Is Memphis the forgotten city?

[Memphis Love]

shekelmeister where do you live now? How long did you live in Memphis? Where are you originally from?

[fearlessvk]

I have noticed that others that left Memphis also left bitter and speak the way that shekelmeisterMan does. I know people who left Memphis are having grown up here and speak very ill about the place the entire time they visit and get on everyone's nerves (hint to someone)

I haven't put my finger on why it is, but whatever the case, people just have to realize Memphis is what it is and that it is not NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami.

Some people just happen to like a slow pace.

Some people like wide streets and plenty of parking. (Memphis is a good place for large families)

Some people do NOT like New York City style crowds on the streets

Some people (especially family people) do NOT like to go club hopping til 2:00AM on a Wednesday

Some people actually like to spend time at home with their families at dinner time

What Memphians like about Memphis is that it is home. We are insular (and at times even a little misanthropic) and that means that we love to be with those we know and love. We love to watch the game with family and close friends at someone's home and not at the bar. We love to get together over some good food and good music with those same people. NYC in contrast is a place where people like to go to meet new people. We aren't very interested in meeting new people. Perhaps that is why some leave so bitter, but there is nothing wrong with the way Memphians are.

Bottom line. A lot of things mentioned on the lists are subjective

[UptownNewOrleans]

Memphis is Memphis. Much like New Orleans, it doesn't try to be any other city but itself, and I respect that about Memphis. There is some truth about Memphians not representing their city but it's different amongst the black community. I think black Memphians are probably the most proud of their city; why else would they shout out Orange Mound, North Memphis, South Memphis or Blackhaven/Whitehaven? Aside from all that, I dig Memphis' vibe & all that it's known for.

[sleepy]

shekel,

I've read over all your previous posts on this forum and I actually agree with a number of your critiques about Memphis - however this assertion that "better" can be objectively quantified and scientifically measured seems bizarre to me.

Of course, particular qualities can be operationalized and measured between cities. We can measure the average number of adults with college degrees, for example. We can measure per capita crime rates. We can measure things like bike lanes, public transportation options, acres of greenspace. We can count cafes and bars and theaters and art galleries and museums. But surely you can't deny there is some irreducible measure of subjectivity in determining WHICH factors matter to WHICH people. I could absolutely care less if there is a beach near me (I *hate* beach culture) but since moving to Memphis from San Francisco I definitely miss all the movie theaters which played classic and revival films. On the other hand, Memphis is in some ways a more late-night city than SF - the bars stay open later here, live music often starts later, there are more all-night establishments (ALMOST everything in SF is closed by 2:00 a.m.) By itself I'm not suggesting this very minor detail compensates for everything else that SF provides and Memphis lacks, but I'm only pointing out that what we choose to measure and how we choose to weight it will obviously affect which cities we prefer.

There are also qualities which are quite difficult to quantify - for example - friendliness, hospitality, authenticity, architectural beauty. Just a few examples. I don't know how to measure the relative "hospitality" of different cities but it's often asserted that Memphis is an extremely hospitable place. I'm not entirely sure if this is true or not and I suspect hospitality is in the eye of the beholder but I guess that's precisely my point.

I guess all these constant surveys and comparisons between cities worry me. Just as university rankings ultimately rely on subjective (and often ideologically motivated) decisions about what constitutes a great university (hence you find many colleges now pulling out of u.s. news and world report rankings because they resent the overemphasis on alumni donations - something which tends to inflate the rankings of colleges where privileged rich students go to pursue lucrative corporate careers), so do city rankings rely on a host of unspoken and sometimes also ideologically motivated presumptions about what makes a great city. And then we get so used to seeing the same old cities on the top of the rankings and the same old cities on the bottom of the rankings that we completely lose our ability to recognize the idiosyncrasies and local flavors and sensibilities that contribute to the greatness of cities which are invariably forgotten on these rankings.

I'm not speaking from a parochial or defensive posture about Memphis. I just moved here last year, I don't necessarily intend to stay here beyond a few years, I've traveled all over America and Europe, and I cannot deny that Memphis comes up short in many obvious and indeed quantifiable ways. But I just don't think that's the end of the story. I think Memphis has many wonderful qualities which elude the social scientists with all their measuring tools and empirical data and so-called scientific objectivity.

S

[tennreb]

Memphis is Memphis. Much like New Orleans, it doesn't try to be any other city but itself, and I respect that about Memphis. There is some truth about Memphians not representing their city but it's different amongst the black community. I think black Memphians are probably the most proud of their city; why else would they shout out Orange Mound, North Memphis, South Memphis or Blackhaven/Whitehaven? Aside from all that, I dig Memphis' vibe & all that it's known for.

[Clobber]

And that is why I love about this town. The people here are interesting. It would be nice to have better schools and lower crime and skyscrapers, but I would rather have what we got than live in a world so utterly boring as so many American cities have become.

[krazeeboi]

And that is why I love about this town. The people here are interesting. It would be nice to have better schools and lower crime and skyscrapers, but I would rather have what we got than live in a world so utterly boring as so many American cities have become.

[sleepy]

So better schools and low crime equals boredom, and we should desire more crime and poor schools to alleviate our boredom??????

[SecondStrangeness]

I understand some of the distinctions you are making, but I just wanted to observe that a lot of people in cities like NYC and SF and Chicago also like to spend time at home with their families at dinner time, and have absolutely no interest whatsoever in club-hopping at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday night. I'm not quite sure how effectively I think the defense of Memphis as more "family-friendly" than other cities really works. It's a little difficult for me to see how pedestrian-friendliness is somehow anti-family.

[Clobber]

The general thinking in Memphis is that a person who walks all the time is probably up to no good. (Fellow long time Memphians: Tell me you don't see someone walking up and down the street that you don't think: "What is he up to??")

[tennreb]

I agree with you Clobber. I've never thought anything about someone walking up the street.

[mandrws1]

I agree with you Clobber. I've never thought anything about someone walking up the street.

[SecondStrangeness]

When I jog throug the Forest Hill-Irene/Walnut Grove area, I see white people all the time with looks on their faces like "what the heck is he about to do?!" They make sure their doors are locked at the stop sign when I'm crossing the street. I guess with all the black crime in Memphis its understandable, but I still laugh my butt off when stuff like that happens!

[Clobber]

I've experienced that too, but I don't take it personally because I thought it was general mistrust throughout the city as I react the same way to people that are walking regardless of race. But now that I think about it, perhaps this is something racial instead of a general mistrust. Whites are suspicious of black walkers and blacks are suspicious of black walkers too.

In general my thinking is that a person that is walking - depending on where it is - is potentially up to no good. I will even look out of my window to see what they are doing and where they are going. But that is because when I have seen strange people (not people from the neighborhood) walking up and down the street my car is broken into that night or something is stolen.

[UptownNewOrleans]

Another red-flag is that if you see groups of men standing on street corners doing nothing, that should let you know you're in a potentially dangerous situation.

[mandrws1]

Whites are suspicious of black walkers and blacks are suspicious of black walkers too.

[SecondStrangeness]

In the Uptown area though, there is a beautiful mix of middle class (white and black) residents living on the same block as lower income families. Its really good to see that neighborhood coming back to life!

[fearlessvk]

It has never occurred to me to be suspicious of anyone for walking, in Memphis or elsewhere. The only exception is if I am also walking, it's late at night, there is no one else around, and I see someone in the distance walking toward me. My expectation is still that it's probably nothing, but not knowing for certain who it is or what they're doing, I will almost always cross the street. (no, i don't make a regular habit of wandering around memphis by myself late at night. for obvious reasons.)

I also have to assume the suspicions are, at some level, about race. I'm not trying to say this in an accusatory fashion, since I believe we are bombarded all the time with images of "dangerous black males" in the news and in movies and television shows and all the rest of it, and it's difficult not to internalize those images and act subconsciously on them even if we consciously disavow them. But I walk as much as possible (not as much as I'd like in Memphis since it's not very pedestrian-friendly) and I would be absolutely shocked if anybody thought twice about me - young white woman, looking well-groomed (for lack of a better term).... I can't imagine anyone gives me a second thought.

I"m not even saying there isn't SOME rational basis for this - I don't know how many women who look like me are committing dangerous and violent crimes. I"m assuming the number is very low. But then the issue isn't really about "walking" at all - it's about a certain demographic being out on the street. No?

[jmduke]

CheapTickets.com 4th of July Best BBQ list proves either 1) we are truly the forgotten city or 2) these national media lists don't know what the hell they are talking about and shouldn't be taken seriously. I vote for #2.

http://pressroom.cheaptickets.com/ReleaseD...eleaseID=251123

Of course, if I were North Carolina, I'd be pretty angry for getting totally snubbed; however, best BBQ by region is another topic for another time.

[Lexy]

^^LOL! I agree. NO place from NYC should even be in the top 50 for best BBQ end of story. BBQ is a rural "thing" not even remotely connected to NYC enough to harbour what would be considered by most Southerner's and Midwesterner's as being "Good" BBQ. That list is a joke.

[tombarnes]

Those morons even nominated Old Glory in D.C. instead of Rocklands. Idiots. Somebody in their press room simply grabbed a Fodor's guide and produced a list.

[G-townTN]

Can ya'll explain to me how the corky's in little rock was ranked higher than memphis? This poll truly baffles me too!!!!

[TennBear]

Those morons even nominated Old Glory in D.C. instead of Rocklands. Idiots. Somebody in their press room simply grabbed a Fodor's guide and produced a list.

[tombarnes]

Rocklands is on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. It doesn't look like much, and the atmosphere can best be described as rustic. Still, the bbq is better than Old Glory in Georgetown. The latter is ok, but the hordes of tourists haven't done the place any favors and they have become complacent.

Rocklands- Washington, D.C.

[shekelmeisterMan]

whew....bobbie Q......bobbie Q....Bobbie Q

Lots of cities certainly have more than, or better or just as good friggen bobbie Q

Brimingham has Bobbie Q

Monkeytown has Bobbie Q

Kansas City has Bobbie Q

Atlanta has Bobbie Q

the subject always turns to friggen Bobbie Q