romthe rooftop bar of boutique
HuHotel we see the mighty
Mississippi River flow and the bones of
Memphis. The hotel’s Lifestyle manager,
Chad West, says with a Southern drawl
that “Memphis is a city of serendipity”
where spirited millennials are carving out
a city beyond blues and the legacy of
Elvis. West talks of buildings vacant for
decades springing back to life, and the
near demolition of icons like the
Peabody Hotel, famed for its daily
duck parade.
We’re in Memphis as it turns 200.
In a few short days the city captivates us
as much for the people and their
enthusiasm, as for the history. WC Handy
fathered the Blues here. From a brick
studio storefront, Sun Studios, Elvis
Presley cut discs: his music and his hips
shook a generation. Graceland, the Blues
Hall of Fame, Stax and Sun Studios are all
part of musical pilgrimages. Beale Street
is touristic, but still pumping, and you’ll
find music clubs all over the city. Picking
up a copy of the street press, we enlist
elderly bluesmen at the Blues Hall of
Fame, circling clubs and scribbling acts
in the margin.
Gus’s World Famous Chicken, a squat
single-storey building in the South Main
Arts District, is a constant echo. “You
been to Gus’s yet?” To answer “yes”
draws satisfied nods. Now franchised,
this is the original. White tiled walls, a
pressed-tin ceiling, gingham tablecloths
and well-worn chairs are all part of a
patina of decades. The waitresses, adept
at drawing a healthy tip, are another part
of Gus’s charm. Fried green tomatoes,
battered, thick and salty are hot and
crisp, and an order of dark thigh meat
forges a new benchmark, the crisp
coating tenders a lasting burn.
Back at the Hu Diner, the hotel’s
street-level bar and restaurant, there are
modern takes on Southern staples such
as octopus and grits, fried chicken livers,catfish and lots of fried chicken. A laid-
back vibe pervades at this diner, and it’s
very much like the hotel itself – one of
many refurbished buildings that are part
of this wave of change.
Around South Main, galleries and
stores tell new and old stories of the
neighbourhood. Eric Nielsen, owner of
South Front Antiques, recounts his
father’s decision to set up here in the
aftermath of Dr Martin Luther King’s
assassination, a few blocks over at the
Lorraine Motel (now the powerful
National Civil Rights Museum). People
thought it brave, if not foolish. Dr King’s
death set in motion a rapid and lasting
decline of Downtown, along a racial fault
line. Downtown gentrification is, for
some, Lazarus-like.
South Main Market, a destination for
young Memphians, houses a cohort of
food and drink businesses, a casual food
hall and established names like cocktail
bar, Civil Pour. On the adjacent corner
sits contemporary retailer, Stock & Belle,
which supports Southern creatives, and is
also home to Lo Fi Coffee. Owners
David Pender and Bailey Biggers fell for
Memphis back in 2017, and before long
put down roots and staked their place in
the hearts of Downtown coffee loversmax_brearley@maxbrearley
CITY GUIDE.