Like the old Johnny Cash song “I've been everywhere, man. †Work and play have taken me to some of America’s greatest places lately. Broadway, Waikiki, Venice Beach,The Vegas Strip, Pikes Market, Fisherman's Wharf, The Boston Commons, Boise’s 8th street-all cool. No street in America beats Beale street in Memphis Tennessee. Why? A stroll down Memphis’s Beale is an almost overwhelming sensory experience. An intoxicating voodoo brew. Music, food, history, liquor, smiles, commerce, and neon mix like nowhere else in america.
Just up from the Mississippi you begin at the magnificent former vaudeville theater The Orpheum. As you head past Elvis and the garishly lit horse drawn carriages you hear the sound of live hand crafted Blues.
It pours out of doors and windows as you pass by the famous B B Kings. Further down you move by historic Handy’s Blues Hall and then roll down towards Alfred's. The Blues seems to warm the air even on an the unusually cold and snowy Memphis night.
Could it be the smell of slow cooked pork ribs that sets Beale street apart? Sure New York has it hot dog vendors, and nothing compares to the sweet-spicy and earthy scent of a big city Chinatown, or the fishy, salty, coffee allure of Seattle's Pike Street. Me? Give me the southern fried taste of Beale.
In Vegas and Times Square the neon blinds you. Mile high slots, and building sized Nike ads. This weeks celebrity smiles down from above, hoping to entice you into a shop or casino. It Memphis the signal is often an old hand painted and neon sign. The colors more subtle and muted with time. The reds and blues a softer and more powerful message.
Most of America’s big cities have become like sunburned malls. In New York, Vegas, or Honolulu, the tourist traps and chain stores have taken over. Food Courts with parking meters. Every town has a TGIF, a Bubba Gumps and a couple of Mic D’s. Each with that glossy, perfect commercial look that is so jarring. Nike, Starbucks, Channel, Ripley's Believe It or Not, all line up like good capitalists shoulder to shoulder. Cheerfully there totake your money.
In Memphis, there is almost none of that. Even the Hard Rock hosted the Blues contest this week. In " The home of the Blues",, they great you with a smile and a Hi, ya all, where all ya from†Even the pan handlers are polite, offering up tips on the best BBQ or music.
Memphis is a full body experience that should not be missed. You should to go soon, it is too good to be true. The fat cat corporations can’t be far behind to screw it up.
