Syracuse University OTR: College Roadtrip: Never Visit Alabama

College Roadtrip: Never Visit Alabama

Posted by THE HABIT 05/27/2008 4:57 PM
Category: Tags: alabama sucks, college road trip, no starbucks in alabama, never visit alabama, old town alabama

Very little to be seen along these roads.

The "great" Montgomery Mall as indicated on our map

We woke up early this morning to a camp ranger explaining that a storm was coming, so we quickly cooked some peaches and cream oatmeal on my camping stoves, drank some very bitter coffee, and were back on the road. Traversing back up through the mountain pass, we headed south towards Georgia.

For lunch, we stopped at a little BBQ restaurant in the foothills and ordered our first real “southern” meal. I got ribs, hushpuppies (deep-fried corn bread), beans, coleslaw, and sweet tea. J got something similar, and $28 later, we were no longer famished.

In order to make up some ground, we skirted around Atlanta and decided to head towards Montgomery, Alabama in hopes of seeing some historical sites connected to the Civil Rights Movement. But we were greatly disappointed; when we arrived in Montgomery we decided to visit “Old Town Alabama,” only to realize that it was one block of residential houses.

Frustrated, we headed towards to the mall indicted on our brand-new 2008 atlas to find a wireless coffee shop (note on this later), and discovered that the mall was completely empty of all life and was about to be demolished. Needless to say, we headed towards a campground southwest of the city, swearing to hightail it out of Alabama the moment the sun rose.

But back to those southern coffee shops: they don’t exist. We have discovered that the south doesn’t believe in coffee. Not only is it impossible to find a coffee shop, gas stations and rest areas are void of the caffeinated substance as well.

Obviously, Starbucks doesn’t view the South as worthy to be marked by their bare-breasted mermaid logo.

+ 13 comments

Anonymous says,

Alabama does, in fact have and believe in Starbucks. If we didn't, I would've long since moved away. Montgomery on the other hand, is a total Hellhole. My apologies that it was your only impression of an otherwise decent state. Posted 05/27/2008 8:46 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I'm sorry your trip to Montgomery was awful. I don't love it here, but I wanted point out a few things to you.
There are a few Starbucks in Montgomery and several other coffee shops. Yes, Old Alabama Town is disappointing however, there are other Civil Rights sites to visit in that area. For instance, the Rosa Parks Museum.
As for the mall you tried to visit, that has been decling for several years now. There is another mall and a great shopping center on the East side of town. Not that helps you now.
Sorry your had a bad experience and left with a poor impression. Sometimes it helps to ask people about these things when traveling. Posted 05/27/2008 8:54 PMReply

Anonymous says,

@ Anonymous: I had to point out my typo: "your". Posted 05/27/2008 8:56 PMReply

Anonymous says,

WTF? You surmised by one trip down one road in Alabama that we suck? That's OK, as soon as I saw Syracuse NY I had my opinion of all New Yorkers too. And yes, we do have some kick ass coffee houses, and Starbucks which I only consider to be a commercial franchise and not a real coffee house. Posted 05/28/2008 03:01 AMReply

Anonymous says,

This morning I enjoyed several fine cups of freshly brewed Tanzinian peaberry coffee that I purchased from a, get this, a coffee house other than Starbucks! And the kicker is that I bought them from a coffee house in, get this, Alabama. It was true coffee not fufu crap that you get at some of the "international" coffee rip off establishments. Will be cruising the Mediterian this fall and I wonder if I will hate it because there won't be any, OMG, Starbucks!!!!!! Posted 05/28/2008 05:44 AMReply

Anonymous says,

I think there's a bit of animosity left over from Auburn kicking that game tying field goal a few years ago in the Sugar bowl against Syracuse.
And if she kept just one yankee out of the state with her blog, well then justice has been served. :)
Thanks sweetie, y'all come back now, ya'hear! Posted 05/28/2008 08:53 AMReply

Anonymous says,

Some other yankees came down here a little over 140 years ago and missed it then too. As long as yankees have that opinion of the South, it's fine with me. You scallywags and carpet baggers don't have any business down here any way. Seriously, come back and look a little closer. There are some of the best folks and places to talk to real people around here, but it's like Europe, you don't find them on the main street or sharing a spot at the mall or near wal-mart!
The South is rising again!

Robert E. Posted 05/30/2008 2:28 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I'm Canadian and I've never been disappointed when visiting the South. Alabama has some lovely old Antebellum and Victorian homes, some of which have been converted into B&Bs and others that are open for tours; the food is great and the people are both friendly and helpful. I try to avoid any "Civil Rights" sites becasue, to me, that's not the "real" South, and not being a coffee-drinker, I've never searched for a Starbucks. Posted 09/12/2008 8:57 PMReply

Anonymous says,

Sorry you had a bad experience. Please tell all of your God cursed yankee friends Posted 09/14/2008 2:54 PMReply

Anonymous says,

You can start to smell Alabama about 5 miles from the border, regardless of which side of the state you're on. I'll generally drive 200 miles out of my way to avoid the state. Posted 01/03/2009 9:00 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I think you plan you trips a little better. There are numerous civil rights museums and Starbucks are spread around all over Montgomery. Maybe instead of jumping to conclusions about a place you should have made friends with a local, which I understand is hard for a person up North, and ask the some interesting places to go. We are very friendly down here and would have gladly pointed you in the right direction. There is also the Shakespeare Festival and the art museum. Maybe you should not be so quick to judge and open you mind a little more to new place. If you like where you are from, maybe you shouldn't travel outside of the area, especially if you comfortable with the way things are there. When you travel to a new place, generally things are NEW to you. I suggest speaking to someone from there before going. Only a local person can tell you their opinion of a place and fill you in on the great places to go. Posted 07/17/2009 1:38 PMReply

Anonymous says,

@ Anonymous: you must be a real idiot Posted 07/30/2009 01:20 AMReply

Anonymous says,

you judged an entire state because they did not have a freakin' starbucks? First of all, Alabama, including Montgomery, has many of those corporate coffee slums. We also have non-chain coffee houses as well. Many of these places are located in small towns. Also, that mall that you went to is virtually closed down. The east side of Montgomery is where the real mall and the upscale shops are located. Being from NY, you probably just think we are toothless, uneducated hicks, right? You probably watch alot of TV and movies. Hollywood thrives on making us look stupid. I feel sorry for you. You seem like you are the one who is uneducated and uncultured. It's a shame. Posted 07/30/2009 01:31 AMReply