Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

Jul. 28, 2002

In Alabama's Magic City, old, new exist in harmony
BY AUDRA D.S. BURCH
aburch@herald.com

BIRMINGHAM - This Southern belle of a city, steeped in simplicity and charm, is what Atlanta was before the six-lane highways, before the Goliathesque amusement park and airport, before the cosmo crowd moved in.

At the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, just a few hours drive from businesslike Atlanta or even decadent New Orleans, Birmingham has managed to build a destination from its old bones, upstaging its larger neighbors for tourists seeking a delightfully genteel getaway.

The city has almost always touted its hearty Southern culture (Birmingham is home to Southern Living magazine), tree-lined neighborhoods and quaint antique shopping. Now, there is even more to shout about: a growing arts community that has sprouted in a city with bedrock as its industrial roots, an honest-to-God restaurant scene, a downtown renaissance (new lofts and cafes are regularly popping up), a science center and even a few hip bohemian haunts.

Here, the old and new, the Southern and the trendy seem to co-exist peacefully, meaning it's not so strange that you could find restaurants serving asparagus salad or a heaping serving of country fried steak on the same street; or residents going to the symphony one night and an University of Alabama football game the next.

The gentle evolution -- some two decades in the making -- has not been lost on the pop cultural radar. Metropolitan Birmingham, now hovering at 1 million residents, has emerged as a convention center and a boomtown for avid golfers who rush to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. And just a couple of weeks ago, President Bush spoke at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he made a point of noting that both national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell's wife, Alma Powell, were born and raised here.

This is the Deep South -- though thankfully, not the Old South. You know this because everybody speaks. Everybody says ''Hey,'' asks how you are doing, and seems genuinely interested in the answer. You know this because they tell you, unsolicited, that Paul ''Bear'' Bryant (who didn't actually live there, but was buried there) was a helluva football coach.

And if you are interested, the folks here will tell you the story behind the nickname, The Magic City. Seems the city grew, like magic, when it was discovered that steel, which put this industrial city on the map in the late 1800s, could be made with elements indigenous to the mountains: limestone, coal and iron ore (after World War II, the huffing and puffing of the mills was replaced by a medical and engineering workforce). And just when you think the conversation is over, the residents will make one final point: Birmingham does not play second fiddle to Atlanta. And don't you forget it.

UGLY PAST

The other unforgettable in Alabama: its ugly racial history. A half-century later, the city has come to embrace its past, erecting the world-class Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on 16th Street. This is a repository of images and reminders of Alabama's painful place as one of the birthplaces of the civil rights movement.

The institute -- a key stop for those tourists who build their trips around cultural history -- is part of the city's larger Civil Rights District. This walkable zone includes the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four little girls were killed in an explosion, and Kelly Ingram Park, where Eugene ''Bull'' Connor unleashed dogs and fire hoses on young black demonstrators.

While you are in the neighborhood, take a quick detour to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in the historic Carver Theater, which celebrates jazz greats with ties to Alabama including Lionel Hampton, Nat ''King'' Cole, W.C. Handy and others. Vulcan Park, home of the iron Vulcan statue is a short drive away, but you can't see the 55-foot landmark because it's being restored.

Among the most stunning symbols of Birmingham's tourism drive is the $21 million renovation of the Birmingham Museum of Art designed by premier architect Edward Larrabee Barnes. Plucked from a Zen-like palette, the museum's aesthetics -- towering bow windows, spiral stairs and a sculpture garden -- are almost as interesting as the exhibitions.

The sculpture garden -- nearly a football field in size -- is therapeutic, a great place to sit quietly and reflect or read a book. Inside, check out more than 21,000 pieces of art and 1,400 pieces of 18th Century Wedgwood porcelain, the finest collection outside of England.

Last year, in a coup that significantly raised its profile, the museum presented The European Masterpieces. The blockbuster Australian exhibit, never before seen in the United States, showcased 88 old master and modern paintings by 74 artists including Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Monet, Picasso and Constable.

From there, head back in time to the restored Alabama Theatre on Third Avenue North, which was rescued from the wrecking ball in 1987 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in the 1920s, this wonderful chunk of history is one of the last working picture shows and features a ''Mighty Wurlitzer'' pipe organ still played at special events.

Movie buffs will get a kick out of this: In September, the theater will host the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival on the historic silver screen.

SCIENCE, TOO

But these days, Birmingham's lure lies in more than arts and culture. Among the newer attractions that's attracting droves of people: The McWane Center, a science and technology attraction (within walking distance of the museum).

This is the kind of place your kids will love (you will, too, but you won't admit it). There's lots to do to fill an hour or an afternoon, mostly because it's a hands-on experiment in interactive fun. Everything in the 180,000-square-foot center is built on the premise that people learn by doing.

The dozens of exhibits in the ScienceQuest section show kids how to ride a cycle on a wire 30 feet above the ground (answer, very carefully); build a roller coaster and learn how tornadoes form. And like Fort Lauderdale's Museum of Discovery & Science, the $40 million center features an IMAX dome theater.

NEIGHBORHOODS

As in any thriving city, one of Birmingham's greatest gems is its patchwork of neighborhoods, particularly those in the redeveloping downtown area, which residents broadly call the City Center.

It is here, at the city's urban core, that al fresco cafes, lofts and art galleries are opening, carved from old warehouses and abandoned buildings. The renaissance is changing both the skyline and the culture, giving it a more sophisticated edge.

Stroll along First or Second Avenue North if for no other reason than the offerings provide great vacation stories. Stop by Torme Foods on Second Avenue North -- yes, owners Merv and twin Marv are cousins of the late Mel Torme -- where the food and colorful history are dispensed in equal doses. And take a peek inside Naked Art, where recycled clutter comes back as must-have art. Here, an Electrolux vacuum gets new life as a fab lamp and Sunbeam toasters are reincarnated as flower vases.

On a plateau between Red Mountain and downtown is the city's most celebrated historical neighborhood, Five Points South.

This dense district, charming by day, bustling by night (and one of the few after-dark choices), is a collection of eclectic restaurants, shops, a hotel, a theater and the ubiquitous standard of cool: Starbucks.

Before or after your cup of designer coffee, stroll and take in your surroundings. Why? Because the neighborhood's best attribute is its architecture, which varies from the Spanish baroque churches to the Art Deco hotels.

Built around a landmark circle, the neighborhood was one of Birmingham's first streetcar suburbs, and it has been reborn into a happening place to chow, sip and be hip.

Or people watch by the water fountain appropriately titled The Story Teller -- a statue of a half-ram/half-man reading a copy of Br'er Rabbit to frogs spouting water went up in Five Points South. Mostly billed as a restaurant row, the choices run from the upscale Azalea Restaurant with its chic cigar bar to the landmark rib joint, Dreamland.

Five Points South is also home to Highlands Bar and Grill and Bottega, both operated by Frank Stitt, declared by Bon Appetit magazine as the state's hottest chef for his whimsical blends of Dixie and Provence cuisine. Last year, Gourmet magazine also named Highlands one of the country's five best restaurants.

Part of the neighborhood's rebirth includes the Pickwick Hotel, built in 1931 as an office building and transformed into the mid-1980s as an Art Deco-styled boutique hotel.

TRENDY SPOT

On the east side, Five Points South shoulders Lakeview, another trendy enclave with steep, brick streets, old-fashioned lanterns and businesses fashioned from grand restored homes. Though a bit newer, it has the same urban, not-quite-polished feel as Five Points -- so much so that the boundaries blur.

Lakeview is home of Sol y Luna, a bustling, upscale tapas and tequila bar, plus a funky home store called ecco. From there, stroll a few blocks to WorkPlay, a funky warehouse at Fifth Avenue South transformed into a cabaret-style theater and entertainment complex by four brothers.

All of this -- gentrified neighborhoods, a bankable history and a growing slate of things to do -- along with Birmingham's enduring charms has given the South a new destination.