A Visit to Tuscaloosa, Alabama

This weekend, I had to drive back to Tuscaloosa in order to take some legal action on a traffic ticket I received in January.  On Friday, July 11, I received a notice that I would have to appear, on July 11!  Obviously, there was no possible way that I could go from Jackson, Mississippi at 12 pm, and arrive in Tuscaloosa at 9 am.

So I called.  I was told a warrant had been issued for me, but would not be processed until 9 am on Monday.  If I could be in the Judge's chambers before that, with stamped and signed waiver of Arraignment papers, I could continue contesting my ticket, and not fear every cop I see.  I made reservations Sunday night, and headed out Sunday afternoon.

When I arrived in town, I went straight to the University of Alabama's campus and decided to take a look.  It was a  beautiful campus, and the buildings near the quad looked somewhat like chapels.

I was greeted by a football stadium as I arrived, but it soon gave way to the middle of campus.  Cute girls jogged by.  The Quad was nicely manicured.  I was impressed, there were lots of people on campus.  It was nice.

It was easy to see that many of the buildings on campus weren't brand new.  Most looked almost religious in heritage, and some looked like castles or palaces.  This was certainly unexpected, because I have never considered Tuscaloosa as a nice town.  Every time I've visited, it appears to be nothing more than a way stop along I-20.  

I would never have considered that this town could be beautiful.  It appears that the college, however, has really shaped the community.  It is the focal point of the area, and these beautiful buildings show the sense of history here.  On the middle of the quad, there is "the mound" made of the remnants of a dorm burned during the Civil War.  Once more, my travels take me to a place scarred by that battle between the states.

The campus has grown, however.  There are new buildings popping up, and lots of construction going on.  The styles of the buildings varied wildly, which seemed odd.  Most of the campuses I've visited in the south try and maintain a consistent style.  The newer structures, however seemed to move in a much more modern design.

The library is the focal point of the quad.  There is a huge set of steps leading up to the front entrance.  Those doors are not open in the Summer.  You have to go around to the back.

They seem to love their flag here in Alabama.  The ridiculous red x on a white background was everywhere.  I could barely look in any direction and not see the flag. 

The library was quite impressive.  I slipped in to check it out, and found it packed with people, many of them using the hundreds of nice new dell computers with 17" flat panel monitors.  

There were more flat panel screens in this one room than I've seen in my entire life, and this was only the smallest of the computer labs.  There were other labs on other floors, all identically stocked but in greater quantities.  

At that point, I decided to head to my hotel.  I've had good luck in my past visits with the Microtel Inn located in Cottondale.  It's just a but east of town.  Priceline.com routinely gets me rates in the $20-25 range.  Tonight, I would be enjoying my Queen sized bed for the low, low price of $22 + tax.  I like Microtel Inns because they are no-frills but don't skip the necessities.  There are even seating areas in the window bays to allow you to sit back and enjoy the view.  

I got up early Monday morning to head to the courthouse.  I had to be there at 8, but I had awoken at 6, so I drove around for a bit.  The downtown area seems to have had high hopes at one time.  There are many two and three story buildings, and occasionally someone built a six-story or even taller building seemingly at random.  

The AmSouth bank building had a lighted sign on top of it, an antiquated sign similar to current LED signs but built with regular incandescent lights.  It looked out of place in the skyline, especially since the building was taller than anything around it.

The Tuscaloosa News, however, was a modern building.  To show off their nice new press, the building has one glass side, allowing passers-by to see into the press area, and watch the work being performed there.  As a former newspaper guy, it was quite impressive.  

I also checked out some of the residential sections near downtown.  The streets were all divided, narrow, tree-line lanes.  It was actually quite beautiful.  

The houses were quite attractive, and all the areas of town seemed to be well manicured.  There were quite a few interesting houses.  The world was waking up as I drove by, it was neat to see a small town where people still walk outside to collect their papers from the stoop, or take their dogs out for a walk.

But, by this time, I needed to head over to the courthouse.  I wasn't here to check out the city, I was here to complete some legal documents.  One document, in fact.  It had to be signed and stamped by the clerk and in the Judge's hand before nine.  

As I entered the imposing structure, an unfamiliar lady greeted me.  Justice, it seems, does not live within this building but instead it is occupied by an agricultural peasant girl.  I hope that this lady is as good a maiden as Justice.  Justice has served me well in the past, I hope her friend will protect me as well.

I rode a rickety elevator to the appropriate floor, and took a seat next to the Clerk's office.  I had paperwork to complete and I needed to get it from this office.  They didn't open until 8:30.  The hallway soon became crowded with police officers, my Judge had a large docket to hear this morning, granting warrants and such.  I had to hurry.  Somewhere in there was an officer waiting to get a warrant out against me. 

Oddly enough, there are three elevator shafts but only two functioning elevators.  One failed long ago, and has never been repaired.  The remaining two creak along and sound as if they will stall any moment.  I made a mental note to use the stairs.

Luckily though, I managed to get my paperwork filed by 8:45.  I then headed to the Judge's chambers and gave him copies of the document.  He chastised me for not appearing the other day, but then seemed sympathetic to my plight.  He wished me a safe drive to Vicksburg and said he'd see me during pre-trial.  I thanked him for his help, and departed.  As I headed out of town, a rock came from nowhere and put a new peck in my windshield.  I hope this is not some type of cosmic warning.