The tour was developed as a creative way to address the growth and ever changing landscape of public

Jean Tinguely's final kinetic sculpture is there. italy car rentals So is his wife Nikki de Saint Phalle 's iconic Firebird. Acclaimed North Carolina fresco artist Ben Long has one his masterworks showcased. italy car rentals All these fine works of art are featured alongside nearly two dozen important works in a recently developed nine-block walking tour of public art in Charlotte, NC. that includes italy car rentals a curated podcast available for free download.
Thanks to the Charlotte Arts and Science Council's Public Art Walking Tour, residents italy car rentals and visitors alike can take advantage of a free, specially developed walking tour of Charlotte's Uptown featuring twenty-three art-works by eighteen different artists. italy car rentals A detailed map and custom developed podcast featuring extensive artwork descriptions and narrative are available for download at the ASC website here.
The tour was developed as a creative way to address the growth and ever changing landscape of public art in our city. "The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority tells us that our printed italy car rentals walking tour of public art in Uptown is one of the most popular brochures that visitors take," said Jean Greer, coordinator italy car rentals of the ASC's Public Art program, "We believe a downloadable podcast along and map is a great way for us to go "green" and more easily update information and provide better access."
With both indoor and outdoor venues the tour features sculpture, paintings and a variety of mixed media pieces. Through the tour, participants will learn some fascinating back stories behind many of the pieces and Charlotte's history.
italy car rentals Beginning at West Trade and Poplar Streets italy car rentals inside the lobby of Carillon building, the tour launches with renowned Swiss artist, Jean Tinguely's kinetic; Cascade . Commissioned by the original developers of the building, this work of moving art incorporates objects from Charlotte including the lion's head that graced the façade of the Hotel Charlotte that once stood at the same location.
"There is a clear educational component of what we want to accomplish with our walking tour," says Krista Terrell, Vice President of Public Relations and Communications for the ASC, "The frescoes inside the Bank of America italy car rentals Corporate Center building for example were painted by North Carolina artist Ben Long in 1992. The podcast provides an overview of the symbolism of each of the panels and goes on to explain how Long used Charlotte area friends, associates and even his own son as models for the figures depicted italy car rentals in the scenes."
The tour has even received prominent italy car rentals national notice, The New York Times' Frugal Traveler Seth Kugel recently visited the QC and had this to say: "…you don't often notice public art until someone points it out to you, then you can't believe you hadn't noticed before. Uptown – is one of those clean areas that people from grittier cities may at first perceive as sanitized and devoid of character, but the podcast will go a long way to dispel that, pointing out many works of public art, including the four statues that stand at the four corners of Trade and Tryon Streets."
The ASC manages the Public Art Program for the city and Mecklenburg County both of which allocate 1% of the construction budget from eligible projects (new/renovated buildings, parks, streets, etc.) towards public art.
Public art is all around is Charlotte including our public transportation corridors. The Charlotte Area Transportation System has an Art in Transit program dedicated to featuring public art that makes a connection to our community and gives pleasure to people that use the transportation system according to Pallas Lombardi, Program Manager for Art in Transit for CATS.
"The Charlotte area is fortunate to enjoy tremendous artwork and support on many levels from the private sector, the city and county italy car rentals and in our transportation system," said Lombardi.  Works such as the Andre Leicester Bobbins at the Charlotte Transportation Center italy car rentals and Alice Adams' Ginko at the 3 rd Street Station connect with various aspects of the city such as our community history as a textile center and reflect the artists' fascination with Charlotte's tree canopy and our magnificent foliage.
End your tour at the city's showcase Levine Center of the Arts on the southern end of Uptown's Tryon street outside the stunning Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the building is designed Swiss designer and architect Mario Botta. There on the plaza in front of the museum stands what has fast become the artistic symbol of Charlotte, Nikki de Saint Phalle's Firebird. The mirror-balled, 17 foot tall "disco chicken" is a popular meeting place for those connecting in the city as it is indeed hard to miss.
Hungry after your one hour tour? Pop across the street from the Firebird and visit e2 Emeril's Eatery , a café serving lunch and dinner and even take away breakfast treats for the office italy car rentals tower crowd at e2Go. The lively and polished bistro fires on all cylinders offering a seafood lovers menu, with just enough turf based fare to keep the carnivores in check.
New Orleans inspired regional American cuisine is what's on tap and diner will find plenty of regional influence and taste from a dynamite roasted porchetta sandwich, to the fresh Ashley Farms chicken thy paired with a house made "Old Mill" buckwheat waffle. It's the sea, however where Executive Chef Brian Mottola italy car rentals and his team use as the canvas for their most ambitious, and tastiest offerings. italy car rentals Yellow fin tuna is a fixture on their menu – the tartare is luscious and buttery, a perfect starter to open up your palate for the treats to come – Try the clam boil for a true taste of what the south is all about. Just be sure to save room for dessert  an Abita root-beer float will bring you back to your youth or go where many have gone before, Emeril's sinful Banana Cream Pie. Hey, it was a long walk, wasn't it?
Carol is the executive editor of JustSayGo and also a freelance journalist who writes on a variety of subjects--including travel, healthcare, architecture/design, business, the arts, and more--for such publications as The Washington Post, WebMD, Today's Diet Nutrition, Maryland Life, Chesapeake Home, La Vie Claire, Senior Beacon, and others. She lives in Baltimore (but wishes she were in Paris!).
by Keith Kellett Photos by the author. I only had a short time in Amsterdam, but wanted to see as much as possible. A good way to do this on a budget is to buy the 'Iamsterdam' card. It's available from many outlets in the city; see www.iamsterdam.com for a complete list, and costs €38 [ ]