2nd Avenue Life

Shocks in the Automotive Industry

2012-02-15T17:28:00.013-06:00

Yesterday I saw a new Jaguar station wagon. I had no idea that there was such a thing and furthermore it is extremely troubling. What marketing genius thought it was a good idea to muck up the iconic Jaguar brand with such a thing?

This was especially problematic since I had not yet gotten over the creation of a 4 door Porsche. What are these people thinking?

I am only left to wonder what is next – perhaps a Corvette minivan?

8 Years of Second Avenue North

2012-01-28T10:16:00.004-06:00

While we are a long, long way away from being Downtown pioneers, during the 8+ years we have been here there have been many dramatic changes in the Loft District and surrounding areas. This was partially addressed in the Second Avenue Renaissance post but I wanted to develop a list before our memories become more clouded or are lost forever. I’m sure I will miss some but here goes our recollection of the Second Avenue North changes:

2500 Block:

· Redevelopment of the former Roger’s Trading Post for offices.

2400 Block:

· Closing of Torme’s grocery store

· Redevelopment of vacant buildings resulting in Gallery Lofts condominiums.

· Redevelopment of the Massey Buildings for residential and office condominiums.

· Redevelopment of vacant building for David and Jean’s personal residence.

· Conversion of a portion of Space One Eleven to Beta Pictoris Gallery.

2300 Block:

· Redevelopment of 2^nd Row to include new businesses Urban Standard and Faith Skate Supply and retention of Erdreich Architecture and Travel Scene.

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become new business Rogue Tavern.

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become new business Pale Eddie’s Pour House.

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become new business What’s on 2nd.^.

· Redevelopment of unused portion of building to become new business Charm.

· Redevelopment of parking lot to become Ben and Ellen’s personal residence.

· Redevelopment of unused portion of building to become Mamanoe’s Grocery.

· Conversion of FDSK from Private Club to new business.

2200 Block:

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become Athens Flatts residential condominiums.

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become Sidney and Elenor’s personal residence.

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become Pat and Janice’s personal residence, rental lofts and office space.

· Wade’s redevelopment of a portion of the Storkland Building to include personal residence and new businesses El Barrio and Storage Units.

2000 - 2200 Blocks:

· Redevelopment of vacant building resulting in new business Metro Bar.

· Redevelopment of vacant building resulting in City Federal condominiums.

In addition to 2^nd Avenue there has been activity on 1^st and Morris:

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become Johnston Lofts condominiums.

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become The Avenues condominiums.

· Redevelopment of vacant building to become Legg Lofts condominiums.

· Development of vacant Goodall Brown space resulting in new business Wine Loft.

· Redevelopment of commercial space for Mike and Lisa’s personal residence.

· Redevelopment of buildings resulting in new business Matthews Bar and Grill.

· Redevelopment of vacant buildings to house Heninger Garrison Davis law firm.

This was certainly an interesting exercise – I knew there was a good bit of change but this is phenomenal! We can only guess what the future holds.

Tornadoes

2012-01-24T12:32:00.000-06:00

As I was walking to work this morning enjoying the gorgeous morning – sunny and a bit cool – I was thinking about the devastation that so many people in Alabama have endured in the last year. We get so caught up in our day to day activities we do not often enough reflect on the positives in our lives and how we can turn those positives into assistance for those less fortunate. Do we really need to go to the latest new restaurant or new movie or new play, or could those dollars be better placed helping others?

I find it way too easy to hear or read about hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes etc. and since they did not directly affect us, to somewhat lose interest. Yesterday’s storms, however, brought reality a little closer than desired. Not only did we used to live in Clay, but one of Juannelle’s shops was located in Center Point.

One of the few bright spots in disasters like this is confirmation of the goodness of people (looters excluded). You always hear of neighbors helping each other with search and rescue, securing property and food and shelter. I’m reminded of growing up in rural Iowa where, if a farmer was sick or injured at planting or harvest time, the neighbors would pick a time to all come in and take care of it. Not even necessary to provide lunch – that was handled as well!

Let’s all make sure our priorities are appropriate and we are doing all we can for those who need some assistance.

Grocery Store

2012-01-14T06:52:00.001-06:00

It is the oddest and most consistent thing and we still do not fully understand it. When someone finds out that we live Downtown, there are nearly always these two questions:

· Where do you buy groceries?

· Aren’t you scared?

I will comment on the 2^nd question in a later post. As to the grocery issue, within a range of 5 to 9 minutes of us there are Piggly Wiggly, Western, Publix, Winn Dixie and Super Walmart grocery stores, along with Mamanoes convenience store one block away (Weld for Birmingham just published a good article on Mamanoes and Antonio, its owner). My guess is that very many suburban denizens live no closer than that, and perhaps well further, depending on traffic. A suburban advantage is perhaps that a grocery store is passed on the daily commute (my previous post on commuting suggests that I do not consider this an advantage!!).

Additionally, even if a “typical” grocery store was within blocks, we would still drive, in order to eliminate the schlepping of multitudes of grocery bags down the sidewalk. When we were in Tampa, there was a smallish Publix within walking distance, but we only walked or biked there if we were looking for only a few items.

For a number of years we answered the ‘Where do you buy groceries’ question with a lengthy indication of what the options were, etc., etc. Now, my typical response is “Publix – where do you buy your groceries”?

Skydiving

2012-01-07T16:54:00.001-06:00

A while back we signed up for the coupon emails from Groupon, Living Social and the like. One day a deal came out for roughly ½ price on tandem skydiving. While skydiving is something that I have thought about only occasionally (and not in a very positive way), for some reason it struck me that it would be an interesting and challenging thing to do with my son, Lyndon. I contacted Lyndon to see if he wanted to do it – unfortunately he said yes – so I signed us up with some trepidation. One of the reasons for concern was that some years ago Juannelle had purchased for her and I a hot air balloon ride and it ended up that neither of us were willing to go. I was somewhat concerned about getting cold feet on this endeavor also.

For a variety of reasons, we were not able to go right away. Time ended up getting away from us a bit and before I knew it we needed to make a plan before the deal expired. Essentially, from the time of purchase to just a few weeks before the event, I was able to not really think about it since it was some indefinite time in the future.

That all changed, however, as the chosen date drew nearer. Every so often, with increasing frequency, I questioned my judgment in suggesting this activity. On the day of the jump, it became much more than a passing thought. I had called the jump people earlier in the week to set up the time. Unfortunately, when we got there we found out that it was essentially first come-first served, and even though we had arrived right at our proper time, we were well behind many others. There were probably two dozen or more people ahead of us, one plane, and what seemed to be an incredibly long wait.

Our time finally came and we suited up, got our modest amount of training and boarded the aircraft. Obviously, the plane was designed for jumping - just a bench on each side that we straddled. It did not take long to climb and the picture below shows Lyndon and I just before we reached the correct altitude – everything was cool! Just another Saturday going for a plane ride.

Up until the time they opened the airplane door and I could see 13,000 feet down (of course, it was a perfectly clear day with nearly unlimited vision!), I was pretty well okay, with only occasional bouts of nervousness.

My jump partner said that we were going first and that we would slide out to the door, hang our legs over and let them dangle and go on the count of three. Yeah, perhaps it is not too late to change my mind and I very well may have if not for Lyndon being there. Hanging your legs out the door with nothing but air below just does not seem like a good plan. Reluctantly, we slid to the doorway and I very, very carefully put my legs out the door and waited for the count of three.

What a joker – we went on the count of one!!! In retrospect, that is probably a good idea so first timers like myself don’t try to grab the side of the plane at the last moment.

I love this picture of Lyndon when I was getting ready to sit in the doorway – I’m pretty sure he figured out he was next.

Wow – the freefall is incredible! Unbelievable wind with no true sense of moving. My senses were so overloaded that I’m glad I was not responsible for pulling the string.

I knew there was going to be a jerk when the chute deployed but I had no idea of the magnitude. Quite glad that it did deploy in a timely manner, however. The remaining “flight” was incredibly cool – just floating through the air taking in the sights. The landing was good – stick your legs out and slide to a stop on your bottom.

It really was an incredible experience and I am very glad we did it. Once was enough, however - on to other, perhaps less exciting, adventures.

2nd Avenue Rennaisance

2012-01-02T09:16:00.001-06:00

Black & White recently published a great article on the rebirth of 2nd Avenue North. We have witnessed and been amazed by the changes in the 8 years we have lived here. I wonder what the next 8 will bring??

If you are interested in reading the full issue, or past issues of the Black & White, they are located here. There are some very good articles about Downtown and some of our Downtown friends and neighbors. Especially interesting is the story of our across the street neighbors - Sidney and Elenor - their North Pole hot air balloon adventure is described here. What a great Neighborhood we have!

Diversity

2011-12-25T11:40:00.001-06:00

The other night I was walking home from work and the fellow who owns the business next door to our loft building stopped me and said “I just saw the nicest thing – someone has put Star of David ornaments on the Christmas tree in the window of your building”. Well, that nice person was Juannelle, who has tried all her life to be inclusive, regardless of race, religion, economic condition or any other differences that can cause others so much concern.

One of the somewhat unexpected benefits of living Downtown is the diversity of the residents. We have the full range – old, young, white, black, gay, straight and others I may not have thought of. And it works. The attendees at Downtown parties are always a representation of the general population. And just as interesting is that we know by name the majority of Downtown residents. Even if they live some blocks away, we will have probably met them out with their dog, at a party or other event, or simply walking down the street.

In retrospect, living in the suburbs has some limiting factors. In the typical suburban neighborhood, you are generally living in the midst of others like yourself. The children all attend the same schools and participate in many of the same events. While this may be a good and satisfying life, it can limit one’s first hand exposure to the rest of the world. Since we have been Downtown we have learned much more about the struggles of those different from us than we had ever learned before.

Rooftop Patio

2011-12-16T17:57:00.001-06:00

Many of our Downtown loft buildings have rooftop patios. When we were thinking about moving Downtown we were concerned about no longer having a deck and yard (not the mowing, weeding and leaf raking aspects of the yard, of course!) and determined that wherever we lived it was important to have a rooftop patio as an alternative.

We have noticed some unexpected positive features of the rooftop – no mosquitoes are up there for some not fully understood reason. In addition, we are able to see some awesome sunsets, rains moving in, rainbows and lightning storms. A few examples are below. Since I am a bit of a lightning freak, I have tried repeatedly to capture a good lightning picture but with no success as of yet. I will keep trying!!

Of course, nothing is perfect. The picture below shows the result of a nasty little wind storm we had this summer – pretty well blew things around!

All in all, we greatly enjoy the rooftop. It is especially nice in the spring and fall when the temperatures are mild.

Habitat for Humanity

2011-12-12T12:23:00.001-06:00

Cadence Bank is helping build a house in Calera for Habitat for Humanity. Last week 25 or 30 employees spent either the morning or afternoon shift assisting at the project. I went in the afternoon and helped insulate the walls (the drywall installers were waiting), install siding and was called away to the house next door to install door knobs and locks. A few pictures of the site are below.

Kudos to Cadence Bank for assisting this family obtain their dream - it is great to be part of a caring organization! Each time that I have assisted in a Habitat project I always come home dirty, tired and with a feeling that I played a very small role in helping improve some lives. It doesn’t get better than that!

Cell Phones

2011-12-05T19:21:00.001-06:00

Caution – this is a bit of a rant!

The other night we stopped at John’s for dinner. We were sitting there enjoying our meal, listening to the music (John’s music can be a bit loud but does effectively cancel out most of the noise from surrounding diners) and having a pleasant time. All of a sudden from behind me came “Your call is important to us – please stay on the line for the next available person”.

The middle aged woman in the booth behind us had dialed her cell phone, gotten no immediate answer, so put it on the table on speaker mode so she would not be inconvenienced having to hold it to her ear. This could be heard over the music by all of the surrounding tables and booths. Every 30 seconds, like clockwork, the same message was broadcast to all of us. I finally turned around and suggested that she put the phone to her ear so that the rest of us did not have to listen to it (yes, I did have a couple of alternative placement suggestions that I considered but decided to take the high road). After calling me a jerk, she actually did shut off the phone. Mission accomplished.

Really, why was it necessary to do that? What has happened to respecting other people and their environment. Have you ever been in a grocery store or a WalMart and people were walking around with their phone on speaker so they could properly shop while talking? Why do I need to listen to that? I’ve decided that I don’t. Let’s all decide that we don’t!

Commuting (If You Can Really Call It That)

2011-12-01T12:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, a coworker was lamenting the fact that the previous evening his 45 minute commute took 1.5 hours. When I mentioned that my commute ended up being 8 minutes, rather than 7 due to hitting an ill-timed red light, I sensed a bit of negativity!!

A little background may be appropriate. For about 6 years prior to moving from the Chicago area to Birmingham, we were able to walk to the commuter train station at each end of our daily commute. Once you get used to not having to jump in the car every day, especially in the winter, you become reluctant to give that up. Unfortunately, when we got to Birmingham, using public transportation to commute (or most anything else) was generally not an option, causing us to get back to the daily use of automobiles. When we started thinking about moving Downtown, the opportunity to walk to events, restaurants and my current job was a significant consideration. At that time I was working about 6 blocks away, just a bit far to come home for lunch on a routine basis but perfectly fine for the morning and evening commutes.

The best laid plans do need to be flexible, however. About six months into Downtown living, out of the blue came an opportunity for us to temporarily move to Tampa, which seemed like the right thing to do at the time. We ended up living on Harbour Island, which is very near Downtown Tampa. I had about a ten mile reverse commute, which was not too bad. Juannelle was fortunate in being able to begin her Pet Sitting career on the Island, which did not require a vehicle. When we got back to Birmingham we were quite glad to reduce the vehicle usage.

Nearly six months ago I started working approximately 3 blocks from home. This commute requires crossing three streets with stoplights and is generally about 7 minutes in duration. It is absolutely the perfect world!

On occasion, however, I may run across detours or some other form of delay that can set me back.

As noted in the picture below, rush hour is not too intimidating. Taken at 8 AM today in the 2100 block of 1st Avenue North - the sidewalk is all mine.

Noon today show some additional activity including some outside diners even though it is probably only 40 degrees.

If everyone was able to walk to and from work, the world would be a much less stressful place to live. At this point in Birmingham it is not possible to give up a car, but it sure is a good feeling to not be totally reliant on it!

Railroad Park

2011-11-26T11:27:00.001-06:00

When it was announced that a park would be built downtown we were a bit (or a lot) skeptical. Even after seeing the initial fencing off of the area and demolition of the existing structures we still had doubts. Countless times in the past endeavors such as these never saw the light of day or were disappointing when completed.

However, as time progressed and the dirt piles were moved, trees were brought in, pavers laid etc. the park became a reality. We started to ride our bikes down to see the progress almost every weekend and even snuck inside a couple of times to get a better look (I think the Statute of Limitations has passed) and became more excited each week.

On the first weekend the Park opened, we were astonished and overjoyed by the sheer numbers of people using the facility. Young, old, white, black, brown – it made absolutely no difference – all were enjoying a wonderful new facility in the heart of the city. To this day, the Park is being well utilized with a variety of special events and general usage by the residents of the area. The trails provide a great place to get some exercise either during the work day or on the weekend. Lots of kids use the playground equipment and enjoy simply having a “yard” to run around in. We have probably been to Railroad Park twenty-five or more times in the last year and never tire of watching the bubbling streams, watching movies, listening to music or other events or simply people watching from the benches. We have even taken kites to the Park and had great success. The Park and its architect have won a variety of awards, appropriately so. Much more information is available at www.railroadpark.org.

This is an example of a project gone right! To everyone involved in the vision, funding and making it happen, a heartfelt thanks!!

Below are a few pictures we have taken during the last year. Fall was especially interesting since we had never seen Switchgrass during the seasons (or perhaps ever). Really gorgeous!

Out With The Old

2011-11-16T20:11:00.001-06:00

Last week the Superior Bank sign was removed from The John Hand building. Community Bancorp of Houston acquired the assets of Superior from the FDIC in April and last week merged Superior with Cadence Bank, which it also owns. 20th Street was closed for a number of hours for this task and no doubt will be closed again when the new Cadence Bank sign is installed.

It is quite amazing thinking back on the changes in the local banking community over the last 5 to 10 years. SouthTrust was acquired by Wachovia and subsequently Wells Fargo, Regions and AmSouth merged and National Bank of Commerce was acquired by RBC. In addition, the demise of Colonial Bank and its purchase by BB&T, along with a number of new banks that have been started, makes a scorecard almost mandatory!

Floors and El Barrio

2011-11-14T17:14:00.001-06:00

This weekend they refinished the floors in the soon-to-come El Barrio next door to us. It always amazes us how the 100 year old floors in our downtown buildings can be brought back to life. Even if they look like they've never been touched during those 100 years, a simple sanding and a couple coats of polyurethane transform them into near works of art. The antique heart pine floor in our loft was one of the major selling points for us.

Speaking of El Barrio, there has been a tremendous amount accomplished in the last few weeks. I predict an opening date very near December 1.

Fall in the City

2011-11-12T19:48:00.001-06:00

Fall is our favorite time of year in Dowtown Birmingham. The Ginkgo trees' leaves are a beautiful yellow/gold but unfortunately last only a very short time. After living further north, where fall is a harbinger of the dreaded winter, this is a joy!

Speaking of the dreaded winter, the picture below was taken by my sister Susan in Iowa last week. I'm quite certain I like Alabama's version best!