Just went to Jack’s for my morning wake-up Mountain Dew. As I walked down there, I thought, “Hmmm… I haven’t had a Hostess Fruit Pie in a while… if Jack’s has them I think I’ll buy one for breakfast… any flavor will do, as long as it’s not apple.” So, of course, what was the only flavor Jack’s had? Apple.
Here’s a quick weekend catch-up for you… Friday night was a BLAST. I went to a party at The Warehouse, a warehouse on GE Patterson across from the lot where they do the Farmers Market. A guy named Kris owns it and lives there and it was his birthday party. The Dempseys were playing, the beer and liquor were flowing, and there were a lot of familiar Downtown faces. Stayed there until about 12:30, then stumbled over to Earnestine & Hazel’s for a few beers. Had a good conversation with my friend Terry (aka Terrence aka Black Man) who was hanging out upstairs, left about 2:30 to begin the long stumble home, but my friend Ryan who owns Etched Art saw me and gave me a ride home.
Saturday: Walked down to Beale about 2:00… chased a bum off the street, taking pics of him every time he stopped to beg someone for money. Heh. He gave me his “I ain’t no bum” speech. Um, dude. You’re begging people for money. And cigarettes. And you’re missing half your teeth, which is a pretty sure sign you smoke crack. Yeah. You’re a bum. Now go away.
My plan was to put down a Call-a-Cab before the parade, but the Saucer had corned beef and cabbage as its lunch special, and that (plus staring at the waitresses) was too tempting an offer to resist. Guinness was the fire sale, which made a lot of people happy. The corned beef and cabbage turned out to be really good – wish they’d make that a permanent menu item. Tabbed out after one beer, got to Beale about 3:30 to stake my spot for the parade.
Found a primo spot right in front of the Black Diamond, and for the next hour I boxed people out the way a basketball defender would, to give me maximum opportunity at beads. They parked a guy in a wheelchair in front of me – perfect! Now the kids wouldn’t be able to get in front of me, and you know wheelchair guy ain’t jumping high to intercept the beads thrown in my direction. (Don’t feel bad for him, he got plenty of beads – more than I did). Ended up catching 8 sets of beads, a bottle opener, and assorted candy. Got a Twizzler licorice stick which I’ve decided to keep in my pocket – the next time a bum asks for money to get something to eat, I’ll pull it out and say, “Here ya go, here’s something to eat.”
I’ve got to say, the Ptolemy carvinal krewe, of which fellow bloggers Ptolemy Kat and Philip are members, had by far the best float. Maybe not in terms of the float’s appearance (there were several good ones) but in terms of the spirit of the people riding on the float. They were partying and they were thrilled to be there and having a great time and it showed.
After that, had another Guinness at the Saucer, but it quickly filled up with people I didn’t know, so I tabbed out and went back to Beale. Got a text message that some of the gang was at Silky’s. It took me 5 minutes to get 10 feet into the door and the place was jam-packed with people, to the point where it wasn’t any fun… I couldn’t find the group so I walked out and walked across the street to Blues Hall, where my friends Shane and Leigh had found the only bar on the street that wasn’t overcrowded. We hung out there for a while, then went over to the Tap Room to shoot pool.
By that time it had gotten dark. I wandered up to McGuinness to see what was going on there. As last year, there was a $10 cover, but the security guards at the door were very friendly and cordial. Glad to see they fixed that problem. By that point in the evening all the bars were overcrowded, and they were filling up with the wild, rowdy “partiers” who show up for New Year’s Eve and Music Fest. Big Foot had a long line to get into their party so I decided to walk south to Earnestine & Hazel’s… but no, they had a cover too and Nate’s bar upstairs did not appear to be open. So I started back north toward the core, and my chauffeur Ryan once again saw me and gave me a ride in the Etched Art truck.
Walked back up Second… the Saucer was just stupid crowded… crossed the street to avoid Sharp Dressed Bum… crossed back… STILL a long line at Big Foot. At that point I decided to defer my partying until today, and walked home and got a good night’s rest.
In a few minutes I’ll be heading to Sunday brunch at the Majestic. Looks like the Memphis-Nevada game will start sometime between 3 and 4… by that point I probably will have tabbed out and will be watching the game at the Saucer.
By the way, EP Delta Kitchen is now doing Sunday brunch as well. $20 for a brunch buffet prepared by chef Michael Patrick, plus $2 bloody marys and mimosas. I imagine the Sunday brunch crew will make a field trip down there in the near future, but the Majestic is likely to remain our long-term base on Sundays… they’ve really gone out of their way to make us feel at home, and the atmosphere up there really is as comfortable as it was at Sleep Out’s. Never a bad thing to have more brunch options downtown though.
All right, time to hit Publish and get the day started… have a good Sunday, everyone.