Stroll in Alexandria
In this first-person POV of downtown Alexandria, Louisiana, Mike marvels at some of the small towns and unexpected places that have made efforts at better connecting their communities with transit and other pedestrian-oriented measures.
Good morning Alexandria! This is Mike George coming at you live from downtown here, live on tape at the Tap & Grind coffeehouse.
Some of you guys have asked me, "Mike George, what the f**k are you doing in Alexandria still? What the fuck are you doing in Louisiana still?" Well, this is why the fuck I'm still here - because it is the third week of January, and this is the day that greets me. You cannot get much better than this! I’m just going to blame it on God, because God owes me a few favors for those wildfires in 2020.
This is downtown Alexandria. I haven't really done a good job of showing you guys what it looks like, but this is such a beautiful little town. I often compare Alexandria to Steubenville, but really, let's be honest, Alexandria does a much better job for its downtown than Steubenville has.
I spent this morning taking a long walk along the Bayou Rapides, and it’s kind of sad how long I’ve lived in Alexandria and yet have failed to really make the most of this time here. I figure since I’m unemployed with all this free time now, why not make use of it?!
A Stroll Through Downtown
I’m walking through the downtown here to the library.
I love the murals around town, by the way! It very much reminds me of Steubenville, in terms of how they emphasize the artwork. Steubenville calls itself the "city of murals," but damn it, for a city that doesn't really talk about it too much, Alexandria does a fine job of jazzing up a lot of its buildings.
I hear the church bells over in the distance.
Oh, look at that! There's our fine bus system, known as A-Trans. This was one of the many things I’m really impressed about with the city — that they actually have bus service, which is pretty remarkable for a city of its size. Look at all these buses! I love to see public transportation at work in the year 2023. This is the way it should be! I even had a couple of little adventures at City Hall trying to find out who the heck is in charge of A-Trans…
We pass the City Hall, and right over there is the Hotel Bentley, which is one of the most beautiful Southern hotels I've ever seen. It's gorgeously preserved. In the basement is the Bentley Room, a wonderful little upscale restaurant. This is also the bridge that crosses the Red River, which separates Alexandria from Pineville, where CLECO (Central Louisiana Electric Company), my former employer, has its head office.
History and Resilience
This town really is an understated gem. The wonderful thing about this town is that everything is so close. Alexandria has quite a fascinating little history.
It was the head of navigation for the Red River from July to January.
It became the most important trade and social center for the plantation region preceding the Civil War.
It was designated headquarters for the Confederate Trans-Mississippi department.
But then, in their retreat, Union troops burned Alexandria, destroying all courthouse and municipal records on 13 May 1864.
Considering this is a town that was burned down during the Civil War, I think it did pretty well for itself in terms of getting back up on its feet. The architecture here is just outstanding. I also think about the more recent economic hit this town suffered - the loss of its Air Force base — England Air Force Base — in the 1990’s, which reminds me much of Steubenville losing its steel industry.
As I walk, I have to try and cross through without getting run over.
I’m heading over to the library. I did get a library card the other week, so I am officially a member of the Rapides Parish Library System. And, honestly, the people here are just so friendly, too.
This town really is a hidden little gem, and it just goes to show all the random shit you can find in places like the middle of Louisiana.
I’m at the library now. Without further ado, I’m going to head in there. This has been Mike George. Take care of yourselves, and take care of somebody else!
