Midtown Weekends are the Best!!

So, it was definitely a great weekend to be a Midtowner! Saturday was the Annual Cooper Young Festival, which we have been wanting to check out for a few years now, but it always seemed to be too much of a hassle to schlepp all the way out there from the burbs.  Since we are now official Midtowners, we finally made it! The Cooper Young Fest celebrated its 27th year, with expectations of over 130,000 attendees.  It is billed as "Memphis' most anticipated outdoor celebration" and "the paramount event of the Summer".  Cooper Young is Memphis' largest Historic District.  Over 425 artisans from around the nation presented original art and hand made crafts, with local musicians on 3 separate stages, and even a children's play area.  So firstly, The Hubs and I decided to meander over to relatives B & S's home in Cooper Young, to see if they had any available parking spots left in their driveway. They were out enjoying the festivities, and we didn't want to hinder their friends who were already parked in the drive.  After scoring a new blender for The Daughter (bring on the smoothies!) at a yard sale across the street, serendipitously, a spot opened up, so we grabbed it!!   B & S live a few blocks from the actual fest, but parking was full all the way up and down the streets as far as the eye could see!    
                                        
  Some CYers  had their own block parties going on, complete with food, drinks, and karaoke! The whole neighborhood was in celebration mode!  Remember that Memphis Summer heat I was complaining about a couple of weeks ago?  It was hiding all day long!! Some people were actually wearing jackets, as the temp had only reached a mild 66 degrees!!

When we got to the actual fest, on first glance it seemed that all 130, 000 people had arrived at the same time that we had! The multitudinous masses, the conflux of congeries... In other words--it was a big crowd!!!   

We saw lots of interesting people !! Some I would have liked to have had the chance to be able to sit down and chat with...  Everyone was having a great time.

There were so many amazing things to see !!  Stall after stall after stall of handmade items!! The art was so intriguing and thought provoking.  These paintings caught my eye with their bright colors!!  Btw-you can click on the pics to see them larger and catch all the details.  

 I really enjoyed how this  artist used actual vinyl records, then cut them so meticulously into the shapes of the artists  who recorded the songs.  Some people are so creative!! 

A few other things that attracted my attention were these beautiful paintings done on old windows.  What a great idea!  I also loved the usage of actual book covers in mixed media. Very nice!

One Artist was even using the Festival as her studio.  Her paintings were beautiful! It was interesting to see her at work.  

There were so many wonderful handcrafted items!!  I really loved this chair, made with the logo for this year's fest on the back, and with a seat made of ties! I wonder where all of these ties have been.  What a great way to repurpose!!   

Homemade candles and handmade soaps were definitely some of the most popular items for sale at the Festival.  I like to think I know a lot about different candle scents, but these were some that I had never before encountered (and I'm not sure if I want to encounter them again!).   

  The Festival featured lots of carnival style food, but I was so interested in all the wares, that I didn't even get around to trying any of it.  Next time I'm trying some Olde Fashioned Soda and some warm Bavarian nuts! We saw relatives A & F on the way out tho, and F got to sample the shaved ice.  

Speaking of being on the way out, I'm going to leave you here for now, but stay tuned for part 2 of Cooper Young Fest/A Midtown Meanderer's Weekend.  I will leave you with this thought as I close...

Peace out...

A Little bit of this, a little bit potato chip...

So, I've been trying to figure out what to muse about for the last few days...Should it be the Rock For Love Crosstown Block Party last Friday, which was really cool btw, or the delicious nachos I had at Huey's on Saturday, or my favorite flavors of Lay's special edition potato chips and limited edition Oreos, or should I spend forever writing about my Amazing Daddy, who flew away from this Earth on the wings of the morning 15 years ago this week? So, I've  come to the conclusion that I will combine all of the above! How's that for decisiveness!!
First topic is Potato Chips!!! As you probably know, Frito-Lay is having a special contest, whereby customers were able to suggest new flavors of potato chips, and then all of us (John and Jane Q. Public) get to vote on which is the best, and that one will then become a regular flavor in their line of products.  Apparently, I wasn't paying attention for awhile, because it took me some time to notice that there was something going on. When Ms. J. told me how much she loved the Wasabi Ginger flavor, suddenly I was all up in this phenomena of new chip flavors!!  I love Cappuccino, but sadly, I do not want it on my potato chips, thank you very much.  Also,  (I know, I know, I have to go against the grain) since I have not eaten bacon since the 1970's (I gave myself away there--#middleagedproblems), I ruled out the Cheddar Bacon Mac'n'cheese flavor. Besides, there are just too many things going on there anyway.  So, the first one I found was this one.  It's wavy, and it's mango-ey, and it's salsa-ey.  I fell in love with mangoes when I visited Brasil a few years ago, so now I love everything mango. The added bonus is that it gives me all the special nostalgia of my time in Brasil.  I love these chips!  The next ones I managed to find were these!!  
Oh Em Gee!! It's like sushi on a chip!! I couldn't decide which one I liked best for awhile, (I insisted it was whichever one I was eating at the time) but I have come to the conclusion that it is the Sushi one!!  To make it even cooler, even My Vegan Daughter can eat them!!  So, I need to go to the  Do us a Flavor Contest, and vote for  Meneko Spigner McBeth of Sewell, NJ 's chip flavor, and hope that Frito-Lay deems to make it a permanent flavor, because--wasabi!!! Another one of my recent obsessions has been these beautiful things!! 
I had noticed some limited edition flavors of Oreos lately, on my weekly excursions of Adventures in Taking the Daughter Grocery Shopping.  Might I introduce to you, if you have not had the pleasure of becoming acquainted...Caramel Apple Oreo's!! I have fallen in love again!!  The Hubs was skeptical until he tried one, then He quickly became a convert.  I'm saving a few packages of these for closer to Halloween, that is if I can manage to stay away from them for that long!! While we are still talking about food (one of my fave topics) The Hubs and I hit up Huey's on Saturday nite for dinner. As they tell us, "Huey's has been serving up Blues, Brews, and Burgers since 1970".  It has also been voted "Best Burger" in Memphis Magazine's poll, every year since 1984!!  I love the burgers, and I love the fact that you can have a veggie burger or a black bean burger in place of any meat patty on their specialty burgers, since I also haven't eaten cows since the 70's either.  Well, being the fun and fancy free Midtowners that we are, we decided to forego burgers, and each have the Nachos. (Chips piled high with grated cheddar cheese, beef, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos and sour cream)  I left off the beef, (and the jalapenos--I'm a wuss) and replaced it with guacamole--so much tastiness, and no cows were harmed in the process! Anyhow, we were not disappointed!!  These nachos were amazing!!!    

                                               

 But, enough of my food reviews for now-- I'm going to have to go make a snack in a few  minutes! 

 

Rock for Love (a benefit for Church Health Center) was a 3 day event.  Fortunately for us, nite one was right around the corner from us, at Crosstown.  The hubs and I decided to meander over and check things out.  There was live music in 5 different locations, with a revolving door of local musicians performing, new art at Crosstown Arts, food trucks, a Hula Hoop Luau at Co-motion, free snacks, and even some free, locally brewed beer!! We even saw some of our favorite neighbors there!!  The Cleveland St. Flea Market got into the spirit as well, with a special origami craft demonstration, while a DJ spun old 45 records.  Everyone was groovin' .   

In other areas, there were singers, musicians, and even some  violinists.

Crosstown Arts, always on the cutting edge of modern artwork, did not fail to provide thought provoking new pieces.    

                                                        

 I finally got to see the inside of  Amurica Photo Studio, and even sneaked a peek at one of their photo booths they weren't using that nite. (I admit it, I snuck a selfie in there too--but you have no proof of it here!)

It was a great nite to be a Midtowner, and we had a great time.  Look closely, and see if you can spot the moon...

So lastly, as advertised, I present to you My Daddy, Paul Vrsek. 

                

I know lots of people think their Dad is the best, but trust me, I know better.  My Dad was amazing.  His parents immigrated from Slovakia just a few years before He was born, and he grew up in a Slovak community in Blue Island IL. He didn't even speak English until He started school.   He's the cute little one there with his Dad and Uncle.  He was married to My Mom for 50 years when he died, after years of struggling with Cancer, and eventually Leukemia.  He was too young, and far too important to us to have gone so soon.

 In 1981,  for Christmas I bought him tickets to see His favorite Artist, Willie Nelson.  We were Country Cool that night!! 

When I married My True Love,  (Yes, that's You Mr. Hubs) My Daddy was there to share in my joy.  And when I became a Mom, He was My Baby's BFF--the best Grandpa ever!!  In our hearts for always...

I could talk about Him forever, but for now we'll leave that for another time...

         Until next time, stayed tuned to see where I meander to next, and peace out...

                 P.S.  Call your Dad and tell Him that you love Him.

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...