Quintessential Mobile (Alabama that is)

July 9th, 2007 12:13 AM
No, I am not talking about the quintessential restless heart of America, which we inherited from our immigrant forefathers who shared a pre-disposition for moving and being mobile. I am referring to the enviable stasis which is found in Mobile, Alabama.
A GRAND SOUTHERN COASTAL CITY
A recent section of "Mobile Bay Monthly" was lovingly devoted to the basic elements which are the fibers defining Mobile as a grand southern coastal city. She has had her grand times and penniless eras, along with facelifts and tummy tucks, over her 300+ years. Certain elements endure and provide the basis for this "what was old is new again" golden era.
As I have experienced in Charleston, South Carolina this is a city which suffered mightily during and after Reconstruction, waiting for the inevitable return of respect and position. Charleston found this rebirth several decades ago but here in Mobile the clock turns a little slower, if inevitably.
HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS
Historic neighborhoods are one of the best kept secrets of a grand old southern city. They are the strategic locations which become the walkable gateways to a reborn downtown and waterfront as the rejuvenation progresses.
As with Charleston, SC and Savannah, Ga, Mobile's elite escaped the malarial summers to the coastal islands and up country farms and villages. The tradition continues with many city dwellers and suburbanites having a 2nd home on the beaches and bays of Dauphin Island, Fowl River's winding tributaries and Mobile Bay's sheltering banks.
REQUIRED: A MOBILE GUIDE
If you are new to the area, be sure to find a great guide to show you the hidden gems, live oak cloistered beauties while extolling the new renaissance Mobile city is coming into.
Posted by Marion Laney on July 9th, 2007 12:13 AM