The University of South Alabama campus in Mobile is close to my childhood home. I remember when the campus construction was first announced, in 1963. I was a young boy, and the implications didn’t really register at the time, but I did watch it grow in both size and stature over the years. My respect for South Alabama grew substantially when, early on, a close family friend, Dr. Neal Rowell, was hired as a professor in the physics department.

If the Mobile-Tensaw Delta is America’s Amazon, then the Causeway is its gateway. If the Causeway is the gateway, then the 5 River Delta Center is the gatekeeper. It is one of those places that you may not know what goes on there, but you are glad it exists, hopefully working to protect and support the place for which it is tasked with overseeing.

If brunch is one of your favorite meals of the day, you’re in luck: The Ruby Slipper Café, located at 100 N. Royal Street in Mobile will fit the bill nicely.

“We could be in San Diego,” my friend Ellen said. “Blue skies, low humidity, and eating lunch outside.”

Located at 1808 Old Shell Road, the Dew Drop Inn has survived hurricanes, recessions, inflation, and a pandemic. There’s a reason it is Mobile’s oldest dining establishment: it’s just that good.

Some really innovative people live among us, who are always doing interesting things, and frankly, it’s hard to stay on top of everything they have going on. Two of whom are a married couple, John and Lynn Henderson Oldshue. Every time our paths cross, I learn that they are working on multiple projects that have a positive impact on our lives and communities.

Now that Mardi Gras is over and the Lenten season is upon us, it’s time to do something constructive and entertaining with the kids. The perfect place to go is the History Museum of Mobile.

When someone recommends a place to eat I’ve never heard of before, and I make a point of checking it out and have an amazing meal, I wonder why it took me so long to discover it. This is the case with Neighbors Seafood and Chicken in the Tillman’s Corner area of Mobile.