We left Eunice, Louisiana, on Sunday, November 16^th, drove 7 hours to Memphis and checked into the Econolodge a few blocks from Beale Street. After settling Apollo into his new digs (“Ahh” he said, “a nice soft warm bed!”) we bundled up and walked to Beale Street where we had some decent Bar B Que at the Blues City Café and listened to some terrific R&B. Beale Street still has its allure even though most of the old blues greats are long gone. There is, however, a new generation of top-notch blues musicians.

In the morning our dear friend Ken Reardon, who teaches urban and regional planning at the University of Memphis, picked us up for a tour of the City. This was quite a treat. Ken has a national and international reputation as a progressive planner, meaning he takes a bottom up approach in community development that promotes preservation of neighborhoods, affordable housing, and sustainable living. One powerful moment was a visit to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated. Not everyone agrees that this site should have become a civil rights museum. One woman has kept vigil across the street for 26 years. She would rather see the site become a place that serves poor people.

We had lunch at the Trolley Stop, which is “locavore” heaven. Most if not all the delicious food that is served here is locally produced. In fact, within the complex that houses the restaurant, there is a distribution center. Farmers bring their product here where it is packaged in large lots and taken to market. In this way large volume purchasers can be serviced. Memphis is at the cutting edge of local food production planning and interestingly, it has attracted private investment. Good examples are the Trolley Stop and the distribution center.

Ken showed us some of the successful development projects going on in the city. The City has been struggling to bring back a middle class population, sometimes to the detriment to the city’s poor who get ignored and/or displaced in the process. This is a major concern of Ken’s and he works diligently for their inclusion in the process.

After spending the better part of the day exploring the socio-economic side of Memphis, we took in more of the music scene and made stops at Sun studio, Stax Records, the Gibson Guitar factory, and the outstanding Museum of Rock and Soul.

 

That evening we had dinner with Ken and his colleague Antonio Racinti, from Sicily, at Corky’s Bar B Que. The ribs were a perfect 10, just about the best we have ever had.

The following day we paid a visit to Graceland. Neither of us are Elvis heart throbbing fans, although we have always enjoyed his music and admired his extraordinary talent. But we came away with a new appreciation of his greatness. Not withstanding the kitsch and overdramatic persona, here was a truly gifted performer and generous person.