North Alabama BBQ

I never knew North Alabama was known for their BBQ!* Yet, I walked into the local Blue Rock BBQ here in San Jose, CA and read on the menu that this is "North Alabama" bar-b-que. Is this a special style of BBQ? Does it taste different from, say, Memphis or Kansas City BBQ? I was born and raised in Georgia, have family in Alabama, went to school in Tennessee, just a stone's throw from North Alabama, but never heard about the famous BBQ from this region until I visit the San Jose, CA restaurant that advertises such a delicacy.

It was good BBQ. You could get a pulled pork sandwich, ribs or chicken, and they came with slaw, beans and bread. Yummy. I'd go back. But I'm still puzzled about the North Alabama reference.

Wikipedia has a bit about North Alabama, and even that page doesn't refer to the famous BBQ.

Well, it remains a mystery to me, but the food was pretty good. I'd be happy to go back again. Sho' nuff.



* to clarify, in the South, and other states in the US, "BBQ" is a specific food -- usually pulled pork, slow cooked on a grill, slathered with sauce and served on a bun. In California, "BBQ" is an activity, where you get together with friends, fire up a grill, and cook hamburgers and hotdogs. Californians are missing out, I think.

Signage at the gym

My neighborhood gym is a great place. It is family-owned, and I see many familiar faces while I'm there. Their signage could use some professional help, however. Words without images don't serve their entire clientele, IMHO.



Each locker room has 2 containers: 1 for trash and 1 for towels (notice both words begin with a "t"). They've tried various signs to note the difference, and have finally settled on these.


Even with the notation, I still see people picking towels out of the trash (or vice versa). It seems the problem could be easily solved by adding a trash icon or a simple image of a towel. No?

Another example: locker room signs. Evidently it takes more brain power to grok "Women's Locker Room" than a simple picture of a female. Who knew! I wonder how many people who weren't paying attention walked into the wrong room. I'm sure I never have (ahem). More and more I see the value of those little make/female icons on restrooms.

Maybe it's not that big a deal, for me. After 8 years, I'm learning the local gym customs. And, on a positive note, they always have pretty flower arrangements to brighten up the place.

Good user experience in the parking lot

Footprints can assist us in finding our way. This is especially true in PayPal's San Jose parking lot.

Let me explain. The lot is very large (think 2 oversized football fields joined together by a paved pathway) and is liberally dotted with trees and bushes that provide shade for cars, but they also obstruct the clear path from my car to the front door of the building. Where can I walk and avoid trampling bushes and ivy as I get into the office every morning?


Little painted feet solve the problem! They appear every 15-20 feet and denote a walking path between cars, trees and shrubs. Problem solved! It's simple, low profile, and very handy for PayPal workers. A+ to whomever implemented this excellent parking lot experience.