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Birmingham - Part 1
Written by: Janet Pope
Photography by: Donald
Adventure way beyond the Hudson
In the heat of summer, New Yorkers escape to the beaches of the Hamptons, the Jersey Shore or Florida, but being married to a history buff, Alabama had been long on his list of states to visit.
The city of Birmingham shows a radical mix of progress. As we drove in the 90-degree-plus weather, we saw a half-dozen soaring modern skyscrapers mixed among a barrage of abandoned or neglected store fronts. Amid scattered fine restaurants and newer businesses, were empty lots and stores long-ago abandoned.
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Alabama Theater - A Movie Palace | |
We had lunch reservations at Café Dupont, which we easily found. This truly Tony Tastery soon had every table filled with what looked like "professional" clientele on their lunch hour. The decor is a renovated 1920s high-style motif with pale yellow walls and serviced by attentive wait staff. The food had a taste of the country, but with an elegant touch. Our lunch companion told us that downtown Birmingham had an economic down turn in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but in the last decade it has had a resurgence and is becoming the heart of southern banking with new businesses coming in, hence the dichotomy of old and new.
After lunch, we headed over to the Alabama Theater, which was built in 1927 and restored in 1998 to its original "theater palace" design, but this building is no museum. Cecil Whitmire, the general manager, shared this gem with all the passion and excitement of a young man in love. He boasted that the theater, originally built by Paramount, has not changed in 77 years. The Spanish Moorish design is vibrant and alive with rich reds, greens, gold and purples. The main ceiling is gold leafed with a nine-foot-tall chandelier and over 9,200 light bulbs take care of the illumination. The electric bill alone is almost $280 a day, so Mr. Whitmore needs to shake a lot of hands and pat a lot of backs in order to raise the revenue needed to restore and maintain this historical theater. In 1927, it cost one and a half million dollars to originally build and the renovations in 1998 cost over five million. Come to see the Alabama Theater, bath in the lobby’s glow and you’ll decide it was worth every penny.
From 1981 to 1987, it lay abandoned as multiplex movie houses exploded around the country. Prior to 1933, about 6,000 theaters or theater palaces, as they were commonly called, were built across the country, but now there are only 500 left. Most of them were originally built by the mammoth and powerful film studios of the 1930s. They were constructed with multi levels, lobbies, spacious lavatories, painted ceilings and eye-catching opulent decorations.
All of them evoke a time and era of long ago. As Mr. Whitmore gushed "There’s a magic to the theater," we walked through this 2,300-seat theater and I couldn’t help but wonder, "if the walls could talk?!!" Besides being one of the oldest theaters, the Alabama Theater has the distinction of being the first air-conditioned building in the state in 1927. Considering the heat in the area, it’s easy to see how the elements of success came together.
Mr. Whitmore, a tall, friendly and blunt-speaking gentleman, does it all. On any given day, you might find him cleaning the halls, selling the 50-cent candy bars, "kissing up" to prospective supporters, giving a tour or playing the house organ. He does whatever it takes to keep his lady dressed her best. I was happy to learn that the children of this generation are not so jaded for instance by seeing another showing of Willy Wonka, but rather come to the Alabama Theater" for the whole experience – the history, the house organ, Karioke sing-a-longs, the cartoons, newsreels and two-dollar popcorn. Thanks to Mr. Whitmore and others, the theater is an ongoing slice of theater history for generations to enjoy. Outside is a walk of fame for those Alabamians who image the mark in the entertainment field like: Fannie Flag, Kate Jackson, Truman Capote, Dean Jones, Nell Carter and Tallulah Bankhead, with Reuben Studdard soon to be added.
Next, we were off to the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum. It has on exhibit, the largest motorcycle collection in the world. Mr. George Barber has permitted his collection of over 800 motorcycles to be the centerpiece of bike-heaven. The museum, which opened in 2003, is housed in a 144,000 square foot concrete and steel facility.
Among its treasures are a 1910 "vibratorless" motorcycle, a gold Suzuki that can run at 200 miles per hour and the 1969 Easy Rider replica. Each bike glistens, shines and runs; even the early pre-1900 designs and the World War II bikes. There are bikes of every shape, size, color and era all exhibited in a multi-level arena-like building that faces a state-of-the art race track. The track is used for special events or rented to motorcycle clubs and schools. While there, the Porsche Driving Experience was using the track. Yes, you are taught to really, really, really drive the Porsche!
Motorcycling seems to run deep in the hearts of many and this is a wonderful place to bath in the smell of the oil and the roar of the engine. On the lower level, visitors might luck out and see an older bike being restored by experts or a newer one being pushed to its peak performance.
The park is situated on 740 acres and the track is on almost 244 acres, where families can sit on blankets, picnic or even camp during race season. The grounds appear manicured and are dotted by art sculptures throughout. Mr. Barber initially funded his museum as a private endeavor, but then it became a public project.
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This is a Dream Come Real | |
On the south side of Birmingham, over the hill and past the statue of "Vulcan," go down a hill and, on a quiet, darkened street under the trees, in the basement behind a store, we ate at the Hot & Hot Fish Club. Mmmmm! Enough said! However, while the story should end here, with my eyes rolling from pleasure, there is more to tell. The restaurant building was erected in 1920 as an ice cream shop and the original floor layout remains. The building is designed in a semi-circle fashion with a large curved chef counter facing the open kitchen. In a concept reminiscent of watching Hibatchi cooking, the chef prepares and presents each meal with a flash and a dab. The option of facing the kitchen provides a backstage glimpse into this ballet of the chefs. At any time, there were six or more chefs working around each other in a rather small kitchen. It was mesmerizing to see how each executed a sort of "pirouette" in preparing food.
The dining areas were accentuated by low lights and candles. Heavy-brown-velvet drapes added to the air of privacy and it felt like a special place to dine and meet. On top of this entire atmosphere, the food was excellent. We tried the Hot & Hot Tomato salad with fried okra. Odd as it may sound, I am Italian and I don’t usually care for tomatoes, but this was the most delicious and flavorful tomato salad I had ever eaten. Our next taste was an Endive salad with walnuts, two distinct grapes and blue cheese. This was a delicate mixture of flavors, balanced visually on the plate to form a mosaic, drizzled with thick balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with just enough walnuts for your mouth to discover the hidden treat.
It was, then, that we noticed each dish came served on a unique, odd shaped ceramic plate that we later learned are designed and crafted by a local potter on special order for the restaurant to compliment the food. We had the pleasure of meeting the owner and head Chef, Chris Hastings. Chris opened the restaurant about nine years ago and wanted to make a statement about his style of food, "You’re in my home - come here to relax." Though he wants his guests to relax, he’s very serious about the dining experience as evidenced by his serious menu, serious wine list and serious service. Top quality and nothing less! Though the homemade desserts were tempting, we finished the meal with a light muscadine grape sorbet. Everyday you eat and sometimes you eat well and, every once in a while, you have a wonderful dining experience – this was the latter.
Part 1- Birmingham
Part 2- Birmingham
Part 3 - Montgomery
Part 4 - Point Clear
Part 5 - Point Clear
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