Finding good places on the road, like Birmingham, Ala.

My other hat here at the St. Petersburg Times says Travel Editor so I've been on the road a bit lately. I mentioned my D.C. trip the other day but I was in Birmingham, Ala., a few weeks before that for an upcoming travel piece. Interesting place with its strong ties to the civil rights movement and a surprisingly sophisticated food and wine vibe. There is also a roller derby league. Ever since seeing the jammers, I've been trying to come up with a rough-and-tough roller derby name. Like Serial Keeler. Or Jam-it Janet.

Anyway, when I am in a new city, I make it a point to ask locals for dining recommendations. Calvin, the valet attendant at the Hampton Inn Tutwiler downtown, was invaluable. He sent us to Dreamland where we got a heapin' helpin' of fantastic ribs. (We even brought him some back.) Then he sent us to the Fish Market, a vast restaurant jammed with locals. (You could tell because so many diners were wearing hospital scrubs. The university hospital is nearby.) Both winners. Thanks, Calvin.

In a weird, small-world coincidence, in D.C. I met the founder of johnnyjet.com, John DiScala, and he was at Dreamland two weeks before us. Check out the photo of him there. If you haven't visited his site and are looking for some travel deals, get clicking. Even if you're not going anywhere, you'll enjoy reading about his globetrotting exploits. He's got lots of photos of him at restaurants. Who knows? Maybe you've eaten at the same places as Johnny Jet.

Photo by Scott Keeler, Times

*

Comments

[MadAboutParis]

For more awesome Birmingham info, check out this blog:
http://birminghamalabamadailyphoto.blogspot.com/