Memphis has been hit with tragedy of late, making it harder to find the love for the city we celebrated a few weeks ago with 901 Day. That love isn’t gone. But, sometimes, it’s easier to recognize it when it’s spelled out before us. So we took time to reflect on things that make us most grateful for our city.
Cooper-Young Festival parties
New bike lanes on Peabody
Bail reform
Mane
Amazing local craft beer
Trolley dings
Big Ass Beers on Beale
Miss Barbara’s biscuits at City Market, Cooper-Young
Mary, the Orpheum Theatre ghost
Mempops on a hot day
Calling TACOnganas on Cooper “taco village”
The kids’ play area at Railgarten
The promise of Blue Oval City
The promise of Brooks on the Bluff
The promise of the Metal Museum in Overton Park
The promise of Tom Lee Park
The promise of a new interchange at I-55 and Crump
The opportunity to fill the Brooks building in Overton Park
All the new Black officials on city/county level
The Kroc Center
After-hike burgers at the Shelby Forest General Store
Overton Park 9
Simultaneously loving and hating “Walking in Memphis”
LeMoyne-Owen College
“Hush Y’all” signs at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational
The new Ida B. Wells statue
The Broom Closet and Historical Haunts
Memphis AF
The new relationship between the Memphis Zoo and Overton Park Conservancy
Great reporters and news outlets
Wearing a Bass Pro hat as a civic function
Big River Crossing
The new concourse at Memphis International Airport
Bill Ganus
Black Restaurant Week
Obruni Dance Band
The horns of Victor Sawyer and Hope Clayburn in any band
Not using a watch to know it’s 3:30 p.m. on a Wednesday
The nasty foot billboard over Union is gone.
Larry Finch statue
Pujols Chair at AutoZone Park
Island green (11th hole) at TPC Southwind
Tiger basketball through the voices of Dave Woloshin and Matt Dillon
Penny Hardaway calling the shots
Ja Morant … period
Super Grizz to start the fourth quarter
Zach Randolph’s number 50
The Mighty Sound of the South marching band
“Eye of the Tiger” before tip-off
Memphis Pom Squad. National champs. Again.
Martin Luther King Day game at FedExForum
Halftime at the Southern Heritage Classic
Disc golf at Sea Isle Park
Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center
Jaren Jackson Jr. from three-point range
Desmond Bane from three-point range
Four Pacific Coast League championships
Stubby Clapp’s number 10
Sunset above the Peabody, from right field at AutoZone Park
Jarvis Greer on sports
The Peanut Shoppe
Ghost River boardwalk
Mona Lisa pizza at Old Venice
Calvin Farrar’s window art
Seth Henigan’s right arm
J.J. Guinozzo, the official scorer for Memphis professional baseball
Kayaking on the Wolf River Harbor
Crump Stadium
Hot fudge pie at Westy’s
Elephants at the Memphis Zoo
Tennessee Shakespeare Company
Cupcakes at Frost
Free yoga community
The Memphis suffrage monument “Equality Trailblazers” behind U of M law school
Not one, but two Elvis Presley statues
Josh Spickler and Just City
The buffalo at Shelby Farms
Jackson Baker
Chalkbeat education reporting
Rainbow Crosswalks in CY
Backroom bar at Cafe 1912
Loud soccer crowds at Celtic Crossing on weekend mornings
Peabody Ducks
The Great Hall of Beer at Cash Saver
Sunsets over the Mississippi
The Liberty Land merry-go-round in the Children’s Museum of Memphis
William Eggleston
A Weirdo From Memphis
Geoff Calkins
Grizz announcers Pete Pranica and Brevin Knight
Wendi Thomas and MLK50
Joe Birch
Memphis in May
The view from the top of the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid
Sun Studio and the permanent cache of tourists outside
Grizzlies Growl Towels
I Am A Man plaza
The empty pedestal where the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue used to be
The Hospitality Hub and its fight against homelessness
901 Day
Azaleas in the spring
The Outback at Shelby Farms
300 miles of running and biking trails
Boo Mitchell
David Porter
Over-the-top decor of Tiger & Peacock
The miles-long international buffet that is Summer Avenue
The Agricenter Corn Maze
Tiger Lane on a sunny October game day
Flashback’s display windows
Poplar Avenue, the county’s real Main Street
Linn Sitler
Halloran Centre
The sequined mural at Overton Square
Kong Wee Pang
Jameson Slushie at Slider Inn
Drag shows at Dru’s Place
901 Games
Ross Johnson
South Memphis Alliance arcade
Joe Mulherin
Jocelyn Wurzburg
The Little Tea Shop
Tom Jones
Beale Street Flippers
Robert Church Park
Memphis Italian Festival
Jimmy Crosthwaite
The Lucy Opry
The statues and river bridge replica atop Caesar’s Wine and Liquors
Philip Mudd’s political dispatches to CNN from Memphis
The Klitz and other legacies of Jim Dickinson
Kemba Ford
Sidney Chism’s picnic
Amy LaVere
Tops hamburger with barbecue pork and sauce on top
All-you-can-eat spaghetti on Thursday nights at Dino’s Grill
BBQ pizza at Coletta’s
Round the World pizza at Pete & Sam’s
The Roxie Burger at Roxie’s Grocery
The “Everyday Special” at The Pancake Shop
Glazed donuts and coffee at Gibson’s
Porter-Leath Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival
Zoo Rendezvous
Black Lodge Halloween parties
Wedding Cake Supreme at Jerry’s Sno Cones
Crepe myrtles in summer
Cornish game hen at Cozy Corner
Barbecued bologna sandwich at Payne’s
Ice cream and paletas at La Michoacana
Hot and sour soup at Mosa Asian Bistro
Sitting on the bank at The Church of the River
The rose garden and My Big Backyard at Memphis Botanic Garden
Soul food plate lunch at Four Way Restaurant
Evalina Edwards’ homemade yeast rolls at Mortimer’s
The annuals flower garden at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens
Hebe Fountain in Court Square
The Peabody lobby
The neon sign at Joe’s Wines & Liquors
Chicken and dressing and all the sides at The Cupboard
Barbecue on Texas toast at The Bar-B-Q Shop
Fried or baked chicken at Alcenia’s
Deviled eggs at Felicia Suzanne’s
Spending an afternoon at the Center for Southern Folklore
Ginger bread boys and petit fours at Kay Bakery
Breakfast at the Arcade
Searching for treasures at Antique Warehouse Mall on Summer
Bryant’s Breakfast
A hibachi dinner prepared at your table by Harold Do at Nagasaki Inn
Chicken salad and spicy tomato soup at La Baguette French Bread and Pastry Shop
Rev. Bailey’s every-Thursday beef tenderloin at Woman’s Exchange of Memphis
Dixie Queen’s wings and pineapple slush
31-cent wings at Crumpy’s
“That’s What’s Up” by Yo Gotti
Thursday Nights at The Bluff
Huey’s cheese sticks
Saying that Memphis isn’t a part of Tennessee
Trolley Night
TONE’s Juneteenth celebration
Female rappers (GloRilla, Slimeroni, K Carbon)
Memphis Vegan Festival
Energy in the FedEx Forum
Riding around Downtown on scooters
Pasta from Brain Food
Live music and brunch at Sage
Drag shows at Atomic Rose
Jack Pirtle’s Chicken
Movies at Overton Park Shell
National Civil Rights Museum
Juice from Raw Girls
Swish’s pink Memphis Tiger shorts
Central BBQ’s barbecue nachos
Events at The Ravine
Live music at Hi Tone
Shows at the Orpheum
All-you-can-play games at Nerd Alert
Candy from Dinstuhl’s
Grit and grind
Jook culture
Tailors’ Union
Slicing pools in the summer
Beale Street Artcrawl
Cocktails at Inkwell
Grizzlies watch parties
Project Pat
Skating at Tobey Park
Frosé at Railgarten
Exhibits at TONE
Sir Meatball and Milkshake’s star quality
Las Delicias’ chips
Novel’s handwritten book recommendations
The skeletons at Sugar Ghost
Michael Donahue’s hair
Foster field trips with MAS dogs
Dorothy Ann Whitaker’s gravestone at Elmwood Cemetery
Muddy’s cupcakes
Those weird red chairs at the Brooks
Free admission on Wednesdays at the Brooks
Penguin feeding at the zoo
All the Memphis-Shelby County Schools teachers who go above and beyond
The animatronic dinosaur at the Museum of Science & History
The work tables at Crosstown that overlook the Central Atrium
Theatre Memphis
Playhouse on the Square
Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group
Hattiloo Theatre
Starry Nights at Shelby Farms
The blue men on the Vollintine & Evergreen Greenline
Beautiful cocktails at Global Cafe
Memphis Public Libraries
CHOICES
Planned Parenthood
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Youth Villages
BRIDGES
My Sistah’s House
Thistle & Bee
OUTMemphis
MIFA
First Fridays on Broad
UrbanArt Commission’s public artworks
Focus Mid-South
Crystal Shrine Grotto
The painted alley between Babalu and Sweet Noshings
Opera Memphis’ 30 Days of Opera
Mollie Woodruff’s ghost at the Woodruff-Fontaine House
The trash-eating squirrels at Rhodes College
Memphis Bigfoot Festival
Mighty Lights
Mylo the Bernese Mountain Dog at T Clifton Gallery & Framing
Walking the University of Memphis campus arboretum
BBQ Tofu Nachos at R.P. Tracks
Baby season for ducks and geese at Cancer Survivors Park
Open mic night at Java Cabana
Concerts at Mud Island
Garibaldi’s barbecue pizza
Dancing under the glow of the Overton Park Shell rainbow
The call of the summer cicadas
Double features at the Malco Summer Drive-In
Tommy Kha
Herb shopping at Ebbo
FreeWorld
Walkin’ with your feet 10 feet off of Beale
Viet Hoa Market
Bain Barbecue & Bakery’s beef brisket — run tell THAT, Texas!
Out of the Woods Wildlife Rescue & Rehab’s Facebook page — Hi, D’White!
Unapologetically Memphis on Instagram
The Memphis Archaeological and Geological Society’s annual Earth Wide Open gem show
S p a c e r
The historic Hotel Pontotoc Downtown (currently being renovated for public use!)
Antario Davis AKA Back it Up Terry!
China Master in the Oak Court Mall
Veda Reed and her cloud paintings
India Palace lunch buffet
Prince Mongo
Smoke-filled, light-up dance floor at Paula & Raiford’s Disco
Paula Raiford
Cosmic bowling at Billy Hardwick’s All-Star Lanes
Pulse, the Pink Floyd tribute band
Mixing your own scented oils at Maggie’s Pharm
Old Forest at Overton Park
The Beale Street Brass Notes Walk of Fame
Lemongrass tofu at Pho Binh
Brunch at Bayou Bar & Grill
Makeda’s Cookies
Butteriffic Bakery & Cafe
Restore Corps
Room in the Inn
My Cup of Tea
Memphis magazine’s Vance Lauderdale
Watching the FedEx planes lined up in the sky like a highway to infinity
Intimate music shows at DKDC
Shelby County Star Trek Day
100 trillion gallons of the cleanest water on planet Earth
The 10-story Christmas tree of lights in Crosstown Concourse
Memphis Concréte Experimental Electronic Music Festival
Grammy Award-winner Cedric Burnside
Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall
Academy Award-winners Three 6 Mafia
Rock-and-roll
Vintage films at the Time Warp Drive-In
Isaac Hayes’ Cadillac at the Stax Museum
All the nooks and crannies at Crosstown Art Bar
The 4K laser projector and Dolby Atmos sound system at the Malco Powerhouse MXT theater
Louise Page’s wardrobe
Memphis Heritage’s Don Newman photo collection
The incredible run of short films funded by Indie Memphis’ IndieGrants program
Civitas, the world’s first certified net-zero energy, net-zero carbon, single-family home
Grandma’s pizza at Little Italy
That WYXR exists
WEVL
Tiny recording studios
The Oblivians’ Play Nine Songs with Mr. Quintron
Cooper-Young Porchfest
The Ginger’s Bread Company challah tarts
Craig Brewer’s Secret Screenings at Crosstown Theater
Astronomica RPG podcast
Kacky Walton’s voice on WKNO
The way your hair smells after you leave Shapow!
That frantic visit to Mr. Lincoln’s Costume Shop the week before Halloween
Oak Alley at Rhodes College
Stoned Ninja edibles
The Poor & Hungry
The Barred Owls of Evergreen, who hoot and chortle at night
All the porches and their echoing conversations
Cooper-Young Garden Walk
Cooper-Young’s California incense cedar, deemed a champion tree by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council
The musical legacy on display at the Connie Abston Archive & History Exhibits at the Overton Park Shell
Biking on the Greenline
Flyer coverage of Sushi Jimmi
Pro soccer with 901 FC
Pop’s $2 tamales
Booing the Golden State Warriors
The “secret” beach
Armored Fight Club
Inna-net fuckery on r/memphis
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/ALSAC
Mo’s Bows
Brian Kelsey’s indictment
Cxffeeblack
Speedy security lines at MEM
Memphis Japan Festival
Memphis Listening Lab
Peabody Rooftop parties
Joyce Cobb brunch at Boscos
Withers Collection Museum & Gallery
Grind City Coffee Xpo
901 Comics
Game Night at Board to Beers
Justin Timberlake
The big MEMPHIS sign
Orange Mound Tower plans
Food Truck Thursdays at Court Square
Agricenter Sunflower Trail
First Congo’s progressive outreach
Jeniam Foundation
Playback Memphis
Readers’ heaven at Burke’s Books, Novel, and DeMoir Books and Things
Murals around town
The rebirth of Broad Avenue
The crack on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge is fixed.
Watching The Firm
Memphis Flyer
Your favorite barbecue joint
World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival
All the bomb food trucks
Late nights at Alex’s Tavern
Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken
“Get dope out your vein and hope in your brain. You’ll never get nowhere smoking the pipe.”
It’s not Nashville.
YOU!
