dxfret

I doubt many consider Crate & Barrel and RH “high end” furniture stores. Both sell a great deal more than just furniture. True high end furniture is sourced by interior designers from places other than retail stores. Neiman Marcus, like most department stores, is going through turbulent times and unlikely to add many new stores. LOL!

Economy (World Traveller) on a BA 787-9 is exactly the same as on a BA 787-8. Same seats, legroom, food and service. Premium economy on any airline is always a much better choice. IMO American Airlines has a better premium economy offering than British Airways. Both have separate cabin areas, but American offers upgraded food/beverage service, where BA serves the same economy class food to both. I find the flight attendants to be much friendlier on American or Delta compared to the generally stodgy, inflexible BA staff. I will always try to avoid United Airlines. Premium economy fares are definitely higher, but far less than business class. The most important factor for comfort is choosing one of the advanced new aircraft like the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350, regardless of the airline.

I took Tuesday night’s BA flight from BNA and connected at LHR for a flight to Prague. The flight was about 90% full. Not surprised the aircraft size is getting a boost. I do wonder how well the Club World (business class) and First Class cabins will sell, since those round-trip fares are super pricey at $8 to $10K. Premium Economy is the way to go as British Airways economy is nothing great. The real advantage for any passenger is the 787 Dreamliner which is quieter and has better pressurization and humidity thus reducing the effects of jet lag.

Memphis faces numerous problems. The city, along with the entire Memphis MSA, have seen significant population declines in recent years. Nashville surpassed it as Tennessee's largest city several years ago. Top among the city’s issues are poverty (among the highest in the US), high crime, and a local economy that has been largely stagnant for the past 10 years. Memphis made a mistake decades ago when it tied its future economic development to transportation/distribution/logistics, all of which do not require a highly educated, skilled workforce. As a result of this weak economic growth and declining population Memphis can no longer be compared to Nashville as a peer city. The Memphis of today is more comparable to cities like Louisville and Birmingham.

UGH, this pic proves David Libscomb University is continuing its tradition of bland, boring, cheaply constructed church-inspired architecture.

TPAC is in dire need of major interior renovations and general updating. The lobby, restrooms, concessions all look like the 1970’s. The theatres are ok, but not great. The lack of a center aisle makes it difficult to easily reach seats. Now that the state museum has moved out to its new building I hope TPAC gets some modern touches.

The real question is how deep are the pockets of an investor and how much confidence do they have in Memphis, especially downtown? It would be far more cost efficient to demolish both 100 N Main and Sterick and build something new that is tailored to today’s needs. A huge problem with 100 N Main is the tiny parking garage with turns so tight even compact cars can barely navigate it. The building has all kinds of other structural problems and has badly deteriorated. A few years ago the Commercial Appeal ran a photo essay of the interior spaces and shows just how far gone the building has deteriorated. Sterick Bldg is older still and in worse shape Also a huge expense in rehabilitating any building in Memphis is to add the required seismic protections. Memphis is right on the New Madrid fault and it is hugely expensive to bring such structures up to current code. They had to spend a tremendous amount of $ on the Pyramid to retrofit for earthquakes before it became a Bass Pro Shop. I lack confidence in both projects simply because downtown Memphis and has a long history of failed projects. The One Beale proposal has been postponed and scaled back many times and nothing has developed. The north end of downtown is especially problematic, with so many vacant lots and dead space. The Bass Pro Shop Pyramid is isolated from downtown as it’s cut off by the interstate bridge and the nearby Pinch area will only really begin to develop over by St Jude Hospital.

This post and pics belong under Nashville International Airport, not under new construction.

Both the Sterick and 100 North Main buildings are in horrible condition. Sterick is worse off and has been empty and deteriorating since 1986 and tied up in ongoing legal disputes. 100 N Main, once HQ of Union Planters Bank, has been in big decline for many years and totally shuttered for almost 5. The local news media have done stories about fires, falling exterior slabs and such. Rehabbing either would be a mammoth expense and risk in this already moribund area of north downtown. Both of these towers were once icons of the downtown Memphis skyline. The nearby government area has also seen TN state offices move away from downtown to other parts of town. A new hotel is badly needed and planned as the Cook convention center is being upgraded.

Hasn’t an H&M store already been announced for 5th & Broadway? That should be a significant department store Jamba Juice would do well downtown; also urban versions of fast food outlets like McDonalds, Chik-fil-A. Starbucks will thrive regardless of how many are in place.

Nice drone shots of The Bluff City. It reminds me of just how little the skyline of downtown Memphis has changed in several decades. Sadly two of the tallest buildings downtown are totally empty and closed (100 North Main and The Sterrick Bldg.). The Mississippi riverfront is a huge asset and hopefully Memphis will make improvements in the near future.

I think Lipscomb University has some of the worst architecture ever. The buildings all look uninspired, bland and cheaply constructed. What a contrast to the fantastic buildings at Vanderbilt and Belmont.

Walgreens/CVS type pharmacy stores Starbucks more locations Apple Store or electronics retail 7/11 type convenience marts

Fred’s Inc., a pharmacy chain that has been headquartered in Memphis since the 1950s announced earlier this month that it is leaving Memphis and moving its corporate headquarters to Dallas, Texas.

How many flights will Southwest now have at BNA with this expansion — maybe something like 120 flights per day? Will there be enough gates, especially on the C Concourse? American Airlines has Its gates on C , but there is really nowhere for AA to relocate except for the expanded Concourse D. Perhaps they will arrange that giving SWA all of Concourse C With the Amazon announcement and all it will bring to Nashville, the MNAA really needs to look closely to make sure they are expanding the terminal enough to accommodate the future growth of the city and airport. I flew in from SFO this week and the flight was packed as well as the airport terminal. BNA is really, really busy.