What Is Memphis Famous For? Icons, History, and That Creeps Out Your Pet
i’ve always thought memphis was just that one place where everyone forgets to floss. not metaphorically. i mean, there’s actual chewing gum in the streets. or is that just how people describe it online? probably the latter. but let me tell you about the iron city. or should i say, the concrete jungle with more soul than a blues riff in a country bar.
so. what’s memphis famous for? easy. stuff that makes you either obsessed or mildly traumatized. let’s start with the obvious. graccess. the king elvis grail. the place where one man walked into a bar, accidentally invented rock ‘n’ roll, and then got his hip wrenched mid-performance. yeah, that’s a deal-breaker. but if you’re into tragic legends, there’s more. like how they built a city on the remains of a dam that explosives barely destroyed. or how theeban hart man shows are still a thing. people pay serious money to see a guy dance like he’s iron man mid-air. insane.
but here’s the kicker. memphis is also the birthplace of something weirder than a deep-fried crawfish puff. jazz music. not the party kind. the soulful, basement kind. where musicians played for coins in a room that smelled like rear end and bourbon. that’s where b-bop came from. but here’s my hot take: if you’re into jazz now, thank a memphian who couldn’t afford sheet music. now that’s a budget student vibe. speaking of which…
so. cost of living. this is where things get… messy. real talk. i asked around, and the average rent here is like $1,200 for a 1-bedroom. that sounds cheap? wait, no. you’re probably driving a 10-year-old car because it’s 2023 and inflation is a meme. job market? healthcare jobs are booming because everyone’s aging. logistics is another one. memphis is the ‘distribution hub’ of america, like it’s burning midnight oil just to ship amazon packages. but wages? entry-level gigs start at $14 an hour. that’s $14 for folding packages like it’s laundry day. plus, safety. stats say your chance of getting robbed here is higher than your chance of getting a free coffee at a downtown bar. which is… low.
wait, okay. before i ruin it, there’s beauty. like how memphis has those old industrial buildings converted into yurts or whatever. i saw one with a neon sign that just said ‘i ♥ mids’ last week. poetic. cliché? maybe. but then you walk into a blues bar and the bartender whispers to you, ‘ever seen a ghost here?’ yeah. that’s the vibe. you don’t ask questions. you just order the red eye and pay homage.
now. neighbors. okay, so if you live here, you’re either surviving because it’s cheap or thriving because you love the chaos. the weather? right now, it’s that memphis heat where your skin feels like it’s been left in a sauna made of regret. then again, it’s not like you’re far from other places. st. louis is a 2-hour drive. little rock is a plane ride. both are just as equally hellish but with different curses. i heard Louisville’s cannibalism rumors are fake. probably.
oh, and my drunk advice. a local told me not to drive through gordon park at night. why? supposedly, the squirrels there are sponsored by hitmen. no idea if that’s true. but i did see a guy trying to put a hot pocket in his car window last week. turned out he was just reheating food for the holy precedent. you cannot reason with memphis people after 7pm.
i overheard two old ladies arguing about the origin of the national airline in memphis. one insisted it was ‘a disaster they turned into a business.’ the other said, ‘no, that’s just how it is.’ i asked for proof, and they just yelled about carburetor parts. surreal. but hey, that’s memphis. they do that to tourists. to ground us.
here’s my thing. memphis is famous for being a place where history isn’t just in museums. it’s in the steam hissing out of manhole covers downtown. it’s in the stained-glass windows of a church that still plays electric bass in services. it’s in the way people tell jokes about the titanic in a bar where the margarita machine is broken. trash isn’t just trash. it’s a cultural artifact.
so, if you’re coming? don’t just follow the beats. wander into a place called ‘the hidden child’ bar. ask for the crocodile tears cocktail. it’s just lemonade and vodka. but locals say it’s the only drink there that makes politicians weep. or cry. i don’t know. either way, it’s worth it.
[iframe] here’s a map if you wanna get lost in memphis:
which is ironic because the whole city is a labyrinth of backroads.
last thing. if you’re into weird stuff, check out the memphis zoo. it’s got a giant statue of a man riding a murcielago. yes. a giant man on a toy alligator. the locals say it’s there because the zoo director really wanted to impress his ex. this is the stuff that makes memphis real. not the tiptoe museums. the real deal is in the concrete cracks. people just tell you that.
links: [tripadvisor/memphis|(yelp/contemporary-art-memphis)|(memphisdaily/reddit)|(brokenmemphis/freddy) and remember. if you’re hungry, avoid that hole-in-the-wall place near central station. last guy who ate there said his soul left. didn’t even get good fried pie. aiiiight. price of admission.
p.s. if you see a man playing bagpipes in the park at 3am? that’s not a tourist. that’s memphis. that’s us.
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