Photo by Philip Parker
THE HERE & NOW OF MEMPHIS Written by Craig Kaminer
It’s been a while since I’ve been to Memphis, but I jumped at a chance to return and be a guest of Memphis Tourism. For three days, Debbie and I were wined and dined, toured and pitched on the relevance of Memphis as the perfect travel destination for St. Louis’ sophisticated readers. Considering all of the similarities to St. Louis, we came away convinced this is a perfect road trip destination. Memphis is just four and a half hours away by car and is a great counterpoint to St. Louis. It has many similarities, yet enough differences to make a long weekend of it, especially if music history, a live music scene, barbecue, craft beer, baseball, and the turning point of civil rights compel you into action. We were guests of the new Hyatt Centric on Beale Street overlooking the Mississippi waterfront, the two majestically lit bridges at night -- Hernando de Soto and Big River Crossing bridges -- and an easy one or two block walk to many of the attractions at the top of anyone’s list. Hyatt is adding two additional hotels adjacent to the Centric, one to cater to the millennial traveler and a Hyatt Grande catering to the luxury traveler. The Hyatt campus should be completed in the next few years and will cater to all guests in perfect comfort depending on their tastes and budgets. The Centric starts in the mid-to-upper $100 per room night, and jumps to the mid $300s for weekends and special events. 68 slmag.net
With so many metropolitan cities within driving distance, the hotel created a special “Memphis or Bust” road trip package with special perks for those driving from Nashville, Atlanta, St. Louis, Birmingham, and other metropolitan areas. The package included complimentary valet parking for one vehicle, a bottle of wine since travelers won’t need to check a bag, as well as a complimentary “Put it in Park’’ cocktail for when the road trip has come to an end. Additionally, the resort curated two playlists -- timed at three hours and five hours -- so that guests from these top drive-market cities can amp up the trip with tunes timed for the drive. Playlists feature hits from famed Memphis artists like Elvis, Justin Timberlake, Johnny Cash, and more. Perhaps most striking about Memphis is that despite its history of segregation similar to St. Louis, it seems to make the most of its past, depict it for what it was, and is taking great strides forward to embrace its diversity. One of its ugliest memories was Martin Luther King’s assasination at The Lorraine Hotel, which now is the The Civil Rights Museum, one of the great museums of our time, depicting one of the worst eras in our country’s history. It’s like going to a Holocaust museum, where despite what you know or have heard, the experience will change you forever.
