Day 3--Birmingham, Alabama

Today we headed for one of the hot-beds of southern misery for African-Americans during the days of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's. Birmingham, Alabama has changed a lot since those days. It houses a very fine Civil Rights Institute which is directly across the street from the site of one of the most infamous acts of racist violence during that era--The 16th Street Baptist Church where on Sunday, September 16th, 1963, the Ku Klux Klan bombed the church killing 4 young teenage black girls preparing to sing in the choir.

The museum chronicles the events of the civil rights movement as it unfolded in the city of Birmingham and follows it through to the election of the first black mayor of the city. It contains a compelling and honest look at the shameful horrors of an age in America we should all be ashamed of.

While in Birmingham we also stopped by Pete's Famous Hot Dogs downtown Birmingham. Pete's is a narrow hole in the wall hot dog stand that has been serving Birmingham patrons since 1920 and the current owner has been making hot dogs since 1946. Pete's dressed "all the way," dogs are only $2 each and come topped with mustard, sauerkraut, onions, and homemade sauce, all on a steamed bun.

Dinner that night was at the Bright Star in Bessemer, Alabama, a small suburb outside Birmingham. Opened in 1907, this restaurant has been serving delicious meals ever since, finally gaining well-deserved recognition in 2010 with a James Beard Award. It was like walking into a time machine. The walls are covered with frescoes painted by a an itinerant artist decades ago and the paneled booths with sconces make for a very romantic atmosphere. It seems frozen in time around the 1930' or 40's. A warm, friendly staff and patrons made for a wonderful evening. We had a delightful conversation with a family of regulars who were thrilled that we'd come so far just to eat at "their" restaurant. They introduced us to one of the owners and in no time we were treated like regulars. The buzz around the restaurant that evening was that Saundra Bullock, the movie star, was eating their in a private back room (she is apparently a Birmingham native). We didn't see her. I tried the seafood gumbo and the Greek-style combo plate that included Greek-style snapper, tenderloin of beef and breast of chicken. The food was good though not as wonderful as we had hoped, but the memories of our experience at this place will not soon be forgotten.

Next up--Memphis, Tennessee and the Blues
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