Memphis to Jax: Top Tens, Part 1

As I've been readying to leave Memphis and Tennessee, I've been reflecting on the last year and my experience here. As I have, I've realized there are a lot of things I'll miss. Okay, and there are things I won't miss at all. And so begins the series of "Memphis to Jax: Top Tens." (with a hat tip to my friend Susan and her "Things" series.)

Top Ten Things I'll Miss About Memphis

10. Living in a Central Location: being relatively central in the US, you can fly anywhere (on the continent, at least) in the US without it being a full-day affair.

9. Living Near an Airport Hub: I always took this for granted. In Houston, you have Continental, and you can fly direct to so many places. Likewise, in Ft Worth, there's American Airlines. And here, we have Northwest. I flew direct from Amsterdam to Memphis, and direct to most every other place I visited. Sure, there are time limitations, and those meant I had to fly a partner airline through Atlanta on my trips to Jax. But still, it's nice being somewhere with so many direct routes into and out of here.

With all the flying I did last year, naturally, I became a frequent flyer member for the airline that's my local hub, Northwest, even moving up to the elite status! Elite status means that you get to board first, which I really like. You also have more options in choosing your seat. And finally, with Northwest, the luggage restrictions don't apply to me. Now, with leaving, I lose my hub, but Jax isn't a hub to anyone, so to get many places other than another hub, I'm almost guaranteed to have to make a stop during a flight. And for this too, being elite is nice as I get to board early for each boarding!

8. Once-a-Year Snow: I'm still in the south, but I am also north enough that we got a great snow this year. It was the most it'd ever snowed on a house in which I lived" 6 inches. And what was even better, it was gorgeous for a day, then it was gone. Very little muss, very little fuss. Being on the north side of the south, thus, has brought that nice weather visit.

7. Traffic: I can say, there's less traffic issues here than any place I've lived with a population over 200,000. I suspect a lot involves the fact that I rarely get on an interstate. No interstate runs through town. But even with that, when I do, it's relatively smooth going. And as someone who commuted between Fort Worth and Dallas for three years, this is fabulous.

6. The Mississippi: I do love water. Sure, we had the Trinity in Fort Worth, but now, having lived here, well, the Mississippi is something totally different. The history of this river---its role in peoples lives, good and bad, is astounding. It's huge. It's muddy. It's in more songs that I can count. And it is, as we all know these days, incredibly powerful. It's a being of its own.

5. Giant Oaks: The trees here are amazing. I sat outside the other evening, just staring up, in awe, at some of the ones around my house. My neighbors to the north have a particularly gorgeous tree in their yard. Huge, strong, towering. The amount of shade the trees provide to my house no doubt help my electric bill. And they make being outside in the hotter months much more pleasant.

4. Character: This city indeed has character. Just driving around, you can feel it---the variety of people who live here, the spirit of the city, the dreams of many people. It's something unique here, and it's fun.

3. Music History: Again, my favorite touristy spot is indeed Sun Studio. Just an hour there, and you start to get an idea of Memphis's role in music. After all, it is the birthplace of rock 'n' roll!

2. BBQ: Last night, I took my neighbors to the south out to Interstate BBQ for one last fantastic BBQ dinner. And it did not disappoint at all. The BBQ nachos we shared as an appetizer were delicious as ever. Cole and Michelle even noted how much better these were than the ones they'd tried before on Beale. These were loaded with meat---so much that we didn't even finish. And the ribs, well, perfect. not at all fatty, absolute fall-off-the-bone tender. And the perfect sauce. I can agree: Memphis does have the best BBQ.

1. My Neighbors: Speaking of, I have been lucky here to have some incredible neighbors. Friendly, fun, helpful----all great. And the care they've given to Howard and Sophie was phenomenal. We all three will deeply miss the people whom we live near.