The Internet connection was out at our office yesterday, and I had things to do after work, so no post since Thursday lunch. Sorry about that but it couldn’t be helped.
The big news Downtown is that Pinnacle Airlines is moving its headquarters out of One Commerce Square to Minneapolis. Some people are spinning it like this is a failure for Downtown, and I completely disagree. It was business, pure and simple. Pinnacle went into bankruptcy, got bought out by Delta, and Delta did what it needed to do to turn Pinnacle into a profitable business. As Paul Morris who runs DMC pointed out, two years ago One Commerce Square could have easily gone the way of the Sterick Building and become a huge vacant building on the Downtown skyline. But instead, Pinnacle’s relocation Downtown attracted other businesses, including the Great American Steamboat Co. and Electrolux. It’s now a viable, premium office building and we will get that space filled. We will miss Pinnacle but we are grateful for what they did Downtown while they were here.
The other big news Downtown is that Zach Randolph is going to the All-Star Game! He was selected as a reserve big man. Congratulations to Z-Bo. He also recently donated $20,000 to help people keep their electricity on this cold winter.
The Memphis Flyer City Beat column has a great article about the top 10 Downtown Memphis myths, dispelled by historian Jimmy Ogle. Even I was wrong about a couple of these.
Congrats to Downtown’s Chez Philippe on being named one of the 100 most romantic restaurants in the country.
The Memphis Daily News blog has a post about ARTjamN, a new South Main tenant that is bringing “paintertainment” to the area. According to the article, ARTjamN provides you with all the tools you need to have fun while unleashing your inner Picasso.
There really is an app for everything. In my last post I wrote about the International Blues Challenge app available in smartphone app stores. Well, now I’ve learned that there’s an app for the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show that will happen in Memphis March 1-2. Why are you still reading this post? Go download the app NOW!!!
All right, now that we’re caught up on Downtown news, let’s get on to personal matters. Last night this happened:
I had my 7th plate party, celebrating seven times around the Ring of Honor at the Flying Saucer. That means I’ve had 200 different beers at the Saucer seven times over. Doorman Graham did an excellent job making the announcement (see, Graham? I mention the door guys too). Since my plate is covered by a big-screen projection TV, I did the unveiling at halftime to avoid pissing people off as much as I could. Apologies for the thumbnail image but smartphone cams can’t do much with the Saucer’s lighting. I don’t actually have 7 plates at the Saucer. Rather, I have one plate and the plate changes color every time. Red is the color for 7th plate.
By the way: I heard someone commented that Gary Smith is the real mayor of the Saucer. Although it was said in an attempt to discredit me, I actually agree with that statement. I’ve only been around the Ring of Honor seven times. Gary has done it nineteen times. That’s certainly a more notable achievement than having checked in on Foursquare more than anybody else in the past 60 days. Cheers to Gary, and happy birthday!
By the time the Grizzlies game ended, we had about $30 left on the tab. We decided to order a “Mayor’s Choice” round of beers, which of course meant Dos Equis Lager with extra limes.
Our server, Ciara, gave me a bonus tip that I thought I’d pass along. “I had the Gary Parrish Roll the other night at Bluefin,” she told me. “I can’t remember what all was on it, but it was the fire.” I listen to Gary Parrish, the afternoon drive-time sports talk host on 92.9 FM, now and then, and I decided to do some research and find out what was on his sushi roll. I pulled up Bluefin’s website and went to the sushi menu. The roll is actually named the “G. Parrish Anxiety Disorder.” It comes with shrimp tempura, crab stick, and cream cheese inside, topped with smoked salmon, avocado, sriracha, and eel sauce. Mmmm that does sound good! I need to plan a trip to Bluefin soon.
After the Grizzlies got done beating the Brooklyn Nets at the FedExForum, the Saucer got PACKED. Typical Friday night when the Grizzlies are in town. We had our own table, and I was glad because the line at the bar was 3-4 deep at times.
After we spent the $150 tab, my friend Joe and I wandered down the street to Kooky Canuck. We posted “Paging Lana Danko” all over social media but no luck. However, the Nuh-Uh Mom and the Nuh-Uh Girl did show up.
After that it was back to the Saucer for ONE…more and I called it a night. Fun plate party. Thanks to everyone who came, and to Ciara for taking excellent care of us.
Up and at ’em on Saturday morning. I plan to be at Bardog at 11 for panda time.
