The Wedding(s) Blog #8 (Tuscaloosa: The stadium, the crazy hotel upgrade, the great bartender, the Alabama walk-on and the good Italian food)

     We made it out of New Orleans bound for Tennessee. But first, Teresa and I stopped overnight in Tuscaloosa, Alabama while mom and Julia continued further up the highway.

     Our decision to stop in the home of The Crimson Tide has most certainly met with mixed reactions.... apparently some people really don't like anything associated with Alabama football.

Bryant-Denny Stadium/Tuscaloosa, Ala.

     Our first stop was home to the Crimson Tide, Bryant-Denny stadium on the University of Alabama campus.
     Did you know the moniker Crimson Tide likely originated from a 1930s sportswriter who noted the football team looked like a crimson tide during a muddy football game. Equally interesting, the school's elephant mascot either originates from another sportswriter who noted the sound the big men make when entering a stadium or from the team's luggage tags also from the 1930s. Hmm, who knew?

Bama Walk of Fame

         If the big stadium's not enough, the Walk of Fame leading to it is definitely a stroll stopper. The bigger than life statue of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant caught my camera. But there are about six more statues of Alabama's famous coaches lining the 'walk.'

     One thing I noticed was... All are practically spotless. Only one had a splatter of aviary evidence. So, either someone's assigned pigeon duty or there's a no fly zone around these statues. Just seemed odd to me.

     Another something that seemed strange was... We parked where the above photo was taken. Notice that no one's in the shot. Then, I was the only person on the 'Walk of Fame'. Granted it's June and school's out. But it just caught me as ironic considering how jam packed this area must be on home Saturdays.

     Now to our crazy hotel upgrade. First let me remind everyone that I AM CHEAP. I'm so cheap that just today, I asked T to get the generic aspirin versus the name brand to save one dollar. The Bayer was $2.89. The generic was $1.89. That's savings!
     So when it came to our Tuscaloosa overnight stay, I booked us a Hotel Indigo practically on campus with a FANTASTIC RATE. I figured out why it was such a great rate when I saw it way down a steep hill.
      "Hi. If I don't want to drive, how do we get up that hill? I'm presuming all the good eats are up that hill," I said while checking in.
      "Hi. Yes. There are a ton of fun places up the hill," said the check-in clerk. "They're just walking distance."
      I said, "Hah! Not if your 55 and on blood pressure medicine they're not!"
      "Oh. We have LYFT."

     More about the hill and the cool locals and dinner coming up. But first, for whatever reason.... They gave us a suite upgrade at check-in and it was a doosey. Take a look.

     T & I are talkers. When we're out town, we're not a 'leave us alone' type of couple. We strike up conversations. Sometimes, we're snuffed out. But most times, we meet interesting people like Symone Billups and Michael Hale.
     In this instance, we stopped at the hotel's watering hole before venturing out for supper. It didn't take long before we began peppering both Symone and Michael with questions.

Symone & Michael/Hotel Indigo, Tuscaloosa Ala

     She was studying anatomy. He was having dinner. Eventually, we got around to the local eateries but first we learned so much more.
     Symone's a Sports Science major just months from graduating. She plans to go to dental school. That was her first plan when she was younger, but admits she got side tracked. Now, she seemed convinced that taking care of teeth is in her future.
     Michael was a walk-on football player at the university. He was also in the National Guard. He suited up for two years before he was deployed to Egypt. He told us he was not impressed with Egypt, but if we ever got to Tel Aviv, "just get off the plane and smell the air.. amazing." Now, he's prepping for his new job, coaching high school basketball. Thanks Symone and Michael. We enjoyed our visit with you both.

      From there, we were off to Tuscaloosa's DePalma Italian restaurant. Yes, it was up the hill but an easy ride.

DePalma's/Tuscaloosa, Ala

     We knew we were in the right place when the five guys waiting outside had to get their Italian passports to be served at the bar.
     DePalma's proved perfect. It was a neighborhood joint with low light, low ceilings, crowded tables and lots of families.
     The food was in a word... fantastic! When I tell you to try their baked feta with crushed black pepper and cherry tomatoes appetizer, I really mean try their baked feta appetizer. Wow!
     Best of all, it's in a college town with a college town vibe and college town prices.

      Bottom line is, I can't say enough good things about Tuscaloosa and the locals. If nothing else, it sits along The Black Warrior River. What a great, strong name!

      Still, GEAUX TIGERS! BEAT BAMA!

Bill Robertson