B-metro - The magazine of metro Birmingham living

Water portraits by Liesa Cole Essay by Joe O’Donnell “The pictures achieve something rarely articulated about the metaphysical state of swimming: The body, immersed, feels amplified, heavier and lighter at the same time. Weightless yet stronger.” – Leanne Shapton, Swimming Studies I break through the water and breathe deeply before submerging again. It is timeless somehow, this… Read More

It can take a village to care for a bicycle. Written by Aaron Traywick and Edward Badham Photographed by Edward Badham Without a doubt, in the car-crazed city of Birmingham, the folks that gravitate to cycling  are a diverse and eclectic group. From the perspective of a rear-view mirror, all bicycles and cyclists may seem… Read More

Designer Dana Wolter creates a space for teens to grow. Written and Photographed by Graham Yelton Here we are in July and summer is disappearing faster than a popsicle in the Alabama sun. The countdown to the first day of school has begun and preparation for a new year is in the works. For parents… Read More

Escape to the lake. Written by Tom Wofford Photography by Beau Gustafson According to American poetry’s most famous lake enthusiast, these placid bodies of water are “the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature.” Henry David Thoreau was, of course, describing his beloved Walden “pond” 17 years before Birmingham was founded, but there can be no… Read More

Cyclists and drivers often find themselves on different sides of the same yellow lines. Written by Phillip Ratliff Cycling is a battle that is as much mental as physical. While a sober sense of one’s mortality can be healthy, overcoming the fear of injury is a never-ending struggle in a sport filled with wrecks and… Read More

The action never stops at the Birmingham Barons’ new stadium, Regions Field, that opened in the 2013 season. Photography by Meg McKinney

Photos by Beau Gustafson This month’s One on One conversation focused on magazine publishing, outdoor sports, and great restaurant spots. Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, Eddie Lee Rider has called Birmingham home since 1998. Entering the publishing world straight out of Georgia State University in the early ‘90s, Rider has worked in Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth,… Read More