Birmingham, AL Driving Tips
Birmingham is a beautiful city; driving through downtown Birmingham to the south side of the city is amazing. So much progress has been made to entice others to make this their home town. Birmingham offers the best in healthcare with the UAB Medical Center that comprises most of the south side. Also
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, we can boast that our restaurants are second to none; and, we can boast that the top restaurant in the world is in our city. That would be The Hot and Hot Fish Club. The food is just so good! Birmingham also offers downtown lofts for the ones that like living in a busy urban district. Driving through Birmingham gives you the feeling that this is a city that is progressive and is up and coming.
Birmingham, AL Buying Tips
All of the cars I have purchased have been in Birmingham; however, on the outskirts of the city of Birmingham is Hoover Alabama. Hoover in located on Highway 31 just south of Birmingham. Hoover carries a vast variety of car dealerships. Any kind of car you want you can be found on Highway 31. From t
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he smallest, cheapest to the Cadillac's, Mercedes, etc., Personally, I do not search the internet for a car and/or Craigslist; I would prefer to get out and go from one dealer to another to see what the best deal would be for me.
Favorite Driving Memory
About a year ago, I was driving through Birmingham Alabama and the snow began to fall all around me. Everyone across the country knows that it hardly ever snow in Birmingham. Whenever we get snow it is like a big holiday. On this particular day as it began to snow, darkness began to fall. Earlier, w
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hat looked like just an ordinary city turned into a beautiful landscape as far as the eye could see. As everything began to turn white I was amazed at how quickly the atmosphere changed. There was so much beauty and a feeling of peace and tranquility began to fall over me. However, it was not long before people started crashing their cars. What was a beautiful, tranquil setting quickly turned into a city with wrecks, cars in ditches and people slipping, sliding. I am thankful I made it home without incident. Once again, as I settled into my home, I could enjoy the peace and beauty that surrounded me. Even though there were so many accidents, I could still see the beauty as the darkness began to fall.
Favorite Road
Greystone Drive
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Greystone Drive is a very beautiful part of Birmingham. The homes on this route are very beautiful. The lawns are always mowed very nice. It seems as though every plot of ground is landscaped to perfection. The people that live in this area can get out and walk through their neighborhood; there are
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jogging trails. This community has everything that one would just dream of living there; knowing that you would never have to go too far to shop, go to the movies; enjoying entertaining guests. The fear of being robbed, mugged or something bad happening to you is non-existent. You can go to bed and sleep at night knowing that when you wake up the next morning everything is all right.
Birmingham, AL Driving Tips
You will need to have patience. As a native New Yorker, I am still not yet used to the long pause that drivers in Birmingham take between the light turning green and them actually putting their cars in drive. I fight the urge to honk at them each time. Over the years I have grown more patient but it
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is still quite annoying. Another thing drivers in this city need to know is that, unlike the north, they rarely use their horns down here. If someone is honking at you, you have made them exceptionally angry.
Birmingham, AL Buying Tips
The last several cars I have purchased, I have done so at car dealerships on Highway 31 in Hoover. There you can find every car from Kia and Honda to Cadillac and Nissan. There are no less than six dealers there and probably more. Additionally, they are located less than a five minute drive to a Car
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Max so if the new car doesn't work out, you can search CarMax for a back-up.
Favorite Driving Memory
My favorite memory from driving in this city is driving to the lake. The lake is just outside of the city limits and I love the drive. I especially love driving there at summer's end when the leaves begin to change color. I drive through the congestion of the interstate and the city center, and the
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scenery slowly changes to less urban, then suburban and then - finally - rural. Then I leave the interstate to drive on countless small, windy and isolated roads. When I hear the sound of my tires driving on nothing but gravel then I know I am close to arriving. It is one of the fondest memories I have of driving in Birmingham.
Favorite Road
Highway 119
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Highway 119 meanders through Indian Springs, and I drive it every day to my teaching job at OLV School. I love this road. The houses are all set back from the road. Some of them are palatial and some are tiny and nondescript but I love to look. Sometimes when I go early during the winter, the lights
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inside the houses are lit and the atmosphere is cozy and comfortable. Highway 119 has been an important road to me for the last 16 years between my four children attending OLV and then me working there. I always feel happy and content when I am traversing this road.
Birmingham, AL Driving Tips
Be respectful to bikers! Learn how to drive with bikers on the road. Contrary to some beliefs, it is illegal for bikers to be on the sidewalk. Treat them as another vehicle, if they want to take the left lane, they are allowed to do that. Don't put their lives in danger by speeding past them or too
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close to them. Don't yell at them. Biking is growing in popularity around downtown, get used to driving with bikers on the road.
Birmingham, AL Buying Tips
As with everything, be careful with craigslist. You don't know what the cars has been through. It may drive well for a short test drive but it may not make the long haul. There are quite a few reputable auto dealerships around town or on the outskirts of town. Do your homework.
Favorite Driving Memory
Anytime driving downtown at sunset. Especially on one of the higher roads or overpasses or interstate loops that give a good surround view of downtown. The city turns beautiful shades of reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks in a soft light.
Favorite Road
20Th Street
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It offers a great drive through downtown. On the Southside you can go through 5 points and see the unique vibe of that area. Further down, you get into the UAB area and can see the university and hospital and all the students and employees going about their days. You can see people braving the roads
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on their bikes. With the stop lights, speed limit, and flatness of the area, they are able to travel with cars without being an annoyance. Further down, you get into northside and the financial district. Historic buildings share blocks with skyscrapers.
