Before I get started with today’s news, I want to share a story. Last night I was hanging out at the Flying Saucer (shocking, I know), standing in my usual spot. There was a couple in the first two seats at the bar, and after a while they came over and introduced themselves. “Are you the blogger?” they asked. “We relocated to Memphis from San Diego. We decided to move Downtown because of your blog, and a lot of the things we do down here are things you recommend on your blog.”
That absolutely made my day. Getting feedback like that means so much more to me than winning Best Blog poll awards. From time to time I get asked if I get paid to write this blog. I do not. I write this blog because I have lived Downtown since February 2002 and love it down here. Great shopping, great dining, great entertainment… but more importantly, it’s the people I have met over the past 11 years that make Downtown a home to me. In this blog I try to share why I like Downtown so much through my own personal experiences. When, through doing that, I convince cool people to come down here to live or to have fun, it makes me very happy.
Oh, and one more thing… there’s excellent tube top watching Downtown. Don’t want to leave that out.
One piece of advice for newcomers to Downtown and to Memphis: Go to a Memphis Redbirds game. AutoZone Park is consistently named as one of the best, if not the best, ballparks in the minor leagues, and some of the park’s facilities (for example the huge video board) make major-league teams jealous. An 8-game homestand opens tonight with a game against the Iowa Cubs at 6:05. There will be fireworks after the game. Gates open at 4:50 and Christian rock band Satellites & Sirens performs on the plaza at 5. Fact about AutoZone Park: It is the only ballpark in the minor leagues where the hot dog is not the top-selling food item; here, BBQ nachos outsell hot dogs.
What’s happened to the Memphis Farmers Market calendar? They used to have detailed announcements of live music, featured produce, and other entertainment for each Saturday. Now it’s just generic “Market Day” listings.
Double J Smokehouse and Saloon is having more fun stuff on their patio tonight. The Eddie Smith Band will play in the parking lot from 8 to 12, and cornhole boards will be out.
If you want to work in the arts, Opera Memphis is looking for a marketing coordinator.
Plans for today: I’ll start off at Panda’s bar at Bardog as usual at 11 AM. Tonight should be fun. A friend is having a birthday party at the Blind Bear, and looking at the Facebook list of who’s attending, it’s more or less the people who used to play trivia as the Rapscallions plus the people who play poker at the Downtown bars. I’m one of several people who bridges both of those crowds, so it should be a fun night indeed.