While I was at Jerry’s, we got into a conversation about why Memphis is a great place. There was a small consensus: Memphis is great because nothing here comes easily.

In this town, nothing is handed to you. Staying positive in Memphis requires overcoming a checkered history, chronically low civic self esteem, and the fact that other people constantly suggesting the easy way out.

I’ve thought about the easy ways out quite a bit. There seems to be a lot of conversation about them lately. Conversations that start with “have you ever thought about moving to (insert “cooler” city)”. Conversations about where I see myself in five years, doing the work that I do in a town like this. Questions about why I chose to come back here, buy a house and make a life.

Choosing Memphis isn’t always easy. I’ve joked about feeling like I’m married to the city, like I have to stay with it and make it work, no matter what.

But here’s the thing about Memphis: there’s loads of opportunity. In other cities, if you want to start something – a business, an event, a flashmob – chances are, someone’s already doing it. Here, there’s plenty of room to experiment, to try, and to learn.

Memphis is a city full of secrets. Some of the most amazing places and things here are hidden. You have to work to find them, but once you discover that amazing hidden patio or unguarded pool or bar in a warehouse neighborhood, there’s a thrilling sense of victory and discovery.

Living in Memphis can make you more open minded and  willing to try something new.

Living in Memphis makes you strong.

(Thanks to Zach, who submitted this reason to love Memphis back when the blog was in its infancy.)

Ludwig kit at Memphis Drum Shop

The Memphis Drum Shop has six showrooms stocked with new and vintage drum sets, obscure hand drums and chimes, gongs, tympani and bongos. In this palace of percussion, professional grade drum kits share floor space with beginner sets and pearly vintage drums. There’s a shrine-like room entirely devoted to cymbals.

Open in Memphis since 1987, the Memphis Drum Shop is considered one of the best drum shops in the world. Legendary drummers of all kinds have given performances and workshops in the upstairs performance area and the drum shop has the largest display of Zildjian and Paiste cymbals in the world. In addition to the showroom, the drum shop also manages a large ecommerce business, repair shop, and archive of drum catalogs (from 1900 to the present).

Pearly whites, Memphis Drum Shop

For those wanting to rock but unsure of where to start, the Memphis Drum Shop has seven percussion teachers on staff and offers discounted lessons with the purchase of some drum kits.

Go There:

Memphis Drum Shop

878 South Cooper Street
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 276-2328

We’re so vain, but it’s only because we know the songs are about us.

Our fair city gets name-dropped in more songs than any other city on earth. The Rock’n'Soul museum keeps a running list of all of the songs that mention Memphis in the lyrics. Currently, the count is at 969.

The artists on the list are varied – everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis and Bob Dylan to Project Pat and Ani Difranco is represented. A lot of the artists are locals, both past and present.

Every time I hear a song that mentions Memphis, I get a dorky little swell of civic pride, especially when the song is awesome. No offense to Marc Cohn, but “Walking in Memphis” doesn’t make me feel nearly as at home as Spoon’s “Finer Feelings” or Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee”.

What are your favorite songs that mention Memphis?

“You know,” my friend said, “Some cities smell like trash.”

Thankfully, Memphis is not one of those cities.

Wonderbread Bakery, Memphis, Tenn.

The edge of downtown consistently smells like Wonder Bread, the suburbs are sweet with honeysuckle in the spring, and there are days when the entire city smells like food.

What are your favorite Memphis smells?

Boneyard, Cooper Young, Memphis, Tenn.

Some Midtowners (especially those in Cooper Young) have a unique sense of landscaping. They’re not content to have perfectly manicured lawns with even blades of grass and well-contained flower beds. Instead, they’ve turned their front yards in to works of art – makeshift sculpture gardens featuring flowers, found objects, reclaimed televisions and lights. These yards will put your lone pink flamingo or lawn gnome to shame.

Pony and TV, Cooper Young, Memphis, Tenn.

There are several notable art yards scattered around Cooper Young. The one pictured is on Evelyn, and there are a few on Young Ave., York, and Evelyn. To see them, I recommend taking a walk or bike ride through the residential streets near the intersection of Cooper and Young.

That’s why I love the Memphis and Shelby County Room at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. It’s a cozy (if a little chilly), quiet room on the 4th floor that houses documents, records, photos, recordings, and periodicals from Memphis’ past.

Memphis and Shelby County Room, Main Library, Memphis, Tenn.

There are card catalogs stuffed with photos of Memphis that remind me of an analog Google Streetview. I tried to find a photo of my house, to no avail. If you find a photo that you like, you can make copies, scan it or take photos of it for publication. If you want to read the Commercial Appeal from the day Elvis died, you can. If you want to know who was born, married, or died in Memphis in 1865, you can find it.

Many of the items in the Memphis and Shelby County Room are part of the closed collection, meaning that you’ll have to ask one of the insanely knowledgeable librarians for assistance.

The Memphis and Shelby County room is open during the main library’s regular hours.

Go There:

Memphis and Shelby County Room

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library

(901) 415-2700

Otherlands Patio, Memphis, Tenn.

The first few weeks of spring in Memphis are a glorious, glorious thing. The sun is shining andeveryone in the city seems to be in a good mood. It’s a wonderful little interim between cold and stiflingly hot.

And the best part? There aren’t any bugs. Seriously. I ate dinner on a porch last night, and didn’t get a single mosquito bite.

I urge you to get out and enjoy the next few weeks. Have dinner on the porches at Bahn Thai, Cafe Ole, Fuel, or the Majestic. Take a walk through the Old Forest, or stroll the river trail downtown. Take advantage of it.

Big Deal by Jeremy Wilburn

The rumors about Southern people (especially Memphians) are true – we’re really, really friendly. Super friendly, even. We’ll hug you without warning, happily chat up strangers, and ask how your mama is doing every time we see you.

For what it’s worth, everyone in Memphis seems to be on a first name basis with everyone else. People are generally humble and approachable, no matter how amazing their work. It could be because the city is crawling with people who are legitimate Big Deals.

It’s not uncommon to run into Mayor Wharton at the Midtown Schnucks or any number of musicians at the Quik Check or Otherlands. One time, congressman Steve Cohen helped me start my car when it broke down outside of his campaign office.

Whenever you mention someone who’s a Big Deal in Memphis, it’s not uncommon for the person you’re talking to to respond with “Yeah, I run into that guy all the time, and he’s really great.” Everyone seems to have at least one good story about everyone else, and that makes Memphis feel less like a city and more like a community.

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing about the Waffle Shop at Calvary Church downtown. It’s a lunch-only, Lent-only tradition.

I met my friend Andre there this afternoon for lunch. We were seated by a volunteer hostess and asked to mark what we wanted for lunch on the orange paper menus. The menu options are decidedly old school. Some of the items listed have been on the menu since the Calvary Waffle Shop started in 1928. This is probably one of the last places in town where you can get both tomato aspic and shrimp mousse.

Waffle, Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

I played it safe and chose the spaghetti. Andre got the corned beef, and we got a waffle to share (because what good is lunch at the Waffle Shop without a waffle). My spaghetti was really good in a classic way. Andre made a happy plate, so I’m assuming that the corned beef wasn’t bad, either.

The waffle was perfection. It wasn’t too thick and the edges had just a little bit of crunch to them.

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

One of the coolest things about the Waffle Shop is that all of the seats are at long folding tables, so you wind up eating with strangers. The whole vibe is like a school cafeteria run by a team of grandmothers. The Waffle Shop does to-go orders, but if you can spare the time to sit and eat, you should.

There’s no tipping allowed at the Waffle Shop, no matter how adorable and friendly your volunteer server is. All of the money raised from the Waffle Shop goes to help fund Calvary’s outreach ministries throughout the city.

Easter is on April 4, so the Waffle Shop will only be open for three more weeks. If you want to try it, I suggest going soon.

Go There:

Calvary Waffle Shop

11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

]]> http://ilovememphisblog.com/2010/03/reason-to-love-memphis-31-calvary-waffle-shop/feed/ 5 http://ilovememphisblog.com/2010/02/reason-to-love-memphis-30-macaroni-is-a-vegetable/ http://ilovememphisblog.com/2010/02/reason-to-love-memphis-30-macaroni-is-a-vegetable/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:16:46 +0000 Kerry (admin) http://ilovememphisblog.com/?p=926 Southern people are big fans of the meal known as the “meat and three”.  A typical meat and three includes some kind of meat (think fried chicken or catfish, maybe turkey and dressing) and three vegetables of your choice on the side. Usually, the vegetables are distinctly Southern – fried okra, slaw, green beans seasoned with salt pork, and fried green tomatoes are usually on the list.

But in Memphis, there seem to be a few items on the vegetable list that aren’t quite like the others. Mostly, I’m talking about macaroni and cheese.

Meat and two from Alcenia's, Memphis, Tenn.

You see that? It’s my meat (fried catfish) and two vegetables from Alcenia’s on North Main. Yes, one of those vegetables is macaroni and cheese. Yum!

Alcenia’s is a tiny, colorful soul food joint that serves a daily rotation of home-cooked meats and vegetables. They’ve got brunch on Sunday, too. Alcenia’s also serves a beverage called Ghetto Aid that’s a super sweet mashup of three different Kool-Aid flavors that makes Ching’s Orange Mound Punch seem logically sweetened.

Mmmm, Ghetto-Aid!

The food at Alcenia’s is incredible – the green beans were perfectly seasoned, the macaroni was gloriously cheesy, and the catfish was very lightly breaded. The service was insanely affectionate – at one point, the owner, B.J. Chester-Tomayo, came over and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the head. Aww!

You can get your Alcenia’s fix daily at their downtown restaurant, or during the summer at the downtown farmer’s market.

Alcenia’s Desserts & Preserves from BackBeat on Vimeo.

Go There:

Alcenia’s