Zumba High

It's been a week since I discovered the high-energy Zumba classes at the Dance Fitness Center at 6643 Atlanta Highway, and I'm still on a Zumba high!  

Photo courtesy http://www.facebook.com/thedancefitnesscenter

It's hard to describe that Zumba high, but it goes something like this: After a long Monday at the office, you finally have a chance to stretch your joints, shake your booty, and twist your body to a jam-packed hour of cumbia beats and salsa combinations.  After class is when the high really kicks in: you get into your car, roll the sunroof and windows down, and immediately turn the radio to the pop station and start singing the new Rihanna jam at the top of your lungs.  It's like that.  Yes, I'm that crazy person singing in my car post-Zumba.  And I love it!

 

Heather and Lily are fantastic, energetic Zumba instructors who grin from ear to ear and make you shout, sweat and smile through the workout with them. I think Heather says it best on DFC's facebook page:  "This is so not exercise!! It's an hour of freedom! It's an hour at the club without all those yahoos bumping up on you! This is an hour that can make you feel like the woman you know you want to be!!! This isn't just about the calories (although, believe me, you stick with me and you will burn them off!!!), this is about making you feel better about yourself. This isn't just working on you physically, its works on you emotionally and socially. This will change your life! Spread the word and join the party!"

Click here for a list of days & times offered at the Dance Fitness Center. All classes $5.

The RiverWalk 'Line' Festival

When I found out that Montgomery had its very own wine festival, on the beautiful riverfront, I was thrilled!  A few friends and I dutifully shelled out $25 each for tickets and walked down to Riverfront Park this Saturday to join the fun.  But, when we got there, we quickly realized that the RiverWalk Wine Festival is more of a Riverfront 'Line' Festival, with a long, snaking line connecting the dozen or so wine tasting booths.  All in all, we tasted less than ten wines at just a few of the booths. The tasting to waiting ratio was about 1:5.  Definitely not worth $25.  Ted the Wine Guy on Zelda Rd. hosts more enjoyable and educational tastings every friday evening... for free.   

Unfortunately, most of our conversation during the event centered around the line situation.  It was just uncomfortable to watch.  Instead of walking around leisurely, then stopping at booths and forming crowds in front of each tasting booth, guests had organized themselves in lines that stretched in between the booths and approached each booth from the side.  As you can imagine, only a few people were being served at a time at each booth, so the lines were barely moving.  Standing in the hot sun in totally unnecessary lines just wasn't our thing, so we left early. 

While I was dissapointed with the line situation, I do think that the RiverWalk Wine Festival can easily live up to its potential and become Montgomery's signature wine event, with a few minor tweaks.  I'm thrilled that Montgomery is starting to emerge as a top food and wine destination in Alabama, and I want to make things better rather than complaining from the sidelines.

As you can probably tell, I am a huge wine aficionado.  I have lived in California, Oregon and Washington, DC, where I enjoyed easy access to wine country and more than my share of wine events.  Crowd control is absolutely paramount, but it can be done right!  If event staff is on hand to tell guests, "there is no need to form lines between booths, just choose your booth and walk right up to it," then the wine pourers can serve guests more efficiently. 

The idea is to form clusters, not lines (in front of, rather than at the sides of each booth), about 3-5 people deep and at least five people wide, so that at least ten people can be tasting at the same time (just hold out your glass, get your pour, stand back to taste while other people get their pours, and repeat until you've tasted all the wines at that booth).  At Saturday's event, some of the booths were serving only one or two people at a time, which is about the most inefficient way to handle wine tasting at an event with hundreds of people. 

I hope I can be involved in improving the guest experience at the RiverWalk Wine Festival next year, because I do think it can be great.  Just think clusters, not lines... and, from the guests to the sponsors to the wine companies and distributors... everyone wins.

The Front Porch Revival: "Art and industry are alive and well in the cultural kitchen of Alabama."

My latest Montgomery find is so awesome that I'm struggling to capture it in words.  As a native of Southern California, I tend to revert to the word "awesome" when words fail me.  So, please bear with me as I try to describe an emerging movement in Alabama food and culture that is probably the most "awesome" thing I've discovered since moving to the South:  The Front Porch Revival. 

After coming across a somewhat obscure facebook post the other day about a festival featuring local chefs and craft brews, held at one of my favorite locations in the Gump, the A&P Lofts, I emailed a few friends in a flurry and managed to rope my new friend Laura into joining me for the Front Porch Revival's friday evening locavore showcase.

As I walked behind Pine Bar into the A&P courtyard, which was shaded with trees and pleasantly adorned with four or five canopied booths featuring local chefs and an artist, I was first welcomed by an ebullient young woman named Caroline who enthusiastically took my $25 and pointed me toward the beer cooler.  Next, I was handed a bottle of tasty Brown Ale from Back Forty Beer Co. (based in Gadsden; also the brewmasters behind Montgomery's forthcoming Railyard Brewing Co.).  After running into some work buddies and meeting up with Laura (as well as my amazingly well-connected friend Hannah, who is always introducing me to new people), we proceeded to enjoy some of the best "Southern" fare I've tasted:  Pimento cheese mini burgers from Railyard Brewing Co., a few different dishes featuring Gulf-caught shrimp (I should have taken notes), and mouthwatering jambalaya from Roux's new chef Wesley True, washed down with "Naked Pig" Pale Ale.

This photo doesn't do it justice.  I hope a professional was snapping pics.

The organziers gave a few remarks about the chefs and the philosophy behind Front Porch, which you must read for yourself on their facebook page (authentic, organic, fun and inspiring).  Then, they introduced the head of the Carver High School culinary program, which the event benefitted.  All in all, I felt like I had encountered a bit of Portland, Oregon here in Montgomery, Alabama (or what Portland used to be before it began to take itself too seriously).  When I use the word "organic" to describe Front Porch, I mean it in its truest form: unpretentious, from the earth, and from the heart.  That was the vibe that the crowd, each of the friendly chefs, the brewmasters, the organizers (indeed, everyone!) gave off at the event. 

As I walked home, I couldn't help but smile (and wave to my neighbors, who were - YES! - sitting on their front porches).  The Front Porch Revival's low-key, high-quality event was probably the best $25 I've spent all year: and it supported a good cause!  I was pleasantly full and still drooling over the food and craft beers that I had the pleasure of tasting.  I can't wait to get more involved and help bring more heartfelt, enjoyable evenings of great local fare and good conversation to the Gump. 

I'll leave you with a few words from the Front Porch Revival's manifesto:  "Forged in the fires of progress in the Deep South, we are a collective of cultural voices committed to our crafts and unified in our purpose to spread the word that art and industry are alive and well in the cultural kitchen of Alabama."  But don't let their grandiose statements fool ya: the folks behind the Front Porch Revival also embody a sense of humor and lightness that I have found indigenous to the South.  The final line of their mission statement: "also, we like to party."

Small pleasures in the Gump: Sushi Cafe

As the saying goes, "Enjoy the little things in life; for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things."

I often don't have the energy for a full-fledged blog post, but I still have things to share about Montgomery, Alabama that make me smile.   My life is not perfectly in order right now, nor am I in a particularly happy place personally (long distance relationships are no fun, work sometimes hands me more pressure than I think I can handle, etc...).  However, I still want to take time to appreciate the little things.  If I am ever to climb my way out of this rut and reach a more positive outlook, I MUST take the time to savor life's little happy moments. 

Small pleasure #1:  Sushi Cafe on Zelda Road.  Nom, nom, nomnomnom..... delish!  Do yourself a favor and try the Black Pepper Tuna Roll (Avocado, Cucumber, Crab meat, Black Tobiko, Seared Blackened pepper, Tuna on top w/ Wasabi Peanut Sauce).  It's pure heaven. 
 

Music in Montgomery: Dead Fingers House Concert

Last weekend, we were lucky enough to host a house concert for the up-and-coming Dead Fingers, a folk-rock duo from Birmingham.  House concerts are a growing trend for touring musicians across the country.  As Taylor and Kate from the Dead Fingers each shared with me after the show, it means a lot to musicians to play in intimate venues where people are actually listening to the words and meaning behind their songs.  From a musician's perspective, undivided attention is the ultimate form of respect - something you don't usually get from playing at a crowded bar.  Case in point:  nearly every single person that attended the Dead Fingers house concert purchased their CD.  Aside from the heavenly tunes, the best part of the night was seeing the guests line up to buy Dead Fingers CDs at the makeshift "merch table" we set up in the hallway.  Listening to live music and introducing people to new music are some of my absolute favorite things.  If you haven't heard the Dead Fingers, you must check them out at www.deadfingers.com.  I look forward to seeing them at the Bottletree in Birmingham on Friday, June 29. 

Picturesque riverfront drinking at the SandBAR

Yesterday evening, a few girlfriends and I checked out the SandBAR, an (incredibly) welcome addition to Montgomery's Riverfront Park.  I can't think of a better way to spend a beautiful Friday evening in May. 

SandBAR is located on High Red Bluff, overlooking the ampitheater and the Alabama River. To get there, just go through the "Riverfront Park" gate and head into the park via the tunnel underneath the railroad tracks.  Then hang a right and hike up the steps to the bluff (look for cylindrical white silos; you can't miss 'em). 

If Riverfront Park is an oasis in the middle of Montgomery, SandBAR is an oasis within an oasis.  SandBAR offers cold beverages, live music, corn hole, plenty of seating, and even a real-life sand bar for the kids to play in. 

There's also plenty of history to take in.  From the SandBAR Facebook page: "Also called Hostile Bluff or Thirteen Mile Bluff, this spot located in a deep bend of the Alabama River was once the key to the Southeast and a strategic point in Colonial days. The first steamboat, the Harriet, arrived at this point in 1821, and the first railroad came in 1880, making Montgomery a transportation hub for people and commerce. When cotton was king, millions of bales were shipped from the wharf here by steam boat to Mobile and thence to the mills of England. The tunnel under the railroad tracks was built in 1879 so that horse-drawn wagons of cotton could be brought to wharf without crossing the tracks."

This time of year, the breeze is already warm and fragrant and the days are getting longer and longer.  As my friends and I celebrated the end of a very long week with generous pours of crisp, white wine, the sun sank lazily over the river into a bed of scattered clouds. 

Enjoy the photos, and do yourself a favor - visit the SandBAR ASAP!  I'll be back today, for Jubilee CityFest!

Hunt's Oyster Bar, Panama City, FL

Thank you, Hunt's Oyster Bar, for beckoning with your off-the-beaten path location in the Historic St. Andrews community of Panama City.  Thank you, Eva Z., for recommending Hunt's on Yelp.  Thank, you, weather, for being rainy for most of the day on Saturday during our visit to Panama City Beach.  I have officially had the best oysters of my life.

Last weekend, the boyfriend and I decided to rendezvous in Panama City Beach, since I could easily drive from Montgomery (and fit in a work meeting on the way), and he could quickly fly nonstop from the D.C. area.  Panama City is not the best beach that the Gulf has to offer, but the coastline is beautiful, the sand is fluffy-white, and we thankfully stayed in a hotel free of spring breakers (also thanks to my favorite Yelper, Eva Z.).  I love you, Eva

                                                                       

When Saturday morning greeted us with rain, we spent a leisurely morning in the hotel room and out on our balcony trying to decide whether to head to the outlet mall in Destin or to Hunt's for lunch.  We made the right choice.

Hunt's is divey, yet quaint.   Its yellow-cottage exterior beckons, though it's not on the waterfront or anything special like that.  But it's good.  And it's real.  And, a man with two fingers on his left hand shucks the plumpest, juiciest oysters right in front of you and piles them on your plate. 

Hunt's had the freshest oysters I've ever seen or tasted, from just down the road in Apalachicola, FL.  We had three-cheese baked oysters, which were delicious (especially with jalapeno), but our true loves were the raw oysters.  We ate a dozen baked oysters, three dozen raw, and at $4.45 per dozen, our wallets were also a fan of Hunt's.  We washed the oysters down with glasses of Pinot Grigio (and I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in the joint that preferred wine over beer, but that's OK).  We left full, frisky, and most importantly.... happy.  

The moment I realized leaving DC was the right move.

This post is very special to me.  It signifies a big shift, from the past to the future.  From the big city to a slower pace.  Let me describe the moment when I knew that leaving DC for Alabama was the right decision.

Last weekend I enjoyed a beautiful trip to Washington, DC, to visit my boyfriend.  He’s still living there and working while he looks for a new job so he can join me here in his home state of Alabama.  The visit was picturesque:  we walked lazily beneath the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin; enjoyed long, leisurely brunches; went to dinner at our two favorite restaurants; and even caught some live music at the 9:30 club.  But, one moment in particular stood out for both of us.

On Friday night, weather was so mild that we flung his apartment windows open to listen to the hum of Connecticut Avenue as we drifted off to sleep.  Yet, at 4:30 a.m. we were abruptly awoken by the sound of a heated argument outside.  One man was shouting at another man, loudly and sternly.  It went on for at least five minutes, and we lay in bed – slightly annoyed, slightly perturbed, and a little scared – trying to make out what he was saying.  It turns out that a cop was shouting to a severely intoxicated man, “How are you going to pay this cab?” over and over, like he wasn’t getting the answer that he wanted.  Ah, DC.  The land of (otherwise smart and put-together) twentysomethings getting trashed every weekend in Adams Morgan, being thrown in a cab, forgetting cab fare for their ride home (or worse, losing their purse or wallet entirely).

I admit that I have been guilty of lots of debauchery myself.  But this incident was different.  The man was so disgustingly intoxicated, the cop was so, so angry.  It was all so…. loud.  Eventually the cop carted the man off to spend what I’m sure was a very enlightening night in jail.  And, we tried to go back to sleep. 

The next day, we discussed the incident.   I said to my boyfriend, “that was the moment when I knew leaving DC was the right move.”  He agreed.  It’s time for us to carve out a life elsewhere.  Somewhere where we can begin to ponder what it would mean to settle down.

“You should blog about it,” said the boyfriend.  So, I did, while sitting in the sunroom of my little house in Montgomery, Alabama, with all the windows open, listening to the peaceful sounds of the morning songbirds.  I am home.

The Great Outdoors: Swayback Bridge Trail

From time to time, I like to explore the great outdoors.  Get out of the city.  Get lost on a country road.  Scout out a swimming hole. 

Back in DC, my idea of getting outside usually involved heading to the Virginia wineries and patio-drinking with views of the Blue Ridge.  But, I also love a great hike (or trail run).

So, when my new friend M invited me to run the Swayback Bridge Trail near Lake Jordan on what promised to be a perfect, 70 degree Saturday in March, I jumped at the chance.  And boy, was it worth it.   

I didn't think to snap a photo, but when I go back it will be even prettier (once the leaves come out on the trees and provide a lush, shady canopy over the trail).  The water views along parts of the trail helped me forget about side-aches and the general discomfort of running.  Pretty soon, my breathing became more regular and I began to say silent prayers of thanks for the beautiful day and surroundings. 

Thanks, M, for making me get out of the city, and for pushing me to run four miles in the dirt and the mud! 

With a great trail only 30 minutes outside of Montgomery (and at LEAST three bar-be-cue joints on the drive there -- we counted), I am sure I'll be back.  Next time, it will probably be for a more low-key hike followed by a bar-be-cue crawl.  Who's in?

Central: New, like me.

On a weekday afternoon, on my way to the downtown post office, I noticed a sign on Coosa St. near the Alley development that simply read "Central."   After googling it to death, I couldn't come up with any local results... UNTIL I found the facebook page for Central, Montgomery's hottest new restaurant.  It was actually set to open the very week that I discovered its sign.  Per usual, I had to check it out.  So, a new friend and I headed there for drinks around 6:30pm on their first Thursday in business.  

Since we are both recovering urbanites living in Montgomery, my new friend and I could not get enough of Central's decor (Atlanta! DC! New York!).  The place has that great feel: intimate yet sprawling, just enough noise, exposed brick, great design.  It had us at hello. 

I decided to return to Central a week later for dinner. I had a great reason to celebrate: My BFF (from college and DC) was in town. Before I moved to Montgomery, she generously offered to come visit me during my first month in Alabama.  Knowing that I'd be a little lonely and in need of some help settling in, she booked her flight to Montgomery before I even left DC.  Now, THAT is a good friend. 

And, she loves good food and wine, just like me.  So off to Central we went on a Saturday night in late February.

What we ordered:  Biscuits and pimento cheese (cheese was to die for, biscuits were meh).  Raw oysters (as pricey as DC but delicious and worth every penny, and paired well with the pinot gris). Seared Ahi tuna skewers with avocado (AH-MAY-ZING and only $8).  Wood-grilled Gulf Amberjack (delish but we just wanted more of the Ahi tuna..... that will be my go-to dish at Central in the future).  Brussels sprouts with bacon (incredible).  All in all, we were happy campers amid the candlelight, wooden wine racks, sea of happy diners and potted cotton blossoms (BFF gets credit for noticing that the cotton blossoms really "made" the decor).

While the evening wasn't perfection (some of our food got cold on the table while we waited for our second glasses of Oregon wine - pinot gris for me, pinot noir for BFF), we wholeheartedly enjoyed the cuisine and ambiance at Central.

After my return visit, I am certain that Central will now be a regular Girl Meets Gump hotspot for drinks, dinner, and lunch.  And when they introduce brunch, I will be all over that.  Welcome, Central.  You and I, we're both new to Montgomery.  We need to stick together.

The quest for hummus.

Most of my facebook friends are now familiar with my occasional diatribes complaining about the lack of "big city" amenities in Montgomery.  While I won't bore you by listing each of them, I do want to admit that I have been officially corrected on one of my most ardent criticisms.  And it has to do with that yummy (and healthy) mediterranean treat, hummus.  Yes, hummus. 

Let me explain.

On my very first grocery shopping trip as a new Montgomery resident, I asked a grocer at Publix where I could find the hummus. 

A)  He didn't know what hummus was.
B)  We spent the next twenty minutes on a wild goose chase across the store, finally ending up at the "fancy" standalone deli refrigerator where I stared down at ONE brand of drastically overpriced hummus. 

The lack of hummus knowledge that I observed at Publix, its scarce availability - and most eggregiously, its high markup - caused me to snap.  Of course I immediately (and wrongly) assumed that hummus must be considered a luxury to Alabamians.  Nevermind that my boyfriend's parents - who hail from North Alabama - have served it to me in the past.  I quickly forgot about that and went on a total bender, complaining to all who whould listen about Montgomery's lack of hummus.

That is... until I was proved wrong.  During a very enjoyable and eye-opening trip to Wal-Mart, I observed that the big box chain has several varieties of hummus at great prices. 

(Wal-Mart's hummus display.)

I avoided Wal-Mart like the plague my first few weeks.   I've quickly gotten over that.  Wal-Mart is now my exclusive hummus provider.

I live here now.  Forget Washington, DC and my beloved Trader Joe's and its many varieties of hummus.  I live in Montgomery.  And, I still love hummus.  And, I still have hummus - multiple kinds, in my fridge.  And one container at work. 

And, even if I had never found my amazing Wal-Mart hummus... it really wouldn't be the end of the world, now, would it? 

The Door.

What happens when you combine one 1920s-era front door, twelve window panes, two college graduates (and one advanced degree), ten feet of window film purchased at Home Depot, a squeegee and an exacto knife? Attempt #2 to “frost” my front-door windows for privacy.  I live in a rental so curtains seemed too permanent. However, I quickly learned that applying window film is easier said than done -- especially on TWELVE panes. After my failed attempt to do it myself, I roped my man into helping when he came in from DC for a visit.  Let's face it: I'm not handy, he's not real handy.  But our mantra was: "Our DIY-er friends are not any smarter than we are.  They are just more patient. We can do this."  So, we patiently cut out and adhered twelve pieces of window film, one painstaking step at a time. 

As you can see, frosting the windows was a great option.  The window film lets in light but adds privacy.  Here we are on the fourth pane.  Two urbanites in DIY-land.

Almost done!

The final product.

Afterward, we even had the energy to hang our black and white photo and art gallery.  Not bad.  I am convinced that window film was a great choice to keep the integrity of the (home's original?) door while adding style and privacy.  I love the old house I am living in.  Now, it feels a little more like HOME.

And to think, I didn't even want to brave Home Depot!!!!! I'm a convert now.