{"id":26982,"date":"2023-09-04T09:03:15","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T14:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/?p=26982"},"modified":"2023-09-04T09:03:15","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T14:03:15","slug":"labor-day-update-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/04\/labor-day-update-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Labor Day update"},"content":{"rendered":"

I walked down to the “new, improved” Tom Lee Park yesterday. Going in, I had no idea what my reaction would be.<\/p>\n

On one hand, I believe our main river park needs to be an amenity enjoyed by ALL Memphians, 365 days a year. Not just people who can afford an expensive music festival ticket 3 days a year. Not just people who have hundreds of dollars to spend to join a BBQ team for 4 days a year.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, as someone who was on such a BBQ team – The Ques Brothers and then The Moody Ques – for 13 years, I realized it was the end of an era. A magical place where I had some of the best experiences of my life would never be the same again.<\/p>\n

So, for me to truly approve of the new Tom Lee Park, Memphis River Parks Partnership would have to NAIL the renovations.<\/p>\n

My verdict, having spent an hour walking through the park Sunday?<\/p>\n

I LOVE IT.<\/p>\n

The temperature was about the same as Saturday – upper 80s – but the humidity was back, making it feel close to 100 outside. As I walked down there, I wondered if the heat would be too much and I’d have to turn back without seeing the entire thing.<\/p>\n

So I was thrilled when I got past Beale Street Landing and saw a set of misters blowing cool mist out of the ground. I walked through them and instantly felt 10 degrees cooler.<\/p>\n

I marveled at the diversity of spaces in the park. There were, as promised, wide-open fields big enough to hold fans of Music Fest acts. There were smaller, secluded, more intimate spaces. There were lush meadows and rolling hills.<\/p>\n

I was impressed by the quality of the vendors. Paper Plate Pavilion<\/a> was serving meals. Vice & Virtue<\/a> was serving coffee. Ben & Jerry’s was serving ice cream. MemPops had a trailer there.<\/p>\n

And yes, there were several stands selling beer and other alcoholic beverages. I think those are important to have, considering Downtown Memphis is the day-drinking capital of the U.S.<\/p>\n

There was basketball, pickleball, and some kind of stretchy bendy class (my guess would be yoga, but I’m not entirely sure) under a covered pavilion. There were yard games and hula hooping out in the open. There were hammocks. There were people walking their dogs.<\/p>\n

I positively love it.<\/p>\n

Now, I do admit, the naysayers have some valid concerns. Memphis has a history of not properly maintaining amenities. I pass along these questions the critics have asked, which I think are valid:<\/p>\n