WORDS Rachel Fisher
My husband and I were in downtown Greenville, SC when we saw it: The way the trees leaned lovingly over Main Street. How the night sky was visible through their limbs..no power lines to crowd the view. The way hundreds of people were walking through the picturesque park on the river or making their way to one of the several delicious restaurants that line Main Street.
And for a moment that lasted several months, we wanted out of Montgomery. We had enough of longing for, “a better quality of life”. We wanted more parks, more restaurants. A food truck for crying out loud. So we did what most people would do: we began to plot our escape.
As it would go, things didn’t quite turn out as expected. With our own efforts exhausted, we decided to try this city we’ve called home for 20 plus years on in new ways and learned there’s nothing worse than being here without really “being here.” So, if you’re humming the Gump Town blues or a Montgomery native in need of a refreshing, here’s a few ideas to help to turn that beat around.
Learn: Hang around Montgomery long enough and you might think you know all there is to know about the city known for starting the Civil War, fueling the bus boycotts and raising Zelda. But after a trip to the archives on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I was enchanted all over again. But if the Archives doesn’t suit your fancy, there are plenty of ways to let Montgomery speak for itself. Join local historian Mary Ann Neely on one of her walking tours, visit the Rosa Parks Museum, walk the center aisle at Dr. Kings Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, or take a jog down Dexter and stand on the Capitol steps. It’s small things like this that help us reconnect with city we call home.
Explore: There are parts of Montgomery I never knew existed until I stopped asking Siri and just found my own darn way. If you’ve got the time to get lost make sure you do it with your eyes open. You never know what you might find. A favorite food discovery has been G&S Donuts. They open at 5:00 am and close when they sell out. Go early and don’t leave without trying their cinnamon roll. For a more hands-on approach, Rescued Relics, run by the Landmarks Foundation, is a treasure trove of historic architectural elements and materials for all your DIY projects.
Create: Montgomery, unlike other cities, presents the perfect opportunity for people to dream up something and actually pull it off. There’s the ability to meet with city leaders, get involved with what’s already going on and do that the thing you do without getting lost in the crowd. Montgomery provides a place for people to collaborate and innovate in ways other big cities can’t. If you have an idea, chances are you can make it happen. Our city has plenty of blank slates ready for your dreams to become reality.
Give Back: It feels good to invest in our city in a way that helps everyone. There are a handful of initiatives, organizations and people working to make Montgomery a better place. E.A.T. South, House to House in West Montgomery, and organizations caring for the poor like Mary Ellen’s Hearth, One Church Mission and the Nehemiah Center are just a few making a difference.