Golden Temple - Birmingham Alabama

Golden Temple near the Five Points

It was very hard to have the 2 day on 1 day off schedule of climbing. My hands were so raw that I need to take every other day off. Me and Kevin decided to head into Birmingham. We went to the Golden Temple.
The Golden Temple is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, cafe/store. The store portion sells many items you would find at a health store, various supplements, incense and so on.
The cafe serves many healthy smoothies and vegan/vegetarian food. I decided to try the daily special of Vegetarian Mac & Cheese.

 The Mac & Cheese was awesome! It was super cheesy and tasty but some how feels super healthy! It came with a vegetarian gumbo that was only o.k. but not anywhere as good as a real sausage and seafood gumbo.
The Cafe portion of the store closes pretty early but if you are in Birmingham and want some tasty vegetarian food give Golden Temple a try.

Lucy's Cafe - Birmingham Alabama

Since I had to take a rest day I decided to go out back to Birmingham to hangout at a cafe. This is when I found my favorite cafe in Birmingham, Lucy's Cafe.
One thing you first notice when you go in is a big chalkboard with many names and numbers next to them. My first thought was that it was a wall of I.O.U.s. When I asked the guy at the counter he told me it was a list of people that have actually paid in advance!

Chalkboard is on the right, above the counter.

I was planning to be at the cafe for a while so I got cozy, settled in and ordered a Tuna Melt. The Tuna Melt was mighty tasty! I think the bread is the key. Lucy's Cafe can get pretty busy during lunch time so just be prepared to either get your food to go or sit at a table with some strangers.

Mmmm.... Tuna Melt!

To access the wi-fi you need a code. Each code lasts only 2 hrs but you can pick up as many as you need from the side table next to the counter. This is my favorite cafe in Birmingham but they close pretty early so you will need to find another joint for some evening coffee.

First Avenue Rocks - Climbing Gym - Birmingham Alabama

My host Joe wanted to go bouldering so I took him out to the First Avenue Rocks gym for a bouldering session.

The gym is pretty nice! One thing to remember is that this is a bouldering only gym. They have a small roped wall for kids but if you're tall enough to ride a roller coaster you will want to be bouldering in this gym.
They provide free wi-fi and they have a small lounge area with magazines.
They have a pro-shop that sells various climbing shoes and snacks. They even have tons of 5.10 shoes for demo! I got to try the Team 5.10 shoes and I gotta say, I'm a fan! If for some reason I don't love my brand new Dragons I might get myself some Team 5.10.
They also have a full workout area for cross fit training and a studio in the back of the gym for yoga. My host Joe's roommate Mindy even teaches yoga at the gym on Thursday and donates the profits to a non-profit she started! 

There are many things to like about the gym but probably the best thing is that people at the gym were awesome! Joe and Sarah was super friendly and was a blast to talk to. Joe made recommendations on climbs I should try when I get to Horse Pens 40.
The gym isn't the biggest but in the small space they pack a lot in. Joe and I had a great time bouldering. I wouldn't go to the gym if I you can climb outside but it's not a bad option if the weather is bad. If you are camping at Horse Pens 40 and it rains they will even give you a $5 gym deal for the place! Awesome!


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Dreamland BBQ - Birmingham Alabama

 

You'll smell the food and see the smoke before you see the restaurant.

After the half day of climbing Stephanie and Amanda recommended that we go to Dreamland BBQ. Dreamland is considered to have one of the finest ribs in Birmingham. I know I've been eating a lot of BBQ recently but I decided one more couldn't hurt.

 

Amanda and Stephanie, the gracious tour guides to Birmingham!

When we were driving to the restaurant I saw a plum of smoke eve before I saw the restaurant but knew it had to be the place. When we sat down we were given plain white bread and barbecue sauce. Apparently this was a Dreamland tradition. I was told that when the place first opened up all you could get was the complimentary white bread and sauce and pork ribs. The menu has since expanded and now you can get a variety of items. <menu>

 

1/2 rack of ribs and Mac & Cheese

The bread with bbq sauce was delicious, especially if you drizzle on some Texas Pete hot sauce. Plain white bread never tasted so good :o) The ribs were pretty tasty. The meat was tender and sweet. The mac and cheese was also pretty darn good but I wish there was more of it! Maybe the bread is suppose to fill you up enough so you don't notice how small the sides are.

 

Mmmmmm~ Meat~~

 

 No Farting Sign!

So was it the best ribs I ever had? Definitely no but was it damn tasty? Hells yeah! I definitely recommend you check it out if you're hungry for some ribs in Birmingham.

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Birmingham AL - The Garage

Troth full of beer!

After driving into Birmingham I was looking for a place to get some drinks. My host Joe and Mindy were very busy studying for an exam so they couldn't join me but they pointed me to a local bar called the garage.
The garage got it's name because it used to be a place that people could rent out garages to store their stuff. You can see the garages and the most unique aspect of the Garage when you walk out to their back porch.

There are various antiques casually displayed in each garage space and the back patio is filled with various lawn and fountain sculptures. I can see how this bar would be the place to go on warmer nights.
During the colder nights it's mostly a locals bar. Everybody at the bar seemed to know each other. Even if I wasn't a local the bartenders and the locals were very welcoming.
As for beer, they have a good variety but most beers aren't quality micro brews. The price was on the slightly steep side for the area but It didn't matter since I could get a Yuengling! Haven't had one in ages! Yuengling is a Pennsylvania beer that I used to drink a lot in Pittsburgh. It's not the best beer but a pretty fine cheap beer.
I did not try the food the first night but eventually tried their sandwich before I left Birmingham. I would say it's tasty for a bar sandwich not any tastier than small sandwich specialty stores.
So in conclusion I would recommend this bar for it's varied beer selection, unique setting and friendly locals.

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