City Description
Here is a question for you trivia buffs: Who is Birmingham's most famous professional athlete? Need a few clues? He is known throughout the world, played professional baseball, and owns six World Championship rings. Have the answer? Keep reading.
Known stateside as "Pittsburgh of the South," Birmingham is named after the British city famous for its considerable iron and coal industries. Today, visitors to this insurance and banking hub may not hear as many mill horns blow, but we're blowing the whistle for better workout facilities. Granted, the vast majority of locals spend their "R&R" fishing from bass boats, golfing on tightly cut fairways, and cheering for their favorite NASCAR drivers (we enjoy the latter two as well). However, for a city that hosts U.S. Olympic Marathon Qualifiers, the popular Mercedes Marathon/Half Marathon and a burgeoning health conscious community, we were surprised to discover that Downtown's five hotels did not include anything close to full-service gyms. In our best stereotypical Southern twang, "the pickens ar' gonna be slim for ya'll who do that goofy runnin' in place stuff."
While providing worthwhile exercise opportunities do not appear to be the hotels' priority, their employees and the rest of the Birmingham community compensate with big hearts and Southern hospitality. And don't despair, we did find a great workout place for ya'll, the Downtown YMCA.
Answer: Michael Jordan, he played for the AA Birmingham Barrons after his first retirement from basketball.
