Hi--My daughter is being scouted to play soccer at the University of Memphis. She will probably study math/sciences/engineering. Does anyone here have experience there, especially POSITIVE experiences? Recommendations for great blues and BBQ joints accepted as well!
Over the past 30 years, the University of Memphis has certainly grown beyond its reputation of "Tiger High" (i.e., merely a high school-like institution for Memphians looking to continue their education). The university currently has well-known programs of study in business, engineering, music, communications, fine arts and audiology among others. While best known for it's men's basketball and up-and-coming football teams, the school boasts a wide variety of powerful sports programs that draw constant attention.
Memphis feels and operates like a big small town instead of a small city. It's "old South" to the bone... and while only three hours down the road from Nashville, the difference in these two areas is drastic. If you feel like you've been to The South by means of Atlanta, Dallas or Raleigh, I got news for you -- you simply haven't experienced The South until you've been to those cities within a few hours of the Mississippi Delta. It's simply a different flavor of South there... the people, the food, the weather, the traditions, the beliefs, the pace, the feel... cities like Memphis, Little Rock and Jackson, Mississippi ain't your Yankee-infused "South Light."
While Memphis has a charming history of blues and rock & roll music, it's a dodgy city wrought with its share of crime. For anyone I know who's visiting, I simply tell them to watch their backs and always be aware of your surroundings. If you don't believe this, then you don't know Memphis. Sad but true.
Memphis certainly has its share of fantastic barbecue restaurants as the area's people certainly know what they're doing in this department and have been doing it for centuries. Sure, there are a handful of establishments that get more publicity than others and those well-known spots serve delicious food... but spare yourself the long lines and the high prices and get out and explore or ask the locals where they like to eat barbecue. "Average" barbecue in Memphis tops "great" barbecue in most cities.
