That evening, I saw some amazing fireworks at the Buccaneer, which seemed to have a whole following I had never heard of until now.
Although I was with great friends and live music, that evening and the evening to follow were not as warm and welcoming as my daytime experiences. This is a trend I am realizing. If I am to stay in Memphis, what are the millenials doing? and where are they doing it? I should note that I had never seen so many long-haired-20-something men until that Devil Train show. I found myself questioning what I was even doing out at this bar which seemed to have a few people I knew and recognized and what if this was the group I would be with forever if I stayed in Memphis. That was unnerving to me.
It leaves me wondering, why was the daytime so much more comfortable?
Memphis has a wonderful infrastructure for daytime from museums to trees to parks to neighbors.
Why doesn't this translate as well for night?
I did recently go to the Brooks for a thing at night, and it was very fun and packed, winding down around 8pm. I often go to the Levitt Shell within Overton Park (usually not providing entertainment in the day, I should note) for their evening concerts that end prior to 10pm.
I have been known to enjoy the Lamplighter after 10 pm and for a rarer treat, Wild Bill's even later than that. Where are the things to do in Memphis that are not centered around alcohol in the evening? These are both places that I do not frequent in the day time because something about it seems weird and to my knowledge, the house band does not play until hours later.
Does this divide exist everywhere? Are there things that we do in the day that we would not do at night? Are there different places for these, and do we split them up ourselves or is that division clear before we come into the picture?
We all have those friends we only see at night, but is it not good to see friends at any hour? What makes a friend a daytime friend or a nighttime friend, and does that reflect our choices or the areas where we feel secure each gathering?
I know I always want the movie theater to start screening around 11 am, at least on the weekends and holidays, but maybe I am the only one who would go then.
I can offer a few things that are and would be both enjoyable day and night that bring people together in Memphis:
- Basketball, I especially enjoy the Grizzlies (and other sporting events-I see you Redbirds). The issue there is, most public courts are not open all the time, and games are both seasonal and expensive. You have brief windows for baseball, football, and basketball, so there is nothing that you can really count on all year.
- Festivals/festivities- any event that includes nighttime celebration is usually fun and people filled.
- Take a Walk- I would encourage RDC to extend their hours and increase lighting to encourage evening strolls at least on weekends, other good walks: South Main/Downtown, Overton Square and Cooper Young for people watching. The issue is, the Cooper Young and Overton Square walks are short, cars seem to prevail, and parts of it are still not ideal, like walking past the dairy or that car-lot is kinda weird. Neither the SF Greenline nor the VECA Greenline is not ideal for after dark at the moment. Regardlessly, most parks technically close at sundown. I would increase lighting everywhere because it can promote safety and walkability.
- Bocce? I have not yet played it there, but a court exists on South Main, and you can rent the balls for free. Would croquet, giant jenga, giant checkers, or glow in the dark badminton be something we would want to encourage, they are not all that expensive, and provide day and night time activity.
- Set up rocking chairs somewhere with a good view; maybe this is my inner old person showing.
- I do champion Otherlands for being a fun day and night place for offering a nice vibe that is different at day and night. Reasonably priced concerts or readings in the evening and reasonably priced ability to do whatever suits you in the day, for instance, it is where I am writing this blog. Many believe coffee shops are the answer, but there is a different feel between day and night at these locales, further questioning how this distinction exist.
- Bicycle. I do like to bicycle at night, and I do like to bicycle in the day, whether it is getting where I am going or just going for a quick roll to see the lightning bugs. In the summer, night rides are really fun as they are slightly cooler and often there are less cars on the road. You can hear different noises and see different things.
- Should we create art that is only seen at night? I'm not talking strobing blue crush lights...
What are things you would add? What do you want to see in Memphis to bring people together at night and day? I want to emphasize on night because it seems like we need safe, fun things to do, especially from 9 pm to midnight that do not cost money for the user and preferably spend little to no money up front for the producer.
It seems clear to me that there is a gap between night and day, and that Memphis provides way more day time opportunities than evening ones, and I am seeking your help to find out why that is and how we can change it.
