Growing up in Virginia, we had a law that school couldn’t start until the week after Labor Day. Apparently, the thinking went that high schoolers were a vital source of labor for the end-of-summer tourist boom at our historic sites and amusement parks, and thus should not be herded into school any earlier than need [...]

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André spilled the beans a few weeks ago about the reason for my protracted absence-wedding planning. I had assumed “a simple, no frills wedding” couldn’t possibly take more than a few weeks to put together. Life, and the Birmingham wedding industry, however had other agendas. Despite my best efforts not to let the process turn [...]

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Last weekend was proof that there’s plenty to do on a weekend night in Birmingham. But music and art and bars and coffeehouses are just the beginning. A while back, I heard about two unique after-dark activities that I have put on my must-do list:
Each year, the Cahaba River Society hosts moonlight canoe trips on [...]

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In the 1920s and ‘30s, if you wanted your building to have a cool, modern look, you built it in the Art Deco style—all sleek lines, bold forms, and geometric shapes, reflecting the rise of technology. Hot spots for this style included New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, but Birmingham wasn’t left behind.
In fact, one [...]

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Birmingham is not often considered a hot spot for public art, but perhaps we need to take a closer look. Throughout the city, you can find art out in the open—maybe even along the streets you travel every day—representing a kaleidoscope of styles. Here are a few of my favorites, along with the locations so [...]

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Welcome to summer in Alabama. That means a heaping helping of heat, topped with a thick slab of humidity. If you’re lucky, you’ll feel a breeze. If you’re really lucky, that breeze will not be oven temperature.
When your air conditioner won’t crank up any higher—and when the neighbors finally turn off the sprinkler you’ve been [...]

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