A Seattleite in Memphis

We got into Memphis last night, and we'll be here for the rest of the week, celebrating folk music along with people from all over the world at the annual Folk Alliance conference. We'll be going on and on about that in articles for another job we have, but we just wanted to take a moment to express how much we love Seattle. We miss Seattle. But mostly, we miss people.

There don't seem to be very many people in Memphis.

We've already run across a few others like us, who came in from out of town for this conference. People who have, mostly, flocked to the one Starbucks within walking distance that we've been able to find. (It's in a mall.) People with cameras and guitars. People who look like they live in New York and Boston. People with maps.

Locals? Not so much. We'd love to know where the locals are. Maybe, like in Seattle, they're everywhere other than the middle of downtown on a weekday night. We're going to assume that's the case--that they're all in outlying neighborhoods where the streets are full and the music is jumping. We actually saw two businessmen this morning in pinstriped suits and thought, "What's the point in dressing up, fellas, when you work in a town with no people?"

On the other hand, Elvis is everywhere. That photo is from breakfast this morning. In fact, Graceland is the next thing we're doing today. Maybe there'll be people there.

(We found the good coffee, though, and it's courtesy of Blues City Pastry Shop & Coffee Bar. Paintings that look like blues songs are all over the wall. Music that sounds like blues songs is oozing from the speakers. The coffee is nutty goodness. If you're ever in Memphis, it's the corner of Peabody Pl. and Main.)