B’ham Trip
My trip to Birmingham, AL was a good one. I was there for about a week. Yet, with everything that was packed into that timeframe the time flew by. I traveled down there to meet a woman I was interested in dating. Although that part did not end up working out, I am grateful to her for showing me so many sites and taking me to get good coffee every day!
Days 1-2 we stayed local. I tried Cheesecake Factory for the first time and was very much impressed. The tiramisu cheesecake was definitely the highlight of the night. We went to the McWane Science Center and I loved the interactive exhibits. They reminded me of the interactive science museums I went to as a kid.
Day 3 we traveled to Montgomery, AL to visit the Legacy Museum and Memorial Gardens. This was the most impactful part of the trip. It was a day full of Black trauma, but the way the museum honored the lives of my ancestors and memorialized their legacy was beautiful. Incredibly done and very powerful. I learned so much more about enslavement, lynchings, and mass incarcerations. I recommend any and every one to make a trip to the Legacy Museum at some point. Check out the button at the bottom of this post for more information about the Legacy Museum! We ended the night with a drive in movie—my first drive in movie experience! It was pretty great.
We went to the MASSIVE Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Day 4 and wow! there was a lot to see. So many gardens within a garden. The greenery just went on for miles and miles. My favorite garden was the Japanese Garden because of the structures and huge pond in the middle. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed wandering through nature. That evening we went out to dinner and stopped by a gay bar afterwards. Being in that gay space was another highlight of the trip. So much shade being thrown and laughter galore. I mean it when I say, I feel most at home with my queer family in spaces created for us <3
Back on the road again for Day 5. This time to Huntsville, AL to visit the Space & Rocket Center. We chopped it up with a rocket scientist for a while and got some firsthand insight to some of the challenges NASA and space engineers have faced over the the years. There was a little boy who was walking around in his blue spacesuit so excited that he graduated Space Camp! What an honor to be able to congratulate him on such an accomplishment! After the space museum we drove downtown to spend some time at Big Spring Park. This park was a sight to see! Beautiful grounds and lovely water features throughout the park. The picture in the bottom left of the collage is me on one of the bridges that expanded over an ever flowing river that runs through the heart of the park. Lastly, we went to The Vulcan in downtown B’ham to get experience the vantage point of the city. Since we went at night, we got to see the city’s skyline lit up in lights. What a vision! Oh—and we took the stairs up instead of the elevator. Got our exercise in, lol.
Day 6 was a lowkey day. We grabbed brunch at Flying Biscuit (S/O to Sage for the top tier flight of mimosas!), explored a local Tradarius Johnson’s (Trader Joe’s, lol), and visited some watering holes off the beaten path. It was tranquil out there by those watering holes. A serene scene of trees and water currents. We found some rocks to skip and spent some time just taking in the fresh air. Afterward, we stopped by a cat café, Gatos & Beans. Of course I had all the cats going crazy with a few toys. My favorite cat was Sally. She was a wild 10 month old kitten that reminded me of my booboo ShaQuay. If I could’ve taken her back home with me, I would’ve!
I really only had the morning of Day 7 to spend in the city before heading to the airport. We stopped to grab coffee at a coffee shop called Santos and the coffee was fantastic! I spent some time reflecting on the trip while waiting to board my flight. Although the ending was bittersweet, I enjoyed my stay and I’m glad I got to see so much in so few days.
There were more sites, food, and adventures mixed in the trip but I think this is a good synopsis of what I experienced.
Cheers to traveling in 2023!
