Today, downtown Charlotte seems eerily quiet and calm.

Just think, in a few days Uptown will be mobbed by thousands of folks out to have good time at the basketball tournament or any of the dozens and dozens of parties going down this week.

That said, we at CL will be covering the whole thing with zeal. Tomorrow, check your local CL street box or stand for our latest issue; in it, we offer a guide to best stuff going down during  CIAA. Also, make sure you check the CLog frequently this week for regular coverage of the tournament and all related fun.

Lastly, we're co-sponsoring a few parties  this week:

• Wed., Feb. 27, we're teaming up with The Sol Kitchen to bring back our much-loved Pop Life event for a one night stand. This event will feature art, film, free food, drink specials, cool people and the most eclectic blend of music in the whole damn city. And it's FREE. It all pops off at Prevue, 2909 N. Davidson (in NoDa).

•  Thursday we bring DJ BroRabb to Buckhead Saloon (201 E. 5th Street). Cover is $15 and it starts at 9 p.m.

• Then on Friday, we're joining forces with The Sol Kitchen again, to bring Biz Markie and friends to Charlotte's best new nightclub, HOM (116 W. 5th St.). Visit www.thesolkitchen.com for more info.

At any rate, get ready. An ass-load of fun is only a few days away.