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Beale Street Memphis was not Bourbon Street New Orleans. Yes, it was a party street with lots of live music and drinking in the street, but this was Blues and not Jazz, and Beale Street was wide not narrow, and it had a different crowd.
Shops in Beale Street were representative of another era, a time when Blues and Rock n Roll were dominant on the music scene, their facades had not changed and in some cases neither had their owners! Memorabilia and items for sale reminded me of my dad's collections - old cars, signs, records, posters, etc, a time when Elvis was King and BB King ruled. There was no sign of the refined French Quarter with its art and antique stores, no this had its own style.
There was still the horse and carriage in the streets, but this time there was the "cinderella" pumpkin coach with its neon lights rather than the big colonial style carriage.
Main Street was somewhat different, tree lined, with tram tracks running through the centre. This was quite pretty, but the crowds were not here, instead they were down on Beale Street eating BBQ ribs, listening to live music in most of the bars and cafes, drinking beer and buying Elvis and Blues souvenirs. Apparently Memphis Council is encouraging promoting businesses to come to Main Street, but we still saw empty shops.
In the evening, we stayed for awhile on Beale Street, sipping our diet coke, listening to a Blues band, having a chat with a couple from Kentucky, and soaking up Southern hospitality on a balmy summer evening in Memphis.
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