I have a lot of chores I need to get done around the house, and so I had planned to take a week off from the Farmers Market this morning to catch up. However, last night as I paid a visit to the Blind Bear, my friend Chicken Fried Steak Rodger said, “Paul, I want to go to the Farmers Market with you tomorrow. I’ve never been and I want to see it. I want some strawberries!” There are as few things as fun as showing a new person around the Market, so I’m in! I mentioned it on Facebook and a couple of other people commented they may be interested in joining too. I plan on getting down there 9:45-10ish and staying until 10:40 when I will make my walk north to Bardog. If anyone wants to join, bring it on! I usually do the Market by myself and it would be fun to have a posse with me for a change.
Great news for those who like dive bars: The Dirty Crow Inn has obtained its liquor license. They will have a limited selection of liquor this weekend and a fully-stocked bar on Monday. For those who haven’t been paying attention, Dirty Crow is a new “5 star dive bar” that has opened at the corner of Crump and Kentucky, on the far side of Crump. I went in there the week of BBQ Fest and it easily earned my stamp of approval. It is open 11 AM to 3 AM every day. One of my Facebook friends proclaimed last night, “That’s it. The Dirty Crow is the Alex’s of Downtown.”
I love the Downtown core and will probably never leave, but I have to admit, I am a little jealous of the people who live in South End. I would be at Dirty Crow and Loflin Yard all the time. Only thing is, I have to wonder how drunks are going to navigate the walk across Crump at 3 in the morning. The speed limit is 45 at that point and drivers aren’t going to be looking out for pedestrian traffic. Also, the most direct way to get there from South End involves stepping over railroad tracks with “no trespassing” painted on them. I need to ask my friend who works for the railroad how seriously they take that “no trespassing” warning. I sure as hell ignored it when I walked to the Dirty Crow.
Booze news: Bailey’s introduces Almond Milk Liqueur
Nice to see my friends over at Start Co. expanding. The accelerator for startup businesses is moving its administrative offices to the sixth floor, leaving the entire second floor open for the businesses Start Co. is helping along. Some of the businesses that have hit important milestones will get their own dedicated space, giving them more room to operate until they reach the point when they can seek their own commercial space. As president Andre points out, this is important not only for the startups themselves, but for the economy of the entire Downtown core. People will be visiting restaurants for lunch and dinner, looking for residential space near work, and shopping in the area.
For the first time ever, Memphis has made the list of the 50 most walkable cities. Memphis comes in at number 49 this year. Of course, Downtown plays a big part (probably the biggest part) in Memphis’ walkability score.
Bon Jovi tribute band Slippery When Wet plays the New Daisy tonight at 8.
That’s it for now. I plan on leaving the house at 9:30 and walking south to the Market if anyone else wants to join. I want to get down there a little early since I am showing a new person around. Bardog, Blind Bear after that.