k+p got hitched, day one

A couple weekends ago, Kurt and I were lucky enough to head back down south to Birmingham, Alabama to see Keely and Patrick get married. It was a busy weekend packed with lots of activities, but I was so happy to see lots of old friends from architecture school. We were so lucky to stay with my dear friend Jessica who was the ultimate hostess. Not only did she take a half day off work to pick us up from the airport, but she and her boyfriend Eric proceeded to chauffeur us around all weekend. Thanks so much!

Kurt and I arrived on Friday and had plans to make a tour of all the new breweries that have been popping up in Birmingham recently. Our first stop was Cahaba Brewing Company. Each of us got a flight of the several beers they had on tap. They have an awesome Alabama-shaped tray for each flight. Absolutely perfect!

Inside the brewery tasting room. It's very low key but was nicely crowded for a Friday afternoon.

Jessica had to be off to the rehearsal dinner, so we asked her to drop us off at a Greek Festival happening downtown. I have some fond memories of going to Greek Festivals with my parents when we lived in Virginia, so I was so happy to enjoy one as an adult (since I'm not such a picky eater anymore!). 

It was packed! There was even a continuous line of cars on the street to get food to-go. Kurt and I agreed this completely negated the purpose of a festival to share a particular heritage, but it's nice to see that it was popular. Kurt and I decided to get a beer and wait in the food line. If we hadn't placed our order by the time we finished our beers, then we would head somewhere else for dinner. Unfortunately, the line was pretty slow moving, but we fit in some good people watching and I tried to explain Southern culture to Kurt before we headed off to find alternate dinner options.

We took a nice walk through downtown to reach a spot Jessica had recommended.

We ended up at Urban Standard which reminded me so much of Brooklyn. A late night coffee shop manned by a bunch of hipsters...Kurt and I felt right at home.

I had an awesome beet burger and Kurt tried his first some Alabama beer in a can with a grilled cheese. I hear their cupcakes are awesome. I contemplated getting one for the walk to our next destination but practiced some self control #regrets

Kurt and I had visited Railroad Park a couple years ago with my parents when it was brand new but were eager to see how it had grown in and how people were using it.

It was kind of late when we walked through but there were still quite a few people around. Jessica assured us that it has been getting lots of use, especially in the spring and fall when it isn't so blazing hot.

The second stop on our Alabama Brewery Tour was conveniently a block from the park. Kurt and I stopped at Good People Brewing Company to try some of their much anticipated beers.

 The interior is a huge warehouse space mixing the bar and brewing operations. They also had a band playing and an awesome yard space. It seemed like a great place to park for the evening and chill out (however, that was not the theme of the evening). We eventually joined up with the rehearsal dinner after-party at Bettola but were too exhausted (travelling is tiring!) to even try a cocktail mixed by famed bartender Eric Bennett (I hear they were phenomenal). We found the only cab in Birmingham and hit the sack to get ready for day two! More on that tomorrow...