It's been almost two years since we've lived in Alabama, and I have some observations. 

First off, we live on the edge of a small city.  So when people think of Alabama, this isn't it.  Granted, driving a few miles outside our city will present you with the most stereotypical views you can imagine -- cotton fields, trailer parks, broken down cars propped up on cinder blocks, and front yard garbage piles.  But our city is a fairly standard small American city -- centered around a major industry, has a Trader Joe's, has a minor league baseball team with a silly name.  It's Alabama, but not that Alabama. 

Now for the good.  The people are friendly, which I think is related to the fact that the pace of life is a little bit slower, which I believe is caused by the general abundance of most things.  It just feels like there's enough space, enough housing, enough roads, enough jobs, and enough stores for all the people there.  There's no need to rush to get anywhere, because there's plenty of time to get there.  There's plenty of parking.  If you make a wrong turn, you can easily make a U-turn.  Nothing is a problem, which makes people move slower, which makes people friendly.  This was an unexpected improvement in my life. 

Compared to where we moved from, the property taxes are lower, there are more restaurants (that don't go out of business -- what's wrong with you, New Jersey?), there are more social spaces to meet up with family and friends, and there are more activities for kids (and adults -- if you like trampoline parks). 

Now for the bad.  We've lived in the New York City Italian/Irish Metropolitan Megalopolis our entire lives.  No one outside that area of the world can make good pizza.  Period.  Everyone knows this.  Certain restaurants can make "different" pizza that tastes good, and even Alabama has some of those places.  But the most expensive restaurant on earth could employ the most talented chefs for a million years and still not beat a lukewarm slice of limp, uninspiring pizza from any New York City grease pit called "Gino's" or whatever. 

But hey, that was no surprise.  What was a surprise was that Alabama isn't very good at making simple cheap sandwiches you'd get at any little Italian deli in New Jersey (related to the pizza issue).  Like, there are good sandwich places around, and I admittedly haven't tried them all.  But I miss the familiarity of, again any old "Gino's" or whatever, having a mind-blowing sandwich that sort of changes your outlook on life. 

A similar but different thing that's missing is of course Wawa, but more generally an overabundance of cheap, generic, reliable, clean, convenience store / gas station / sandwich place combination stores.  Those types of places provide a real sense of solace when leaving your house, and I miss not having a reliable place to stop for a breakfast burrito or coffee while I fill my tank. 

And finally, ice cream.  I'm gonna sound like a broken record, but ice cream is attainable in the northeast from any store named Gino's, or the Whatever Creamery, or Some Innuendo About Milk, and it's served by a bunch of teenagers with braces, and it's literally the best ice cream you've ever eaten.  Any flavor, any day of the week, any day of the year (unless they close for the winter).  Alabama tries, and absolutely fails.  I don't know what the problem is.  It has something to do with the flavor profile of the base mixture or something -- too much or not enough butter or something like that.  Ice cream is not and has never been a significant part of my life, but it's absence is devastating (I'm overreacting because I want ice cream right now). 

Yes I realize all my complaints are about food; no I don't know what that says about me.  If I could philosophize a little:  Life is largely about having experiences, seeing places, meeting people, and finding the activities, places, and people that provide you the most joy.  I weirdly have no problem finding new people to like, so that's sort of covered.  And most activities I enjoy can be experienced anywhere, or don't require a specific location to experience them.  But at the end of the day, when I'm done experiencing things and meeting people, I want to go to my comfortable home, be with my comfortable family, and eat comfortable food like New York pizza and ice cream.  It's not to say I won't find new comfort food in the future, but right now that's the comfort I crave. #lifestyle