffic, retirement has its benefits.” – C

In response to: How to avoid Charlotte “fear of missing out” in 2016

“One quibble with “How to avoid Charlotte ‘fear of missing out’ in 2016” is calling the Bank of America 500 the “signature” event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A big event… Sure! But not *THE* signature event… That honor belongs to the Coca-Cola 600 in May… The longest race in NASCAR (by 100 miles) and the crown jewel of a huge month of racing events… Not to mention one of the big three races IN THE WORLD on Memorial day Sunday (the other two being Formula 1 in Monaco and the Indy 500). Go ahead Agenda… Hop in your RV, park it in the infield, and embrace your inner redneck.” – A

“Hanging my head in shame that the FOMO article missed the All Star Race, all the hoopla leading up to the 600 and the Coca Cola 600 out of May.” – A

In response to: Sorry Greensboro. Olde Mecklenburg pulls its beer out of the Triad because of a state law

How about an interview with NC House Rep. Jon Hardister? He is the co-chair of the NC House ABC Committee. It is this committee that failed to send the bills to the House floor last year. Also, he is from Greensboro. So his city just lost jobs due to the distribution cap.

In response to: The meatballs are IKEA’s only redeeming quality and they’re not that good

“Wow, Katie has some serious anger about IKEA. Hard to tell sometimes if she is being serious or sarcastic. When we were building our new house, we lived in an apt. for 6 months. IKEA sent out coupons for $25 off anything, in the mail. My girls rode their scooters around the apt. complex and dug through all the trash cans at the mailboxes and found unwanted IKEA coupons that people threw away. I think we ended up with 13 of those coupons. We were able to buy lots of the accessories for our house and our girls’ bedrooms with those coupons. Katie doesn’t have to like IKEA but she should borrow someone’s pickup truck if she is going to go shop there. Just sayin.” – A

“I think the folks that design IKEA design casinos—no windows, no clocks, one way in or out (some of the elevators go up but not down). You can lose track of time and money and the next day feel really shitty about yourself.” – B

“If you ever need to shop for home or office again, go to Home Goods, Marshalls or TJ Maxx. They have cool things at great prices (most are located near restaurants). And b/c I totally believe in retail therapy and love spending other folks’ money, I will go for you. Just call!” – L

“I don’t usually dredge up enough energy to reach out but I thought your IKEA piece this morning was absolutely hilarious. Certainly almost made me snot out my coffee.” – I

In response to: I finally set up my Virtual Visit account and I’m never going to the doctor again

“I came down with a sinus infection from hell this weekend, drove to 2 urgent cares with over an hour wait each Saturday morning and ended up basically crying in my car in the parking lot and had a revelation that I saw a billboard somewhere with Virtual Visit and I downloaded the app in my car and saw a doctor via facetime in 5 minutes, they ordered me an antibiotic right then and there. I could have kissed that doctor through the phone. It was so cool. She looked down my throat and listed to my chest through the microphone and everything. It was crazy amazing. Total Jetsons moment.” – K

In response to last week’s Mailbag

“Let me start by saying that I loved the article. It told how people are finding fellowship in unusual places – places that happen to brew and serve beer. I personally don’t go to church because I feel that it’s forced and find it ridiculous that “church” be confined to a specific building on a specific day of the week. I can be spiritual anywhere I want, whenever I want, with a beer in my hand if I want. These negative comments basically said that people can’t find fellowship outside of a church because God doesn’t exist there. Guess what negative Christian people, God exists wherever I think he exists, and will be there for me regardless if I’m sitting in a pew or on a picnic table bench. The negative comments you received got me all fired up because it is proving the perception that many people have of Christians – they can’t handle any viewpoints that disagree with their own. I can’t imagine the feedback you’ve gotten on past articles regarding gay marriage being made legal and events around the Charlotte Pride Parade (both wonderful things, in my opinion). Those two comments you included in the mailbag both mentioned how much they loved the Agenda and read it religiously (see what I did there?) but as soon as one article was published they disagreed with, they jump ship. What if their boss had a different viewpoint on Christianity than they do? Would they quit their job because of differences in personal opinion? Highly doubtful. People get offended too easily these days. Understand that articles are not personal attacks on you and your personal beliefs. Those type of people drive me crazy – get over yourself. Sure I’ve read Agenda articles I don’t necessarily agree with or enjoy but I’m not going to kick a news source to the curb simply because they aren’t constantly representing my specific viewpoint. It is THE NEWS – controversial, ever-changing, and upsetting to people at times. That’s the world, and the times we live in. What I like about the Agenda is that you present media in a way that is approachable and unapologetic. You have a forever reader and follower in me. Keep doing you, Agenda.” -M

In response to: 4 answers to this question: “I’m visiting Charlotte, what should I do there?”

“I have lived here for a long time and couldn’t have put that together for uptown. Nice job. I would have been driving all over the place. The New York Times did one but I would need a great deal of Red Bull for that one. This could be your new monthly column… theme visits… Or you can go back to the waffle thing. I kinda miss that. It was about as close to a cook book as I get.” – L

In response to: Startup: How Axios Charlotte does business and how it launched

“LOVE your new startup series! So interesting to see behind the scenes. Can’t wait for more. You guys are awesome!!!” – A

“Ted… Please stop marginalizing your intentions to make money. To state you have a tiny income is unnecessary. It’s understood with a start up. Stop trying to say the subscription model is to deepen relationships. Be honest, it’s ok to make money. Just tell us what we’re going to get in return instead of extra fluff about a relationship. We’ve never met and I doubt $60 will make us BFF. I don’t mind paying for something I believe in though. Compel me and I’ll support you!!!” – A

In response to Does Charlotte have an eligible bachelor problem? and Scott’s rebuttal

“The recent series of dueling position papers on Charlotte’s ‘difficult’ dating scene appearing here left me with a question that seems to arise time and again, no matter the venue: if we’re as flush with eligible parties as we claim to be, why do we constantly struggle to connect? Shouldn’t it be easier than this? Frustration with our inability to be unsingle has of course been a defining characteristic of third wheels since the Stone Age. But why is it that we continue to rely on either blind luck or frustration’s evolution into its uglier, more powerful relative: desperation, to make something happen? The only conclusion I’ve come up with is that from the days when we were pressed against opposing walls at middle school dances, we have allowed our fear of disaster to overwhelm our hope for success. At some level, this feeling is natural, and even healthy in moderation. But I think Charlotte dating savant Lauren Levine, whose “Margarita Confessionals” podcast provides much needed insight into the minds of this town’s single women, shared a valuable piece of advice for us all with her New Year’s resolution: be bolder. Regret is a funny thing. In the present, action seems to be its most likely bedfellow. Yet when we reflect on the past, doing nothing seems to be its most common cause. This is all to say: the paths that cross, the time we have, the connections we share- they happen only in the present. So as we Charlotte singles face starkly another year of the unknown, let’s remember the one thing that is certain: our personal agency. So rather than resign ourselves to indefinite months of halfhearted right-swipes and vague lament, let’s agree to take a chance and ask for what we want. May 2016 be the year that the haunting notes of “Kiss From A Rose” ring out from Panthers stadium, and the reproach of a bleary-eyed art teacher the only thing that can separate us as we come together in an awkward, quivering-armed embrace.” – W

In response to: Crisp who? Six reasons why Chopt is now the best salad place in town

“I can’t get over the fact you published a story about salad places written by someone who only eats iceberg lettuce.” – A