Paul Ryburn's Journal

The new parking meters being installed Downtown will have dynamic rates to respond to events going on in the area. So the new rate of $1.25 an hour may not apply at all times, and the rate could be considerably higher for events such as Grizzlies home games, Music Fest, and BBQ Fest. This puts Downtown at a disadvantage to most of the rest of the city, where people can park for free. Also, as many times as I’ve seen servers run outside mid-shift to feed the meter, it’s going to be an additional tax on those who work Downtown.

Singer Valerie June, a former Memphian, performs on David Letterman tonight. Set your DVRs.

New schedules have been announced for the Downtown trolley lines. I’m glad they gave the Main Street line a 7 AM start time on weekdays. That will allow for it to at least be an option for Downtown professionals to commute to work, although I have heard from many people that it is too unreliable to use for commutes. The scaled-back end times on the weekends will make it a little harder for me to go down to Max’s Sports Bar to see my South Main friends, although I suppose I could have Michele call me a cab home if I miss the last trolley.

Elmwood Cemetery is bringing back its popular “What a Way to Go” tour for an encore. The tour looks at the graves of Memphians famous not only for what they did when they were alive, but how they died. Tour will be Friday, September 13 at 6 PM. Sign up here.

Singer Johnny Mathis will have a holiday show at The Orpheum on Saturday, December 21 at 8 PM. The singer will perform a mix of his hits and familiar holiday tunes. Tickets will go on sale at 10 AM on August 26 and will be $40-125.

Seth from Best Memphis Burger recently penned an article for The Guardian about Memphis’ most decadent foods. Downtown dishes mentioned include the Holy Smokes Burger at Kooky Canuck, the Double Double at Dyer’s, the Elvis at the Arcade, and BBQ nachos at Central BBQ.

The MBJ reports that the Memphis Tigers basketball team ranked 11th in average attendance for home games among NCAA Division I schools. Now we just need to get our poll ranking in line with our attendance ranking. Wins against Louisville and Oklahoma State would make that happen.

Good Lifehacker article: The difference between viruses and malware and the best advice to protect yourself from both. Note that the two most highly recommended tools are FREE and are not named McAfee, Norton, or Symantec.

That’s the news for now. I may get the second installment of “Paul’s PBR Review” up after work. If not, it will be ready later this week.

And now, after the pizza post and the Bardog Alley party recap, it’s time for the Monday news. Informing you people is making me awfully late getting to the Flying Saucer to drink beer. Geez, it’s going to be after 2 before I get there.

Max’s Sports Bar is looking for a server to work Saturday and Sunday nights during the busy football season. Hours would be start time between 6 and 8 PM and quitting time between 11 PM and 3 AM. I was forwarded this from a bartender who works there, who says that the pay is approximately $9-12 an hour plus tips, and that you can make $200+ a weekend and the job is fairly easy. If interested, go in and ask for Max. Max’s doesn’t open until 4:30 weekdays so the traditional 2-4 PM time frame for servers to apply for jobs wouldn’t apply here. Probably any weeknight would be good to go in and apply. To learn more about Max’s, check back later in the week for the second installment of “Paul’s PBR Review.”

The same bartender also said that the Green Beetle is looking to hire a server. As with the Max’s job, this would be temporary during football season, but with the potential to develop into something permanent. This would be a Friday-Saturday job with start time between 4 and 6 PM and a quitting time between 11 PM and 3 AM. If interested go by the Beetle and ask for Josh.

Here’s a link to an Informed Sources broadcast about Beale Street Landing that is well worth watching if you’re a taxpayer in the city of Memphis. The question discussed is “Why is the landing having such a hard time attracting a restaurant to open in it?” The project is way over budget and one of the commentators described it as a “boondoggle” that’s right up there with any of the past boondoggles the city has been involved in. I would agree. The commentators pointed out that this time we don’t have Sidney Shlenker to blame, and that the city could not have done worse with this project had it managed it itself rather than letting the RDC develop it. It’s time to take a hard look at whether the RDC is worth funding in the future. $43 million and counting… what if we had instead taken that money and given our police officers a raise?

This 5-day weekend is almost over, and it has been incredibly relaxing, exactly what a vacation should be. Tomorrow I will go back to worth with my batteries fully charged, something that sure wasn’t the case after my BBQ Fest vacation. Right now, with all my blog posts done for the day, it’s time to go enjoy a beer.

Yesterday was Bardog Tavern’s 5th anniversary. To celebrate, Aldo threw a huge alley party, which was preceded by the Breakaway-Bardog 5K race. Both were to raise money for St. Jude. There were reported to be at least 1025 people who ran, which means that probably just the race alone broke last year’s total raised of $30,000. I got to the party at noon and found it to be expanded this year, with Monroe Avenue blocked between Front and Main to expand the party into the street.

I didn’t take as many pictures as usual, because I wanted to concentrate on having a good time with friends. Here are some of the best of the pictures I got.

Okay, that concludes “the best” of the photos, i.e. “photos with tube tops or tube top dresses in them.” Now, here are some of “the rest” of the photos:

Bama Lawdog

Terrell working the Italian ice cart

Nice to see one of MPD’s finest win one of the Fat Tire bikes that was raffled.

The Nuh-Uh Girl taking the Fat Tire bike for a ride. She seems to be looking for a pawn shop.

Soon-to-be-open restaurant Dejavu around the corner brought some jambalaya for party-goers to try. It was delicious. Can’t wait to have some more in the new restaurant.

The alley, where there were beer stands, VIP tables, a dunk tank, and a meatball eating contest.

Uncle Ray enjoying a cigar

Not exactly sure what is going on here.

Special thanks to Jimmy AKA “Scratchy” for the use of his alley for the day.

The raffle

Suzy with strategically placed stickers. These were a good idea because I saw Suzy earlier in the day, and she appeared a bit, shall we say, chilly.

Full album (44 photos) here. What a great party, and boy did the weather cooperate. Low 80s in August is a treat for sure. Thanks to Aldo and all the people involved with Aldo’s restaurants for being such a wonderful part of our Memphis community.

Yesterday I posted that the Bardog alley party is open to the public at 11:30. It’s actually noon. Up until then it’s a private party for the runners who generously raised money for the Bardog 5K. Several opening times have been mentioned but I heard noon straight from Aldo himself, so that’s the correct time. Apologies for any confusion caused by the incorrect time in yesterday’s post.

Special guest post by The Annoying Elvis Tourist

Note from Paul: Last night I was in the Silly Goose about 6:30. This guy came in asking how to get to Graceland, saying how excited he was to be in the home of the King, Elvis Presley, and the birthplace of rock and roll. He had on a pink bedazzled Elvis hat, an “Elvis 35th” T-shirt (even though this is the 36th), and was accessorized with Elvis arm band and coin purse. He had his camera around his neck, so I told him there was an Elvis Pub crawl happening next door and asked if he’d like to cover it for my blog. He was very excited and said yes immediately. I got a photo of him (above, with Katie Mac) before he took off.

Last night was so exciting! There were Elvises, Elvises everywhere congregating at the Flying Saucer. Here are a few photos I took:

After the Flying Saucer, the Elvises stumbled to the Blind Bear. Did you know what Elvis likes Mason jars full of PBR?

Then we made our way to the Peabody to walk through the lobby. On the way, this happened.

It seemed like the Elvises got stopped every 10 feet by tourists wanting a photo. That’s part of the fun of the pub crawl though.

In the past the Peabody wasn’t very happy to have us there. This year things were different. They let us take all the photos that we wanted with tourists and even the staff. One of the security guys in a dark suit came over and told us we were welcome to be there and they were happy to have us. I really appreciated that.

Beale Street. More tourists, more photos. My friends who were in costume told me it took them 45 minutes to walk from Third to Second, which is about par for the course for the pub crawl.

Meanwhile, back at the Saucer, we dressed Alissa up in Blue Hawaii scarves and leis.

Even the door guy got in on the fun.

Full album (25 photos) here. We even got media coverage, with a local TV station sending a reporter to interview the organizers and the Elvises. If I can find a link to the story I will post it. (Edit: Found it. View it here.)

The highlight of the evening for me was discussing Stumblin’ Elvis with Nate, a new manager at the Saucer who got handed the project at the very last minute. Nate sees a lot of potential in the event for future years and hopes to grow it. He told me, “You have to start planning for Stumblin’ Elvis 2014 the day after the 2013 one is over.” YES! I’m glad to see people are thinking that way. This event could get huge if planned far enough in advance.

Fun times. The Annoying Elvis Tourist will be back for 2014.

As longtime readers of this blog know, I consider the Cooper-Young Regional Beerfest to be the best Memphis beer festival of the year. No social scene, no RSVP Magazine taking photos, just lots of beer and lots of ways to learn more about beer. Many of the brewers appear personally in the booths where you can chat with them, and there’s an education tent. In the past three years the festival has been in a parking lot on Walker. This year, however, they are moving it to Midtown Autowerks at 795 S. Cooper. The larger space will accommodate more brewers and more booths. It will also be conveniently located across the street from Memphis Made Brewery, which local brewer Drew Barton should have open by then. Tickets will go on sale September 13 and the event date is Saturday, October 19. Keep up with Beerfest news on their website, Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to their email list.

In other beer news, I was told by several people last night that my “Paul’s PBR Review” post about the Silly Goose was very well received. Glad to hear it. I’m working on a second post about Max’s Sports Bar that is about two-thirds done. Not all the posts will be as serious as the one about the Goose – I plan on having some fun with this series – but I’m glad people find them useful and informative. By the time the series has had its run, I hope to show that you can find a good PBR in the most unexpected places.

In beer news that isn’t about PBR, when I went to Beale Street yesterday, I noticed a beer deal that is worth mentioning. Blues City Cafe has a 32 oz. cup of Abita Andygator for only $8.50. That is a delicious craft beer and it used to be one of my go-to beers at the Flying Saucer. At 8% ABV, it’s really an equally good value for the money as a $5 32 oz. Bud, and you’ll actually be drinking a good beer as you walk around Beale or sit at the bar at George Paul’s Last Call.

Advice for PR people: When you’re requesting media placement, check to see if your event has already been mentioned before you ask. I say this because I got an email from the PR firm the Flying Saucer contracts with at 4:37 PM yesterday telling me about Stumblin’ Elvis and asking if I could mention the pub crawl on my blog, or maybe on social media or an event calendar. If they had looked at my blog, they would have seen that I had posted about my costume a mere two hours earlier, and that I’d been talking about Stumblin’ Elvis all week. They also would have learned that I don’t have an event calendar. FAIL.

The Orpheum is holding a raffle and the grand prize is a 1995 Ferrari 348 Spider with less than 27,000 miles. Tickets are $100, drawing will be November 16, and you will not need to be present to win. Other prizes include two Orpheum Broadway suite season tickets, a Broadway Evening with 4 luxury suite tickets to a show and an invite to the cast party, and a movie night for 20 at one of the 2014 Summer Movie Series nights. More info here.

The MBJ reports that the zoning board approved a variance for 666 S. Riverside to allow a storage facility and drive-thru there. I know that a number of the building’s neighbors were against this variance and even set up a website in protest. I hope the property owner will do something in keeping with the character of the neighborhood. The fact that the property owner is in Germantown worries me a good bit.

Two informative 3-D animated short films about the future of Downtown will be shown next week. Inside Bass Pro Shops and Across the Harahan Bridge will be 20 minutes long apiece, and will show you what the two projects will be like AFTER they have been completed. The films were announced by the Downtown Neighborhood Association, but you do not have to be a member to attend, so come get your virtual walkthrough of these places. Showtime is 6 PM at the Calliope Room, 456 Tennessee Street, Tuesday, August 20. Cash bar, free popcorn. Free popcorn? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Classy Nails Spa at 8 S. Main has closed and there are For Rent signs on the doors.

Thanks to Jeremy who invited me to his fourth plate party at the Flying Saucer last night. I had a couple of Dos Equis Lagers on his $125 tab. It’s nice to be an invited guest at plate parties. One more trip through the Ring of Honor and Jeremy will receive his Master of the Universe (M.O.U.) card.

Expect lots of photos on the blog over the next two days. Tonight I’ll get plenty of Stumblin’ Elvis photos, and tomorrow I’ll be taking lots of pics of the Bardog Alley Party. The schedule of events lists the start time as (Edit: noon). That means I will be skipping Majestic brunch tomorrow. That new All Around the World beer tent sounds like something of interest. On the other hand, I’m going to skip the poker tournament because I want to be out taking lots of photos like I do every year (I’ll go down there for a few minutes and get some photos of the tournament though). Fun, fun weekend ahead and I’m kicking it off at Panda’s bar at Bardog at 11 today as usual. Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll come stumble with us tonight.

Folks, I just got back from doing some shopping at A. Schwab and Blues City General Store. Tomorrow is the annual Stumblin’ Elvis pub crawl, to raise food donations for the Ronald McDonald House. I took my Elvis costume out of the closet this morning and I got ready to wash it to wear again this year. As I looked it over, I realized I wasn’t that enthusiastic about Stumblin’ Elvis for several reasons:

1) Ninety bazillion people want to take your picture when you’re Elvis. Last year, when I arrived at the Flying Saucer, the first stop on the pub crawl, I had to stop for four photos before I even made it to the bar to get a beer. And walking up Beale from Silky’s to Second… we were stopped every ten feet. As I explained before, you have to go along with it, because as Elvis, you are the spectacle. But it gets really tiresome after a while.

2) The other thing is, I have never been able to take good photos for my blog of all the Elvii. My hands have always been full, and having to get my camera in and out of an improvised pocket of an Elvis jumpsuit just doesn’t work. Sooner or later I knew I would break the camera. So I just left it in my pocket and left my blog readers without photos. I’ve never been happy about that.

3) I’m one Elvis among many. I don’t stand out in any way. I’m one Elvis among Elvii, and there are many Elvii who go to much greater lengths preparing their costume than I do mine. I’ve always had a problem with being “supporting cast” at events like this.

This morning, while typing my “Friday update” blog post, I came up with an idea for a new costume, one that would solve all three of these problems at once. The more I mulled it over, I thought to myself, “This could work!” and I began planning a Beale Street shopping spree. The result was a new costume which cost about $52 total, more than I paid for my original Elvis costume. I have six items total that make up the costume, and I may add one or two more before tomorrow evening. If you don’t come to the pub crawl, you are going to be missing out on an epic event.

After I took my new costume home, I had one more stop to make: Family Dollar, where I picked up some canned tuna, chicken, and vegetables to donate as part of the food drive tomorrow night.

The pub crawl starts at 7:30 PM at the Flying Saucer. Stops through the evening will include the Blind Bear, Silky O’Sullivan’s, and Purple Haze. It’s free to participate and you don’t have to dress up, although you are certainly encouraged to.

“Elvis, can I take your picture?”

Get ready.

2013 is the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ live performance Aloha from Hawaii. The show was seen by more than a billion people when it was broadcast in 1973. The Orpheum is showing a special, enhanced version tonight at 7:30. HD video, rarely-seen footage, and a performance by former members of JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet (Bill Baize, Donnie Sumner, Ed Hill, Larry Strickland).

Runners: There’s still time to register for the Breakaway-Bardog 5K which happens Sunday morning. Run a 5 kilometer course Downtown starting and ending at locals’ bar Bardog Tavern. Last year the race and alley party that followed raised more than $30,000 for St. Jude, and Aldo and the Salty Dogs runners hope to up the stakes again this year. Registration details here.

Not a Downtown restaurant, but I have to quote this because it’s the stupidest Groupon intro I’ve ever read. Groupon for Flavors Indian Cuisine: “Though India and Indiana are roughly the same word, their cuisine offerings are worlds apart. Find out the difference two letters make with this Groupon.” REALLY, Groupon? I wonder if all their marketing people called in sick, so they hired a temp who took 10 years to earn a 4-year general studies degree to write that.

And now that has turned out two be the second-craziest thing I have read online this morning, after one of the Flyer’s Who’s Who on Twitter remarked that her cat has been baptized and she has not.

The theme at the Memphis Farmers Market tomorrow is Fire Up the Grill. There will be plenty of items sold at MFM tomorrow that you can throw on the grill, including fish, pork, chicken, beef, and veggies like eggplant and squash. There will be a presentation by L’Ecole Culinare at 9:30 AM on gluten-free recipes, and at 10:30 AM there will be a kids’ watermelon roll. Adoptions by Streetdog Foundation from 8 AM to 1 PM. Live music by Kris Acklen 8:00-9:30 AM; John Oeth 9:30-11 AM; Chrissy Owens 11 AM-12:30 PM. The market is in the Central Station Pavilion near Front and G.E. Patterson and is open from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM. If you want the pick of the best stuff, do what the local chefs do and get there at 7.

Second day of vacation. This morning I had a great idea for a new costume to wear to the Stumblin’ Elvis Pub Crawl tomorrow night, so I’m about to head to Beale Street to do some shopping. The Saucer is in between Beale Street and home, so I’ll probably stop in for a beer on the way back.