Library in Homewood, AL
The plan was to hike Ruffner Mountain near Birmingham. Instead, due to heavy rain, I found myself in the Homewood Library. This is was a very nice library with big open spaces and plenty of workspaces with electrical outlets, USB charging ports and very fast wi-fi. There was also a Starbuck a mile away and coffee was allowed in the library.
Homewood is a suburb of Birmingham and is known for its charming neighborhoods, tree-lined streets, and excellent schools. There were many many updated older homes mixed modern amenities, including shopping, dining, and recreational options. There was a bustling downtown area and it is located near several parks. It seemed to have the perfect mix of residentual and outdoor activities. I read that it is a popular choice for families and young professionals due to its convenient location, high-quality lifestyle, and tight-knit community. This was evident in the library as well.
I spent most of the day in the Homewood Public Library looking at photography books, blogging, checking emails, doing an online class, and surfing the web. On one wall was a large, 70 inch TV, which was running non-stop all day beautiful shot videos from around the world. They included drone shots, deep sea photography, adventure photography, and city scapes. They were captivating.
The library closed at 9:00 pm and I headed for something to eat.
Dave’s Pizza
On a Tuesday, the downtown shopping district was brilliantly lit by 5,000 Kelvin lights, creating a consistent brightness on the streets. Unlike some towns where multiple light colors coexist within a single block, the town's uniform choice of light color added to its charm.
I found Dave’s Pizza that had a high rating on google. Dave’s makes thin crust pizza which is more appealing to me. The staff were very upbeat and friendly when I came in. The restaurant is a large open space, mostly pained black. It was very chilly outside and I wasn’t sure I wanted to sit near a window. The greeter told me that they had heaters along the windows. I asked for a seat near one of the TVs that had coverage of an NBA game near a window. She said that if I wasn’t comfortable to let her know and she would reseat me.
I ordered a small salad, a margarita pizza and a local beer. The salad was one of the best dinner salads I’ve had in very long time. It wasn’t large, but had so many layers of flavors. Some thought went into the preparation. The pizza was also good.
The restroom was very entertaining. Someone had taken an image of Elvis on black velvet with them on their vacations all over the world and took photographs of it in famous places. Someone had a really great sense of humor. I’ve seen photography projects were the photographer takes an object with them and then photographs themselves with the object. Probably the most famous is The Red Couch: A Portrait Of America.
I found my way to a Cracker Barrel not far away, parked the car in the back away from street lights and drifted off.