Bridge Street, in far west Huntsville,Alabama is a new shopping development with a lake, plenty of restaurants and shops, and a new, tall Westin hotel. Connor’s Steak and Seafood is a particularly good place for a steak dinner, and the nearby Cafe 153 is a great place for an after-dinner latte or espresso. Lighting and live musicians on weekends make Bridge Street a fun destination.
Huntsville
Codie G (@CodieG256) of Slow Motion Sounds, Huntsville
Codie G (@CodieG256) of Slow Motion Sounds, Huntsville AL.
Valet Boutique, Huntsville AL
I was disappointed to learn that Kreativ Sole had closed, but Huntsville has a new upscale hip-hop boutique called Valet Boutique (@ValetBoutique) that has a full array of urban wear for the discerning customer. Visit them at http://valetboutique.blogspot.com/, like them at http://www.facebook.com/valetboutique or follow them at https://twitter.com/ValetBoutique.
Huntsville’s Lowes Mill: An Art Community
Lowes’ Mill in Southwest Huntsville is a former cotton-textile mill that dates from around the beginning of the 20th Century. After a stint as a Genesco Shoe factory, it closed, and has since been turned into a unique gallery of artists’ studios, galleries and shops. I had driven out there Saturday to visit Vertical House Records, but unfortunately they had closed at 5 PM.
James Music, Huntsville AL
James Music, formerly James Records and Tapes, is a legendary urban music institution on Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, which I honestly thought had closed. Instead, I learned that the building had suffered water damage and thus was closed for awhile, but is back open again. There is an especially good selection of rare vinyl, a section of local Huntsville rap artists, and a good selection of blues and southern soul.
The Hill, Normal AL
The Alabama A & M University campus at Normal, Alabama near Huntsville is known as “The Hill”, for reasons that are obvious when you visit there, 11/03/12
AAMU Band Marching Back to the Hill
#041 AAMU Band Marching Back to the Hill (by John Shaw)
The Alabama A & M Marching Maroon and White Band marches out of Lewis Crews Stadium and back to the campus, Huntsville AL, 11/03/12
AAMU vs. Southern Fifth Quarter
#040 AAMU Band (by John Shaw)
The Alabama A & M band plays in the “fifth quarter” after the Southern game in Huntsville, 11/03/12
Alabama A & M vs. Southern Fifth Quarter
#039 AAMU Band (by John Shaw)
The Alabama A & M band plays in the “fifth quarter” after the Southern game in Huntsville, 11/03/12
AAMU vs. Southern in the Fifth Quarter
#032 AAMU Band (by John Shaw)
The Alabama A & M band plays in the “fifth quarter” after the Southern game in Huntsville, 11/03/12