Memphis, TN

A lucky lady I'll sure be if I could find me a fellow with a soul like Memphis. Brilliant, but doesn't take himself too seriously. How can a guy be a bore if he parades around in rhinestones and ties chiffon around his neck? I think there's something delightful about that, no? I read somewhere that ultimately we seek a lover with qualities we wish we had in ourselves. I know I can have a stick up my rear end at times, so until I find someone like Memphis, I'll take the city itself.

A city I fondly remember for ensnaring my senses one late drunken night. After thirteen years not cutting into a farm animal, I ended up devouring some cow brisket. This is what Memphis does to you, it loosens your definitions of yourself. Case in point, Reverend Al Green. The man who once crooned about love shirtless and slick, is now cloaked in modesty before God. I pray (really, I do!) you'll have a chance to attend his mass, but please don't try to leave early. You're seeing Al Green for free. Why not pay your respects?

Another case in point, the Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Not far from the entrance is Jacqueline Smith's vigil to boycott the Civil Rights Museum itself. I wish she was there so I could've learned more about her resolve. From what I've read however, it's puzzling why she doesn't have more local support. (Her setup could use an image makeover -- starting with the blue tarps.)

And if you're still not convinced, consider the Peabody Hotel's duck crossing (you read that right) and Beale street's disregard for grammar. Because seriously, who cares about grammar when it's one of the few streets in the U.S. where public drinking is allowed.

Memphis also has a reputation for being a 'gritty' city. Out of curiosity and boredom,* I looked up gritty in my fancy dictionary widget:

Grit-ty 

1. Containing or covered with grit

2. Showing courage and resolve; tough and uncompromising

That's right, "showing courage and resolve". Jacqueline Smith is gritty, Elvis was gritty, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was gritty, Memphis' grits is boiling over. Whoops, I meant grit. It's easy to add an 's' south of the Mason-Dixon line. And how can I mention the south without mentioning the Underground Railroad. Memphis has evidence of that shining grit as well at Slave Haven.

* Writing can be boring, especially when you're trying to figure out what to say, how to say it, and why it takes you ages to write one sentence. I've complained about this before, but it ain't gettin' easier.

Length of Stay

Three days

Docking Index

       

Eight anchors, still bored, I looked up Memphis in Urban Dictionary:

Memphis

1. A city located in the very southwest corner of Tennessee. Name after Memphis, Egypt because of its location on a major river. The Egyptian name means "place of good abode".

2. M.E.M.P.H.I.S - "Making easy money pimping hoes in style". Comes from a popular tradition among the urban youth of Memphis to make acronyms of existing words (like Budweiser means "Bitch, you do what ever I say, even run).

"Place of good abode"?! My longings for Memphis are "Justified" like Justin Timberlake (born in Memphis). But is a place good when police suspect you of weapons before a crime has been committed? Pat down and purse checks were mandatory before entering Beale street. Better safe than sorry I guess.