Smile! You're on Camera

We installed security cameras around the building. 2nd Avenue Storage runs unmanned several hours a day and we wanted our tenants' belongings to be as safe as possible, monitor traffic, and be able to see what was happening remotely. All feeds can be viewed on the TV screen in my loft. To notify customers they were on camera, we made some signs. Honestly, self storage is boring, and people associate it with an unpleasant chore, so I try to make it easy to use and less boring than other storage facilities. Keeping with this idea, I didn't want to buy off the shelf signs, so the accordion player and I put on our creative caps and painted some signs of our own. I think they were a success, because everyone that sees them smiles. And smiling is the point: they're on camera.

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Urban Garden Updates

My main goal in planting my gardens was to spruce up the ugly tree wells, but having fresh herbs was a close second. The basil from the garden has exploded. I've been using it almost every meal. We have so much that the accordion player made a delicious pesto sauce, and I've started drying some in anticipation of the long hard basil-less winter to come. I've also taken cuttings to grow new basil plants. The oregano got off to a slow start. I think part of that was because I put one out of reach of our high tech watering mechanism (i.e. hanging out the 2nd story window with a spray hose); I moved the worrisome plant, and focused on watering them both more. Seems to have paid off lately.

I've had mixed results with my chives, and all three plants are in the same place so I can't figure out what's going on. One is doing great. One is all but dead. The third is about halfway in between.

My other herbs have performed with varying degrees of success. The tarragon has done well and we've made some delicious fish dishes with it, but lately the basil is blocking its sun, so I'm considering moving it. I planted some thyme and mint recently which seem to be doing fine but it's too early to tell. I planted cilantro way too late, and only got to harvest it once. I clipped some rosemary from an overgrown bush down the street, but I think it may be getting too much water in my garden.

I thought I had mediocre results with the peppers, but was wrong. They produced for a while and stopped, then suddenly started again. We've had a lot of hard rains lately so I'm assuming that has something to do with it. The jalapenos are delicious but almost too hot to eat. The serranos and cleverly named "green chili" are a little milder but I don't think the flavor is as good.

Aside from all the herbs, to improve the appearance I added some flowers for color and I put a vining plant in each of the wells and tried to train them to climb the ginkgo trees to give some height to the garden. I put some succulent flowers in the hard to water area, and they have done well. I put various types of phlox which quickly lost their flowers and have continued more or less unchanged. I added a couple of other types of flowers later which did better, but I've completely forgotten their names. The jasmine is doing well and climbing up the eastern tree. The clematis I put in the Western well is doing fine, but doesn't seem to want to stick to the tree.

I've had a lot of fun with this and I'm looking for ways to expand the garden. There are some more or less abandoned beds in front of the parking lot next door which could probably be commandeered, but not easily watered. I've discussed hanging some leafy plants off of El Barrio's awnings, but I'm not sure if that would be messy or too hard to tend. I've also contemplated a guerrilla orchard in a spot that will remain undisclosed for obvious reasons. Finally there's the roof option, which seems obvious but I'm worried about the weight and the less than convenient access.

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Is that a baby downtown? How irresponsible

El Barrio has had a two hour wait pretty much every weekend I can remember but they are truly spilling out onto the streets tonight. I assume it has something to do with the story ABC 33/40 ran last night. I tried to find a video on their website but was unsuccessful. And look at the picture! Somebody brought a BABY downtown. 2nd Avenue and the loft district has faced a perception battle for a long time, but what a great image to show how that is changing!

But where do you buy groceries????

7 years ago, when I told people I lived downtown their first response was to gasp, look over both shoulders, and ask in a low voice "Aren't you scared?" Occasionally people still ask me, but  most people have come to realize that the loft district is as safe or safer than Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Hoover, or Homewood. Now when I tell somebody I live downtown they say "Oh that sounds fun. If I didn't have a [kid, dog, husband, potted plant] I'd love to move downtown!" Then they always follow up with "But where do you buy groceries????"

I used to respond "Where do you buy groceries? I get in the car and drive 5 minutes, just like you." But a couple of years ago, Mamanoes opened up less than a block from my house. I can walk there in less than a minute. It's not a "supermarket," but it's a lot more than a convenience store. Antonio is the hardest working man downtown, and he carries fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy. He's got a great beer and wine selection, and keeps some chicken, sausage and lunch meet in stock (pro tip: he usually keeps a couple of nice steaks in a hidden refrigerator, but you have to ask and sometimes beg for one). I buy about 90% of my groceries from Mamanoes, because of the convenience.

But it's a small shop and he doesn't have everything. The grocery business is all about turns and spoilage (or so Antonio tells me). Fish doesn't work well in a low turn market. Luckily, a bike ride away is The Fish Market. Most people think of The Fish Market as a restaurant, forgetting that the one downtown actually has a wonderful market inside. You can take home a sushi grade tuna steak and the freshest shrimp from here to the coast. They also have an interesting selection of Greek dry goods like olive oil and some wonderful paprika.

But maybe you're looking for some artisan cheese or a fancy chorizo or a butcher shop or a wider selection of vegetables. Ever heard of V. Richards? If you're a foodie, this is the best place to buy groceries in Birmingham. It's 2.4 miles from the loft district: less than a 10 minute drive.

Yeah, but V. Richard's Asian selection sucks. Well why drive that 9 minutes when you can go up to 7th Avenue to Chai's? I've never seen more food from India, Japan, China, Korea, and some places I'm missing, all piled on top of each other in one tiny wonderfully chaotic store. They've got any noodle you could image, vegetables of which I've never heard, chile's for those seeking early deaths, and real actual Tamari. Look, they have Ghee. If you don't know what Ghee is, it's Butter's less healthy cousin and it makes me happy.

But no, you wouldn't eat Ghee or cloud your aura with any other animal product if you were starving! You don't need those toxins polluting your system. Well good heavens, man! Get yourself over to Golden Temple Health Foods. They're about a mile and a half away in Five Points, and have the best vegan and vegetarian groceries in town.

Ok, but you've just moved downtown, which is adventure enough right now, thank you very much. You don't want to eat something made out of seaweed. When you ask "Where do you get groceries?" you don't mean "Where do you get uppity herbs and spices?" You want frozen dinners and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I'm right there with you, my friend. Kraft unlocked the secret to life in 1937, and who am I to deny you magic in favor of over-priced hipster-fare? Well fear not, intrepid downtown grocery shopper. We've got plenty of "normal" grocery stores less than 10 minutes away. I usually go to Western on Highland or The Pig on Clairmont because they're within that 3 mile radius.

But wait! You have discriminating tastes. You won't buy your Kraft Macaroni and Cheese anywhere but Publix! The aisles are so wide and well lit and luxurious! You're in luck; you have about a fifteen minute drive to Irondale or Homewood.

Finally, if you hate grocery bags and enjoy confusion, there's an Aldi over in Homewood, but only accordion players shop there. There are also a couple of more Asian groceries around Homewood as well, but I prefer Chai's.

Ok, well I've had a little fun being snotty, but I shop at all of these places at various times. I hope to put your mind at ease about the myth that you will starve living downtown.

EDIT: I completely forgot Freshfully! They've only been open a couple of months and I've only been there once, but it's a fantastic place to get locally grown vegetables and meats from Alabama farmers. They are about the same distance as V. Richards, in Avondale across from the Avondale Brewery.

Urban Gardening

Ginkgo trees line 2nd Avenue. The city plants them in 4 foot square tree wells every 25 feet or so. The trees look great and add a lot of warmth to the neighborhood. The city does not plant or cover the wells, so a lot of them are just dirt. It would be nice to have a unified look for the neighborhood, but in the meantime it gives us residents an opportunity to get creative and do some gardening.

Two weeks ago we dug up the old dirt around the ginkgoes in front of the Counts Bros building and added some soil conditioner. We surrounded the wells with a wood border to keep in the soil and discourage pedestrians from stepping on the plants. The wood fit with El Barrio's look, and the guys seemed pleased with it, although I think they were just happy to get rid of what had become 4 foot ashtrays.

Before I talk about the plants, I have to admit I know very little about gardening so I probably choose some items that won't work with the sun or whatever. I took some pictures and brought them to a local garden store and they did the best they could advising me on what to plant. We planted jasmine and clematis around the base of the trees to add some leafy greenery at ground level. At the corners of the wells we planted small perennial flowers for some color. I wasn't sure how vegetables would do, but it was hard to resist planting some cayenne and other hot peppers. Primarily we stuck to herbs: chives, oregano, and basil. We also commandeered a couple of rosemary shoots from a nearby bush that was overgrown.

Urban gardening presents some challenges that you wouldn't have with a yard. For example, I don't have a water faucet on the first floor, and lugging buckets didn't seem like a lot of fun, so I had to come up with a creative way to water the plants.

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Proximity Card Access

The upper floor of the Counts Brothers Building is home to 2nd Avenue Storage. Until recently customers have used keys to enter and exit. This week we installed proximity card readers to increase security. Cards are serialized and entrances are recorded so that we know who is coming and going, and access can be more easily revoked if the need should arise. In other news, El Barrio has begun outdoor seating, taking advantage of the covered recess leading to the doorway of 2nd Avenue Storage and my loft. It's a nice place to enjoy the spring weather!

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Railroad Park within Walking Distance

I've spent a lot of time enjoying Railroad Park this spring. From the Counts Brothers Building I can walk there in 10 minutes. On any given given weekend afternoon there are hundreds of people picnicing, flying kites, throwing balls, and taking in the scenery. I like to take some pencils and draw at my favorite spot beside the lake (I included a couple of quick sketches in the pictures). At night I like to walk alongside the waterfall and look at the lights changing the color of the water. I took a couple of pictures of a peculiar feature, because the reflective tape looked cool in the camera's flash. I asked Camille, the park's executive director, what these things are and got this response:

I think their technical name is "bollards", whatever that means. Kids love them - they run around them like an obstacle course, and often they try their darndest to pull them out of the ground. Since the bollards are flexible, kids also love to whack them.

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Making the Mural

It was hard for me not post pictures of the mural while it was in process. I have a terrible time keeping my mouth shut, particularly when I'm excited about something. I was already living upstairs when Shane B started working on it. Every night for a month, he'd come in around 9 and work until I'm not sure when. I'd always find some excuse to poke my head in and take a few work-in-progress pictures, and then hide them on my computer in a folder named "Don't Post, Idiot." I'd mentioned before that the mural was done entirely with spray paint, and that this amazed me. You can see that more in these pictures. For more pictures of the finished mural, look here.[gallery order="DESC"]

Batman Drinks Wine Coolers in 2nd Ave Storage

Batman drinks wine coolers in 2nd Avenue Storage; why would you store your stuff any place else? In this picture, you can also see some of the fun wall paintings done by friends from Space One Eleven art studio.

El Barrio Open for Dinner

Tonight was opening night for El Barrio. Like lunch, they didn't advertise because they wanted a small crowd in order to practice before they got slammed. I was upstairs packing for a business trip. The hood vents run behind and above my loft, so I can't smell the cooking in my place. I was bringing my bag to my car through the storage units; in the storage units I could smell it, and immediately became hungry. I hadn't heard any noise in my loft so I figured that the crowd was, in fact, small. I decided to walk downstairs to grab some pozole.

When I came out the front door and looked inside El Barrio, I was shocked. The place was packed! Every chair, barstool, and standing area was dripping with people. Appleseed blew two feet of foam insulation between the restaurant and loft. I had always assumed that I would hear a descent bit of noise anyway, but I had no idea anybody was down there despite the place being standing room only.

Luckily Jerry and Roxane were sitting in the lounge and I was able to crowd in with them. People often ask me if I have a "reserved table" or some other kind of special treatment; I've never even broached the subject. Personally I think that would be an infringement on what is starting out to be a great business relationship. When I'm there I'm just another customer.

Jerry and Roxane were entertaining a couple that is looking to move downtown; the (soon to be) new neighbors were having a great time and I can't wait to hang out with them some more. We talked about crime and the non-existence thereof, and where we shop for groceries (within walking distance), and the reason we all stay downtown.

We move downtown because we like the asthetics. We stay here because we get so wrapped up in the community. Tonight, just walking to get a loaf of bread a quart of milk and a stick of butter, I ran into Alfred and Kelly (walking Cocoa and Pootin' Nanny), and Larry: the self-described "most hated man in downtown." While I was sitting inside El Barrio, Bob (who had some clients visiting from San Diego) and Gary (who I thought was still in Russia) stopped by to eat, drink and visit. What makes this the best Birmingham neighborhood is that it is so easy to make friends; neighbors with whom you spend time, not just to whom you wave disingenuously at the mailbox.

Oh, and the nightlife. That's the other thing. We need these walking distance bars and coffee shops and restaurants; places to go to share our mistakes, triumphs, embarrassments, prides, hurts, loves, and wish-we'd-loveds with our neighbors. I'm really excited that El Barrio is going to be a new place for the neighbors to do that.

And now for my obligatory photographic ineptitude. I took these shots to show that there were a bunch of people here. Well, whatever. Use your imagination.

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Another Great Review for El Barrio

El Barrio has been getting rave reviews. The Birmingham News featured a great article today. Weld had a good one last week. I'm glad these people can write about food because every time someone asks me to describe what El Barrio serves, I babble incoherently and then run off. This way I can just post links.

El Barrio Open for Lunch

El Barrio opened for lunch on Tuesday. They had repeatedly told me they were trying to not to draw too much attention so that they would have small crowds and be able to perfect the processes. Well, by Thursday they were slammed. The food is fantastic. I got a sneak preview last Friday when I was dropping off the utility bills. They brought out every taco on the menu, so I got to try out about half the lunch offering in one swoop. I've learned in this process that I am terrible at describing food. I keep telling people it's Mexican, but not like any Mexican food you've ever had. The menu looks typical at first glance, but read the descriptions and you'll see what I mean. Weld did a much better description than I ever could, so read this. I haven't figured out what is my favorite dish on the menu, but I'm really digging the Pozole.

While they are only open for lunch right now, Chris told me today that their liquor license came through, so they should be opening for dinner in the next couple of weeks. I haven't seen a dinner menu yet, but the featured item is unbelievable. Can't wait to show it to you.

Now that they're open I can finally post pictures of the dining room. El Barrio seats about 60 inside. When the weather gets warm again they'll add some more seating outside along the sidewalk. They have two long harvest tables for large parties, as well as booths and 4-top tables. There's a long bar along the western wall where they'll be serving locally brewed beers, wine, and made-from-scratch margaritas. Bench seats run along the front windows with low tables where people can stop in for quick appetizers and refreshments. Jeremy Erdreich did a good write up from an architect's point of view, so if you didn't check that out last month I highly recommend it.

Most everything is made out of materials reclaimed either from Storkland, or from other Appleseed projects. Wood and steel give an industrial but intimate feel. A mural covers the eastern wall. It catches your attention the moment you walk inside and you keep staring, seeing other new details. The mural was painted by Shane B, a regionally sought-after tattoo artist with Non-Stop Art around the corner. The most amazing part is that he used nothing but spray paint. I couldn't imagine drawing all of that detail with an aerosol can.

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El Barrio Dining Room Preview

It should have been obvious, but it's recently come to my attention that Jeremy Erdreich must be a much smoother talker than I: He convinced El Barrio to let him post some dining room pictures, in particular the mural about which I was sworn to secrecy. It's a great article and you should definitely follow that link and take a look. In other news, Mike told me the health department inspection went well, and the guys moved in most of the dining room furniture this weekend.

CO for El Barrio

Congratulations to El Barrio for receiving their Certificate of Occupancy on Monday. Next up: Health Department and some extra restaurant specific CO that I don't quite understand. I can't publish pictures of the dining room yet, but it doesn't look like anything else in Birmingham. The only thing left to do is move the custom made furniture from the garage and Appleseed's warehouse, and finish up a decorative piece that I'm not supposed to talk about yet. I can post some pictures of the kitchen (some of which were taken before completion).

In a separate note, in my Halloween Reverse Parade post, I forgot to thank Patty Pilkerton, the Central City Neighborhood Association President, for spearheading the effort to bring the parade back from oblivion. Thanks, Patty!

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The Halloween Reverse Parade

Even though Trattoria Centrale is only a couple of blocks away on 20th Street, the area doesn't get near the evening foot traffic that we get on 2nd Avenue. When the Trattoria owners were picking a location for El Barrio, they sought out 2nd Avenue specifically to take advantage the vibrant night life. Events and festivals such as Artwalk have brought visitors into the area and made them realize downtown Birmingham is a safe and fun place to live and visit. A resident population that has grown during a down housing market, and the number of visitors that now see downtown as a destination, have made 2nd Avenue a place that restaurants like El Barrio want to locate.

One of my favorite 2nd Avenue festivals lacks a name. I've called it the Halloween Reverse Parade. I've heard people refer to it as the Drive-Through Haunted House. I think the reason I enjoy it so much is that although it doesn't have a name and isn't organized by anyone, it has been happening for 40 years. People from all over Birmingham show up to 2nd Avenue on Halloween night dressed in masks and costumes. Others drive down 2nd with their kids in the backseat. As traffic builds up the drivers roll down their windows so the monsters can run up to the cars and give the kids a little scare. The cars make the block and go through the haunted "house" a few times. It's wild and it's fun and it's not like anything I've ever seen anywhere else.

Some of us locals sit on the patio of the Metro Bar to watch the spectacle and scream encouragement (some to the kids, but admittedly some to the monsters). In the picture below you can see some of the early traffic, and an Evil Clown approaching a car full of kids. I apologize for not taking more pictures but I was having too much fun hooting and hollering.

Secrets and Lies!

I lied about not showing any more pictures of the dining room. I took a couple of shots that don't reveal any of the surprises. Appleseed repaired the floors around the front of the restaurant. Previously these areas had risers and the wood underneath was rotten and unusable. They reused the wood that was taken up for the parking deck to repair these areas. Appleseed also finished the exposed duct work. They used the same style they used in my loft which, along with other decorative finishes, adds a cohesive feel to otherwise unrelated spaces.

Having finished with the lies, we'll move on to the secrets. We're in the middle of painting the dining room. The El Barrio owners asked me not to show you that until after they open. While the painters are onsite, they are also finishing stains and paint in the storage and common spaces. They've repaired and stained the floors in Jerry and Roxane's office, and it looks great next to the concrete. They've also stained the stairs that lead to the storage facility and my loft (thanks to Jeremy Wood for the ebony stain suggestion).

Finished with both secrets and lies, I'm free to show you some of the restaurant areas outside of the dining room. The walls in the kitchen and bathroom hallway are complete. The kitchen walls are covered with an easy to clean material. The hood has been installed and the gas lines have been run to cooking area. The enormous hood exhaust fan is sitting in the garage waiting to be moved to the roof. The vent will be run all the way from the kitchen up past my loft so that my place doesn't always smell like tacos (which may or may not be a bad thing).

In the parking deck, the grease traps were sunk into the floor and covered with concrete. A walk-in freezer was built on top of them (in one day, which impressed me).

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El Barrio Taking Form

With the framing complete, Appleseed has almost finished hanging sheet rock. They've also started some of the trim in the dining area, using reclaimed wood on the walls, benches, and booths. In addition to the walls, the HVAC units have been installed and they are currently running ductwork, as well as working on a hood to move exhaust through the cieling, past my loft, to the roof. Along the Eastern wall a local artist has started painting a decorative piece, which I've been asked not to show until it's completion. In fact, from now on I won't be displaying pictures of the dining area until it's finished. You'll have to satiate your voyeurism with the kitchen and non-decorative developments. If you live in the area and want to cheat, just walk over here; I'm not aware of any immediate plans to cover the windows.

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Design Review Approves El Barrio Sign

Bhamarchitect blog recently posted about the city Design Review Committee approving El Barrio's sign. Apparently there wasn't much change from the original; it's just lower now.

Konnichiwa, Benches!

Appleseed has started building out El Barrio's benches and booths. There will be three full booths in the back against the wall and a line of tables with bench seats along the Eastern wall. The front nooks, which were display windows once upon a time, will feature bench seating along the windows as part of a more casual and fluid dining area (similar to Jinsei's front area, for you Birmingham people). [gallery order="DESC"]