Mobile has been excluded from a particular AL.com function. With the launch of a column titled Rising Tides today, that comes to an end.
Comeback Town, a daily piece written by David Sher and a variety of guests, has been available to readers in the Birmingham region on AL.com for some time. The emphasis has been on praising the city’s positive aspects, outlining potential improvements, and occasionally highlighting its better qualities.AL.com is bringing the idea to Huntsville with View from the Top and to Mobile with Rising Tides.
Greetings, Amtrak passengers! We’re hoping you’re real.
As the Mardi Gras Service links the Port City, coastal Mississippi, and New Orleans, we hope that many of you will be traveling to Mobile.
Come on in and sit for a while, even though the house is a mess.
Come on In
Here, “come on in” refers to the first task you must do (if you’re walking instead of taking a shuttle or ride service): navigating the most difficult street crossing downtown has to offer. I apologize for it. The platform from which you disembarked is only a short distance away: There are six lanes of traffic on Water Street at Government Street, with some people speeding down the ramp off I-10.
Don’t worry, though! Following the parades, we saw folks wearing formal clothing strolling around at all hours of the night during the previous Mardi Gras season. You don’t have to cross the entire distance at once because there is a large median and the crossing signals are functional.
However, before you cross, pass through the Hall of Fame Walk, a recently installed collection of sculptures honoring Mobile’s significant contribution to baseball and pro football legends. You can’t miss it—it’s directly in front of the Convention Center. Among them are Robert Brazile, Billy Williams, Ozzie Smith, Willie McCovey, Hank Aaron, and Satchel Paige.
Despite being over 300 years old, mobile is still learning to value its past, which can be a wonderful thing.
In the era of smartphone navigation, you don’t need my help finding what you’re looking for. However, I might be able to provide a tip on how to feel at home in this city.
Sit a Spell
Head to Bienville Square for the sit-a- spell portion. Royal is one block up Government Street; Royal is one block to the right; Dauphin is one block to the left; and the square is one block to the left on Dauphin.
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Let me warn you: If you talk to any local about this spot, they will almost certainly talk about how wonderful the green canopy was there before Hurricane Sally arrived.
Grin and give a courteous nod. It’s not your problem, but Mobilians have a propensity to let nostalgia keep them from enjoying the positive things that are currently happening. Even though you can now see the sky above the center fountain, the new planting will provide plenty of shade. The flora, including the lawns, is more lush than it has been in decades. There is plenty of seating on curtain walls. The revitalization of the storm-damaged plaza is the outcome of a resolute and effective municipal endeavor.
Everything here revolves around you. You are surrounded by the tallest skyscrapers in the city, including the largest in Alabama. Along the south side of the square lies Dauphin Street, which serves as the main thoroughfare for the downtown arts and entertainment district. This is the place to go if you want to just sit and observe and feel the beats of Mobile.
Not everything is flawless. You can see empty houses even from this location, some of which require more than just a new coat of paint. There are gaps in a revival that has been ongoing for thirty years, and while the pace of growth hasn’t been consistent, it has been on the rise.
You’re in good shape if you’d rather do this while enjoying a snack or a cup of coffee. The historic A&M Peanut Shop, Three Georges Fine Southern Chocolates, and three coffee shops—Great Day Latte, Serda’s Coffee, and Yellowhammer Coffee—are all within a few blocks.
There’s undoubtedly a reason you came here. It might be for a performance at the Mobile Saenger Theater. The distance is only a block and a half.
The Dora Franklin Finley African-American Heritage Trail may have been the reason you came. Wonderful: Its goal of assisting in the education, preservation, and commemoration of the historic contributions made by African-Americans in Mobile aligns well with the local interest in civil rights tourism, which has grown recently due to the discovery of the slave ship Clotilda’s remains and a surge of research on the Africatown neighborhood. These tours will provide you an overview of the various sites of interest, which are dispersed around the area. A tour can be scheduled here.
If you’re hungry and want to learn more about the local food scene, you might have come for the Bienville Bites Food Tour, a well-regarded business that provides an excellent way to see Mobile. More details and itineraries can be found here.
Or perhaps you’re here for a particular occasion, such as the Dauphin Street Beer Festival, Mobile Tiki Week, or the monthly art stroll.
It’s possible that you’ve come for something that isn’t even downtown, and you’ll be heading there shortly. Still, spending some time around Bienville Square is a smart place to start.
Simply sit and observe. You’ll note that nobody appears to be rushing. Additionally, no one will hurry you along.
We’re not going to try to sell you. Mobile is a place that tends to grow on you, despite all of its peculiarities and idiosyncrasies, which are numerous. Don’t claim that we didn’t alert you.
Born in Florence, Alabama, Lawrence Specker, the curator of Rising Tides, came to Mobile in 1994 to work for the Press-Register. He quickly grew to value the late Eugene Walter’s description of Mobile as a distinct country and a sort of island. He has been attempting to understand what it means for almost 30 years as a reporter and columnist covering government, entertainment, and the arts, with varying degrees of success. Send him an email at [email protected].
