Downtown

Downtown Memphis is a kind of no-man's land, but in a good way. There's no one single demographic that dominates downtown residential patterns. Sure there are lots of young people living here, but one also comes across lots of middle-age professionals and even plenty of retirees who just like living where all the action is. Not everyone here is wealthy, either, although apartment and townhouse prices are sometimes higher here than they are in other parts of Memphis. The downtown community is a cross-section of upwardly-mobile urban professionals, as well as plenty of younger people working in various service industries. There's also a proliferation of artist studios, especially along South Main, which is just outside the downtown core, and one comes across plenty of painters, sculptors, and musicians as well. No matter what walk of life you may hail from, it's easy to settle in and find a niche for yourself in downtown Memphis.

If you live downtown, you're likely to run out of money before you run out of interesting places to eat or hang out. There are more quality restaurants and hot spots than can really be named here.  It is worth noting that Memphis' oldest and coolest restaurant, The Arcade, sits at the corner of Main and Patterson. Elvis used to eat here on a daily basis, and it's been featured in a ton of movies, including Great Balls of Fire, Mystery Train, 21 Grams, and My Blueberry Nights. There's also Buckley's Steakhouse, the Flying Fish, and Jillian's, which also features a state-of-the-art video arcade. Make sure you visit The Rendezvous, which is one of Memphis' best barbecue restaurants. You'll probably have to wait a while to be seated, but it's definitely worth it. But these few are just the tip of the iceberg. Once you get out and explore, you'll find that there are plenty of other fine eateries scattered around the downtown area.

There are also a good many places to stop in and grab a drink or hang out with friends. The Flying Saucer is a really cool beer hall with an awe-inspiring number of brews on the menu. It's right next door to Swig, an upscale martini bar featuring more than 30 specialty drinks. Just around the corner on Front Street is Automatic Slims, a hipper-than-thou establishment with a retro feel to it. The real fun, though, is to be had at Rayford's, a weekend disco that packs them in until the really wee hours. Rayford's is the one place in Memphis where platform shoes are still welcome, but expect a crowd if you decide to drop in. Even more interesting is Ernestine & Hazel's a multi-story bar and restaurant that used to be a 19th century brothel, and still has all the little bedrooms. You can still hang out in them, though they're no longer furnished for business. The bar stays open until the very late hours, as does the restaurant. Make sure to try the greasy soul burger and wash it down with a can of bud,

As far as coffeeshops go, there are a number of them located around the downtown area as well. if you're still into Starbucks, you can find one inside Peabody Place just off Beale. If you like a little more variety, try Bluff City Coffee on South Main. It's a really attractive place where every cup of joe is brewed fresh. It's brightly lit and features free-wifi, and some of the friendliest staff you're likely to meet anywhere.

There's wide range of differently priced rental units available downtown, so you should be able to find something that meets your budget. Just remember, though, you get what you pay for. You'll want to be extra careful about where you choose to live. Fielder Square, for instance, is right next door to Autozone Park, in the YMCA building. It's said to be high-priced, noisy, and poorly managed. Uptown Square, which sits right outside the Pinch District, has gets equally poor word-of-mouth. If you're hoping to find modern, state-of-the-art digs, with all the usual amenities, you should be prepared to pay at least $1,000 a month. You can certainly find downtown apartments for less, though. Cheaper units will come some setbacks, such as more noise, more difficulty with parking, and all the other inconveniences you might expect. Still, the opportunity to live downtown is one-of-a-kind. There's so much to do, and everything is within walking distance. You'll want to keep that in mind when you go apartment hunting.  

Unless your landlord gives you a designated space, expect to pay for parking downtown. Most of the apartment complexes have thier own lots or garages, so you should be okay if you choose to go that route. If you rent a studio or loft apartment from an independent landlord, however, you may not be so lucky. In that instance, you'll want to put your car somewhere safe before hitting the hay each evening. Downtown is not the violent crime zone it used to be, but let's be honest. If you leave your vehicle on the street all night, it's only a matter of time before it gets broken into. Finding a 24-lot, such as Parking Can be Fun on Union Avenue, is one of the best ways to protect your wheels. There are lots of these lots around downtown, and most of them will sell you a monthly parking contract.

If you want to ditch the car altogether and go green, then downtown is the best place to do that too. Keep in mind, however, that public transit downtown is less than perfect. The bus is pretty ubiquitous, but it doesn't run everywhere. Neither does the trolley, though it will take you all up and down Main St. on a North-South axis, and along Madison Ave., going East to West. Public transit is very affordable in Memphis, and the trolley is actually fairly convenient. Just about everything downtown is only a couple of blocks, on average, from a trolley station. Indeed, the trolley alone is one of the best reasons there is for choosing to live in downtown Memphis.

There are plenty of ways to land an apartment in the downtown core. One of the easiest methods is to simplly drive around and look for the rental signs in the windows. There are lots of them, after all. Just go slowly because you'll be craning your neck and looking up, and you don't want to get into an accident. You can also go online and find a rental that way as well. Many of the downtown complexes have websites that you can use to find availability info, costs, and even move-in specials.

If you don't want to live in a complex, per se, try going through a property management company such as the downtown Crye-Leike office. Property management firms often have the inside scoop not only on what is available but also on what is about to become available. You might be able to secure a lease ahead of time, since landlords are generally eager to rent out apartments as quickly as they can. Finally check the rental availabilities in the local newspapers, particularly the Commercial Appeal. Just keep in mind that plenty of other renters are using the newspaper, too, which means you'll need to act fast if you find something through a print source.

The downtown core isn't really the best place to live if you happen to be an avid pet owner. The streets are busy, with lots of pedestrian traffic and moving vehicles, and it's hardly the ideal place to take your dog for a walk. True, the riverwalk is a great place to walk your canine, but getting a dog down there and back can be a hassle in its own right. Additionally, you're likely to have trouble finding a landlord willing to let you keep you furry friend on the premises. This is particularly true of apartment complexes, which are famous for their reluctance to allow pet ownership. Independent landlords, on the other hand, are probably easier to work with, though they too are likely to ask for a deposit against possible damage caused by an animal. It's always a bit easier if you're cat owner, as opposed to a dog lover, since cats are generally thought to be less rambunctious and to cause less property damage. Whatever kind of animal you happen to own, you'll need to keep in mind that the downtown core is a very busy place. An animal that gets out suddenly becomes very vulnerable. For this reason, perhaps the best kind of pet ownership is no ownership at all.

If you're looking for entertainment and recreation, downtown Memphis is the place to be. Beale Street is a world unto itself, with a plethora of restaurants, bars and even oddball stores like Schwab's, a department retailer specializing in bizarre merchandise such as Elvis wigs and fake vomit. Beale Street is a favorite tourist destination, and features such Memphis staples as B.B. King's, Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Club, and Silky O'Sullivan's Pub. Eventually the novelty of these tourist traps wear off, but the street itself is still a fun place to hang out, and on saturday nights it's brimming with street acrobats, blues singers, Jesus freaks, and other staples of modern urban culture. And be sure to check out Jillian's inside Peabody Place, it's a thoroughly modern video arcade that features virtual bowling among other things.

If you're looking for outdoor recreation, there's some of that to be found downtown too. The riverwalk is a roughly a half-mile-long walkway that winds alongside the Mississippi River, from Harbor Town to the south bluffs. Walkers and joggers use the riverwalk at all hours of the day, making it one of the city's busiest pedestrian thoroughfares. A few small parks dot the downtown core as well, though the most popular is Mud Island Park, a popular recreational spot that includes a wade-able replica of the Mississippi River as well as a small area set aside for paddleboating. Also, be sure to check out Court Square, a century-old park located on North 2nd Street. Surrounded by historic buildings on all four sides, Court Square features a Victorian-style fountain that, even even though it is no longer operational, is still a fascinating historical object in it's own right.

Living downtown can be a really rewarding experience, but you need to make sure it's always a safe one. Fortunately, there's a pretty heavy police presence downtown. The mayor's office has made keeping crime out of the core one of it's top priorities. The downtown core is one of Memphis' most economically viable neighborhoods, bringing in hundreds of millions of tourism dollars every year. Even so, some areas of downtown are nonetheless safer than others. You're pretty safe at night, as long as you keep the busier and better lit streets. On weeknights, however, you probably don't want to go out alone after, say, ten or eleven o'clock. You can go a little later on the weekends, but things start getting quiet after around one or two A.M.

Beale Street's a mixed bag. There are lots of cops milling about, but if it gets too crowded your chances of getting mugged or having your purse snatched go up. There's also a fair amount of drunken and disorderly behavior on Beale as well. Don't be surprised if you happen upon a fist-fight or two. They're entertaining, so long as you keep your distance, but you don't want to get caught up in the middle of one. 

If you just can't help yourself and feel that you've got to go out late by yourself, make sure to stay out of the poorly lit areas. Don't go walking along the riverwalk, for instance, and make sure to stay out of Tom Lee Park. I'd stay off Main, too, unless it's all lit up and there's something going on - such as trolley night, which happens on the last friday of the month. If you want to go from the core into another downtown neighborhood, such as The Pinch or Harbor Town, it's best do so in a car or on the trolley. Going alone on foot could get you into a little more trouble than you're actually looking to find.  

While the situation is certainly less than ideal, there are plenty of banks and even small grocery shops all over downtown area. There's even a couple of gyms downtown, too, the most notable one being the YMCA on Madison, just across the way from the Downtown Elementary School.

The best downtown grocery store is Miss Cordelia's in Harbor Town though it's small and overpriced and you have to drive over to Mud Island, but it does stay open 'til ten. If you're looking for a full-size grocery store, however, that really is more of an issue for people living downtown. For a full-sized grocery, you're going to have to hop in the car or take the bus to Midtown, where the options are still not that great. Schnuck's is inconvenient and expensive, while Kroger and Piggly Wiggly are more affordable but are in sketchy neighborhoods. No reason to get too upset, though. It's a hassle that every Memphian has learned to put up with.

The downtown core really isn't the best place to raise children. It's busy, with a lot of noisy nightlife, and not really conducive to the early bedtime hours that children need to keep. There's also very few places to play, with the exception of the riverwalk and Court Square(neither of which have a playground) and Mud Island (which charges a fairly hefty admission each time you visit). If you want to live downtown but have children, it's best you not move into the core. Try living uptown or on Mud Island, instead. These residential areas were actually planned with children in mind, whereas the downtown core was not.

That being said, it is nonetheless true that parents who live in the downtown core can send thier children to a number of schools in the area. They have access to Downtown Elementary, for example, as well as a few others, including Caldwell, Guthrie, and Gordon. Downtown Elementary has a decent reputation, but these other schools get mixed reviews at best. When selecting a school for your child, remember to visit them all and try to assess the quality of the learning environment for yourself. It's especially important to do this in Memphis, where the quality of public education has an abysmal reputation.

Students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades attend Humes Middle School, located on North Manassas. Humes has a fairly solid academic reputation, as well, with roughly 90 percent of its students at proficiency level in both Math and Reading. Class sizes are fairly small, too, with about 17 students per teacher. In Memphis, it could be worse

Downtown residents also have access to two public schools, Manassas and Northside High. The former places a heavy emphasis on the performing arts, such as music and theatre, and parents are generally happy with it. The latter, however, generally recieves substandard ratings and is often the subject of unfavorable newscasts. Avoid it at all cost, if you can. In 2005, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it would be building an $8 million high-tech Uptown High School, but that institution has yet to materialize.

If none of those options are to your liking, you should know that there are also lots of parochial and private schools operating in Memphis. Nearby Mud Island has its own Montessori School, for instance, though many parents are wary of it's 'go at your own pace' approach. There are lots of quality institutions out East, however. They're relatively far away, though, and can make for a stressful morning if you're trying to shuttle kids and get to work on time. Expect to do some serious driving if you're planning on sending your kids to Grahamwood or Whitestation, for instance. And if you want the very best that money can buy, you'll be glad to know that Memphis has some seriously exclusive private schools, such as MUS and the Hutchinson School, which serve as feeders into the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities.