I didn't have high expectations for Mobile, Alabama, considering it was once the subject of an article titling it the "most miserable city in America." But having just come from Virginia Beach, I knew it couldn't be any worse than there, so I decided to give it a shot and go visit my sweetie. Color me pleasantly surprised!
I was expecting Mobile to be an incredibly conservative,
red Southern town, but I'm pleased to say that that's only a half-truth. The first thing I noticed is that everyone is incredibly
friendly; walking down the street, anyone you pass will wave and say hi,
or people sitting on their porches blasting boomboxes will ask you how
you're doing, as if you're old friends. Surprisingly, thick
stereotypical Alabama accents are not easily found here, and I'm
embarrassed to say that I fell prey to that expectation. Cities aren't
generally the place you find those most characteristic accents, and
Mobile is no exception. I was also happy to see pro-Hillary signs and bumper stickers around both prior to and after the presidential election and to know that there are, in fact, liberals in the Deep South.
Mobile is home to the oldest Mardi Gras celebrations in America, a fact that they cling to and won't ever let you forget. Besides that, Mobile played host to Jimmy Buffett for a number of years, and it's the current home of many gorgeous live oaks. In fact, I think the mossy and fern-covered oaks are one of the best parts of Mobile; in the Oakleigh Historic District, huge live oaks line the streets and tear up sidewalks that were at one point directed around the then-much-smaller trees.
Mobile's architecture downtown is
cute, with a definite Gulf Coast feel to it, and rent is totally reasonable in
this city. (The Eastern Shore featuring Fairhope and Daphne, not so
much.) Evan and I have taken full advantage of Mobile's proximity to the
beach, swamps, and even old Civil War battlegrounds to beach-comb,
dolphin-watch, and hike the E.O. Wilson nature trail.
A phenomenon that strikes me as quite unusual (having recently moved from the repressive alcohol laws in Georgia) is the open container laws on the coast. Mobile hosts monthly Friday night Art Walks, during which time the LoDa (Lower Dauphin) district is closed off to cars, and pedestrians can wander freely under the stars amongst the shops and galleries with open cans of beer and cups of wine.
With the art, friendly inhabitants, a blossoming restaurant and bar scene, and nearby swamps and beaches, Mobile's not a half-bad place to be. More posts to come from the Azalea City.
