Month: August 2010

This morning I got an e-mail from a resident of the Claridge House, at Main and Adams, that made me very unhappy.  He informed me that Leonard’s BBQ, the buffet in the ground floor of that building, closed permanently on Friday and the signs have been taken down.

How sad, and if I’d only known yesterday I’d have skipped that breakfast burrito and instead headed to Leonard’s for one last lunch.  Many times I’d pay my money and fix myself a heaping plate full of ribs, smoked sausage, cabbage, green beans, BBQ chicken, corn and pulled pork, finished off with cobbler topped with ice cream for dessert.  They had a salad bar too which was included in the price of the buffet, but I have to admit I never visited it.

Very sad to know that Leonard’s is no longer among my lunchtime options when I find myself Downtown on a weekday.  The place will be sorely missed.

I’ve written about the social app Foursquare, where you “check in” at venues you visit.  One of the things you can do on Foursquare is earn “badges.”  There’s the “crunked” badge for checking in at 4 different venues in one night.  Last week I got the “player please” badge for checking in at a venue with 3 members of the opposite sex (it was a friend’s birthday party).  If you check in at a venue that has been tagged as a boat, you unlock the “I’m on a boat” badge.

One of the hardest badges to unlock on Foursquare is the “Swarm” badge.  It’s awarded when you check in at a venue where 50 people are simultaneously checked in.  Most of the people who I’ve seen unlock it, got it at busy airports while waiting for connecting flights.

I’m wondering, however, if the Swarm badge will be within reach at South of Beale’s birthday party this afternoon.  SOB tends to attract a very savvy crowd when it comes to social media.  With complimentary appetizers from 4 to 6 (yes, the Nuh-Uh Girl is on Foursquare, in case you’re wondering), $1 Ghost River Golden until the keg runs out, and $2 birthday shots, it’s going to be a very popular place to be, and lots of folks should be checked in.

I’ve seen checkins reach the teens and even the twenties at popular events Downtown… what do you think?  Can this one make it to 50?

Last night, I stopped by at Calhoun’s around 8 PM to meet up with the gang.  As the evening progressed, people wandered in from a party at an art gallery next door, the girls in summer party dresses and the men in business casual attire.  “WTF are you all dressed up for?” I asked one of my friends who got dragged there by his girlfriend.  “Haven’t you noticed that it’s 90 outside?”

Turns out it was a “recruitment party” for one of the carnival krewes in town.  They were trying to convince people to plop down ~$400 to “fill their social calendar” with formal cocktail parties, parades, happy hours, etc.

Look.  If you’re into that kind of thing, great, join.  But if you’re down here and you’re looking to meet some cool people and make friends, there are a lot of ways to do it without paying a $400 fee, and without having to put on “business casual attire” every time you attend a happy hour, or worse, a suit and tie for a “medallion party” or a tux for their formal balls.  There are a lot of opportunities to have fun that are inexpensive and a lot less stuffy.

Thinking about what goes on Downtown, here are a few opportunities coming up where I think it will be very easy to meet people and make friends.

– If you’re into running, every Monday night there’s a group that meets at Bardog Tavern at 6:50 PM.  They run a course, which is different every week and usually 3-5 miles, often with options for a longer or shorter course for those who prefer it.  Afterward they return to Bardog’s basement and chill out and talk and get to know each other.  I don’t run with them, but I know the organizers and this is one of the most open, easy-going groups you’ll meet.  They’d love for you to join them.

– If you’re not into the bar scene and are looking for something more civic minded, check out an organization I joined my first year Downtown, MPACT Memphis.  They have a calendar full of activities throughout the month.  Looking at what’s upcoming, they have a tour of an Underground Railroad museum, a “civics 101” workshop where you can learn about elected bodies, and a restaurant tour outing to Thyme Bistro.  They also sponsor debates, set up leadership luncheons with community leaders, and arrange happy hours where members can network and get to know one another.  I was very active in this organization from 2002-05 and met a lot of wonderful people who remain my friends to this day.  Best way to get exposed to the organization, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is to attend one of their monthly “MPACT 101” events.

(- Edited to add:  I hut Publish and then realized I left Bravo off the list.  If you want to get into the arts and network and meet new friends at the same time, check out Bravo.  I was a member for 5 years and made new friends in that group.)

– On the other hand, if are into bars and want to meet some folks while checking out several of Downtown’s most popular bars, buy an Elvis costume, stop by the grocery store and pick up a few canned goods, and meet us at the Flying Saucer next Saturday, August 14, at 7 PM.  You’ll be able to drop off the canned goods to donate to the Food Bank (or make a cash donation, if you’d prefer not to haul around the cans).  We’ll hang out and chat and drink and get our Elvis on for about an hour at the Saucer, then we’ll wander together to Blue Fin, and spend about an hour there, then we’ll stop at Alfred’s and Silky’s on Beale.  The Saucer is the last official stop on the pub crawl, where we’ll end up sometime around 11-midnight.  If you dress up and get into character, I guarantee you will have a good time and meet some new friends.

– One of the easiest places to meet people in all of Downtown is Calhoun’s, the little sports bar where I was last night.  If you enjoy trivia, you can ask for a blue “crack box” and play Buzztime Trivia on their monitors – once you get on there, it isn’t hard to get the others in the bar interested in joining you.  They also have Texas Hold’em on another monitor if that’s your preference.  When the weather is nice, they’ll set up cornhole boards on the sidewalks outside, and it’s very easy to find a partner and join in for a game.  When there’s a big game on, this is a great place to watch and bond with your fellow sports fans, as you stare at whichever of their 10 TVs is closest.  As big a fan as I am of the Saucer, I have to admit that Calhoun’s is probably the bar Downtown with the friendliest regulars.

– If you’re a history fan, keep an eye on the DowntownMemphis.com event calendar.  There’s a historian named Jimmy Ogle who gives tours around Downtown, explaining street names, wording on manhole covers, and other little-known facts about the neighborhood.  He gives lunchtime tours now and then on weekdays, but the ones you really want to watch for are the Saturday afternoon, two and a half hour walking tours.  Those seem like they’d be a good way to meet and chat with like-minded people, just casually walking the streets and learning together, on a day when you don’t have to worry about rushing back to work for an afternoon at the rat race.

You know, I guess I see these things so easily, because when I moved down here in 2002, I didn’t know how to find friends very well… yet, within a few years I had fallen into the wonderful group of people you see me with in photos.  I guess that’s what this blog is all about… writing about cool things going on down here, so that others can experience and enjoy Downtown as much as I have the past eight years.  Without paying a $400 yearly fee to have friends.

That said, the carnival krewe I mentioned at the beginning of this post most have something going for it, because several of the coolest females I know, women I really respect and enjoy having as friends, are members and are in fact very active in the krewe.  I also have to give a tip of my hat to their boyfriends for dressing up and going to these parties.  I honestly don’t think I could do it, were I dating someone in the krewe.  It’d probably be the source of a lot of arguments.

Check back… I have more to post today, once I jump in the shower and get some laundry done.  I regret to tell you that one of my posts today will bring sad news to Downtowners.

My friend Mikey is to Calhoun’s what I am to the Saucer.  He’s there every day.  If he doesn’t show up at some point, people begin to worry that he’s sick.  Or dead.

A few weeks ago, Mikey got an iPhone.  He saw how much fun we were having on Foursquare, and downloaded the app.  On Foursquare, you “check in” to venues as you are in them.  If you check into a venue more than anyone else over a 2-month period, you become the mayor.  So Mikey started checking in everywhere he went, and his checkins began to add up.  Yesterday about 5 PM he checked into Calhoun’s… and that one was enough to oust the old mayor, Otto.

Over the next week we will see a furious battle between Mikey and Otto to control the mayorship of Calhoun’s.  Mikey will eventually win in the long run, but for a while we will be treated to an epic struggle between the two.  Should be fun to watch.

Tonight I was on my way home, on a long walk home from Calhoun’s.  People walking up Main convinced me I needed to stop in Bardog for one more.  Once there, bartender Melissa invited me to have a piece of her birthday cake, which was the Coke Cake on the menu at Circa by John Bragg.

The Nuh-Uh Girl was in Bardog earlier in the evening, and will probably be mad when she reads that I got cake and she didn’t.  But that’s the way the cookie crumbles.  Or, in this case, not the cookie, but the rich, moist layers of chocolate.

Yesterday after voting, I made a stop by the MIFA Store at 910 Vance.  It’s one of the biggest thrift stores I have seen, with racks and racks of men’s and women’s clothes.  Prices were very reasonable – I saw jeans for $3 and blazers for $2-3.  I’d been told it’s a good place to shop for Hawaiian shirts, but the only one I saw ($2) was an XXL, too big for me.  I’d also been told they have women’s tube tops, but I thought it would look kinda weird if I dug through the women’s clothing racks, so I’ll just have to take their word for it.

They had lots of other stuff besides clothes.  They had several racks full of glassware.  I saw two loveseats in good condition, one selling for $35 and the other for $40.  They had several desks that were in excellent shape.  In the back I saw a couple of sets of golf clubs.

They have a good selection of used books too. One book caught my eye, since I work for a non-profit that sanctions the card game bridge – it was a book by Charles Goren, who in his day was considered the foremost authority on the game as well as a father figure.  He’s to bridge approximately what Doyle Brunson is to poker (except that Brunson is still alive and playing).  I don’t play bridge myself so I didn’t buy the book, but someone who does ought to swing by the MIFA Store and grab it.

They also have an assortment of brand new sneakers, popular brands like New Balance, that were donated.  They are selling these for $10.

They also have specials sometimes, advertised on a big board near the entrance.  When I was there, the special was adult pants, buy one get one free.

College students looking to furnish a dorm room should definitely check this place out, as well as anyone else looking for some amazing deals.  Hours are 7:30-4:00 Monday-Friday.

The USA Today Top 25 pre-season coaches’ poll is out, and I’m pleased to see the Arkansas Razorbacks in at number 19!  Hopefully the Hogs will move up once the season gets underway.  Here’s a link to the poll.

Want to be in the movies?  There’s a casting call for extras and speaking roles at Stop 345 Sunday from noon to 3.  They’re looking for ages 18-35.  The movie is centered around an ’80s punk band, so channel your inner ’80s punk.

I have to say how handy Evernote is for blogging.  I have it on my iPhone, MacBook, netbook and work computer, and it automatically syncs notes between all computers.  When I’m walking around Downtown and I see a banner for an event I want to blog about, I simply snap a pic with my iPhone’s camera and pull it into Evernote.  When I get home, the pic is waiting for me, and Evernote is even smart enough to make text within the pic searchable.

It’s useful for work too.  When I’m home and think of a good idea for something to do at work (because very few of my good ideas occur while sitting in a cubicle), I simply record it in Evernote and it’s waiting for me the next day.

Fun day yesterday.  Lunch with one of my buddies at the Majestic, then back to the Saucer for an afternoon of beer.  It was the last rooftop party, but I wasn’t in the mood for crowds so I decided to wander south to Calhoun’s and watch the end of the weekly poker tournament.  With rooftop season now over, I plan to return to Calhoun’s soon on a Thursday and dish out some whoopins on the poker table, so I took mental notes of people’s playing styles.  Mikey won, a seat opened up at the bar, and then Michelle called me down to the other end of the bar, where this happened:

Someone “iced” me.  These are the only people in the world from whom I’d tolerate that crap – “icing” is one of the stupidest things ever.  But since these are my friends, I played along and took a knee and drank it.  Thanks for selecting the apple flavor, guys.  You know how much I like apple.

Yesterday I found out that my picture is in Memphis Sport magazine this month.  I’m glad I’m finally starting to get the recognition I deserve as one of the Mid-South’s most prominent athletes.

As I type this, there’s a discussion occurring on Twitter about employees who work at public places, such as restaurants or bars, checking in on Foursquare.  “It takes away the glory of customer mayorships,” one person wrote, and I agree.  There’s one restaurant Downtown where the mayorship gets traded among three bartenders and servers every few days.  Management is missing an opportunity to learn who its most loyal customers are because of that.  Also, there’s no incentive for customers to make extra stops to check in.  I admit I’ve made a couple of extra stops by Bardog on the way home recently, trying to regain a recently-lost mayorship.  At the other restaurant, however, there’s no point in making extra stops, because I’m never gonna check in as much as someone who works there!

Got more stuff to blog about… commentary on last night’s election, my trip to the MIFA Store.  Maybe I’ll type some more this afternoon.

There will be a couple of events going on Tuesday, August 10 that I wanted to share.

First of all, Tuesday is National S’mores Day.  S’mores are the dessert treats made with chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows.  Kooky Canuck has “make your own s’mores at your table” on their menu every day, and on the 10th they’ll be celebrating.  They’ll have drink specials all day, and they’ll have special flavored marshmallows – coconut, caramel, lemon.

Also, Tuesday is the monthly South Main Association meeting.  This month they’ll be at Mesquite Chop House on Union.  Ty Agee, president of the Beale Street Merchants’ Association, will speak about the merchant’s association’s role Downtown.  There will be a cash bar, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres by the Chop House.  Free food?  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Emergency Eggsit breakfast burrito from Elliott’s at 16 S. Second.  Sausage, hashbrowns, onions, jalapenos, and of course eggs.  This is one of my favorite breakfasts Downtown.

I thought about going to Bardog for their breakfast burrito, which is just as good, but having not had my morning caffeine I was not in the most social mood.  So, I elected to buy a burrito from Elliott’s and take it home to eat.

Not sure what I’m going to do with my vacation day.  I don’t want to get to the bar until about 3, unless I find out that something particularly tasty is the Fire Sale.  Maybe I’ll fire up my PokerStars account for a little while.  Also, I notice that it’s only 81 outside at 9:30 AM, whereas most of this week it’s been in the mid 90s by this time.  Maybe I’ll go outside and take a walk.

Probably more posts to come.

Although I mainly write about Downtown, I know I do have some readers out in Cordova (including one who I’ve beaten at Words with Friends 63, 764 times).  This one’s for you:  Good band headed your way Sunday night.  Jeffrey and the Pacemakers will play Cordova Huey’s Sunday night at 8.  I got to catch them at Escape Alley Sundry a few weeks ago, and they were excellent.  They play British Invasion music – meaning, British rock from the mid-1960s.  Lots of Beatles, as well as some Kinks, Animals, Yardbirds, that kind of stuff.  If you’re a fan of that style of music, you need to check these guys out.  They are complete pros and they sound great.

For those of you who don’t know where Cordova Huey’s is, it’s in that strip mall on a side street off Germantown Parkway, you know, the one with several other buildings and a big parking lot.