Saturday November 3 2018
New York, NY
Blustery Fall Weather
Besides seeing Billy, one of the main reasons I wanted to visit Birmingham was for us to take a road trip to Montgomery to visit the newly opened Memorial to Victims of Lynching. After the Civil War and until the Civil Rights Act, many blacks were lynched by mobs in the South. The somber yet beautiful memorial was built so that those that died from this horrible death are not forgotten. It was pretty sobering to see the names. Most were lynched for no reason but bigotry, hatred and racism. Every American needs to visit this place. Especially those that still want the Confederate Flag.
Every hanging "box" had the name of the county and State, with the names of the people who were lynched. Some names were unknown. Billy first learned that lynching took place in Tuscaloosa Alabama, home to University of Alabama
After the Memorial we went to the Legacy Museum to learn about slavery but also injustice to minorities that continues to happen to this day. No pictures were allowed so no photos but it was impressive and a great learning experience. However, both Billy and I were drained emotionally after the visit. So we took a walk to the Alabama river which was nice but empty! It seems no one walks around the town whether in Montgomery or Birmingham.
On the way back to Birmingham, we decided to stop by a Southern Barbecue Joint recommended by Zagat - The K&J Rib Shack, which really is a shack. I had the best black eyed peas, fried okra and collard greens ever. And the ribs were pretty good to! Delicious but messy..
We then headed back to Birmingham, rested, and then headed to go eat again. First we decided to go to a speakeasy in the Avondale section of Birmingham only to find it closed for a private event. Avondale supposedly is an up and coming area but literally there were only 3 shops at a corner. So we took an uber to where we had dinner reservation and Hot and Hot Fish Club. We found an empty Irish bar and had a drink before we headed to dinner. Hot and Hot Fish Club was OK. They were out of many things which was disappointing. Billy and I thought Highlands Bar and Grill was much better.
The Vulcan! We saw it while walking to the Irish bar
Last night so ordered a nice Bordeaxu
The dessert was great - persimmon cake
The next day we went to Galley and Garden (same restaurant area as Hot and Hot Fish and Highlands Bar and Grill) for a Southern brunch. Well, this place did not disappoint. We had the best tomato salad and shrimp and grits. Great way to end our weekend together in Birmingham!
