Tag: March Madness

Categories
News The Fly-By

MEMernet: Kyle, Candy Champ, Glo and Joe

Posted to X by @Julio_Rosas11

Memphis on the internet.

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle

“Leftist agitators disrupted the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter event hosting Kyle Rittenhouse last night at the University of Memphis,” reads a story from Turning Points USA the day after Rittenhouse was booed from the stage and chased away from campus by protestors.

MEMernet celebrity Allan Creasy asked Memphians on X and Facebook for their most Memphis insult for Rittenhouse. They didn’t disappoint.

“Kyle says mane but spells it main,” wrote Forrest Quay Roberts.

“Kyle Rittenhouse walked into the Rendezvous and ordered the shrimp,” wrote Jonathan Green.

“Kyle thinks Chili’s has the best ribs,” wrote Danny Bader. “He also eats ribs with a fork.”

“I 100 percent know his favorite Grizzly was Chandler Parsons,” wrote Henry A Wallace.

Candy Champ

Posted to X by Jessica Benson

“This kid eating an insane amount of cotton candy has been the best performance we’ve seen in five games in Memphis this weekend,” tweeted Jessica Benson, a Grind City Media host on the March Madness games played at FedExForum last weekend.

Glo and Joe

Posted to Instagram by GloRilla

Memphis rapper GloRilla met President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House last week. In a brief Instagram selfie video with Biden, GloRilla says, “Yeah, Joe!” The president responded, “Not yeah, Joe. Yeah, you!”

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

My Dog Is So Bright …

If I get fired from my day job, it will be because I was looking up “dog sunglasses” on my computer. I’ve looked at our electronic devices usage policy, and I didn’t see anything specifically prohibiting using my lunch break to find my poodle some eye protection, but you know how corporations are. Picky, picky, picky.

Now that I think about it, it might be because I always forget the company blocks access to Pandora. I don’t know why I can’t remember that. I like a little music in my office, and, as much as I love public radio, sometimes I need music with words. So I try to pull up Pandora and get this red and black warning that I am perilously close to the third rail of internet surfing and if I do it again, corporate minions will show up at my office to haul me out. I think about this when I remember I can’t stream my big band station. Oh, sure. I could listen to Benny Goodman on YouTube. YouTube isn’t blocked. Go figure that one out, and let me know what you come up with.

Sometimes I daydream that on the 13th time I forget that site is blocked, air raid sirens will start screaming, and men in tactical gear wielding frothing German Shepherds and Tasers will show up at my office. Then I’ll be put in a small room with nothing but a metal table and two chairs and a one-way mirror.

Interesting tidbit. When writing that last sentence, I couldn’t remember if I meant a “one-way mirror” or “two-way mirror.” Turns out THEY ARE THE SAME THING. It’s like flammable and inflammable meaning the same thing. I don’t understand the need to make English our official language. I’m a native speaker, and it makes me drink. When all native speakers can explain why one-way and two-way mean the same thing, we can discuss a national language.

Now that I think about it, it might not be the dog sunglasses (I went with the bright yellow, by the way). It might be how the other day I called everyone into my office to see the video of a rooster wearing turquoise pants running around the chicken yard. That’s right. The rooster was wearing pants. Bright turquoise pants. I had no idea how much my life needed a video of a rooster in britches. Just trust me. You need that rooster in your life, too.

Ebay is also blocked on our corporate network. Amazon is not. Maybe that one was a “pick your battles” decision. We are not prohibited from looking up the score from last night’s game, but we are prohibited from clicking any links to any sites discussing said game. My job requires me to be familiar with approximately 16,923 government ordinances, requirements, and statutes. I am not blocked from any government website, but I did try to order an informational poster from the one.gov website and was kindly reminded if I tried that crap again, the Stormtroopers would show up with thumbscrews and a pink slip. One becomes unsure how one is to comply with statutes requiring the posting of certain information if one cannot obtain the method of delivery for said required information. Working for corporations is often like unknowingly starring in a Samuel Beckett play.

Americans don’t take vacations. We spend our weekends checking our work email accounts. But I keep reading about how much time we waste at work on the internet. Doesn’t it all wash? I lose my vacation every year, but spend 20 minutes a day clearing my brain by looking at dog-shaming websites and trying to find a really good casserole recipe. I’m not saying I’m owed it. I’m saying six of one, half dozen of the other. Like how there’s only so much T-ball an adult can possibly be expected to endure, so taking a call from work is a welcome respite from watching your kid miss a stationary ball literally two feet away for the 394th time in a row. Work/life balance has gone electronic.

My company gives its employees a little elasticity, but I know people who have been fired for checking March Madness scores and downloading pictures of Land Between the Lakes for a child’s school project. I know a rule is a rule, but c’mon. Not being able to check March Madness scores might possibly be classified as cruel and unusual punishment by the Geneva (Kansas) Convention.

I know you have one burning question: How did my dog like the sunglasses? Not as well as I’d hoped. He likes wearing mine, so I thought he’d love a pair of his own. As it turns out, I think he just likes being a diva in my oversized Jackie O. tortoise shells. He does look fabulous.

Susan Wilson writes for yeahandanotherthing.com and likethedew.com. She and her husband Chuck have lived here long enough to know that Midtown does not start at Highland.

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

A Sweet 16 Things to Do While You’re in Memphis

CREDIT: Stephanie Swartz | dreamstime.com

1 Beale Street

Downtown

Celebrate your team’s victory (or drown your sorrows after that tough loss) on world-famous Beale Street, right next to the FedExForum. Great music, terrific Southern food, and drink specials all up and down the street.

2 Cooper-Young District

Intersection of Cooper & Young, Midtown

An eclectic, artistic neighborhood in Midtown, Cooper-Young has some of the best food — and outdoor patios — in the city. Whether it’s Thai, seafood, Mexican, Irish, sushi, or just good ol’ American burgers, C-Y’s got you covered.

3 Graceland

3734 Elvis Presley Blvd., Whitehaven

332-3322 or 800-238-2000 • elvis.com/graceland

Graceland is the grand home of a kinda famous singer you may have heard of. Much of Graceland looks the same as it did when Elvis lived there, including the Jungle Room. Visit the “Sincerely Elvis” museum, which displays photos and home movies of the King.

4 Memphis Botanic Garden

750 Cherry, East Memphis

685-1566 • memphisbotanicgarden.com

A reigning center of horticulture, the Memphis Botanic Garden showcases the most beautiful plants and flowers in the Mid-South. The garden is open year-round and exhibits native wild flowers as well as more than 23 unique gardens. The Botanic Garden also features special events, educational programs, and art exhibits. The Live at the Garden Summer Concert Series is another great event at the Botanic Garden.

5 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Overton Park, Midtown

544-6200 •brooksmuseum.org

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 3,000 works of art, ranging through the Flemish and Italian Renaissance, the Baroque era, and French Impressionism.

6 Memphis Pink Palace Museum &
Sharpe Planetarium

3050 Central, Midtown

320-6320 • memphismuseums.org

Stephanie Swartz | dreamstime.com

This museum features a unique, in-depth showcase of local history, music, culture, and science. The Pink Palace also has a shimmering planetarium and a popular IMAX theater, which has featured movies on subjects ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the deep sea.

7 Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum

191 Beale, Plaza at FedExForum, Downtown

205-2533 • memphisrocknsoul.org

A must-see visit for all music fans, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum allows visitors a self-guided tour with headphones. The recordings offer guests a course in Memphis Music 101, showcasing a history of some of the greatest music in the world.

8 Memphis Zoo

2000 Prentiss Place, Midtown

276-WILD • memphiszoo.org

Offering a home to more than 3,500 animals, including 500 species, the Memphis Zoo is ranked as one of the top zoos in the United States. Exhibits include Cat Country, Primate Canyon, Animals of the Night, Once Upon a Farm, China — home to Le Le and Ya Ya, the famous giant pandas — and the Northwest Passage, where the polar bears roam.

9 Mud Island River Park

125 N. Front, Downtown

576-7241 or 800-507-6507

mudisland.com

Mud Island is a park built atop a long sandbar on the Mississippi River, just opposite downtown. Attractions include a scale-model Mississipi River Walk, a river museum, and a 5,000-seat amphitheater.

Courtesy Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau

Peabody Ducks

10 National Civil Rights Museum

450 Mulberry, Downtown

521-9699 • civilrightsmuseum.org

Housed at the site of the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was assassinated, the National Civil Rights Museum offers interactive and informative exhibits on one of the most significant times in American history. With audio-visual displays bringing these events to life, the National Civil Rights Museum is a must-visit place for children and adults.

11 The Peabody

149 Union, Downtown

529-4000 • peabodymemphis.com

The Peabody hotel opened its doors downtown in 1925. Today, tourists and locals enjoy the exquisite lobby featuring ducks in the fountain, piano music, a bar, and one of the best restaurants in Memphis, Chez Philippe. And be sure to check out the rooftop, for one of the best views in town. The famous “march of the ducks” through the lobby happens twice daily at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

12 Soulsville: Stax Museum of American Soul Music

926 McLemore, South Memphis

946-2535 • soulsvilleusa.com

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is a celebration of Memphis music made famous by stars like Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, and others. While touring the museum, make sure to catch WATTSTAX, a depiction of the development of the music label and the people who created it.

13 South Main Historic Arts District

South Main and G.E. Patterson, Downtown

578-7262

South Main has unique retail stores, including great boutiques and antique shops and excellent restaurants. The 13 art galleries in the area are all within walking distance of one another, and on the last Friday of each month, hundreds flock to the free trolley tour of the galleries.

14 Sun Studio

706 Union, Downtown

521-0664 or 800-441-6249 • sunstudio.com

Visit the historic site where rock-and-roll was born — the famous Sun Studio. Walk in the footsteps of greats like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Howlin’ Wolf, and many others. One of the best parts about visiting the studio is that you can make your own record and take it home.

15 Tom Lee Park and the Bluff Walk

Riverside and Beale, Downtown

312-9190

Tom Lee Park on the Mississippi River is a mecca for joggers, walkers, rollerbladers, and kite-flyers. You can gaze at the river and the boats that go by. Take the steps up to the Bluff Walk for an even better view.

16 Tunica County, Mississippi

tunicamiss.org

Tunica, 30 minutes south of Memphis on Highway 61, is the third-largest gaming destination in the U.S. With exciting casinos, gorgeous hotels, restaurants, gift shops, championship golf courses, dance pavilions, and big-name entertainers, Tunica is a great escape.

Courtesy Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau

Soulsville: Stax Museum of American Soul Music

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

The Dish

Man cannot survive on basketball alone. So in the interest of keeping you properly fueled, we’ve culled the Flyer archives to put together this guide to spots around FedExForum offering Memphis’ finest in food, drink, and ambience.

Comfort-food connoisseurs must try the sweet-potato pancakes at the Arcade on South Main. A delectable twist on the original, these huge cakes are of the moist, rich variety, but they still maintain their fluffiness. Let them soak in some maple syrup while you’re eating the grits and eggs that accompany the dish, and they’ll taste, if possible, even better.

The Arcade, 540 S. Main (526-5757)

arcaderestaurant.com

It’s 1:30 on a Saturday (we’re talking a.m.) and after a long night of weekend-prompted debauchery, you’ve got the munchies. If you’re still on Beale, head for Blues City Café to prevent your looming hangover. The institution stays open until 3 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 5 a.m. on weekends. Go for a sausage-and-cheese platter or try the “World’s Best Tamales.”

Blues City Café, 138/140 Beale (526-3637) bluescitycafe.com

Smoky, crispy, explode-in-your-mouth fried chicken is the trademark of Gus’s Fried Chicken. Well, that and red-check tablecloths, cold iced tea, friendly help, and big lunch crowds.

Gus’s Fried Chicken, 310 S. Front

(527-4877)

No matter where you are in Memphis, you aren’t far from a Huey’s. The Huey Burger has consistently topped “Best” lists for so many years now that it’s pretty much a given. Don’t pass up their thick and scrumptious onion rings.

Huey’s, 77 S. Second (527-2700)

hueyburger.com

Rendezvous

With all the fixings, Kooky Canuck‘s Kookamonga burger weighs more than seven pounds. Eat it all in less than an hour, and not only does the restaurant refund the $21.99 price, you get your name and photo added to the Hall of Fame.

Kooky Canuck, 97 S. Second (578-9800) kookycanuck.com

Forget herbal teas, the Majestic Grille has herbal martinis. The Strawberry Basil Martini features chopped basil leaves, strawberry pieces, Strawberry Stoli vodka, and raspberry liquor. Or, try the Lavender Cucumber Martini: Hendrick’s Gin with bits of fresh lavender and cucumber pieces.

Majestic Grille, 145 S. Main (522-8555) majesticgrille.com

Luring diners down the best-smelling alley in the world for more than 60 years, the Rendezvous is the ultimate Memphis dining experience. The Rendezvous’ mustardy slaw and smoky ribs are better than a whiskey shot on Sunday.

The Rendezvous, 52 S. Second (523-2746) hogsfly.com

Jose Gutierrez is a true Southerner — a Southerner if you happen to have been born in the South of France. But he’s practically an American Southerner too if you count the 22-plus years Gutierrez headed Chez Philippe inside the Peabody. In 2005, he opened Encore, a contemporary French-style bistro at 150 Peabody Place, but given the quiet sophistication of the dining room and bar (not to mention its wonderful food), it might as well be worlds away from the action outside on Second Street near Beale.

Encore, 150 Peabody Place (528-1415) encore-memphis.com

Embrace your inner pyro and head to Spindini where the wood-fired oven takes center stage. Positioned near the bar, every seat has a view of the bright orange blaze as the restaurant’s signature flame-kissed dishes enter the inferno. Dishes prepared in the oven, such as the generously topped wood-fired pizza or stuffed “brick” chicken, are denoted on the menu with a fire icon.

Spindini, 383 S. Main (578-2767)

spindinimemphis.com

Some of Memphis’ most searingly succulent treats find their origins in Jamaica. The jerked, slow-roasted duck at Automatic Slim’s is a juicy delight that brings the unbridled fury of Scotch bonnet peppers to the table, along with the sweet and savory flavors of traditional Jamaican jerk seasoning. Top it all off with a relish of pineapple and sun-dried cranberries, and you have heaven on earth.

Automatic Slim’s, 83 S. Second (525-7948) automaticslimsmemphis.com

by Justin Fox Burks

Kooky Canuck’s

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Full of Glee

Mr. Leprechaun: Turn that frown upside down! The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a lot to be happy about these days. To wit: The university was recently named the 20th best university nationwide by U.S. News & World Report; the 2006 football team did Touchdown Jesus proud with a 10-3 record; super QB Brady Quinn looks to be a high pick in the upcoming NFL draft; and the men’s and women’s basketball teams are lacing up their tennies as they prepare for March Madness. So is it any wonder that the University of Notre Dame Glee Club is touring the States spreading the gospel?

These merry sons of Notre Dame will be appearing this Saturday at the Church of the Holy Spirit. The all-male choir will perform a cappella hits from the Renaissance, Classical, and Romantic periods, and they will shake down the thunder with folk songs, barbershop ditties, and African-American spirituals.

There’s no charge to hear these lads “sing her glory and sound her fame/Raise her gold and blue and cheer with voices true.” (They’ll surely belt out the Shea brothers classic “Notre Dame Victory March” along with everything else.)

Not a Notre Dame fan? Don’t fight it. With the school’s glee club here on St. Patrick’s Day, how much more perfect can it get? For this day, at least, the town’s taps will be pouring green beer, and it’ll be “Rah Rah for Notre Dame” for everybody.

University of Notre Dame Glee Club, Church of the Holy Spirit, 2300 Hickory Crest. Saturday, March 17th, 7:30 p.m. Free.