Paul Ryburn’s Journal

Today I got to take a tour of Itta Bena, the new restaurant on the third floor of B.B. King’s Blues Club, at the corner of Second and Beale. Just last night I heard good things about this place – “impeccable atmosphere,” I was told. Looks like they were telling the truth – check [...]

The following was sent to me by one of my readers who lives in Uptown Square – he and his girlfriend have adopted a dog who was running loose in the complex, but they need to give him away. You see, their cat has had the run of the house for the past 12 years [...]

Yesterday I was walking down Beale when I noticed the sign outside EP Delta Kitchen:

EP’s had been doing crawfish boils on Tuesday night, but I guess crawfish season is over so they’ve switched to all you can eat crab legs and shrimp, 6 PM ’til.

EP’s is REALLY tempting me to skip a trivia night and come [...]

Tomorrow (Tuesday) one of my favorite ex-Sleep Out Louie’s bartenders, Josh, will be behind the bar at Superior Restaurant and Bar on Beale Street. I can’t resist the opportunity to sit at his bar one more time, so I’ll take the laptop up there to do my work. They don’t offer Wi-Fi, but it’s [...]

Checked my favorite blogger/MILF’s blog this morning… she’s coming Downtown for a job interview tomorrow and plans to do some shopping at American Apparel and Coco & Lilly afterward. I bet she’ll be coming back Downtown in the months to come to shop at…

TrackCouture, a store that sells NASCAR clothing to female fans. “Support [...]

New Path Memphis will host a forum at the Central Library tonight, 3030 Poplar, Meeting Room C, where you can meet the candidates they’re supporting in the upcoming elections.

New Path is a group that started several years ago, to support and encourage candidates who run for office in order to serve their fellow citizens and their [...]

Yesterday my friend Mike King, who co-moderates the Handling-Panhandling online forum with me, noticed the panhandler pictured below (white shirt) working Beale Street between Main and Second.

(Click the image to see it full-size, for a better look at him.) This guy was approaching people parking at the metered spaces on Beale, and charging them between [...]

Yesterday during the day I got to thinking… if you give money to a panhandler on the street, there’s a very low probability that your money will be used for food or shelter, even if that’s what they say it’s for. There’s a much higher probability it will be used to support the illegal drug [...]

Quick link: If you are fed up with panhandling in Downtown Memphis, join our Handling-Panhandling online forum and let’s discuss what we can do about it.

Amos Maki’s article on panhandling ran in today’s Commercial Appeal. I’m quoted in it several times and this blog’s URL is mentioned. The article also has a good [...]

Been sitting here trying to type up my experiences at my 20-year high school reunion this weekend. I keep typing partial paragraphs and then not liking them and hitting Delete. So I’m going to keep this brief:

- One of the high points was running into a girl who, like me in high school, tended [...]