Vicksburg: Down South Day 6It was such a beautiful day. Sunny, hot, in the low to mid 80s. So we headed off to Vicksburg to check out the Vicksburg National Military Park, which is, in essence, the battlefield in which the Battle of Vicksburg from the Civil War was fought. A beautiful, peaceful place. Basically a national park, with monuments commemorating the soldiers who fought and died there. Along the way you can also see the old fortifications, the old trenches in which the brigades actually fought in, and other historical and picturesque views. It was really a place to just relax, take in the scenery and if you’re a history buff like myself, contemplate what it must have been like there during the war. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful place was filled with so much bloodshed and carnage.
After a couple of hours there, we went off to lunch at the only Italian restaurant I’ve been able to find here..and it turns out the guy running the place was originally a New Yorker so the food was pretty damn good. Nothing fancy about the place. Basically a Pizzeria, really. But the food was really good. Then it was off to Historic Downtown Vicksburg to see what was happening there. Well…apparently not much. It’s basically another run down city like Jackson for the most part, except for a few streets that had the most amazing old homes. The city sits right at the bank of the Mississippi River and the levee that holds it back from flooding the whole area. Down by the levee there is an old abandoned railroad station with a couple of old train cars still sitting on the tracks and you were able to climb on them and explore them a bit. We also walked along the bank of the river which was a really awesome sight. You can’t help but think of Mark Twain looking at some portions of it but the amazing thing to me was the levee and the “flood marks” they notated on it, showing how high that river had crested at various points in time. It was truly scary to think about the highest point, where literally everything there would have been under water if that wall wasn’t there to keep it back. We headed home after that, hung out, drank some wine and bullshit, getting plans together for Sunday. Today, since it’s Easter Sunday, everything…and I mean everything is closed down here. A very Christian state. So we are going to head over to the old wagon trail known as the Natchez Trace and drive along there and see what it has to offer. Someone recommended that we check it out…that supposedly it has old mansions along the road at some point of it. We’ll see. If anything, it will be a nice day out before heading back to work again for the next three days…. The Politician: Down South Day 3 - 5A grueling week for sure but it wasn’t all work and no play. During lunch hours Carmen and I got to get out and explore downtown Jackson a bit and see what was happening around the city. Wednesday we decided to check out Farish Street, a street that was once the African American business district back in the Jim Crow days. Back then, it was a bustling street of theaters, restaurants, shops and businesses. Somewhere along the way, the whole thing disappeared and now there is literally nothing, save for the one or two bars and one or two food shacks that still remain open. Everything is literally boarded up and abandoned. It is said that the city is trying to turn this historic street into the next “Beale Street” but they still have a very long way to go. The only thing that seems to have been improved are the sidewalks. Everything else looks as if it had begun the renovation project and that, too, seemed abandoned. Nevertheless you can still sense the history here. A few markers mark the spots of some significant places on the street, like the sign in front of where Blues label Trumpet Records once stood and the old Alamo Theater seems to be in good shape, although it is currently not in use. Everything else is abandoned and empty, boarded up, lost. It almost feels as if you are frozen in time in a way. It makes one wonder what this street once was and what it could be again. Maybe, with time, they will fix this street up to where they want it to be and bring some much needed traffic into the downtown area. At the moment, downtown Jackson clears out by 5pm. After that, the crack heads, derelicts, drug addicts and other sordid types emerge….
The following afternoon we decided to lunch in Smith Park, which is right across from the Governor’s mansion. A beautiful little park: quiet, green, filled with shaded areas and benches. It seems a place of refuge from---I won’t say the hustle and bustle---but from whatever people want to get away from. Jackson is not a city like New York in any sense. Even during the day there aren’t many people walking the streets. While sitting in the park, basking in the 80 degree heat, a man approaches us and begins talking to us. He is in his mid-60s, nice enough, conservative looking. He begins by asking us where we were from. We told him and told him that we were here for work reasons and that we were just enjoying a lunch hour and getting away from all the craziness. Turns out, this man is running as a candidate for a city council seat in Jackson. I won’t mention his name. You will see why in a moment. He began talking to us with his Southern charm, talking about race issues and how he hoped Obama would straighten out the country. He spoke to us of how he loves “dark skinned” women, especially Black and Hispanic women and immediately became enamored with Carmen’s “Ethnicity”. He wasn’t trying to pick her up or anything, but he wanted to know whether a man like himself would stand a chance with a black woman half his age. He then proceeds to take a small bible from his back pocket and then removed a photo of this absolutely stunning black woman. He says to us that he’s in love with her but to me, it looked as if the photo is one he just obtained, not one he took himself, since the woman was posing with another man altogether. But who really knows? Maybe he did take it. At any rate, he was sure to point out that he was attracted to black women and wanted to be with one. What happened next was that he began to tell us what his platform was. He was something of a “Jesus Freak”, he said, who did not like “Homosexals” (spelled the way he pronounced it), was against abortion (his card calls for the closing of Mississippi’s ONLY abortion clinic which he referred to as a “death mill’) among other things. He was a Republican, he said, and that he wanted to win to help “straighten out” his city. Ok, fair enough but I’ve heard this song before. Who knows…maybe he will win…maybe he’s just a nut, fringe candidate, but he seemed convinced that some “prominent businessmen” in Jackson had already cleared the way for him to win. I am definitely going to keep my eye on that. So was this guy a real, genuine candidate? I can’t say. But I do have his card…and I will try to see if he winds up winning because my gut tells me that if he does, you will be hearing about this guy…and not necessarily in a good way, either. He says his ultimate goal is to be Mayor. I guess only time will tell… Friday, we lunched at a place called Miller’s Grill which served the most amazing hamburgers I’ve had in a while. A great little joint, the only bad thing about it is that they close by 2pm---for the rest of the night. They don’t do dinner there. I can see why. No one is around downtown after 5 anyway, why open? Then we took a walk around and we wound up back in Smith Park again just to enjoy the sun. A few EDPs cut that venture short and we headed back to work. For dinner, Carmen really wanted to eat Catfish again so last night we returned to Cock of the Walk. We arrived there around 9pm to discover that they were ready to close. The old man at the door was nice enough to allow us in so we could eat. That was cool. I tried the chicken this time, which was incredible. But all this fried food is really beginning to take its toll on me. I feel I put on a few pounds already. Everything is fried down here…as Carmen joked, the only thing that isn’t fried is the water. The food is amazingly delicious but not for nothing, if you are not one who normally eats this kind of stuff, it’s going to cause havoc with your digestive system. Ok: Today we are going to Vicksburg where there are some old Civil War sites. More on that later. For now I am just enjoying the fact that I don’t have to work this weekend and that it’s going to be beautiful out there this weekend. We both need the time off and it couldn’t be more perfect out there at the moment to enjoy it…. Cock of The Walk: Down South Day 2My friend Carmen and I had lunch today at this restaurant called Cock of The Walk, which is a huge place that serves authentic Southern food. In fact, there are only two things on the menu: Chicken and Catfish. Being the adventurous sort, I figured I’d have Catfish this time, being that yesterday afternoon, we ate at this really cool restaurant called Two Sisters for lunch where I feasted on some of the best fried chicken I ever ate. I have to say that I enjoyed the Catfish very much…especially coupled with Mustard Greens and Black Eyed Peas. I’m not used to eating this sort of food…and I know eating this every day will not be a good thing being that just about everything here is fried…and I mean everything. I got my usual things (pasta, Indian food, etc) for the room…things I can’t go too long without.
We also got to see a historical district today, a district where Medgar Evers’ house is. Medgar Evers was a NAACP member who was brutally gunned down in his driveway during the Civil Rights era. I had always heard about that story but had no idea the house was nearby where we are staying and we got to take a short trip through what is now a historic district. Hearing all those stories of the Jim Crow years down here was really disturbing but not as disturbing as the dirty little secret that some of these establishments down here were STILL turning away African Americans from their establishments as recent as 1981. That was the real shock for me. Unbelievable…. Down South: Day 1I am here for work. Almost two weeks. I never been to Mississippi before so I guess this is a good opportunity to check out what’s going on down here, one of the homes of the Blues…among other things. I only checked in yesterday so I haven’t gotten the chance to really see what’s going on as of yet but my room is amazing…more like an apartment than a room. In fact, it’s almost better than my own apartment..and is in fact, a little bigger in a way. Surprising accommodations: Full kitchen, TV, Internet Connection…something a guy like me, used to sleeping in hostels, is certainly not used to. Besides, my friend Carmen is with me and she’s always good for a laugh and good times.
It is now 6:30am…I have to remember it is one hour behind from New York. Of course, I have to handle whatever work stuff is on the agenda today…but I am looking forward to later this afternoon so I can explore a little bit, see what’s happening down here. I don’t think I ever would have come here otherwise but it is a chance to see another part of the U.S., one country that I ironically haven’t seen much of, save for a few places. It will be good to sample this part of America. One point of note: Don’t fly Delta! From what I have heard, they are notorious for losing luggage. Well, my experience was no different. I arrived here at 5pm yesterday afternoon…and the luggage didn’t arrive until 10pm. That’s what I get for checking it…something I never do anyway. Well..surprise, surprise. Not much else to say right now other than yesterday afternoon was very warm. This morning is cold…and I mean NYC cold, which worries me a bit because I didn’t bring a coat. Perhaps it was a bit judgmental of me, but since this is the deep south, I figured it would be hot all the time. I hope I am right or else I will have a bit of a problem. Oops. Well…ready to start the day to see what’s what. A nice, quiet morning…. April, 2009 Posts
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