Talking on the phone, singing to the beats, windows down, I fall for the cliché move — hand out the window, up and down I use my hand to surf through the onrushing air. With cruise control on and a couple of hours in I start to wonder what this River City will be like. How is this city along the Mississippi standing to the tests of time? Known in the earlier days as a hub for cotton exportation, what’s the city doing now to generate revenue? How has it’s past, like the assassination of Dr. MLK, reflected in its present? With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, will I be able to find some bluesy blues and some jamming jazz? The BBQ and ribs will surely present themselves but what about that Tennessee whiskey for when I’m feeling frisky? All good questions, all deserving of an answer.
Fun fact; Memphis is home to one of my favorite artists growing up, Justin Timberlake.
From Asheville, NC I set the maps onto the Home of Country, Nashville, TN, four and a half hours into the drive to Memphis. Here I stop, eat and more importantly, explore.
Starving, I get off I-40 onto 2nd Ave. and head into the Gulch. Following Maps through a few blocks of modern condos and apartments, my destination and a break for my buttocks was less than what it takes for water to come to a boil. Using my eyeballs and some common sense I find my destination and what I hope will be an excellent meal.
Located in what I can imagine to be a great atmosphere during the previous times was Prince’s Hot Chicken food truck, and, it was open for business. Get in my belly! Planning on where I was going to indulge in the spicy, tender, fried chicken, all plans quickly laid to waste. The truck is in an outdoor haven with synthetic grass, picnic tables and umbrellas, games of all sorts, live sports on a projector screen and of course, beer.
It was recommended to me that the Hot Chicken was the thing to try. Two things about me, I like spicy things, with flavor, and I like to take things to the limit. I check out the menu. There it is, Nashville Hot Chicken. Alongside it were some options: XHot, XXHot and XXXHot. Guess which one I order.
I walk up the short steps onto the window, “Yes?” the woman at the cashiers asks me. “Yeah hello I’ll take the tenders of the XXXHot chicken please with the fries” I replied like I’ve been here before. “And with a side of your slaw. Thanks” I added. “Oh yes I’ll take one of your lagers”. Cheers.
Food is taking a while. Maybe I’m just hungry. A good sign I would say, everything fresh. The cashier speaks onto the loudspeaker, “number 79”. It’s showtime.
The chicken tastes like fire. It has a dry rub that feels caked onto the chicken. I am sweating bullets. People looking at me wondering if I’m okay. I’m doing it for the chicken, okay?! Sad to say while tasty and satisfying I was a bit disappointed. So much for no expectations! The chicken is served on a piece of white toast. Just one. Straight outta the bag. Chicken, bread and some optional fries. Nothing more, nothing less.
Stuffed and with a newly acquired skill for fire breathing, I set off to explore leaving the drivers car where it is; parked and packed in all its Italian glory. Looking through Maps I quickly find, no more than a mile away, a top location for basic bitches to go and snap a pic. This Angel Wings Mural I hoped would give me a better insight onto the meaning of life. To answer unanswered questions. Do aliens exist? Are angels even real? However, like the chicken it was just that. A mural with a pair of chalked white angel wings on the side of a building where if you walk too fast you might miss it. In the signature space, #WhatLiftsYou. XXXHot Chicken apparently.
Walking through the Gulch, with the cookie cutter apartments, dog friendly amenities and the large number of city joggers it quickly felt like unless you are by the river the Gulch was the place to live.
I continue north and west bound with a new objective: to walk alongside the river before continuing on the drive. Along the way, up a hill and across Rosa Parks Blvd. is the Tennessee State Capitol. Standing on a hill commanding with its presence, the strong roman columns and simple geometry make for a nice design. I walk to the north-side of the building, where I take cover in some shade and enjoy the nice afternoon view of the lower Capitol Mall State Park.
Realizing that the sun is preparing its descent and the three and a half hour drive left to Memphis, I walk down from the Capitol building and onto my search for The River. Shy of a mile, west of the capitol building, there it is. And no, to my surprise, this is not the Mississippi River. The River is actually the Cumberland River. Plot twist. This is an educational post after all. Trail of Tears happened around here. And slavery.
Two hours gone and three and a half miles under my steps belt, the sun is getting ready to set and I am now back at Prince’s for a much needed cold refreshment, a.k.a water (stay hydrated people). Letting some of the previous sights settle in my mind, like the thunder drawing AT&T scraper and the super sleek Music City Center or the Vegas wannabe that is Broadway Street, I thank the Giulia for being there and the road paved by all the generations before me.
Will I make it to Memphis? Will I find the soulful blues that sink deep into the soul and take you back in time? It’s all next after this short break.
