Have Geek Will Travel

Hey, gang-

So, with COVID limiting our travel options and keeping us close close to home Nicki and I have tried to explore our own backyard and be local tourists in the Mid-South area we live in.

This post is about some of our favorite local spots and the discoveries we recently made while in downtown Memphis for my birthday. When we went on our honeymoon in New Orleans, it was kind of a three celebrations in one trip- our honeymoon, Halloween, and my 45th birthday.

Well, on my birthday (also Day of the Dead) we took a cemetery tour while in N’awlins. Since this year we couldn’t head to the Big Easy, we decided to explore the River City and try out Nicki’s new mirror-less camera.

I got to use her older digital SLR (which she bought for our wedding/honeymoon trip) and took some shots with my iPhone to post to social media. I need the practice with both!

We decided to park next to the Orpheum Theatre off Beale Street and Main Street and walk towards the South Main Historic Arts District and the train station.

We noticed a lot of construction going on- not as much as we’d seen on our last trips to Nashville or even Little Rock, but a lot. Plus there was a new hotel or two that were open now- one behind the Orpheum where we used to park! Had to park beside the Orpheum.

We put 2hs worth of money in the parking lot meter and headed south on Main Street. It was a bit windy and chilly, so we were dressed in layers (we love our Geeky Jerseys).

There weren’t many people out and about downtown that Tuesday afternoon, which we were okay with. Here to shoot locations, not people- which I know is ironic to say about Memphis.

We did see a few folks jogging or walking their dogs, and I saw a couple birds hanging out in some bushes just off the sidewalk in an alley.

We watched several trolleys go by- and I was worried about this guy trying to outrun one on his bike..!

One of my favorite things about downtown are the trolleys, and am glad they’re back up and running again after being down for a while.

The last Friday of the month is Trolley Night on South Main, and South Main and is open late with live music, great shopping, restaurant specials, art galleries, and of course trolley rides. It’s a lot of fun, but I haven’t checked out a last Friday or ridden a trolley for several years now. The last one I remember riding was when Kevin and I parked in the Pinch District near the Pyramid and rode one south down Main to Beale for the Memphis In May Beale Street Music Festival. It was storming and lightning blew a fuse on our trolley. After a bit of waiting they got it up and running again and we made it to the Beale Street stop next to the Orpheum. Just then we saw lighting strike Tom Lee Park along the riverfront and heard a loud thunder crack! Someone was wanting to buy tickets, so we sold ours, ate dinner at Blues City Cafe, hopped back on a northbound trolley, got in Kev’s car and headed home for the night.

But, like I said, as much as I love the trolleys I rarely get to ride on any. If I’m downtown I usually just end up taking pics of them rumbling and clanging down the street and honestly end up forgetting to hop on one!

As we walked we saw some fun art murals, some great architecture, and some interesting items in the windows of shops.

It was also fun to just look around off the beaten path, or up above our heads.

It’s amazing how many things around us we just don’t notice most of the time.

Once we got to the train station and Arcade Restaurant end of Main, we turned around and headed back up the other side of the street. BTW- the area of what’s now South Main was once the City of South Memphis, a separate city from Memphis, separated at Union Avenue.

We passed by WEVL (the Mid-South’s only listener-supported, independent, volunteer radio station-“WE VoLunteer” 89.9 FM MHz) and Murray Riss Photography (516 S Main St.- he came to Memphis to establish a photography department at Memphis College of Art, where he taught for almost 20yrs).

As we got to the fire station at the top of the hill we decided to hang a right and head towards the Lorraine Motel/National Civil Rights Museum.

This is the place where on April 4, 1968 the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was killed while staying in town to support the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike.

I’ve been a couple times for Memphis Area Radio Stations (M.A.R.S.) awards presentations at the museum, but have only gotten to take the tour once, and that was years ago (mid ’90s).

Nicki has never been, and we really need to correct that.

There are a few other historic places around Memphis I really want to check out as well, like Stax and the Blues Hall of Fame Museum. Have been by but never ventured inside for a tour.

As we were standing in the parking lot outside the hotel room, we noticed a huge mural behind us and just up the street a bit.

It’s titled “Upstanders In Memphis History” by The Memphis Mural Brigade.

The Memphis Mural Brigade is a collaborative of artists from around the world based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brigade was formed in 2015 to create a series of murals for the University of Memphis Fogelman College. The Brigade brings together practices in painting, printmaking and conceptual art to create meaningful, visually compelling artworks which help to create community dialogue. The Brigade is comprised of a changing, diverse team of artists and was founded by Nelson Gutierrez and Cedar Nordbye.

Just a little ways up the street we saw a building that reminded me of the Hook & Ladder Co. #8 firehouse we had visited while in NYC back in 2019 (another anniverary/birthday trip), which is one of the two firehouses featured in the Ghostbusters movies (NYC/Tribeca exteriors, L.A. interiors) and recently got a complete renovation.

Not sure who owns this one, or if it is occupied, but I wish I had the money to buy it and many other properties we saw while exploring the downtown area.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this building before either, or if I did it had been something else. Some things have been the same for years, while other locations around town come and go and get a face-lift, or get torn down and replaced with something else. All too often it’s the latter…but I’m always thankful when I see a building repurposed/renovated than torn down. They just don’t make ’em like they used to!

So many amazing buildings die from neglect or “progress”. Thankfully these two gorgeous ones are still standing and occupied on Main.

We cut back towards Main Street and turned towards the Orpheum and Beale. Earlier we had seen a classic car parked on the side of the street on our way down Main, and as we were walking back up the owner got in it and drove off. Pretty sweet ride! Oh, on the 4th Tuesday of the month from April – September from 6pm till 10pm Beale has hot rod nights, and bike nights every Wednesday night.

Around Main we saw a couple more murals, and a few places that were available for lease. Also since we were starting to get hungry, we spotted several places we hadn’t ate at before- some were just closed for lunch while others were closed due to the pandemic.

Same situation while we were over on Beale Street a few minutes later.

Speaking of closings and Beale Street, I was sad to see Tater Red’s Lucky Mojos closing up shop permanently. Leo Allred, “Tater Red“, was a D.J. on Rock103 (he did the blues show on Sunday mornings) and he and the shop were a long time fixture on Beale.

Tater has said, “I’ve been on Beale Street since 1984 in one way or another. I like the feel, the history, the people.” Tater’s shop opened in 1995 (around the same time I had my t-shirt shop Animated Jack’s which started in ’92), and was not the only casualty of the pandemic. Lew’s Blue Note closed in 2020 after 7 years of serving wings and the blues on Beale. Apparently Lew’s was one of the few African American owned businesses left on the historic street.

Beale Street runs from Riverside Drive (on the west at the Mississippi River) to Myrtle Street (on the east) – a distance that’s just shy of 2mi. It features many restaurants, clubs, shops, museums, events and attractions. Beale St. (originally Beale Ave.) was created in 1841 by entrepreneur/developer Robertson Topp. After the yellow fever epidemics forced the city to forfeit its charter in 1879 and around this time, Robert Church purchased land around Beale which led to him becoming the first black millionaire from the south. 1890, Beale underwent renovation which included the addition of the Grand Opera House (after a fire in 1923 it was later rebuilt on the same spot as the Orpheum Theatre –“Born in 1890. Reborn in 1928. Revitalized in 1977, 1984, and 2015. From vaudeville to Broadway, it is a story of resilience and reinvention that could only happen in Memphis.”).

Beale has had a long history of commerce/trade (including many black owned businesses), live music, being used as movie/TV filming locations, having songs written about it, and as a gathering place. It’s also certainly had a history of crime, drinking, plus its fair share of loan/pawn shops. It’s had ups and downs, and ups and downs, and ups again…and currently a down. The pandemic has many of the businesses up and down Beale struggling these days, but the street has been known to bounce back from worse.

The oldest store in the Mid-South, A. Schwab, is located in the oldest remaining building on Beale Street. The store was founded at another location on Beale Street by Jewish immigrant Abraham Schwab, moved to 163 Beale Street in 1911, and then expanded into 165 in 1922. Both of these buildings were constructed before 1890. Before the expansion, 165 Beale housed a Piggly Wiggly.

I believe there was talk about A. Schwab looking to close its doors sometime just after 2000, but if it did it was only briefly because the Schwab family sold the business at the end of 2011 after 136 years of ownership. It now has a soda fountain, and the store boasts that, “If you can’t find it at Schwab’s, you’re better off without it.”

Piggly Wiggly started off in Memphis (at 79 Jefferson Avenue) back in September, 1916. It was the first the “self-serving store” to offer self-shopping, checkout stands, shopping carts, use refrigerated case, have employees in uniforms, and price marking for every item in the store- things we kind of take for granted these days while shopping…and it all started here in Memphis.

I miss each item being priced some days, especially with retailers like Walmart removing bar code scanners in their stores. WTF..?!

You can see a replica of the original Piggly Wiggly store at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis (or check out my HGWT blog post when Nicki and I went).

We passed by “King” Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar and Grille (at 159 Beale Street– next door to A. Schwab). It”s Jerry’s bar, burger, and BBQ joint. I’ve ate there before, and talked to the King about my dining experience while interviewing him at the Memphis Comic Expo a few years back. It used to be the police museum and sub-station, which I do miss- but glad Jerry’s restaurant seems to be doing well here.

My buddy Kevin and I recently ate there over the weekend so they are still operational on Beale, although it appears his King Jerry Lawler’s Memphis BBQ Company restaurant out east has closed.

Shame, I really liked the food and dug the wrasslin’ decor and videos at the BBQ location. I really enjoyed the music and burgers at his Beale restaurant, but liked the look of the Germantown Pkwy. location better. Local musician Chris Gales performed the night I dropped in on Beale after dropping off art to the Orpheum up the street. Chris currently has a solo acoustic show at Jerry’s on Beale and other locations around town (click here for show info).

While on Beale we met a few folks from out of town (one guy was celebrating his birthday, too). We saw a few more murals, lots of Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame brass notes, and some over-sized painted guitars like we had seen in Nashville a few years back.

These are part of the Gibson GuitarTown Public Art Display which consists of 20 giant guitar replicas of B.B. King’s legendary Lucille.

 

Each was painted by local Memphis artists and signed by a Memphis celebrity to celebrate the unique art and music contributions in the city. I’ve got a couple small guitars I need to paint for the Massac Theatre charity auction in Metropolis.

If there’s one thing I love about this city (next to the food), it’s the music. I’m a huge Memphis music fan and have always tried to support it and love finding out about it’s history.

Most folks think of Elvis when you mention Memphis music, but as much as I love Elvis’ he’s just a piece of that very large puzzle of performers, songwriters, producers, DJs, and more that came before and after him. The influence of Memphis music is worldwide and strong.

“Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs…” – yeah, even though I’m not a fan of that song, I do love taking pics of signs and there are plenty downtown!

Our 2hrs of paid parking was about to be up and hunger was hitting us, so that was our sign to head back to the car.

We drove around the corner and up Front Street to have some Gus’s Fried Chicken for lunch. We normally hit the Southaven, MS location on Goodman Rd. which is closer to home, or the Wolfchase/G’town Rd. one which was closer to my old job, but this location is the one my buddy Kevin Williams and I used to always hit when we were downtown. Back then they’d let you draw on the tablecloths…and trust me we did!

I had met my friend Robbi Lepre there for lunch when she was in town for a conference a few years back. She was the Entertainment Director at Busch Gardens Tampa (where I met her in 2001 for Howl-O-Scream), and unfortunately passed away in 2020.

It’s been a while since Nicki and I had both been here together, probably several years. It may have been back when we ate there when some friends and us went downtown for a ghost tour with Gail Simone and her husband Scott after MidSouthCon in 2011. We learned a lot about the yellow fever epidemics in Memphis during the tour, and didn’t actually see any ghosts but we did see a leprechaun..!

Union Station, Memphis | Library of Congress