Tomorrow night, Friday July 30, is the monthly Trolley Night on South Main beginning at 6 PM. This one will be an Elvis Presley Trolley Night. They sent me a press release and these are some of the high points:
– Hot rods and barbershop quartets will line the streets
– Dress up your favorite Elvis’ Leading Lady for a chance to win prizes at 6 PM
– Elvis tribute concert by Cody Slaughter after the contest
– The film “Elvis, That’s the Way It Is,” sponsored by Woodard Properties to be shown at 9. I’ve been told that if you want to bring blankets to sit on, Harry’s Detour will hold them while you walk around the shops and galleries. Film will be shown in the open field next to Harry’s.
– Trolley Night will be sponsoring the Alzheimer’s Foundation of Memphis this month.
Trolley Night is always a good time, so come on down!
Yesterday was a sad day, as we learned of the loss of former Tiger/Grizzly player Lorenzen Wright. His body was found in a field in Collierville, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. He was the Grizzlies’ center during the years we made the playoffs. Sincere condolonces to Wright’s family and friends.
Boat racing returns to the Mississippi River this weekend for the Memphis International Riverfront Regatta. This is the professional league of powerboat racers. Should be fun to watch from the riverwalk or a nearby rooftop.
I am thrilled to see another beer festival popping up in Memphis, even if it’s not Downtown. The Cooper-Young Regional Beer Fest will be Saturday, October 9 from 1 to 5 PM at 1015 S. Cooper, corner of Cooper and Walker. Tickets will be on sale August 20 at www.cooperyoung.org. Mmmm beer… this may be worth a cab ride.
Here’s a CA article about the Green Beetle closing. It sounds like the owner is open to ideas for the place, so it might not be gone for good; he just doesn’t want to run it himself, and closing gives him an opportunity to do much needed repairs.
Bluff City Coffee on South Main has announced that they’re now selling sausage biscuits and chicken biscuits for $1.50 each.
A great Memphis band, Garry Goin and G3, plays the Peabody rooftop tonight. They were the house band for EP Delta Kitchen and they are very good. “Soul Food” is this week’s theme, with fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, cornbread, and summer tomato salad on the buffet. In VIP there will be fried green tomatoes with choice of toppings, chicken fried steak fingers with white gravy, and deviled eggs. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. $10 to get in, price of admission includes first drink, ladies free until 7.
A few blocks away, the Madison rooftop hosts the Daddy Mack Blues Band tonight. $7 admission.
Twitter quote of the day, from @SustainableTips: “America could get rid of its need for oil in months if all women agreed to only hookup with guys who drive electric cars.”
Not going out for lunch today… using my lunch hour to type this longer-than usual post, and to vote in the Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis poll. Voting ends tomorrow, so if you haven’t gotten it done yet, you need to. After voting has ended, I’ll do a post about some of my votes… I don’t like doing it before voting has ended, could be seen as an attempt to skew the results.
I got nominated for best Twitterer? WTF? Foursquare check-ins and drunk tweets about tube tops are worth a nomination? Well, glad to know at least some people find my tweets entertaining. I didn’t even vote for myself for the Twitterer category. It’ll be damn funny if I win, though.
Happy birthday to KALMDF, who may be reading this post with her aunt sometime today. KALMDF’s name is too long so I’ll just use her initials as an acronym.
50/50 on whether I’ll hit the rooftop tonight… if not I’ll probably be at the Saucer working on my 4th plate.
Some people are fans of green beer on St. Pat’s and some are not, but I think everyone can be a fan of a different type of “green” beer. In his blog today, Air Traffic Mike writes about his visit to Outer Banks Brewing Station, America’s first wind-powered brewpub and restaurant. Environmentally friendly beer… I like it.
Trolley Stop Market is having “Burgers & Beats” tonight. In addition to their Neola Farms Burgers, you can enjoy the music as their DJ lays down a few tracks.
The Orpheum is having an open house this Friday, July 30, from 10 AM to 5 PM. If you sign up to be a season subscriber at the open house, they’ll give you free passes to any of their summer movies.
This next one isn’t Downtown, but I promised I’d mention it… The second annual PLUG IN networking event hosted by AIGA, PRSA and AAF Memphis will be held on Thursday, July 29 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will feature drink specials, free appetizers and door prizes. Entertainment will be provided by Delta Nomads, The Revisions and WatchPaper. Event will be at Minglewood Hall.
Congrats to the trivia team on a first-place win last night, as well as a three-week prize win which netted us a $20 gift card from Blue Fin. Another prize I have no idea how we’ll split up among a large team.
I’ve seen several reports on Twitter this afternoon that the Green Beetle has closed. I haven’t confirmed this, but one of the tweets came from their neighbor down the street, South of Beale, which is a pretty reliable source.
If it’s true, I’m glad I went there for nachos one last time. Definitely a late-night bar that will be missed.
I’ve been told that Small Beginnings will be moved into a ballroom at the Madison Hotel tonight if rain threatens. So if you wanted to attend but were worried about being on an open rooftop, you don’t have to – they’ve taken care of it. Read my Sunday post to learn more about the Small Beginnings fundraiser.
One thing I noticed about my recent New Orleans trip is that I took hardly any photos. The ones you saw yesterday in my “NOLA trip – Food and Drink” post were about the only ones I took. On the other hand, up until a few years ago when I traveled, I took hundreds of pics. It made me think – what changed?
I think there are two main reasons people take photos when they’re on trips/vacations:
1) So they can look at the photos later and re-live the memories of being there. I could have taken photos of Bourbon Street, the dive bars, the restaurants, and other places I visited in New Orleans… but you know what? I didn’t need to. Anytime I want to go back and see the places I went, all I need to do is get on Google StreetView and take a virtual walk around.
2) To offer proof that you were there. “See, I was at Disneyland, here’s a photo of me with Mickey Mouse.” “See, I was in DC, here’s a pic of me at the Lincoln Memorial.” The thing is, though, with the advent of iPhones people now have different ways to prove they were there. When I went out in New Orleans, I checked in on Foursquare every place I went. My Foursquare account is connected to Facebook and Twitter, so most of my friends saw that I was there.
I kinda like it that I kept my camera in my pocket most of the time… it made me look less like a tourist, and it was one less thing I had to keep up with.
Speaking of Foursquare… I was worried that my four-day out-of-town trip might be long enough to cost me the mayorship of the Flying Saucer, but I managed to hold on to it. I don’t see myself missing any days in the foreseeable future, so I’ll have that mayorship locked down for a while. I did lose Bardog Tavern while in NOLA. I guess I’ll have to go in this week and work on getting it back.
My next check-in at the Saucer will be tonight… trivia, 7 PM.
I tried to experience as much of the French Quarter’s food and drink as I could on my business trip, during lunch breaks and after hours. Considering I was only there four days, I think I did a pretty good job.
This is a hand grenade, the drink that nearly everyone told me I had to try. It's said to be the strongest drink on Bourbon Street.Now THIS is what I call a burger. They have these at a little dive bar called The Jimani, one of the best places I discovered, at the corner of Chartres and Iberville. Burger consists of an 8 ounce beef patty, bacon, 4 ounces of sausage patties, cheese, smothered onions, an egg, and special sauce. I wasn't hungry enough to order it, but I wish I had just to get the reaction from my health guru.Everyone told me I had to go to Mother's for some homestyle New Orleans cooking. When a committee meeting ended early, I dashed down there, yet still found a long line at 11:10 AM on a Tuesday.Roast beef and country ham po'boy with gravy and "debris" from Mother'sWhen I told Saucer server Lil' Kim I was going to NOLA, she told me I had to try "gumbalaya," a mixture of gumbo and jambalaya. I did a web search and found it at the Corner Oyster Bar.Shrimp po'boy from Johnny's Po-BoysSampler plate from Coop's Place on DecaturAbita SOS, a wheat beer brewed in protest of the oil spill in the Gulf. 75 cents of the purchase price of every beer go toward cleaning up the spill.Muffaletta pizza from the French Quarter Pizzeria
There were also some places I enjoyed where I didn’t take pictures. Bad Shane told me that I needed to check out Johnny White’s pub at the corner of Bourbon and Orleans. This was the pub that never closed at any point during the Katrina disaster.
Another Bad Shane suggestion was the Chart House at Chartres and Bienville. Good locals’ feel to it. They had High Life on draft for $1.50. When I came back the second night, they’d run out of High Life, but Bud Light cans for $1.75 weren’t a bad value either. (John D: “Whaaaaa? $1.75 Bud Light? Paul, I’m booking a trip to New Orleans!”)
Lil’ Kim told me I had to eat a Lucky Dog. They have stands on nearly every corner on Bourbon, selling large hot dogs covered with chili and cheese. One of these is just what you need after a couple of hand grenades.
Another Lil’ Kim suggestion was Beer Fest, two bars on Bourbon that have nearly as many beers on tap as the Flying Saucer. They weren’t nearly as crowded as the Saucer, though, which makes me realize what a big part of the Saucer’s appeal the girls are. Bartender was super friendly though, and gave me samples of several local and regional beers.
One suggestion I got over and over again that I didn’t get a chance to try was ACME Oyster House. I wanted to, but there was a line out the door every time I went by. I’m not a fan of waiting in lines, so I skipped it.
I skipped Cafe Dumonde for the same reason. I walked by as I headed to Coop’s Place, but the cafe was super packed and I didn’t feel like dealing with it. People told me I had to try authentic New Orleans beignets, but I’ve actually already had them: Before Crepe Maker moved into its current location in Downtown Memphis, that spot was a cafe that sold beignets, po’boys and muffalettas, run by a chef who had come from New Orleans.
Nor did I get to the bars and restaurants in other parts of town that people suggested. I had the car with me, but with only four days in town and a significant portion of those devoted to work, I wanted to concentrate on the places I could get to quickly.
One other note: The mini-marts on Canal Street are a rip-off! As I returned from my lunch break on Wednesday, I bought a 20 ounce Mountain Dew to caffeinate myself for the afternoon board meeting. With tax, it was $2.45!
Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions where to go – I really appreciate them, and they made my first time in New Orleans memorable.
A friend of mine asked me to post about this new and very worthy cause. As noted in an earlier post, I’m still drunk from last night, so I’m just going to copy and paste.
—–
I am writing to let you know about a foundation that my wife and I have set up this year and to invite you to our launch (see attached). The launch party will be hosted by The MED Foundation’s Young Leadership Council for our Small Beginnings Fund, on this coming Tuesday July 27 on The Madison Hotel’s rooftop, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The event includes a Jazz band, light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. The Madison and others have generously donated the room, food and band. Tickets are $10 and available at the door with all proceeds going to Small Beginnings.
What is ‘Small Beginnings’?
Sometime ago my wife Georgia and I read, independently, an article describing the great problem of prematurity and infant mortality in Memphis. We both felt a great need to do something to help the teenagers, young adults and families with premature infants that are among the poorest in Memphis. The causes of prematurity and infant mortality are complex and honestly overwhelming! Over the last few months we have been able to meet and talk with the medical, social work and administrative staff at The Med Newborn Center who have helped us to understand more about the great need there is in this city to care for and support the most at risk pregnancies. We are writing to invite you to the official launch of Small Beginnings that will take place on the 27th of July in Memphis (see the attached). The focus of the foundation is very practical support.
Small Beginnings is a new initiative within The Med Foundation (the formal charitable arm of The MED hospital) that is focused on supporting the babies and families cared for by the Newborn Center at The Med. Our goal is to support the families affected by prematurity in close collaboration with the professionals at The Med. Together we have developed the following two main programs.
(a) The Best start in life program: This program provides essential infant necessities, including clothing, diapers and bottles for at risk babies that are ready to go home, but lack the basic resources for a healthy start in life. This program also provides assistance to mothers of babies in the Newborn Center to cover the cost of transport to and from the hospital and for basic needs while their babies are inpatients. This program is also seeking to develop comprehensive pre-natal and post-natal care for the most at risk pregnancies.
(b) The Garden of Angels program: Despite the best efforts of the staff in the New Born Center, a number of premature infants die at a very early age. The families of these babies often lack the means to provide a dignified burial for their child. At present these children are buried ‘en masse’ by a backhoe loader in large unmarked graves without a funeral or memorial. In collaboration with the Memphis Funeral Home and the Memphis Memorial Gardens we have established a Garden of Angels that will support the funeral costs and provide a specific ‘set aside’ garden where these children can be buried.
Why Small Beginnings?
Prematurity is a one of the greatest threats to child health in the Memphis area. A 2002 federal report placed Memphis at the top of the list for infant deaths in American cities: 692 dead babies over a four-year span, a rate of more than 15 deaths for every 1,000 births, more than twice the U.S. average. Premature birth and low birth weight are by far the biggest causes of infant death in Memphis. In 2002 they accounted for about a quarter of infant deaths in Shelby County; in 2006 the figure was more than 31%. In 2006 Shelby County lost 209 babies according to state Health Department data. No other Tennessee County lost more than 93. While the problem seems overwhelming, Small Beginnings is working hard to support all children and families affected by prematurity by providing the medical, nursing and social work staff of the Newborn Center with the critical tools necessary to provide the best care possible for premature babies and their families.
The Small Beginnings team.
Founders
Richard and Georgia Gilbertson moved with their three children from England to Memphis where Richard works as a research pediatrician at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Touched by the plight of premature babies in the Memphis area they founded Small Beginnings in 2010 in close collaboration with the staff of the Newborn Center and leaders in The Med Foundation.
NICU Staff
Dr. Ramasubbareddy Dhanireddy is the Sheldon B. Korones Professor and Chief of Neonatology at the Newborn Center in the Med.
Linda DeBaer is coordinator of perinatal social services at The Med Newborn Center.
The Med Foundation
Tammie Ritchey is the Executive Director of The Med Foundation.
Patrick Hendricks is the Project Specialist with The Med Foundation assigned specifically to work with on the Small Beginnings project.
The official launch!
Small Beginnings will be launched officially at a reception at the Madison Hotel downtown on the evening of July 27th. The Hotel is generously providing the room and food for the event that is being coordinated jointly by the Med Foundation, Young Citizens of Memphis and Small Beginnings. There will be a modest fundraising entrance ticket cost of ~$10 (proceeds going directly to Small Beginnings). We will send more details out soon. We would love for you to join us to learn more about this exciting venture!
Legendary group The Bar-Kays will be traveling overseas to perform for our troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Monday night, July 26, there will be a celebration in their honor at Ground Zero from 6 to 9 PM. Everyone is invited to come out to send them off in style, and to show your support for the Bar-Kays and for our troops.
