issue feature
21 Reasons
to love the city 

5.The melting pot is brimming over.

 For many, Birmingham is a well-kept secret; thankfully, though, there are more than a few folks who spread the word around the globe about all our city has to offer. We're lucky to have a long history of a strong international population, who have come, stayed and made a difference. Just recently artists such as Patrice Brunet, shop keepers such as Guido Maus and even our symphony's Maestro Justin Brown have come to call Birmingham home. Dr. Kenneth Roxburgh, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and chair of Samford's religion department says, "My wife and I were impressed with the general Southern hospitality and friendliness here. It's still part of the culture to go to church here, and that is not as true in Scotland, which has become more secular." Not knowing what to expect from a city in Alabama, maybe they were hesitant or even a little doubtful at first, but they are now some of our city's most enthusiastic promoters.

A major contribution to the melting pot of Birmingham is obviously made by our colleges and universities. Here are statistics for the international student and faculty and staff populations from four of our area schools (statistics from the fall 2007 academic year). - Mary Ellen Stancill
UAB
 International undergraduate: 236
International graduate: 596
Total enrollment including undergraduate, graduate and advanced professionals, 2007-2008: 17,330
International faculty and staff: 554
Total international students, faculty and staff: 1,386 representing 107 countries

Birmingham-Southern College
International undergraduate: 18
Total enrollment, 2007-2008: 1,339
Countries represented: Brazil, China, Germany, Iran, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Phillippines, Rwanda, Serbia/Montenegro, South Korea and Sudan

Miles College
International undergraduate: 7
Total enrollment, 2007-2008: 1,800
Countries represented: Liberia, Nigeria, England, Kenya and the West Indies
International faculty and staff: 22
Countries represented: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Kenya, China, England, Lebanon, Iran and the Caribbean Islands

Samford University
International undergraduate and graduate: 32
Countries represented: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, India, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Romania, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Venezuela and Zambia
Total enrollment including undergraduate and graduate, Fall 2007: 4,491
International faculty and staff: 8
Countries represented: Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Guyana, Russia, Thailand and United Kingdom

6. Because numerous festivals give us culture and a reason to get outside.

I couldn't get enough of Artwalk last year.

It was the first time I attended the festival, which exhibits the work of local and regional artists inside retail, office and loft spaces downtown. My excitement had grown as I met with festival organizer Joy Myers and attended the benefit party, Artwalk Preamble. I anxiously awaited first Friday in September.

I rushed from work to a friend's booth when the event began on Friday. After a trip home for dinner, I joined friends to wander in and out of storefronts on First Avenue North. It was as much a social event as an art festival.

But two visits in one night weren't enough. I spent my Saturday afternoon downtown, alternately wandering solo and visiting friends with art on display. I was there for the better part of the festival's operating hours - and Sept. 5 and 6 are already blocked out on my calendar this year.

Artwalk stands out to me because I love downtown Birmingham, and I have several artist friends who participate. But it's only one of many festivals that give us reason to get outside and into different parts of the city.

April brings Magic City Art Connection, the Brookside Greenway Festival and numerous food festivals. May offers the Crawfish Boil and Do Dah Day. Last year, beer lovers were introduced to the Magic City Brew Fest. This June, City Stages will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival is a magnet for film buffs in September, and keeps them united through year-round events. Moss Rock Festival draws people to its unique Hoover site each fall, and smaller festivals throughout the city's neighborhoods ensure that I couldn't squeeze a comprehensive list in here if I tried.

Whatever the season, whatever the focus, there's always an excuse to get outside and discover Birmingham. - Carla Jean Whitley

7. Pepper Place Market is enchanting.

The peaches are so tasty at Pepper Place Market that I can't help but bite into one (right there in the middle of the event) and let the sweet nectar roll down my chin. And the displays are so spectacular I'm convinced to purchase turnip greens or Brussels sprouts (produce that I'd never previously dreamed of trying, much less cooking).

The rows of sweet potatoes, plump tomatoes, fragrant sweet basil, jams, rum cakes, fresh-cut flowers, breads straight out of the oven and harvested honey - all from artists, chefs and farmers statewide (more than 60 on a good day) - are enchanting. And the sights and sounds of music played by local musicians, cooking demonstrations by top-notch Birmingham chefs and customers pushing baby strollers, walking pets or lugging around stuffed bags of produce is a symphony of contagious delight.

May 3 marks Pepper Place Market's ninth season and it can't come soon enough. What started in the parking lot of Pepper Place "has gradually taken over Second Avenue," says Pepper Place Market Director Claire Hart. The market began in 1999 as a result of Sloss Real Estate President Cathy Sloss Crenshaw's vision to create a local business farmers market. "She is a vegetarian and really wanted to start buying organic and local," says Hart. "We aren't all organic ... but have a consistent few who are."

Hart is thrilled that the market has not only maintained a certain level of "street festival atmosphere" but quality local products too. "You are buying from the person who grew it or made it and someone who could also be in your neighborhood," Hart says.

Visit Pepper Place Market from May 3 to Sept. 27, 7 a.m. to noon at Second Avenue South between 28th and 29th streets. pepperplacemarket.com.  - Jenny Watkins

8. Everyone's favorite make out spot is actually in someone's front yard.

Years ago, when friends came to visit I would entertain them with Carla Jean Whitley's official driving tour of Birmingham. Never mind that I actually lived and worked in Tuscaloosa - the four-hour Birmingham tour included my favorite coffee shop, the house where my grandparents lived for 50 years, the church where I was baptized and the one where I'm now a member, the parts of town I dreamed of calling home and, of course, my favorite views of the city.

Each of those views elicits oohs and ahs - but when I took my friend Luke on the tour, one in particular stood out. From that Redmont Park vantage point, the city stretches out before you. You can spot planes landing at the airport, or watch lights turning from red to green all the way from the city center to Southside. The overlook itself is more secluded, tucked away in a posh neighborhood. "This would be a great make-out spot, if we were dating," Luke said. I rolled my eyes at him. Two problems: First, we weren't dating, and more importantly, that overlook is private property in front of someone's house.

Better luck next time, buddy.  - Carla Jean Whitley 
 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I Next
January Birmingham, Alabama

  

 
Digital Newstand

View Magazine

bmag buzz

What are you doing
this Weekend?
 



 
bmag bonus


This Month's Giveaway ...
Tickets to the Rigling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, which will be in Birmingham from Jan. 28-Feb. 1.

Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter,
the bmag buzz, and be automatically entered for your chance to win!