Recently in The South Category

Montgomery, Alabama seems to be 10 years behind the rest of the country on restaurants and retailers (we just got our first Target, Best Buy, and PetSmart a few years ago.) While good restaurants spring up periodically, they are usually shut down with a year or two, victims of the "it's too pricey" syndrome this city seems to have. A few manage to hang around (La Jolla, Dawsons, Casa Napoli, The Olive Room, Vintage Year, City Grill) but we consistently lose great restaurants for lack of business (Felix's, Copeland's, Serrano.) We like good food and will even occasionally drive to Birmingham, Atlanta, or (less frequently) Mobile or Pensacola to hit favorite restaurants of ours, but life is changing and I'd rather go around the corner than across state lines to find good food.

Without further ado, 23 21 Restaurants I'd Like To See Come To The Montgomery/Prattville, Alabama Area:

1. Copelands: After a failed attempt on south East Boulevard, perhaps they could be convinced to try again, perhaps on the east side this time. It appears that Copeland's has now pulled of Alabama altogether (Montgomery, Birmingham, and Mobile) and has also left Pensacola. Nearest Copelands is now in Atlanta. Oh yeah, and bring back the Pork LaBoucherie. A guy can wish, right?
2. P.F. Chang's: Excellent, affordable American-Chinese cuisine, nice decor. Good quality Chinese food.
3. Red Robin: This might actually happen as a new RR recently opened in Newnan, GA. Excellent hamburgers and sandwiches, endless fries. We're now have a Red Robin at Eastchase! Note: In my experiences (I've been 10 times sinece they opened) the Montgomery Red Robin has serious problems with consistency of service, food quality and dining experience. You may get lucky, but don't expect your usual Red Robin experience at this location.
4. Bennigan's: Traditional American fare, sandwiches, soups with an Irish flavor. Good neighborhood bar and restaurant. Bankrupt 2008
5. El Chico: American-Mex, but better than any of the flavor-deprived Mexican being served in this town today, nearest ones are in Mobile and Nashville.
6. Other Raving Brands franchises: We already got multiple Moe's (now run by a different company) and (supposedly) a Doc Green's on the way (what happened there?). How about Mama Fu's Noodles, Planet Smoothie, and Shane's Rib Shack, maybe a Boneheads, or a Flying Biscuit?
7. In-And-Out Burger: Excellent West Coast burger chain, always smiling, gracious staff and prompt service of great food. Imagine!
8. Old Chicago: Great pizza and well over 110 beer choices.
9. Baja Fresh: The franchise recently entered and exited the Atlanta market, so Montgomery luring this consistently flavorful and fresh Mex star is probably a long shot.
10. Mimi's Cafe: French-inspired american food. (coming to EastChase in Winter 2008)
11. Noodles & Co.: Various noodle entrees, from Mac and Cheese to Asian noodle dishes. Same idea as Mama Fu's, a noodle house.
12. Houlihan's: Several locations in Atlanta
13. Cozymel's Mexican Restaurant:: Great chicken and carnitas fajitas. Steak fajitas were so-so. Nearest one might be Memphis
14. Bahama Breeze: Island food and drink. Long lines/wait, get there early. Birmingham or Atlanta
15. Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy: Great Mexican food, all around. Memphis/KC/OKC are the closest ones.
16. Houston's: Up-scale sit-down American dining in a beautiful decor. Several locations in Atlanta.
17. Uno Chicago Grill: Chicagoland dining with new creative twists. Formerly Pizzeria Uno.
18. On the Border: Good chain Mexican. Recently closed in Birmingham.
19. Buca di Beppo: Southern Italian food served family-style in large, delicious portions. So clean they take you on a tour through the kitchen on your way to your seat.
20. Qdoba Mexican Grill: Similar to Moe's and Chipotle, San Francisco-style burritos with tons of flavor and spice.
21. First Watch: A small chain of health-conscious and delicious breakfast treats in a relaxing environment
22. Marie Callendar's: Home-cooked comfort food and great pies.
23. Cheesecake Factory: Great cheesecake (50 different varieties and a highly diverse menu including Asian, Mexican, Italian, American, Cajun, and Spanish choices to meet everyone's needs. Their menu is a small book. The nearest ones are in Birmingham and Atlanta.

Yeah, they are mostly chains. Some people seem to get hung up about that. These are the good chains, not the ones that make you roll your eyes when you see them. If any 4 of these came to town, I'd be much happier about the dining scene in Montgomery.

I figure we could afford to lose some T.G.I.Friday's, Ruby Tuesday, Chili's, Applebee's, and O'Charley's, we'd have room for some new, good restaurants.

Photo Gallery >> Barber Vintage Motorsports Musuem
sm med lg	sm med lg	sm med lg	sm med lg	sm med lg

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (and, in fact, the entire Barber Motorsports Park) is a jewel in the crown of Birmingham, Alabama. It should be on the top of any motorized sports enthusiast's to-do list when visiting Birmingham. They have an excellent collection of motorcycles from all eras and all manufacturers. There are approximately 750+ motorcycles and a approximately 40 or 50 sports and racing cars on display at any given point. They are beautifully restored and displayed open-air in the spacious facility. Northeast Birmingham, approximately 2 miles east of the junction of I-20 and I-459. Follow I-20 past I-459, take the first exit past the junction (Leeds), turn right and the facility is on your right about 1 mile down the road. Admission is $15 for adults, and well worth it.

I've gone to the museum the past two weekends and had a great time. The basement "paddock" area is usually closed to the public, but was open this past weekend, so I got to stroll and shoot some angles you can't normally get.

More photos from Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

A satellite shot of the facility from Google Maps

<pander>Now, if I can just get someone from Barber to take me behind-the-scenes, or to the warehouse my journey will be complete...</pander>

I'm interested in taking pictures behind-the-scenes, behind closed doors where the general public isn't allowed on an everyday basis. If anyone has the authority to arrange (or can point me to the appropriate contact to get proper permission) for such an opportunity I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm looking for interesting venues or scenes.

I'm thinking along the lines of:

• Anywhere abandoned
• Warehouses (new and old)
• Factories
• Junk yards/Recycling
• Automotive Salvage/Scrapyards
• Stadiums
• Roofs or high floors of tall buildings (with an interesting view)
• Abandoned equipment
• Inventory (large amounts of items in stacks, piles, rows)
• Scrap piles
• Shrines or churches (occupied or abandoned)

I'm based in Prattville, Alabama and am most interested in opportunities within a day's drive or a 1-state radius outside of Alabama, but would be interested in discussing any other opportunities.

If you want your organization's name included with the shots when they are displayed, I can include it. If you'd prefer anonymity, I can leave the organization's name out. If you are looking for promotional imagery, I'd be glad to discuss usage

Anyone with information or leads can contact me at speed-up@transmit.net. Any leads are appreciated.

This is my yearly report of what crime was reported on a day in Montgomery, Alabama. My original tally was for a Thursday in late June, so I'll keep with that just to minimize variables.

On Thursday, June 19, 2008, there were:

11 Vehicle Burglaries
21 Burglaries
5 Vehicle Thefts
9 Thefts
2 Robbery
1 Domestic Violence Assault
1 Assault

reported in Montgomery, Alabama (est. population 202,000).

The estimated value of goods stolen on this one day total $85,789 with an additional $3,910 worth of damage to personal property (vehicles, homes) in the commission of these crimes. Total damages/loss from crimes committed on this day: $89,699. These are just the reported crimes, for one day. Assume those numbers are a representative sample and multiply out those numbers over the course of a week (~$627,893), a month (~$2,735,820), or a year (~$32,762,560) as it pleases you. The real picture might be slightly better or slightly worse, but the picture is ugly anyway you slice it. This is simply a tally of the crimes reported in the Montgomery Advertiser Montgomery Crime Reports section.

My collection of things you'll only see in Alabama.

Like fellow Montgomery blogger, Charles Presley (Eating Montgomery, insert witty title here), I was amazed (after it was pointed it out to me) that there is an arrow in the Federal Express (FedEx) logotype. It's been there for over 10 years now and despite seeing this logo thousands of times, I've never noticed it before.

The ugly secret however is that now that I know it's there, my mind purposefully analyzes the logo each time I see it to catch the arrow, burying the brand and meme of FedEx deep in my cranium. Now I'm passing the curse on to you:

Besides being a brilliant use of typography in design and a simple, effective logo it's got the additional hook of the arrow in the negative space between letters. The man who designed this was interviewed by The Sneeze. His name is Lindon Leader and his company is Leader Creative. There, now you know who to bug, don't call me if you can't get "the arrow" out of your head...

Native drivers in Montgomery, Alabama are discourteous at best and downright dangerous at their worst.

As a whole they consistently fail to:
* stop at stop signs, preferring to roll through.
* yield right-of-way to on-coming traffic at intersections.
* signal their turns, preferring instead to slam on the brakes and turn with no warning. (Alabama Code Section 32-5A-133: http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/CodeOfAlabama/1975/32-5A-133. htm )
Signaling your intention to turn (that's the little stick that makes the arrows come on) is the law, Alabama drivers!
* follow posted speed limits (or at least not exceed them by 20+ mph on a regular basis, where is the enforcement?)
* treat a broken traffic signal light as a stop sign during power outages.
* (I could go on and on, these are the big ones that I see almost daily.)

Where is the enforcement of the law?
What is the MPD going to do about offenders?
Some law enforcement officers out there are the worst offenders.

When there is nearly no enforcement of the rules, whose fault is it that people assume they can break the laws? Who is at fault (let's say morally, if not legally) when someone loses a life because a driver exhibits illegal behaviors that are generally "allowed" or at least not enforced by the authorities in any sort of regular fashion. The offender likely will take the legal blame, who wants to stand up and accept the moral blame?

Alabama drivers: Driving is a communal activity. We all have to cooperate in order to all be safe. Take a second to be courteous, let someone in, use the turn signal, come to a complete stop (behind the white line or stop sign!) Slow down and realize you are piloting a potentially deadly weapon. This isn't NASCAR, they do that in a controlled environment with emergency crews on-site.

corruption automotive law driving police suv legal policy transportation control culture autos south traffic alabama car enforcement auto vehicle security current affairs automobile

Until today I've only been peripherally aware of how bad crime was here in Montgomery. I heard that the FBI announced that Montgomery was the highest-crime mid-sized city a year or two back, but I live in a gated community (no guarantee of safety) and work on federal installation, so I haven't had crime affect me directly. Anyone have the tally of where we fall on the FBI's list this year?

Last night a person who works where I do was robbed at gun point and pistol whipped upon arrival at the Marriott Courtyard on Carmichael and East Boulevard; yes, on the East side of town. The thief got away with only a watch, and the innocent citizen was lucky to get away with their life and some minor injuries. For the record the Marriott Courtyard has no security cameras.

This particular citizen happens to be traveling to Montgomery to do their job. Their employer pays for them to travel to Montgomery, do their job, eat, drink, lodge, and shop here (I doubt he'll be buying a replacement watch in this city.) Is this how we welcome businesspeople and the money and business they bring to our local economy? Is this what Montgomery has come to? Do the thieves think they can fleece businesspeople and they will keep coming to this town?

The Montgomery Advertiser posts Crime Statistics right on their web site at http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=crimereports. Until now I'd never took a moment to read the reports. If you haven't, take a couple minutes and absorb what you read. By my count, on June 22, 2006, in our fine city, there were:

13 Vehicle Burglaries
8 Burglaries
4 Vehicle Thefts
3 Thefts
1 Robbery
1 Domestic Violence Assault

The estimated value of goods stolen on this one day total $61,801 with an additional $2,700 worth of damage to personal property (vehicles, homes) in the commission of these crimes. These are just the reported ones, for one day. Assume those numbers are a representative sample and multiply out those numbers over the course of a week (~$451,507), a month (~$2,000,000), or a year (~$23,558,990) as it pleases you. Not a pretty picture. Is it any wonder people are fleeing East and North out of town?

What are you doing to protect yourself? What can citizens do to reduce crime in Montgomery? Shall we all obtain personal firearms and learn to use them properly as the Mayor has publically suggested? What responsibility should the police be takng to reduce the crime in Montgomery?

I won't be recommending hotels on Carmichael Road for out-of-town guests and co-workers any more. I wouldn't have them risk their lives. I'd start recommending the hotels around East Chase, but it is only a matter of time until the crime migrates there too.

Anyone have a recommendation for a gun shop?

Dismal in Montgomery,

--speedeep

I couldn't find any information about the tomb-like sarcophagus on top of the Steiner-Lobman building at the east corner of Commerce Street and Tallapoosa Street in Montgomery, Alabama (Live.Local Map). Does anyone know of any definitive information or sources that cover what (if anything) is located in the container on the corner of the roof of this building?

steiner lobman steiner-lobman building roof monument truth story legend lore folklore montgomery alabama usa sarcophagus casket coffin tomb pink query funeral funerary funerial news history myth mythology saga tradition ossuary burial

[Originally published July 12, 2005]

OK I've bumped into a few people from Montgomery and surrounding communities that blog. Anyone keeping a list of have or have some others I need to check out?

Vitriolic Humor (Mine - speedeep)
http://blog.transmit.net/ (RSS Feed)
General interest, tech, IT , Linux, digital photography, programming, LAMP development

JohnTracy.Com (John Tracy)
http://www.johntracy.com/(RSS Feed)
Technology, information, local news, and rants.

JayDavenport.Net (Jay Davenport)
http://www.jaydavenport.net/ (Atom Feed)
Local happenings, media, sci-fi, moblog

Insert Witty Title Here (Charles Presley)
http://cfpresley.blogspot.com/ (Atom Feed)
Stories of life in Montgomery

Eating Montgomery (Charles Presley)
http://eatingmontgomery.blogspot.com/ (Atom Feed)
Dining experiences in and around Montgomery.

Montgomery DINKs
http://mgmdink.blogspot.com/ (Atom Feed )
Restaurant reviews and life as a DINK (dual-income, no kids) couple in Montgomery.

Inner View (Ethan Thomas)
http://thomaseth.blogspot.com/ (Atom Feed)
Local events, opinions, tied to onlinemontgomery.com.

http://www.theworldaroundyou.com/ (Kristopher?)
http://www.theworldaroundyou.com/ (http://www.theworldaroundyou.com/feed/atom/)
Local politics, news, and happenings in the Montgomery area.

More blogs below the break...