Memphis Monday

I've only been living in Memphis for a few months, but Geoff's been living here for around a year and a half, so we've gotten to know the place decently. While there are many, many things I miss about home, Memphis definitely has a lot to offer. The art community is blossoming, the food is great, and, oh my, the shopping! I live across the street from the world's largest city park and urban farm, Shelby Farms. Geoff has a great job, I start Teach for America in the Fall, life is good. But sometimes I just get a hankering for home, so I'm going to *try* to start doing these posts every Monday to remind myself of the good things in Memphis. Some will be about things I've done, and sometimes I'll share with you things from my Memphis To-Do List. 

First off...

If you find yourself craving delicious, clean food you can feel good about eating, eat at Stone Soup Cafe. I say clean not only because the food and surroundings are very clean, but also because everything tastes like it's just as it should be, without a bunch of hard to pronounce crap stuffed in it. "Clean" is Geoffrey's way of describing it, and I totally agree. We live across town from Stone Soup, so we don't eat there as often as we would like, but it has been 100% worth the drive every time. I've had the veggie plate (you pick four from their daily specials, I think I had mashed potatoes, sweet peas, corn salad, and something else I can't remember) the roast beef, green beans (best I've ever tasted), and a spinach and sausage strata with grits when we went for Sunday brunch. Every meal is served with bread that is freshly made in house. The cornbread will make you slap yo' mama, so to speak. The service is fabulous, I feel like I'm at home every time we go. We've only tried one dessert, the Banana Pudding Cheesecake. The Lord Have Mercy, it is amazing. My one and only critique of this place is that the desserts (not the regular menu) are a little pricey. One slice of the cheesecake is $5.99. I know they make it in house, so I can understand why it's priced the way it is, it just hurts on a (not sure what to call us...not newlyweds, newly-living-in-sin, perhaps, haha...anyway) budget. This is embarrassing, but the firs time I ate there I teared up a little because it was one of the few times I've truly felt at home in Memphis so far. I know, cheesy, but it's true. Geoffrey gave me a goofy look and I got over it before I was face-down sobbing in my mashed potatoes, but it tugged at my heartstrings nonetheless. I truly love this restaurant, and if you ever visit me we WILL go there. And you WILL like it. Well, I hope so, anyways.

I mentioned this earlier, but I live right across the street from Shelby Farms Park. It's glorious. It's the largest city park in the world, the largest urban farm in the world...it's amazing. There's a dog park, a frisbee course, paddle boats, BUFFALO, tons of biking and walking trails, the Woodland Discovery Playground certifed by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (The website's description: "Six play "nests," a winding steel arbor planted with flowering vines and willow trees, innovative play structures, an open grassy lawn, giant net and tree house climbing structure, ADA play elements, features for every age and ability level, and more! Located near a restroom. ")

One of the park's biggest attractions is the Shelby Farms Greenline which is a 6.5 mile urban trail that connects Shelby Farms Park to Midtown Memphis (a hub for the arts and the location of Stone Soup Cafe). Here is a link to maps of the greenline, and the park as it is now. There's also a map of the master plan. The links are on the left sidebar. Geoff and I haven't walked the greenline yet, but it's on our to do list.

I love the design for the 5k that they're having for Earth day, so I wanted to share that with you. Geoff and I spend most of our time at the park Geocaching (don't know what that is? Find out here.) or just getting some exercise in. SFP is also near the Agricenter which hosts a lot of events like flea markets and bridal shows (and the FAIR!).

There's a farmers market and nursery that has delicious fruits and veggies.

I hope you've enjoyed Memphis Monday. It really helps me to get excited about the things going on around me, and if you ever visit Memphis, which you should, you'll be a little more knowledgeable thanks to moi! It's spring, go outside! I've typed this whole post on my patio enjoying the cool air and the smell of the new flowers and herbs I potted today.

Images from the websites of Stone Soup Cafe, Shelby Farms Park, and Agricenter International.