Meandering thru Midtown (and Musing upon it)

So, today I played chauffeur for my 22 yo Daughter as she pounded the pavement, looking for a job. The Upside--I got to spend time with the Daughter. The downside--driving around the city, the endless search for just the right parking spot, and wandering the city streets, all in the famous Memphis Summer heat. Not to mention, the "charming" man who scolded me for taking a picture in his store, then gave me the evil eye as I exited without making a purchase.  Job hunting is a curious thing. You fall into that age old trap of: "We can't hire you without experience/So how do I get experience if you cant hire me?"  Undaunted, the Daughter had a new retro dress and was ready to impress.  Another upside to the process was that the search led us to meander through some of our favorite neighborhoods in Midtown Memphis. 

The first spot we headed to was Overton Square. Overton Square had its beginnings in 1969.  In those days, the cornerstone of the Square was the T.G.I. Fridays restaurant, the first franchised location outside of NYC.  In the 1970's, 800 Memphians were employed on the Square, in its 11 restaurants and 27 shops. By the mid 1980's, however, many businesses were closing, and others were relocating to different parts of town. In recent years, Overton Square has been revitalized, and has once again become a bustling area of shops, restaurants, and live theater, as well as a multi-screen movie theater.  Today I observed some interesting things.


I've caught a glimpse of  the newly opened ramen bar Robata  before, but today was the first time I noticed the uniqueness of the building and the marker.  As the sign tells us, Miss Leighnora Griffin lived in this home from 1919, until she died in 1991. Even as Overton Square rose to the noisy entertainment district that it was in the 70's, despite many offers, she refused to sell her family home. It wasn't until after her death that the home was used for a restaurant.  I wonder what it was like when her home was surrounded by restaurants, nightclubs, and noisy (and sometimes drunken ) patrons.  Why did she and her husband refuse to leave?  I am glad to see that she is still recognized and remembered in the beautiful home she loved so much.  

I saw this sign in a frozen yogurt shoppe, and I found it intriguing,  Contrary to what the owners of the establishment intended, however, I don't think the only way to do that is necessarily to buy them confections, but rather to show them your affections. To make their lives sweeter in some way...  

 I discovered  this building on the back side of the square a few weeks ago, and it continues to captivate me.  I really enjoy the fact that this is nothing more than a security office, yet an artist has taken so much trouble to embellish it, in such an artistic way. The Daughter first introduced me to Steampunk a few years ago, when she belonged to a local Memphis Steampunk group, and I love the aesthetic of it.   Mary Norman , a local artist, rendered this masterpiece.

Another place we have been meaning to visit is Maggie's Pharm. This is one of the few businesses that has remained on the Square since 1981, even when most shop owners moved on.  The Daughter absolutely loved this place, but alas, there were no job openings.  They did take her name and number tho...   I saw some interesting things there, but  I couldn't decide which one of them I needed. Perhaps, it depends on my mood, (Wink, wink) 

So, with one pretty decent job lead, we headed over to the  Cooper-Young neighborhood. On the way we saw this sign, and I began musing--Is it really the best? How many rubber stamps were tried before this? What was the criteria? Who chose the winner? I will never know...

Cooper Young is one of our absolute favorite neighborhoods. In fact, I would say for The Daughter, it is THE favorite.  It is an eclectic concoction of  Restaurants, coffee houses, local businesses, old homes, etc. Today we couldn't pass up Otherlands Coffee bar.  When we pulled into the parking lot and saw this, I knew it was going to be a fun place! I was not disappointed!! There were so many spaces for lounging, chatting with friends, and
working, and to top it all off, art is everywhere (and I mean Everywhere!).  Not least of all to note is the wide array of coffee and food items, and the very cool gift shop!  We will definitely be returning when we have more time to spend. The daughter was able to fill out an app while I meandered around, checking out the place. I loved these tables!  I find it slightly amusing that on the Beatles table, Ringo is the only one who has been "defaced". All the artwork was amazing!

Even the restrooms were awesomely artistic!!

While we were in Cooper-Young, we couldn't miss an opportunity to visit our favorite bookstore, Burke's Bookstore.  Burke's has been in Memphis since 1875.  This is its 4th location, and the owners hope it will be the final one.  Burke's features, as they tell us, "the best of the old, the latest of the new, and hard to find collectibles" . The daughter and I could probably spend a day in there!!  Still no job openings, but it doesn't hurt to ask, right?  Who knows what book this is made from? 

One last thing in Cooper-Young that caught my eye was this graffiti on an old building.  As the Daughter said. "That's a cool kind of Graffiti".  I found this quote, from a song called "Nothin'", by Townes Van Zandt. 

Sorrow and solitude

These are the precious things

And the only words

That are worth rememberin'

I wonder who created this piece of art, and what their thoughts were as they sprayed this on the wall...

So, keep your fingers crossed for a job interview for The Daughter, and don't forget to stayed tuned and see where this Middle-aged Memphis Midtowner will meander to next...Peace out...