So long Birmingham.
Hello Natchez, Mississippi!
Hi friends,
Time has flown by and my newsletter has suffered neglect. I’ve been thinking about all the things I’ve experienced in Birmingham. My brain is like a sieve so I made a list and I’m so glad I did because now I can share some Alabama nuggets with y’all! Yes, ya’ll, I said it, and will continue to use the main second-person plural pronoun used here in the South until I move back east, whenever that is.
My time in Alabama has been both eye opening and heart opening. I’m grateful I took this time to take a beat and sort myself out. The work I have been doing at Food & Wine has been creative and rewarding. The people are lovely and a real pleasure to work with.
Following is a list of spots I highly recommend if you find yourself in Birmingham (I didn’t include “junking” since I covered that gold mine in my last post).
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
I’ve been trying to write about this experience but I find it difficult to put my feelings into words. I could make a whole list of single word reactions, but it proves hard to string them together into a coherent paragraph!
Powerful
Moving
Heart wrenching (ok, that’s 2 words)
What happened in Birmingham changed the world and the Civil Rights Institute creates a powerful centre to honor the sacrifice and struggle to preserve human rights. I always come back to the word human. It’s the word that came to mind when I saw a photograph of a group of girls attending the first day of their desegregated high school. The image focuses on a teenage African American girl holding her school books. In the background is a group of white girls with their faces contorted with hate; snarling and ugly. I kept thinking how could someone hate another so much without even knowing them? Fear. And clearly passed down by example. And there were many more images equally disturbing. The exhibit was a showcase documenting hate and fear.
I don’t think any human being comes into this world filled with so much hate. It’s something that is learned by example through generations. As I walked through the exhibit I tried to imagine what it must be like to be hated with such vehemence by complete strangers. I’m so grateful I wasn’t raised to hate, but can feel compassion for those that were. Having to carry on a legacy that divides people feels like hell on earth to me.
A week or so after my visit I called an Uber (that’s how I get around). Nearly all of the drivers I’ve had here have been friendly and chatty. My driver, Duwayne was an older gentleman who was born and raised in Birmingham and had seen “the very best and the very worst” of his home state. He asked what I had been up to since I arrived and I told him how moved I was after visiting the Civil Rights Institute. I shared my impressions of the 16th Avenue Church as well as the Kelly Ingram Park across the street. He told me when he was about 5 years old he went to school and his teacher, Miss Wesley wasn’t there that day. He asked the older boys, “where’s Miss Wesley?”. They said, the Klan killed her daughter. Cynthia Wesley was one of the 4 girls along with Carol Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, and Carole Robertson who were killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963. The Ku Klux Klan bombed the church… A CHURCH! The four girls in the basement were killed. You can read the full account here: https://www.nps.gov/articles/16thstreetbaptist.htm
It’s heart wrenching, and again I come back to hate. I just can’t wrap my brain around hating so much that you feel compelled to bomb a church full of God worshipping people and CHILDREN. When Duwayne shared his story with me there was no resentment or bitterness, it was just a fact and he accepted and forgave it as part of his life.
The first time I saw the Vulcan statue was from the highway. It’s hard to miss even from a distance. I was surprised to learn that it is the world’s largest cast iron statue (made of 100,000 pounds of iron and 56 feet tall), and most likely the only one that showcases Vulcan’s bare ass! It truly is a sight to behold and the park is lovely too and the views beyond the ass are fantastic! Definitely worth an early evening visit or picnic on the grounds.
Growing up in Arizona there were always places like this to explore. Rickwood Caverns are ancient formations carved by nature, be it wind, sand, or sea. They were discovered by a group of Boy Scouts in the early 1950’s. Eddie Rickles and Sonny Arwood combined their last name to create ‘Rickwood” and ran it for 20 years before it became a state park. The caves formations were created by water, carved from an ocean bed, and date back 260 million years. It’s an awesome place to visit and a little eerie. Eerie because we were pretty far underground and surrounded by vaginal looking formations.
Who would ever imagine that there is a Benedictine monastery in Alabama? No one I know! Ave Maria Grotto is about 50 miles north of Birmingham and located on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, which was founded in1891. The Grotto is the work of creative genius Brother Joseph Zoetl, a monk who served at the Abbey for almost 70 years. During that period old Brother Joseph was busy! Over the years he reproduced 125 of the most famous religious structures from around the word, IN MINIATURE! A man after my own heart. All of the reproductions were created using whatever materials were available to him as well as donations from the community. He incorporated all manner of refuse into his sculptures - broken dishes, tiles, plastic animals, shells, jewelry, etc. It’s a magical place and not to be missed!
Like Vulcan, I first saw the Sloss Furnaces from the highway. You can’t miss the towering boilers from the road. I’ve tried to take photos but they always came out blurry, so I was glad I actually went to check it out on foot! I love a place dripping with history and this place is steeped!
From the website: “Sloss is currently the only twentieth-century blast furnace in the U.S. being preserved and interpreted as an historic industrial site. The dramatic scale and complexity of the plant’s industrial structure, machines and tools make the Sloss collection a unique contribution to the interpretation of twentieth-century ironmaking technology and presents a remarkable perspective on the era when America grew to world industrial dominance. At the same time, Sloss is an important reminder of the hopes and struggles of the people who worked in the industries that made some men wealthy, and Birmingham the “Magic City”.
As I walked through the site I kept thinking of how hot it must have been. The term blast furnace didn’t sound like a blast to me!
Other noteworthy places I’ve visited:
Joe Minters African Village (which was not open but I could see a lot from the street)
And how could I forget food! Even though I’ve been cooking a lot, I’ve enjoyed a few notable dining experiences.
Absolutely delicious! So delicious in fact I didn’t care about the prices and would go again in a heartbeat. I had the simple grilled halibut with jumbo asparagus, crawfish tails, preserved lemon vinaigrette and watercress. YUM
The oysters were divine and if I make it here again before I go, I’ll have a dozen all to myself and a crisp glass of white as well.
We ate at the bar which is usually my preference. The dishes are simple but delicious.
The lamb navarin melted in my mouth. A bowl of mussels and fries was wiped out in minutes upon arrival at the table!
Thrilled there is a ramen place in town! I love this menu for its small plates offering delicious sashimi as well as lotus fries, and the seriously addictive fried crab claws with yuzu mayo I could inhale. Oh and the ramen is spectacular.
Taco Morro Loco Food Truck
I’m not including a link to the site here because it goes to Facebook. Put this on your list, though. The tacos and the tamales are authentic and delicious.
Oh BBQ, how I love thee. This spot hits the spot for solid BBQ with all the fixin’s. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with loads of sides. Ok, I’ve been here a few times and try to change it up, but I like my sides!!! Baked beans, collard greens, deviled eggs, potato salad, and fried green tomatoes are in my personal rotation.
This wine bar is fantastic. I’m not a wine bar person per se, but this place has such good vibes, design, AND wine! Don’t miss if you are in Birmingham!
Here are my Birmingham takeaways:
Friendly people
Art everywhere
Good food
Warm days. Cool evenings
Super cute houses
Antiques Trail!
Extra nugget:
Adia Victoria, a singer/songwriter my roommate Dan turned me on to is a real Southern treasure.
Music:
There was infinitely much more to explore in Birmingham, and I’m sure I’ll head back at some point, but I’ve arrived at my next destination on my Southern tour, Natchez Mississippi! I’m pretty sure I’ll have lots to write about this place. And I promise I won’t take so long to write about it!
Thank you Birmingham!
Love,
Nancy Jo
This is a goldmine! I sent it in to our history teachers since you are kind of a teacher of sorts:)
Nice!