Memphis Parade Success

There were tons of people at the parade last night and I am, admittedly, surprised. At least the turnout was much larger that I expected, so I should say I am pleasantly surprised. I took Poppy with me which turned out to be a mistake. All of the loud music made her very scared so we stayed back quite a bit from the crowd but I could still see most of the floats and groups go by. I did not stay for the Trolley Tour because Poppy was ready to go back home so I missed a few things I would have liked to do. The weather also cooperated as it started to sprinkle just a bit but never rained and it was not very cold. Anyway, there was a great crowd and if you missed it this year be sure to come down next year.

Back at home, Poppy and I contented ourselves with looking at some of our own Christmas lights.

Memphis Holiday Parade Downtown Tonight

The Memphis Holiday Parade will roll down South Main tonight. The parade starts at 5 pm and will head north on Main Street from St. Paul to Huling. After the parade the South Main Jolly Trolley Night begins with music, entertainment and egg nog at holiday parties in shops and art galleries lining Main. I will head to Hannah Davis Gallery to get another look at Martin LaBorde and David Lynch's artwork. After that I plan to indulge in shopping at some of the great shops along South Main. If you come down for the parade and want to have dinner downtown as well you're on the right street. Restaurants on South Main include Pearl's Oyster Bar, Frank's Deli (not a restaurant but they have some of the best deli sandwiches around, Green Beetle (bar food), Spindini (Italian), Onyx, Bluff City Coffee (coffee and pastries), Cheesecake Corner (quiche as well as cheesecake), Harry's, the Happy Mexican (just east of Main at 385 S. Second) and the Blue Monkey (just west of Main at G.E. Patterson and Front). Not to mention all the restaurants on South Main north of Peabody Place. Let the Holiday Season begin!

Thanksgiving Aftermath

Poppy had sooooo much turkey...

Happy Thanksgiving from Downtown Memphis

Tom Lee Park and the Bridge

As you can see it is a beautiful day in Memphis. If nothing else we can be thankful for this absolutely perfect, mild sunny day. I took advantage of it by going on a slightly extended pre-gluttonous feast run and brought my camera along as well. These are some of the things I saw along my run for which I am thankful. It was so quiet and no one was stirring around yet. Have a great Thanksgiving and a good start to the holiday season.


Handy Park on Beale Street.



The large fountain at South Bluffs.

Downtown Thanksgiving

Remember on Thanksgiving if you're downtown and looking for a place to hang out, a place to run to or a place to take out of town family members to, here are some updated options:

Downtown Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving:
Currents - open Lunch and Dinner (The River Inn in Harbor Town)
Tug's - open at 5 p.m. (The River Inn in Harbor Town)
Grill 83 (Madison Hotel)
Wang's Mandarin House - open for lunch and dinner, 113 S. Main
Peabody Hotel - Brunch 10 am - 2:30 pm
The Inn at Hunt Phelan (533 Beale Street - east of Fourth I believe)
Capriccio Grill (in the Peabody Hotel) 11 am - 10pm
Westy's (also providing free meals for those in need )

Downtown Bars Open on Thanksgiving:
Alfred's (Beale and Third)
BB Kings (Beale and Second)
Bardog Tavern (open at 5pm, 73 Monroe)
Calhoun's (open at 4:30 pm, 115 E. G.E. Patterson)
Club 152 (Beale Street)
Earnestine and Hazel's - St. Jude Fundraiser
The Flying Saucer (Second and Peabody Place)
Huey's (Second and Union)
Westy's (Jackson and Main)

I am sticking to my plan of watching the Godfather movies on AMC in the afternoon, although I might watch a bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade http://www.macys.com/campaign/parade/parade.jsp.

There are also plenty of football games to watch, such as the Tennessee Titans v. Detroit Lions (11:30 am Memphis time) . http://www.nfl.com/thanksgiving

However, the weather will be 65 degrees and sunny and who knows how long this warm spell will last, so it would be a shame to miss a walk or run in Greenbelt Park or Tom Lee Park.

Tuesday Before Thanksgiving: Don't Forget the Wine

Remember that Tuesday is ladies day at the Corkscrew, meaning ladies get 10% off wine. So today is the day to stock up for your Thanksgiving dinner guests (and beyond). They are at 511 S. Front Street. http://www.corkscrewmemphis.com/

Since the holidays are now upon us I have started looking around shops for interesting gifts. I think I found one at Lansky's in the Peabody. Behold:

A plaid Trilby for the Secure Boulevardier, for it is a man's hat. I love it.

Downtown this Friday: Memphis Holiday Parade

The Memphis Holiday Parade will be on South Main this Friday, November 28. The parade starts at 5 pm and will head north on Main Street from St. Paul to Huling. Radio stations FM100 and WRVR 104.5 will have their Make-A-Wish fundraiser prior to the parade. After the parade the South Main Jolly Trolly Night begins with music, entertainment and egg nog at holiday parties in shops and art galleries lining Main. This will be a great shopping opportunity. Some (there are a lot more) of the shops and galleries on South Main:

Hannah Davis Gallery (current exhibits: Martin LaBorde, David Lynch, Benjamin Bullins) http://hannahdavisgallery.com/

Jack Robinson Gallery http://www.robinsonarchive.com/gallery.asp

Art Village Gallery http://www.artvillagegallery.com/

Gestures Flowers and Gifts

The Corkscrew (wine and liquor : on South Front just north of G.E. Patterson)

Strut (women's shoes and bags)

Divine Rags (hip women's clothing and accessories)

The Cheesecake Corner (the best cheesecake)

Muse (women's and men's clothing)

Mode du Jour (women's clothing)

American Apparel (men's and women's clothing)

If you don't live downtown and you are coming from as great a distance as say the Far East (refer to the Memphis map from my Nov. 19 post) here are some official CCC Parking Tips: MATA is offering 25-cent shuttles from Main Street at Peabody Place to the South Main Arts District on parade day from 3 - 7 pm. During this time trolley operation will be limited to Madison and part of Main Street. Full trolley operation will resume after the parade. Parking is prohibited on Main Street from Webster to Huling starting Thursday, November 27 at 3 pm until the parade is over.

And I'll give you some unofficial Parking Tips as well. There are a few guys who stand around parking meters at night downtown. They pretend to be "parking attendants" and will hold a space open for you and direct you into a space. They will then charge you some amount of money and many people unwittingly pay them. I see this happen all the time. You DO NOT have to insert money in parking meters downtown at night. I believe they are free from 6pm - 7am but the meters have those times posted so just read them. And don't give anyone on the street money, only valets, lots and garages charge to park.


Click here for an overview map of shops and businesses Downtown that participated in the Holiday Storefront Decorating contest. Winners will be announced at the parade.

Click here for parking maps: http://www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/gettingaround/gettingaround_parking.asp

Early Sunday Morning Downtown: Cold, Grey, Quiet

Sunday mornings downtown, especially in the fall and winter, tend to be very quiet as the streets are all but deserted. This morning was especially still and the cold overcast weather made it seem even more so. When things are this quiet you get a totally different perspective on the city and manage to notice things you may have not noticed before. I posted some shots of some views I don't normally take in though I pass many of these places everyday.

Court Square Lit up for the Holidays

So many beautiful lights at last! I missed the ceremony last night but walked down Main Street to Court Square afterwards to see the lights. I haven't seen Court Square look so nice before, not just because of the lights but also because it had been very carefully manicured all around the park. Even the pavement and park benches looked like they had been pressure washed so well it all looked new.




The Hebe Fountain close up. The water has been drained of course and replaced for a while with blue lights, representing water I suppose.

Flip the Switch Ceremony in Court Square

Don't forget today at 5pm in Court Square the Center City Commission is hosting the Flip the Switch Holiday lighting ceremony. Light poles along South Main have also been wrapped with lights, snowflake lights have been installed on Union and businesses and shop windows have been decorated. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...


I can't wait to see the Hebe Fountain lit up.

Art in South Main : David Lynch Exhibit

"Madison Avenue" by David Lynch

Tonight from 5 - 8pm at Hannah Davis Gallery there will be a preview party of art by Memphis artist David Lynch. I am a big fan of his work which is vibrant and fun. The exhibit will feature originals as well as framed and signed metallic prints. If you can't make it tonight try to swing by the official opening night next Friday, November 28 during the Jolly Trolley Tour. Hannah Davis Gallery is on Huling between S. Main and Front. To find out more about him and his work visit his website www.DavidLynchArt.com.
(art reproduced in this post by permission of artist)

Thanksgiving Dinner in Downtown Memphis: Thinking Ahead

Let's say Thanksgiving Day rolls around and you find yourself in downtown Memphis. There are plenty of scenarios I can think of where you may be looking for a place to eat or have a drink.

Scenario #1 - forgot to put the turkey in the oven
Scenario #2 - forgot on purpose to put the turkey in the oven
Scenario #3 - you despise cooking
Scenario #4 - had a huge dinner with your huge family and now you're looking for a bar in which to take refuge
Scenario #5 - loved hanging out with your family and having dinner with them but you did that early in the day and now you are bored. Some of your out of town family members are also bored. Take them out to one of these places:

Downtown Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving:
Currents - open Lunch and Dinner (The River Inn in Harbor Town)
Tug's - open at 5 p.m. (The River Inn in Harbor Town)
Grill 83 (Madison Hotel)
The Inn at Hunt Phelan (533 Beale Street - east of Fourth I believe)
Capriccio Grill (in the Peabody Hotel)
Westy's (also providing free meals for those in need )

Downtown Bars Open on Thanksgiving:
Alfred's (Beale and Third)
BB Kings (Beale and Second)
Club 152 (Beale Street)
Earnestine and Hazel's - St. Jude Fundraiser
The Flying Saucer (Second and Peabody Place)
Huey's (Second and Union)
Westy's (Jackson and Main)

My choice would be Earnestine and Hazel's to support St. Jude but also for the jukebox, assuming there's no band. I'm not sure. It doesn't matter anyway as I will be in the Far East (map attached for reference) and then I plan to watch Godfather movies on AMC - Godfather at 12:30 pm followed by Godfather, Part II at 4:30pm. Get the wine and a blanket.

Court Square Holiday Lights

Today at lunch I noted that the Christmas lights are being installed in Court Square. There are angels with trumpets on every light pole and there were some intricate looking lights being installed around the fountain as well. Many light poles along Main Street have been wrapped with lights already as well. To see them all lit for the first time come to the Holiday Winter Lights Flip-The-Switch Ceremony this Friday, November 21 at 5 pm in Court Square.

Take a Chance on This Post: Mamma Mia! at the Orpheum

Mamma Mia! starts tonight at the Orpheum and runs through Sunday November 23rd. Not being a fan of musicals, I half-heartedly went to see this show about three years ago at the Orpheum because I had been given tickets. Not expecting much, I was surprised to find that I loved it and it was such a fun show. In honor of the show and of course ABBA, watch this video if you have a moment. If this video does not put a smile on your face, there's no hope for you.

ThanksGIVING

Interested in giving this Thanksgiving? Here are some ideas:

Make a donation to the Memphis Union Mission Thanksgiving Campaign
http://www.memphisunionmission.org/you/appeals/october.htm

Calvary Rescue Mission Thanksgiving Meal: On Thanksgiving Day, bring cooked food to the mission for their 6 p.m. Thanksgiving dinner, so their great staff can have a holiday, too. Please call Brother Bob Freudiger at 775-2570 for more information and their location.

Make a canned food donation at the Grizzlies v. Jazz game, Saturday, November 22, 7 pm.
Help support the Memphis Food Bank by filling the Food Bank truck with non-perishable food items. Donations will be accepted at FedExForum during the game. When you make a donation, you'll receive a voucher for discounted tickets to a future Grizzlies' game.* Click on the Grizzlies website link to find out what that * means. http://www.nba.com/grizzlies/community/hoops_for_the_hungry.html

Make a donation to MIFA, please click on the link to see their Holiday Wish List. http://www.mifa.org/newsEventsDetails.asp?news_id=111.

Cyclocross Pictures and Itta Bena Offer

I like multi-tasking so I decided to walk Poppy in Greenbelt Park on Mud Island this morning and at the same time get some photos of the 22nd Annual Cyclocross. It was pretty chilly out there but it was still fun to watch. There was a circuit set up in the park and riders had to ride up and down hills, dismount to run over hurdles while carrying their bikes (sometimes also uphill), and ride normally on the course in between all this on and off and up and down. Looks exhausting. You can see the race results by going to the Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association's website: http://www.tbra.org/raceschedule.php

I picked up the November issue of Skirt! magazine and Itta Bena has coupon in it for 20% off an entree (page 18). It's valid until November 30th. I haven't been there in a while but it's one of my favorite places downtown. It's located above BB King's Blues Club - easiest to enter from Second rather than Beale. You can pick up Skirt! at Blues City Coffee and lots of other places around town.

Downtown Memphis on the Travel Channel, New Hotel, Court Square Lights update

This morning after my run I whipped up an omelette, plopped myself in front of the TV, turned on the Travel Channel and discovered that Memphis is a featured location on a new show that premiers December 3rd at 9pm cst. It's called "Man v. Food" and the host is a guy named Adam Richman. The point of the show it seems is to showcase restaurants in cities across America but to focus on those with an "eating challenge".
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food/Food_Locations

The piece on Memphis will feature:
*Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken (I can't get away from Gus's lately, maybe that's some kind of a sign)
* Charlie Vergos's Rendezvous
* Big Foot Lodge
All three of these restaurants are downtown. The challenge is at Big Foot Lodge where they have some kind of enormous hamburger called the Sasquatch that only a handful of people have been able to eat. According to the Big Foot website this burger weighs 7.5 pounds (4 lbs of which is beef), has a total calorie count of 12,387 and total fat is 266.8g. Visit their website to read about the challenge and the restaurant, which is hugely popular as is seems every time Poppy and I walk by they are packed. http://www.eatatbigfoot.com/sasquatch-challenge/

A Courtyard by Marriott hotel is being built at the corner of Jefferson and Main Street which is just across from Court Square Center (Lincoln American Tower and Rhodes-Jennings building). Yesterday's Memphis Business Journal reported the $21 million dollar eight story 131 room hotel is to be completed by the end of 2009.

Court Square has been without lights for the past two or three weeks. It seems there is now a generator there powering four large spotlights. One of the spotlights is out, just thought that was funny. I'm not complaining mind you, three lights is better than no lights. Anyway, the holiday lights go up next week and will look beautiful.

Orleans on Front

I finally had a chance to eat at Orleans on Front for lunch today and it was fantastic. I had the seafood gumbo which was rich and spicy with lots of shrimp, crawfish and chicken. My friends liked their lunches as well - one had the fried catfish and the other had a pasta dish. The service was great as well and I was glad to see the place was packed with customers. http://orleansonfront.com/


Does anyone remember that Lou's Place used to be in this same space? It was way back in the 80's - early 90's and it was a jazz bar. This over the top chandelier (that I love) has been here forever.

Red Fish in the Pinch

The Red Fish Gallery, Gifts and Glass shop is having a Holiday open house tonight from 6pm - 9pm. Located at 356 N. Main in the Pinch District. This great little shop is packed full of art, glass, jewelry, accessories, gifts and all kinds of interesting and unusual items. It would be a great place to get some Christmas shopping done.

The Eagles at FedEx Forum, The Orpheum Auction and Outdoors, Inc Cyclocross

There is something for everyone happening downtown this weekend.

On Saturday, November 15th the Orpheum will host its Annual Auction Gala. 6:30pm, tickets are $100.
http://www.orpheum-memphis.com/index.cfm?section=comattrac&page=details&showid=602

The 22nd Annual Outdoors, Inc. Cyclocross Tennessee State Championship will be held at Greenbelt Park this Sunday, November 16th. Registration is at 8am. It seems you race around the park on your bike, ride up and down hills and end up carrying your bike as you jump over obstacles. I think I'll be a spectator for this one.
http://www.outdoorsinc.com/News-and-Events/Events/cyclocross/Cyclocross-Championship.cfm

Also on Sunday, November 16th The Eagles will be live in concert at FedEx Forum. http://www.fedexforum.com/displayEvent.aspx?id=539

There are many other things happening downtown, go to the Center City Commission website for a complete list. www.downtownmemphis.com/domain/news/html/thisweek.html

The Great Disappearing Mississippi River

A thick fog hovered over downtown this morning so I went up to the roof to survey the situation. As you can see, the Mississippi River had disappeared in the foggy blanket. Normally the view looks like this:

Quite a difference. Usually I like to run in the mornings but opted out today for fear of not be able to see light poles, curbs, and other objects in time to avoid them. If I had only bought the miner's hat from yesterday's post I would have been set for this morning's scenario.


Rooftop lantern


The fog, the rain and the chill in the air will make you want to stay at home under a blanket with a good book. Alas, off to work I go.

About the Cossitt Library Book Sale...

Well, the library book sale has been scaled back to a mere fraction of what it once was. Instead of having the entire second floor devoted to books for sale it has been relegated to a small room off the first floor. I managed to get six hard backs in perfect condition, Jacques Cousteau's "The Ocean World" and a 10th edition copy of Emily Post's "Etiquette" were among them. The library has more books in boxes and will keep putting new ones out today through Friday when the sale ends. The Emily Post book is killing me! Here are some of the sections that I may or may never find useful but I will always love reading:
Paying a Visit to a Lady Who Has No Maid
Women Who Put on Make-Up At Table
How Can The Man of Low Income Entertain the Girl of His Choice?
Never Light Your Own Cigarette at a Table Without Accessories
Following Fashion has Little in Common with Beauty
Details of White House Etiquette (from the timely "Protocol in Washington" chapter)

Court Square Lights

The lights are still out in Court Square but at least I know that soon there will be light again. The Center City Commission is hosting the Holiday Winter Lights Flip-The-Switch Ceremony on Friday, November 21 at 5 pm in Court Square. Street light poles and street trees along Main Street will also be illuminated and decorated. At 6pm that same night the CCC is hosting the downtown storefront decorating contest, the winner receives $2,500. Until the 21st I guess Court Square may be dark so to all you dog owners, bring a flashlight on that last walk of the night. Or maybe you can get a miners's hat with a light so you can have your hands free to deal with Spot.

Book Sale

The Cossitt Branch Library at 33 S. Front is having a Book Sale tomorrow Wednesday, November 12 through Friday November, 14 from 10am - 4pm each day. I go to this sale almost every time they have it and have gotten lots of hard back books for very little money. The sooner you go the better as you will see people carrying box loads of books out all day.

Roasted Winter Squash Soup

Soup weather is here and so are all those perplexing looking winter squash. Since I did not grow up eating any of them they have remained somewhat of a mystery to me, clearly in the "hmm, those look interesting but I have no idea what to do with them" category. Until now. I was at Blues City Coffee on Main Street a few days ago and had a bowl of Butternut Squash soup which was so thick, creamy and delicious that I decided to make a squash soup of my own. Feeling inspired, I emerged from the kitchen with an original recipe that was really quite nice if I say so myself. This makes about a half gallon of soup. It's thick and creamy but has very little fat and has a smoky and slightly sweet flavor.

1 butternut squash, 1 spaghetti squash, 3 parsnips (peel them like carrots), 3 new potatoes, diced, 1 white onion, diced, 2 cans chicken broth, 2 cups water, paprika, thyme, fennel seed, cardamom, sugar (about 1/2 teaspoon of each of these), salt & pepper to taste (I added A LOT of pepper) , 1 bay leaf , 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp butter

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place the halves skin sides up in a shallow baking dish. Place the parsnips in the dish as well. Add about 1/3 cup of water to the dish and bake for 45 minutes. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the potatoes and onion, stirring occasionally over medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add one can of chicken broth and one cup of water to the onions and potatoes. Add the bay leaf. Reduce heat to a simmer. After the squash and parsnips have baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool a few minutes. Flip the squash over and scoop out the flesh with a spoon and add to the soup pot. Dice the parsnips up into small pieces and add them in as well. Stir well. Add all the spices, salt, pepper. Stir in one more can of chicken broth, one cup of water, the milk and the butter. Let the soup simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.

Need something to drink with your soup? DON'T FORGET today is Tuesday and the Corkscrew has 10% off all wine for ladies!

Autumn in the Parks

The leaves are changing colors and it's started to feel like fall over the past week. I set out yesterday to go to Martyrs Park to try and catch a glimpse of the foxes that run around there from time to time. I didn't get to see the foxes but I did get some good pictures in the parks at sunset. Tom Lee Park runs into Ashburn Coppock Park to the south and then further south becomes Martyrs Park which commemorates those people who died in the Yellow Fever epidemic in the late 1800's. Far from being depressing, this park is beautifully hidden away near the foot of the old bridge with lots of trees and open space. It was a beautiful day and a great end to a busy weekend.