Day 1
Location(s): Gainesville, GA; Irondale, Alabama; Columbus, MS; Winona, MS; Greenwood, MS
We left out this morning around 9:15, our two faculty "chaperones" (Dr. Wynne and Dr. Elfenbein) and us four ladies, myself, Kathleen (my roommate), Summer, and Emily. I won't bore anyone with details of the driving in Georgia, I've seen all of what we drove in Georgia already.
I've never been further west in Alabama than Birmingham, so I got to see quite a few new areas of Alabama. We stopped to eat lunch in Irondale, at the Irondale Cafe (clever, I know.) Irondale is one of those towns that really hasn't moved forward much in the history of the country. It sits right on the Amtrak Crescent line, which runs from New York to New Orleans (okay, add one more item to the bucket list!) This town is so quaint, pretty much all within a one square mile area, with just one row of shops, where our restaurant was located. You walk in, and its one of those places with all the pictures of celebrities on the wall that have visited (I didn't get to see all of them, but Bear Bryant and the Eagles I did see, quite a range of famous folks) and of course, it's the original Whistle Stop Cafe. I wont go into the history, but if you wish, you can read it here. My lunch consisted of baked chicken, dressing and gravy, green beans, corn, a fluffy yeast roll, and strawberry shortcake. Only think I can think to say is WOW.
My first new area was Tuscaloosa, and yes they really are kinda crazy about some Bama football around there, including Bear Bryant. To each their own I guess. On a more serious note, the scars of the T-Town Tornado that came through over a year ago are still very visible. On the main route through town, US 82, many buildings are still being rebuilt and the landscape around that area is still trying to regrow. I can't imagine the horror those people faced that day, and I couldn't help but think of those that died that day or lost someone they knew and loved.
Once we got past Tuscaloosa, the western part of Alabama is pretty plain, at least it was to me. We did a whole lot of riding until we got to Columbus, Mississippi, which is home to Tennessee Williams' first home. It was a cute little house right in the middle of Columbus, its been turned into the visitor's center, but it's still pretty cool.
My first impression of Mississippi is....well....kind of amazed. Not that its anything special or extraordinary. Its the fact that it lacks anything special or extraordinary is what makes it amazing. I've just gotten this overwhelming feeling of being frozen in time ever since we got to Winona, even more in Greenwood. Just fields and fields of cotton (one day I'll have to come back during the fall to see it all in bloom, I bet it's amazing) and roads that just go on and on and on (that desperately need to be paved.) Along US 82, there are just random houses, most of them pretty nice, but nothing spectacular. It just seems like over all, this place has missed the last 50 years or so.
We ate at Yianni's tonight, which was pretty good. I had peel and eat shrimp (they weren't bad, but I've had much better) and a Monte Cristo burger (HUGE hamburger, Swiss cheese, and a slice of ham all on Texas toast.) Yianni's is kind of a strange place, the walls in the room we ate in were painted to look like the bayou, which was kind of cool. The place was old, but like 1980s old, so not quite cool yet. I must say I'm certainly glad we're staying where we are because Greenwood is definitely not a nice looking place to live (sorry to those that do, just my opinion) and definitely not a place to be in after dark. Lots and lots of public housing, run down industrial areas, and fences around all the clusters of houses. Kinda tells ya something, huh?
We did a lot of driving today, so there isn't much more to say other than my first thoughts of Mississippi. Tomorrow we start the actual sightseeing, so I'll have much more to say and lots more pictures. Right now, I'm very tired and ready to go to bed. Thanks for reading!
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