Tennessee to Alabama

Today I crossed over from Tennessee to Alabama.

Before I talk about the day, I want to reflect on Nashville. As I have mentioned, I try to find something to appreciate everywhere. The only utter failure so far this trip was Salt Lake City. Perhaps I missed something or needed a different perspecitve. But I really did try. Nashville was not an utter failure, but what I found to appreciate were the museums, not the city. I enjoyed the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the National Museum of African American Music even more. I’ve already described my disappointment with the SCENE, the live music and the general insularity of the people. Granted, many of those would have been tourists, but still. More than that, however, I felt that, other than a few token street names, the civil rights movement completely missed Nashville. I rarely saw anyone of color walking in the streets. Starkly, the Country Music Hall of Fame showcased no one of color or any ethnic minority. I don’t think it was the choice of the Hall of Fame, it is apparently inherent in the nature of Country Music. It took the - significantly separate - National Museum of African American Music to highlight the enourmous contributions of African Americans to a wide variety of musical forms. Contrast this to Memphis, one of the most historically integrated cities, particularly the Beale Street music scene. It did not help that Marriott Courtyard Nashville downtown was, for a variety of reasons, unpleasant and way to expensive for what it was. Anyway, moving on, but I thought it was important to document those thoughts.

The Rickwood Caverns State Park is located about a half hour North of Birmingham and I had plenty of time to make a stop on the way. It is not as grand as Carlsbad Caverns , but it was a more intimate experience. Because it is a State Park rather than a National Park, it works a little differently. You show up for a tour that starts at a set time. I arrived in time for the noon tour. And I was literally the only one, which meant that, for my 20 bucks, I got a private tour. Logan, my guide, was a font of information, both about the history of the site and the chemistry and geology of the underground formations. We had some interesting conversations about other topics as well. Instead of the usual hour tour, we spent an entire two hours going through the site, stopping anytime I wanted to take photos. The experience was a welcome antidote to my experience in Nashville.

Birmingham, as well, feels very different. After I arrived and checked in to my hotel, I was able to take a walk to Railroad Park , a lovely little urban oasis. The park has several water features, lots of lawn, several levels, and other amenities. Clearly a lot of thought went into its planning and implementation. It happened to be a beautiful afternoon, and many people were enjoying the grounds. I saw runners, walkers, families, groups of young people - all in a variety of shapes, colors, sizes. Everyone was friendly and I stopped to chat with a few people. I can already tell that Birmingham will be a different experience than Nashville.

First up tomorrow, the obligatory Civil Rights Institute . I’ll be curious to see how it differs from the others I have visited.

Additional images are found in the gallery.