To Birmingham, with Love

As I rode the rails on Amtrak's Crescent heading south to Birmingham, Alabama, these ominous tunes kept running through my head:

 But I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the people I met...

Kevin, rescuer

Tom,  peach schnapps bootlegger

Gregg Allman at Iron City

BB King at Iron City

...the hot blues oozing everywhere,

from headliners in clubs and breweries...








to local bands in juke joints & galleries

Tim Boykin at Gip's Juke Joint

Debbie Bond at Daniel Day Gallery

There's even a park dedicated to the Temptations where their music is played 24/7                                           

The kind folks at the Alabama Theatre gave me a backstage tour of this restored 1927 gem

The Sorceress

and there was a lot to love at the art museum:

Diane Arbus

a Bouguereau!

So, I was whistling a different tune on the way back north.  Not quite Dixie, but...