Leaving Birmingham :: What I’ll Miss Most

Birmingham. B’ham, The Ham, The 205, The Magic City, Steel City . . . whatever adoring nickname you prefer, it’s a wonderful city. Recently, my family and I moved away from Birmingham, my hometown and comfort zone, to a place called Palmetto, Florida. Palmetto is almost right smack-dab in between Sarasota and Tampa on the Gulf side of the peninsula. BHM has been my home, well, my entire life up until this point. I grew up here, went to college at UAB (Go Blazers!) and had no real intentions of leaving. As the largest city in Alabama, I grew accustomed to the convenience and community that Birmingham has to offer. It was hard to wrap my brain around leaving, so . . .

Here are some of the things I’ll miss the most:

Familiar Faces

Of course, this is a given. I will definitely miss my family and friends. I will miss seeing them regularly and hanging out at our “go-to” places. It’s hard to make new friends. Especially when you have ones like I have. We loved visiting The McWane Science Center and Vulcan. My three-year-old loved exploring the Itty Bitty Magic City at McWane, and I absolutely loved the baby play area. 

I miss being close to a Target and Starbucks. Not that they don’t have those here, of course they do, they are just a little outside my 15-mile comfort radius. 

Making new friends as a mom is tough, and making new friends as a mom in a new city is even tougher.

The Landscape

Birmingham is nestled atop Red Mountain, with a couple other mountains nearby. With lots of beautiful trees and plants everywhere, it’s hard not to enjoy looking out your window. I love the seasons we have in Birmingham. Even though we all complain about how hot or cold it is, it still is a season of the year that Florida just does not get to experience. 

The Food

I love all the restaurants available in Birmingham. I know I’ll miss the BBQ, local burger places, good Chinese food (what am I going to do without my favorite take-out place!?) I will miss being familiar with the area and knowing good places to park.

Familiar Favorites

I will miss my favorite hair salon and nail salon. And my chiropractor . . . I will actually miss my kids’ pediatrician as well. He’s a good one and seemed legitimately sad when I told him we were moving. 

The Time Zone

OK, this one seems odd, but hear me out. Prime time t.v. shows typically come on at 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central. So the first side of that slash is 8:00. 8:00 PM. That’s when it starts. I don’t know if I can hang that late . . . #momlife, y’all. 

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I don’t want it to seem like I’m not planning on adjusting or getting to know the new area, but it is hard and unpleasant picking up your whole life and everything you know and replanting yourself in a new spot. I know it will all pan out. I mean, people move all the time . . . plus, Florida is where Mickey lives and it’s way closer to the beach.

I’m excited to find new favorites and new local go-to spots. Especially a good hair salon (I got a horrible bob the second we moved to our new city and instantly regretted it.)

I’m excited to start new jobs, schools, and activities. I know it will take time and will probably sting a little (a lot) to start from scratch, but when a move is the right move for your family, you have to take a chance!

If anyone reading this has just moved in to the Magic City . . . Welcome! A big, warm Southern welcome. I hope you find Birmingham as beautiful as I do and can enjoy everything it has to offer.

Pour a big glass of sweet tea and make yourself at home!