Is Birmingham this dangerous? (Huntsville, Morris: loft, per square foot, restaurants)

[needtosellmyhome]

Originally Posted by OldBankhead

A Huntsville guy talking down Birmingham is nothing new

I think those statements are well founded. I'll be brutally honest and say it's because our city really is better, even from just an aesthetic point of view. There are far more eyesores and graffiti in downtown Birmingham than Huntsville.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by needtosellmyhome

I think those statements are well founded. I'll be brutally honest and say it's because our city really is better, even from just an aesthetic point of view. There are far more eyesores and graffiti in downtown Birmingham than Huntsville.

Are you actually serious? Truthfully, I really don't think about Huntsville all that much. What's more, I am pretty polite and respectful when someone is pimping their own hometown. But when I read nonsense like this, I really have to wonder what kind of inferiority complex drives you to post this.

So let's get down to brass tacks, as someone who has been doing business in Huntsville for thirty years. A month doesn't go by when I'm not up there for some reason, either meeting with clients or taking them to lunch or dinner. And I can say with all kinds of certainty that Huntsville is basically a large and charmless office park with a small semblance of an actual downtown attached to it. It's basically formless suburban sprawl with a bunch of metastasizing suburbs and strip malls. So don't go putting on airs.

Hey, I think it's great that the town has grown, the result of sucking at the teat of the Federal government for 80 years, but that just means that it remains a colorless haunt of bureaucrats and their posse of vendors and assorted hangers-on.

Birmingham is a way better city to live in when it comes to things to do, things to eat, architecture, diversity of people, parks, diversity of economy, and a variety of living options. What's more, in case you haven't been paying attention, the entirety of Birmingham's downtown has been undergoing quite a renaissance with construction on just about every block. So unless you're using code words such as "graffiti" to signify some other kind of criteria--which is a bet I'd take--I can't imagine how your post has any actual grounding in fact.

[OldBankhead]

Originally Posted by needtosellmyhome

I think those statements are well founded. I'll be brutally honest and say it's because our city really is better, even from just an aesthetic point of view. There are far more eyesores and graffiti in downtown Birmingham than Huntsville.

Ha. Minivan's answer covers it, but... I'd love to compare downtowns, but your city doesn't have much of one. The majority of Huntsville is just sprawly, beige, big box, vanilla blah. And that's cool that you love it and are comfortable with it, but don't mistake your preferences to being the right answer for everyone else. You couldn't play the game or even know what the score is.

Birmingham has plenty of positives - aesthetically or otherwise other than grafitti and "eyesores" that are so scary to bland suburban types.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by OldBankhead

Ha. Minivan's answer covers it, but... I'd love to compare downtowns, but your city doesn't have much of one. The majority of Huntsville is just sprawly, beige, big box, vanilla blah. And that's cool that you love it and are comfortable with it, but don't mistake your preferences to being the right answer for everyone else. You couldn't play the game or even know what the score is.

Birmingham has plenty of positives - aesthetically or otherwise other than grafitti and "eyesores" that are so scary to bland suburban types.

I mean, for a place that's riddled with eyesores and graffiti, there sure are a lot of people moving into the downtown area, eating at downtown restaurants, walking their dogs on the sidewalks after dark. Didn't anybody tell all those people that downtown is an graffiti-flecked urban hellhole?



SMH.

[needtosellmyhome]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

I mean, for a place that's riddled with eyesores and graffiti, there sure are a lot of people moving into the downtown area, eating at downtown restaurants, walking their dogs on the sidewalks after dark. Didn't anybody tell all those people that downtown is an graffiti-flecked urban hellhole?



SMH.

Would you believe I own one of those newer lofts in downtown Birmingham at Mercantile on Morris? We bought it a little over two years ago when it was new and are there 2-3 weekends each month. I can't wait to be done with our project in that city and stay away from there for good. I could go on about why I think Huntsville is better, but I was simply admitting that I am another Huntsville person that hates your city.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by needtosellmyhome

Would you believe I own one of those newer lofts in downtown Birmingham at Mercantile on Morris? We bought it a little over two years ago when it was new and are there 2-3 weekends each month. I can't wait to be done with our project in that city and stay away from there for good. I could go on about why I think Huntsville is better, but I was simply admitting that I am another Huntsville person that hates your city.

That's nice. Enjoy your Saturday nights at Outback with the Missus.

[needtosellmyhome]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

That's nice. Enjoy your Saturday nights at Outback with the Missus.

[OldBankhead]

Originally Posted by needtosellmyhome

Would you believe I own one of those newer lofts in downtown Birmingham at Mercantile on Morris? We bought it a little over two years ago when it was new and are there 2-3 weekends each month. I can't wait to be done with our project in that city and stay away from there for good. I could go on about why I think Huntsville is better, but I was simply admitting that I am another Huntsville person that hates your city.

It's nice to have you(r money) in Birmingham.

[needtosellmyhome]

Originally Posted by OldBankhead

It's nice to have you(r money) in Birmingham.

That is a fully accurate statement. I have spent the money there but would not be in that city if I didn't have to be.

We spent over $200.00 on dinner for two at Ruth's Chris Steak House at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Birmingham a month ago.

Another approx. $150.00 at Bar LeFete in downtown Birmingham two weeks ago. I do highly recommend that place, it was amazing.

We paid over $400.00 per square foot for our loft in downtown Birmingham.

Those of us that live in the safer, more tranquil city of Huntsville can drive to Nashville if we want to spend two hours driving for recreation.

[BamaDave]

I like Huntsville, especially for its natural setting and diversity of people from all over (similar to places like Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham). However, I don't see it as a peer city for Birmingham or worth comparing the two. I prefer Birmingham's grit and history, along with the more extensive selection of restaurants, bars, etc. It really comes down to personal preferences. If you want more of the antiseptic, polished vibe, then you will likely prefer Huntsville overall; but, of course, Birmingham has miles and miles of beautiful suburbs in wooded hills and low mountains where you can stay pretty much all the time if you want to avoid places that don't have that appeal. If you want more to do and like a little more of an urban experience overall, you will likely prefer Birmingham. The two places are different in size, history, and other factors, so trying to compare them is kind of like trying to compare Birmingham to a larger city like Nashville or Charlotte.