Pyramid Casino Memphis

TL;DR: Man with too much time on his hands goes deep down the rabbit hole on a concept this sub already didn’t seem that enthusiastic about. If you really want to skip ahead, CTRL+F “verdict” and it’ll get you there.
Two days ago, u/MrPhillyj2wns made a post asking whether USL should launch a D1 league in order to compete in Concacaf. From the top voted replies, it appears this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.
But I’ve been at home for eight weeks and I am terribly, terribly bored.
So, I present to you this overview of what the USL pyramid might look like if Jake Edwards got a head of steam and attempted to establish a USSF-sanctioned first division. This is by no means an endorsement of such a proposal or even a suggestion that USL SHOULD do such a thing. It is merely an examination of whether they COULD.
Welcome to the Thunderdome USL Premiership
First, there are some base-level assumptions we must make in this exercise, because it makes me feel more scientific and not like a guy who wrote this on Sunday while watching the Belarusian Premier League (Go BATE Borisov!).

1. All D1 teams must comply with known USSF requirements for D1 leagues (more on that later).
   
2. MLS, not liking this move, will immediately remove all directly-owned affiliate clubs from the USL structure (this does not include hybrid ownerships, like San Antonio FC – NYCFC). This removes all MLS2 teams but will not affect Colorado Springs, Reno, RGVFC and San Antonio.
   
3. The USL will attempt to maintain both the USL Championship and USL League One, with an eventual mind toward creating the pro/rel paradise that is promised in Relegations 3:16.
   
4. All of my research regarding facility size and ownership net worth is correct – this is probably the biggest leap of faith we have to make, since googling “NAME net worth” and “CITY richest people” doesn’t seem guaranteed to return accurate results.
   
5. The most a club can increase its available seating capacity to meet D1 requirements in a current stadium is no more than 1,500 seats (10% of the required 15,000). If they need to add more, they’ll need a new facility.
   
6. Let’s pretend that people are VERY willing to sell. It’s commonly acknowledged that the USL is a more financially feasible route to owning a soccer club than in MLS (c.f. MLS-Charlotte’s reported $325 million expansion fee) and the USSF has some very strict requirements for D1 sanctioning. It becomes pretty apparent when googling a lot of team’s owners that this requirement isn’t met, so let’s assume everyone that can’t sells to people who meet the requirements.
   

(Known) USSF D1 league requirements:
- League must have 12 teams to apply and 14 teams by year three
- Majority owner must have a net worth of $40 million, and the ownership group must have a total net worth of $70 million. The value of an owned stadium is not considered when calculating this value.
- Must have teams located in the Eastern, Central and Pacific time zones
- 75% of league’s teams must be based in markets with at a metro population of at least 1 million people.
- All league stadiums must have a capacity of at least 15,000
The ideal club candidate for the USL Premiership will meet the population and capacity requirements in its current ground, which will have a grass playing surface. Of the USL Championship’s 27 independent/hybrid affiliate clubs, I did not find one club that meets all these criteria as they currently stand.
Regarding turf fields, the USSF does not have a formal policy regarding the ideal playing surface but it is generally acknowledged that grass is superior to turf. 6 of 26 MLS stadiums utilize turf, or roughly 23% of stadiums. We’ll hold a similar restriction for our top flight, so 2-3 of our top flight clubs can have turf fields. Seem fair?
Capacity is going to be the biggest issue, since the disparity between current requirements for the second-tier (5,000) and the first tier (15,000) is a pretty massive gap. Nice club you have there, triple your capacity and you’re onto something. As a result, I have taken the liberty of relocating certain (read: nearly all) clubs to new grounds, trying my utmost to keep those clubs in their current markets and –importantly--, ensure they play on grass surfaces.
So, let’s do a case-by-case evaluation and see if we can put together 12-14 teams that meet the potential requirements, because what else do you have to do?
For each club’s breakdown, anything that represents a chance from what is currently true will be underlined.
Candidate: Birmingham Legion FC
Location (Metro population): Birmingham, Ala. (1,151,801)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Legion Field (FieldTurf, 71,594)
Potential owner: Stephens Family (reported net worth $4 billion)
Notes: Birmingham has a pretty strong candidacy. Having ditched the 5,000-seater BBVA Field for Legion Field, which sits 2.4 miles away, they’ve tapped into the city’s soccer history. Legion Field hosted portions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 1996 Olympics, including a 3-1 U.S. loss to Argentina that saw 83,183 pack the house. The Harbert family seemed like strong ownership contenders, but since the death of matriarch Marguerite Harbert in 2015, it’s unclear where the wealth in the family is concentrated, so the Stephens seem like a better candidate. The only real knock that I can think of is that we really want to avoid having clubs play on turf, so I’d say they’re on the bubble of our platonic ideal USL Prem.
Candidate: Charleston Battery
Location (Metro population): Charleston, S.C. (713,000)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Johnson Hagood Stadium (Grass, ~14,700)
Potential owner: Anita Zucker (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: Charleston’s candidacy isn’t looking great. Already disadvantaged due to its undersized metro population, a move across the Cooper River to Johnson Hagood Stadium is cutting it close in terms of capacity. The stadium, home to The Citadel’s football team, used to seat 21,000, before 9,300 seats on the eastern grandstand were torn down in 2017 to deal with lead paint that had been used in their construction. Renovation plans include adding 3,000 seats back in, which could hit 15,000 if they bumped it to 3,300, but throw in a required sale by HCFC, LLC (led by content-creation platform founder Rob Salvatore) to chemical magnate Anita Zucker, and you’ll see there’s a lot of ifs and ands in this proposal.
Candidate: Charlotte Independence
Location (Metro population): Charlotte, N.C. (2,569, 213)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Jerry Richardson Stadium (Turf, 15,314)
Potential owner: James Goodnight (reported net worth $9.1 billion)
Notes: Charlotte ticks a lot of the boxes. A move from the Sportsplex at Matthews to UNC-Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson stadium meets capacity requirements, but puts them on to the dreaded turf. Regrettably, nearby American Legion Memorial Stadium only seats 10,500, despite a grass playing surface. With a sizeable metro population (sixth-largest in the USL Championship) and a possible owner in software billionaire James Goodnight, you’ve got some options here. The biggest problem likely lies in direct competition for market share against a much better-funded MLS Charlotte side due to join the league in 2021.
Candidate: Hartford Athletic
Location (Metro population): Hartford, Conn. (1,214,295)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Pratt & Whitney Stadium (Grass, 38,066)
Potential owner: Ray Dalio (reported net worth $18.4 billion)
Notes: Okay, I cheated a bit here, having to relocate Hartford to Pratt & Whitney Stadium, which is technically in East Hartford, Conn. I don’t know enough about the area to know if there’s some kind of massive beef between the two cities, but the club has history there, having played seven games in 2019 while Dillon Stadium underwent renovations. If the group of local businessmen that currently own the club manage to attract Dalio to the table, we’re on to something.
Candidate: Indy Eleven
Location (Metro population): Indianapolis, Ind. (2,048,703)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lucas Oil Stadium (Turf, 62,421)
Potential owner: Jim Irsay (reported net worth of $3 billion)
Notes: Indy Eleven are a club that are SO CLOSE to being an ideal candidate – if it weren’t for Lucas Oil Stadium’s turf playing surface. Still, there’s a lot to like in this bid. I’m not going to lie, I have no idea what current owner and founder Ersal Ozdemir is worth, but it seems like there might be cause for concern. A sale to Irsay, who also owns the NFL Indianapolis (nee Baltimore) Colts, seems likely to keep the franchise there, rather than make a half-mile move to 14,230 capacity Victory Field where the AAA Indianapolis Indians play and expand from there.
Candidate: Louisville City FC
Location (Metro population): Louisville, Ky. (1,297,310)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lynn Family Stadium (Grass, 14,000, possibly expandable to 20,000)
Potential owner: Wayne Hughes (reported net worth $2.8 billion)
Notes: I’m stretching things a bit here. Lynn Family stadium is currently listed as having 11,700 capacity that’s expandable to 14,000, but they’ve said that the ground could hold as many as 20,000 with additional construction, which might be enough to grant them a temporary waiver from USSF. If the stadium is a no-go, then there’s always Cardinal Stadium, home to the University of Louisville’s football team, which seats 65,000 but is turf. Either way, it seems like a sale to someone like Public Storage founder Wayne Hughes will be necessary to ensure the club has enough capital.
Candidate: Memphis 901 FC
Location (Metro population): Memphis, Tenn. (1,348,260)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Liberty Bowl Stadium (Turf, 58,325)
Potential owner: Fred Smith (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: Unfortunately for Memphis, AutoZone Park’s 10,000 seats won’t cut it at the D1 level. With its urban location, it would likely prove tough to renovate, as well. Liberty Bowl Stadium more than meets the need, but will involve the use of the dreaded turf. As far as an owner goes, FedEx founder Fred Smith seems like a good local option.
Candidate: Miami FC, “The”
Location (Metro population): Miami, Fla. (6,158,824)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Riccardo Silva Stadium (FieldTurf, 20,000)
Potential owner: Riccardo Silva (reported net worth $1 billion)
Notes: Well, well, well, Silva might get his wish for top-flight soccer, after all. He’s got the money, he’s got the metro, and his ground has the capacity. There is the nagging issue of the turf, though. Hard Rock Stadium might present a solution, including a capacity of 64,767 and a grass playing surface. It is worth noting, however, that this is the first profile where I didn’t have to find a new potential owner for a club.
Candidate: North Carolina FC
Location (Metro population): Durham, N.C. (1,214,516 in The Triangle)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Carter-Finley Stadium (Grass/Turf, 57,583)
Potential owner: Steve Malik (precise net worth unknown) / Dennis Gillings (reported net worth of $1.7 billion)
Notes: We have our first “relocation” in North Carolina FC, who were forced to trade Cary’s 10,000-seat WakeMed Soccer Park for Carter-Finley Stadium in Durham, home of the NC State Wolfpack and 57,583 of their closest friends. The move is a whopping 3.1 miles, thanks to the close-knit hub that exists between Cary, Durham and Raleigh. Carter-Finley might be my favorite of the stadium moves in this exercise. The field is grass, but the sidelines are artificial turf. Weird, right? Either way, it was good enough for Juventus to play a friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara there in 2011. Maybe the move would be pushed for by new owner and medical magnate Dennis Gillings, whose British roots might inspire him to get involved in the Beautiful Game. Straight up, though, I couldn’t find a net worth for current owner Steve Malik, though he did sell his company MedFusion for $91 million in 2010, then bought it back for an undisclosed amount and sold it again for $43 million last November. I don’t know if Malik has the juice to meet D1 requirements, but I suspect he’s close.
Candidate: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Location (Metro population): Pittsburgh, Penn. (2,362,453)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Heinz Field (Grass, 64,450)
Potential owner: Henry Hillman (reported net worth $2.5 billion)
Notes: I don’t know a ton about the Riverhounds, but this move in particular feels like depriving a pretty blue-collar club from its roots. Highmark Stadium is a no-go from a seating perspective, but the Steelers’ home stadium at Heinz Field would more than meet the requirements and have a grass surface that was large enough to be sanctioned for a FIFA friendly between the U.S. WNT and Costa Rica in 2015. As for an owner, Tuffy Shallenberger (first ballot owner name HOF) doesn’t seem to fit the USSF bill, but legendary Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Hillman might. I’m sure you’re asking, why not the Rooney Family, if they’ll play at Heinz Field? I’ll tell you: I honestly can’t seem to pin down a value for the family. The Steelers are valued at a little over a billion and rumors persist that Dan Rooney is worth $500 million, but I’m not sure. I guess the Rooneys would work too, but it’s a definite departure from an owner in Shallenberger who was described by one journalist as a guy who “wears boots, jeans, a sweater and a trucker hat.”
Candidate: Saint Louis FC
Location (Metro population): St. Louis, Mo. (2,807,338)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Busch Stadium (Grass, 45,494)
Potential owner: William DeWitt Jr. (reported net worth $4 billion)
Notes: Saint Louis has some weirdness in making the jump to D1. Current CEO Jim Kavanaugh is an owner of the MLS side that will begin play in 2022. The club’s current ground at West Community Stadium isn’t big enough, but perhaps a timely sale to Cardinals owner William DeWitt Jr. could see the club playing games at Busch Stadium, which has a well established history of hosting other sports like hockey, college football and soccer (most recently a U.S. WNT friendly against New Zealand in 2019). The competition with another MLS franchise wouldn’t be ideal, like Charlotte, but with a big enough population and cross marketing from the Cardinals, maybe there’s a winner here. Wacko idea: If Busch doesn’t pan out, send them to The Dome. Sure, it’s a 60k turf closed-in stadium, but we can go for that retro NASL feel and pay homage to our nation’s soccer history.
Candidate: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Location (Metro population): Tampa, Fla. (3,068,511)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Raymond James Stadium (Grass, 65,518)
Potential owner: Edward DeBartolo Jr. (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: This one makes me sad. Despite having never been there, I see Al Lang Stadium as an iconic part of the Rowdies experience. Current owner Bill Edwards proposed an expansion to 18,000 seats in 2016, but the move seems to have stalled out. Frustrated with the city’s lack of action, Edwards sells to one-time San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who uses his old NFL connections to secure a cushy lease at the home of the Buccaneers in Ray Jay, the site of a 3-1 thrashing of Antigua and Barbuda during the United States’ 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Breather. Hey, we finished the Eastern Conference teams. Why are you still reading this? Why am I still writing it? Time is a meaningless construct in 2020 my friends, we are adrift in the void, fueled only by brief flashes of what once was and what may yet still be.
Candidate: Austin Bold FC
Location (Metro population): Austin, Texas (2,168,316)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 95,594)
Potential owner: Michael Dell (reported net worth of $32.3 billion)
Notes: Anthony Precourt’s Austin FC has some unexpected competition and it comes in the form of tech magnate Michael Dell. Dell, were he to buy the club, would be one of the richest owners on our list and could flash his cash in the new first division. Would he have enough to convince Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (I’m not kidding, that’s its actual name) to go back to a grass surface, like it did from ’96-’08? That’s between Dell and nearly 100,000 UT football fans, but everything can be had for the right price.
Candidate: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Location (Metro population): Colorado Springs, Colo. (738,939)
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Falcon Stadium (FieldTurf, 46,692)
Potential owner: Charles Ergen (reported net worth $10.8 billion)
Notes: Welcome to Colorado Springs. We have hurdles. For the first time in 12 candidates, we’re back below the desired 1 million metro population mark. Colorado Springs actually plans to build a $35 million, 8,000 seat venue downtown that will be perfect for soccer, but in our timeline that’s 7,000 seats short. Enter Falcon Stadium, home of the Air Force Academy Falcons football team. Seems perfect except for the turf, right? Well, the tricky thing is that Falcon Stadium is technically on an active military base and is (I believe) government property. Challenges to getting in and out of the ground aside, the military tends to have a pretty grim view of government property being used by for-profit enterprises. Maybe Charles Ergen, founder and chairman of Dish Network, would be able to grease the right wheels, but you can go ahead and throw this into the “doubtful” category. It’s a shame, too. 6,035 feet of elevation is one hell of a home-field advantage.
Candidate: El Paso Locomotive FC
Location: El Paso, Texas
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Sun Bowl (FieldTurf, 51,500)
Potential owner: Paul Foster (reported net worth $1.7 billion)
Notes: God bless Texas. When compiling this list, I found so many of the theoretical stadium replacements were nearly serviceable by high school football fields. That’s insane, right? Anyway, Locomotive don’t have to settle for one of those, they’ve got the Sun Bowl, which had its capacity reduced in 2001 to a paltry 51,500 (from 52,000) specifically to accommodate soccer. Sure, it’s a turf surface, but what does new owner Paul Foster (who is only the 1,477th wealthiest man in the world, per Forbes) care, he’s got a team in a top league. Side note: Did you know that the Sun Bowl college football game is officially, through sponsorship, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl? Why is it not the Frosted Flakes Sun Bowl? Why is the cereal mascot the promotional name of the football game? What are you doing, Kellogg’s?
Candidate: Las Vegas Lights FC
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (2,227,053)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Allegiant Stadium (Grass, 61,000)
Potential owner: Sheldon Adelson (reported net worth $37.7 billion)
Notes: Sin City. You had to know that the club that once signed Freddy Adu because “why not” was going to go all out in our flashy hypothetical proposal. Thanks to my narrative control of this whole thing, they have. Adelson is the second-richest owner in the league and has decided to do everything first class. That includes using the new Raiders stadium in nearby unincorporated Paradise, Nevada, and spending boatloads on high profile transfers. Zlatan is coming back to the U.S., confirmed.
Candidate: New Mexico United
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Isotopes Park – officially Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park (Grass, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion)
Potential owner: Maloof Family (reported net worth $1 billion)
Notes: New Mexico from its inception went deep on the community vibe, and I’ve tried to replicate that in this bid. The home field of Rio Grande Cr---I’m not typing out the whole thing—Isotopes Park falls just within the expansion rules we set to make it to 15,000 (weird, right?) and they’ve found a great local ownership group in the Lebanese-American Maloof (formerly Maalouf) family from Las Vegas. The only thing to worry about would be the metro population, but overall, this could be one of the gems of USL Prem.
Candidate: Oklahoma City Energy FC
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. (1,396,445)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (Grass, 13,066)
Potential owner: Harold Hamm (reported net worth $14.2 billion)
Notes: There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow and it says it’s time to change stadiums and owners to make it to D1. A sale to oil magnate Harold Hamm would give the club the finances it needs, but Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (home of the OKC Dodgers) actually falls outside of the boundary of what would meet capacity if 1,500 seats were added. Could the club pull off a move to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma – home of the Oklahoma Sooners? Maybe, but at 20 miles, this would be a reach.
Candidate: Orange County SC
Location: Irvine, Calif. (3,176, 000 in Orange County)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Angels Stadium of Anaheim (Grass, 43,250)
Potential owner: Arte Moreno (reported net worth $3.3 billion)
Notes: You’ll never convince me that Rangers didn’t choose to partner with Orange County based primarily on its name. Either way, a sale to MLB Angels owner Arte Moreno produces a fruitful partnership, with the owner choosing to play his newest club out of the existing Angels stadium in OC. Another baseball conversion, sure, but with a metro population of over 3 million and the closest thing this hypothetical league has to an LA market, who’s complaining?
Candidate: Phoenix Rising FC
Location: Phoenix, Ariz. (4,857,962)
Time zone: Arizona
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): State Farm Stadium (Grass, 63,400)
Potential owner: Ernest Garcia II (reported net worth $5.7 billion)
Notes: We’re keeping it local with new owner and used car guru Ernest Garcia II. His dad owned a liquor store and he dropped out of college, which is making me feel amazing about my life choices right now. Casino Arizona Field is great, but State Farm Stadium is a grass surface that hosted the 2019 Gold Cup semifinal, so it’s a clear winner. Throw in Phoenix’s massive metro population and this one looks like a lock.
Candidate: Reno 1868 FC
Location: Reno, Nev. (425,417)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Mackay Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000)
Potential owner: Nancy Walton Laurie (reported net worth $7.1 billion)
Notes: The Biggest Little City on Earth has some serious barriers to overcome, thanks to its low metro population. A sale to Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie and 1.6 mile-move to Mackay Stadium to split space with the University of Nevada, Reno makes this bid competitive, but the turf surface is another knock against it.
Candidate: Rio Grande Valley FC
Location: Edinburg, Texas (900,304)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): McAllen Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion)
Potential owner: Alice Louise Walton (reported net worth $45 billion)
Notes: Yes, I have a second straight Walmart heiress on the list. She was the first thing that popped up when I googled “McAllen Texas richest people.” The family rivalry has spurred Walton to buy a club as well, moving them 10 miles to McAllen Memorial Stadium which, as I alluded to earlier, is a straight up high school football stadium with a full color scoreboard. Toss in an additional 1,500 seats and you’ve met the minimum, despite the turf playing surface.
Candidate: San Antonio FC
Location: San Antonio, Texas (2,550,960)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Alamodome (FieldTurf, 64,000)
Potential owner: Red McCombs (reported net worth $1.6 billion)
Notes: I wanted to keep SAFC in the Spurs family, since the franchise is valued at $1.8 billion. That said, I didn’t let the Rooneys own the Riverhounds based on the Steelers’ value and it felt wrong to change the rules, so bring on Clear Channel co-founder Red McCombs. Toyota Field isn’t viable in the first division, but for the Alamodome, which was built in 1993 in hopes of attracting an NFL franchise (and never did), San Antonio can finally claim having *a* national football league team in its town (contingent on your definition of football). Now if only we could do something about that turf…
Candidate: San Diego Loyal SC
Location: San Diego, Calif. (3,317,749)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): SDCCU Stadium (formerly Qualcomm) (Grass, 70,561)
Potential owner: Phil Mickelson (reported net worth $91 million)
Notes: Yes, golf’s Phil Mickelson. The existing ownership group didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to meet requirements, and Phil seemed to slot right in. As an athlete himself, he might be interesting in the new challenges of a top flight soccer team. Toss in a move to the former home of the chargers and you might have a basis for tremendous community support.
Candidate: FC Tulsa
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (991,561)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000)
Potential owner: George Kaiser ($10 billion)
Notes: I’m a fan of FC Tulsa’s rebrand, but if they want to make the first division, more changes are necessary. A sale to Tulsa native and one of the 100 richest men in the world George Kaiser means that funding is guaranteed. A move to Chapman Stadium would provide the necessary seats, despite the turf field. While the undersize population might be an issue at first glance, it’s hard to imagine U.S. Soccer not granting a waiver over a less than a 10k miss from the mark.
And that’s it! You made it. Those are all of the independent/hybrid affiliates in the USL Championship, which means that it’s time for our…
VERDICT: As an expert who has studied this issue for almost an entire day now, I am prepared to pronounce which USL Championships could be most ‘ready” for a jump to the USL Prem. A reminder that of the 27 clubs surveyed, 0 of them met our ideal criteria (proper ownership $, metro population, 15,000+ stadium with grass field).
Two of them, however, met almost all of those criteria: Indy Eleven and Miami FC. Those two clubs may use up two of our three available turf fields right from the outset, but the other factors they hit (particularly Silva’s ownership of Miami) makes them difficult, if not impossible to ignore for the top flight.
But who fill in the rest of the slots? Meet the entire 14-team USL Premier League:
Hartford Athletic
Indy Eleven
Louisville City FC
Miami FC
North Carolina FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saint Louis FC
San Antonio FC
New Mexico United
Phoenix Rising FC
Las Vegas Lights FC
Orange County SC
San Diego Loyal SC
Now, I shall provide my expert rationale for each club’s inclusion/exclusion, which can be roughly broken down into four categories.
Firm “yes”
Hartford Athletic: It’s a good market size with a solid stadium. With a decent investor and good community support, you’ve got potential here.
Indy Eleven: The turf at Lucas Oil Stadium is no reason to turn down a 62,421 venue and a metro population of over 2 million.
Louisville City FC: Why doesn’t the 2017 & 2018 USL Cup champion deserve a crack at the top flight? They have the market size, and with a bit of expansion have the stadium at their own SSS. LCFC, you’re in.
Miami FC, “The”: Our other blue-chip recruit on the basis of ownership value, market size and stadium capacity. Yes, that field is turf, but how could you snub Silva’s chance to claim victory as the first division 1 club soccer team to play in Miami?
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Pittsburgh sacrificed a lot to be here (according to my arbitrary calculations). Their market size and the potential boon of soccer at Heinz Field is an important inclusion to the league.
Saint Louis FC: Willie hears your “Busch League” jokes, Willie don’t care. A huge market size, combined with the absence of an NFL franchise creates opportunity. Competition with the MLS side, sure, but St. Louis has serious soccer history and we’re willing to bet it can support two clubs.
Tampa Bay Rowdies: With a huge population and a massive stadium waiting nearby, Tampa Bay seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up for the USL Prem.
Las Vegas Lights FC: Ostentatious, massive and well-financed, Las Vegas Lights FC is everything that the USL Premier League would need to assert that it didn’t intend to play second fiddle to MLS. Players will need to be kept on a short leash, but this is a hard market to pass up on.
Phoenix Rising FC: Huge population, big grass field available nearby and a solid history of success in recent years. No brainer.
San Diego Loyal SC: New club? Yes, massive population in a market that recently lost an absolutely huge sports presence? Also yes. This could be the USL Prem’s Seattle.
Cautious “yes”
New Mexico United: You have to take a chance on New Mexico United. The club set the league on fire with its social media presence and its weight in the community when it entered the league last season. The market may be slightly under USSF’s desired 1 million, but fervent support (and the ability to continue to use Isotopes Park) shouldn’t be discounted.
North Carolina FC: Carter-Finley’s mixed grass/turf surface is a barrier, to be sure, but the 57,000+ seats it offers (and being enough to offset other fully-turf offerings) is enough to put it in the black.
Orange County SC: It’s a top-tier club playing in a MLB stadium. I know it seems unlikely that USSF would approve something like that, but believe me when I say “it could happen.” Orange County is a massive market and California likely needs two clubs in the top flight.
San Antonio FC: Our third and only voluntary inclusion to the turf fields in the first division, we’re counting on San Antonio’s size and massive potential stadium to see it through.
Cautious “no”
Birmingham Legion FC: The town has solid soccer history and a huge potential venue, but the turf playing surface puts it on the outside looking in.
Memphis 901 FC: Like Birmingham, not much to dislike here outside of the turf playing surface at the larger playing venue.
Austin Bold FC: See the other two above.
FC Tulsa: Everything’s just a little bit off with this one. Market’s slightly too small, stadium has turf. Just not enough to put it over the top.
Firm “no”
Charleston Battery: Small metro and a small potential new stadium? It’s tough to say yes to the risk.
Charlotte Independence: A small new stadium and the possibility of having to compete with an organization that just paid over $300 million to join MLS means it’s best for this club to remain in the USL Championship.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: When a club’s best chance to meet a capacity requirement is to host games at a venue controlled by the military, that doesn’t speak well to a club’s chances.
El Paso Locomotive FC: An undersized market and a turf field that meets capacity requirements is the death knell for this one.
Oklahoma City Energy FC: Having to expand a baseball field to meet requirements is a bad start. Having to potentially play 20 miles away from your main market is even worse.
Reno 1868 FC: Population nearly a half-million short of the federation’s requirements AND a turf field at the hypothetical new stadium makes impossible to say yes to this bid.
Rio Grande Valley FC: All the seat expansions in the world can’t hide the fact that McAllen Memorial Stadium is a high school stadium through and through.
Here’s who’s left in the 11-team Championship:
Birmingham Legion FC
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Independence
Memphis 901 FC
Austin Bold FC
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
El Paso Locomotive FC
Oklahoma City Energy FC
Reno 1868 FC
Rio Grande Valley FC
FC Tulsa
With MLS folding the six affiliates it has in USL League One, the league is a little bit thin (especially considering USSF’s requirements for 8 teams for lower level leagues), but seems definitely able to expand up to the necessary numbers with Edwards’ allusions to five new additions this year:
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Forward Madison FC
Greenville Triumph SC
Union Omaha
Richmond Kickers
South Georgia Tormenta
FC Tucson
Format of Assorted Leagues – This (like everything in this post) is pure conjecture on my part, but here are my thoughts on how these leagues might function in a first year while waiting for additional expansion.
USL Premier – We’ll steal from the 12-team Scottish Premiership. Each club plays the other 11 clubs 3 times, with either one or two home matches against each side. When each club has played 33 matches, the top six and bottom six separate, with every club playing an additional five matches (against each other team in its group). The top club wins the league. The bottom club is automatically relegated. The second-bottom club will enter a two-legged playoff against someone (see below) from the championship playoffs.
USL Championship -- 11 clubs is a challenge to schedule for. How about every club plays everyone else three times (either one or two home matches against each side)? Top four clubs make the playoffs, which are decided by two-legged playoffs. The winner automatically goes up. I need feedback on the second part – is it better to have the runner-up from the playoffs face the second-bottom club from the Premiership, or should the winner of the third-place match-up get the chance to face them to keep drama going in both playoff series? As for relegation, we can clearly only send down the last place club while the third division is so small.
USL League One – While the league is so small, it doesn’t seem reasonable to have the clubs play as many matches as the higher divisions. Each club could play the other six clubs four times – twice at home and twice away – for a very equitable 24-match regular season, which would help restrict costs and still provide a chance to determine a clear winner. Whoever finishes top of the table goes up.
And there you have it, a hypothetical look at how the USL could build a D1 league right now. All it would take is a new stadium for almost the entire league and new owners for all but one of the 27 clubs, who wouldn’t feel that their property would be massively devalued if they got relegated.
Well that’s our show. I’m curious to see what you think of all of this, especially anything that you think I may have overlooked (I’m sure there’s plenty). Anyway, I hope you’re all staying safe and well.

. Hello BSMF 2019 fans, we are glad you can join us at Memphis ! Memphis a great city with plenty of great food, entertainment, and sights to offer for your visit. Below you will find listings and links to some of our most popular attractions, restaurants and bars. If there is something you can’t find here, check out the search feature or the sidebar, and please feel free to ask us you need more detailed information. We hope that you enjoy your time here and can come back again soon.
Festival Info/Transportation/Contacts:
Official Beale Street Music Festival Info
BSMF Survival Guides: Guide 1 Guide 2 Guide 3
Memphis Police Non-Emergency Number 1-901-545-2677
Downtown Parking Map/Guide
Both Uber and Lyft are great around town: (be aware of surge pricing)
Official Lyft Drop off/pick up Spots and lounge map
Yellow Cab: 1-901-577-7777
MetroCab 1-901-322-2222
Memphis Area Transit Authority
Entertainment Areas:
South Main - Downtown
Cooper Young- Midtown
Overton Square – Midtown
Broad Ave Arts District – Binghampton
Crosstown Concourse - Crosstown Area
Brookhaven Circle – East Memphis
Downtown - Includes Beale Street, Pinch District, Mud Island and South Main
Memphis Sites of Interest and Attractions
Beale Street - Home of the blues. Bars, restaurants, shops. Quintessential tourist spot.
Graceland – way more expensive than you think
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Memphis Rock and Soul Museum
National Civil Rights Museum
Sun Studio – don’t eat at the café
The Peabody Hotel – ducks in an indoor fountain in very nice lobby
Elmwood Cemetery – famous dead Memphians
Historic Court Square in Downtown Memphis
Pink Palace Museum – originally home of Piggly Wiggly founder, now museum.
National Ornamental Metal Museum - Small museum of metallurgy and active blacksmith Shop overlooking the Mississippi River, next to Chickasaw Heritage Park with burial mounds (make sure to stop and look at the entrance gate)
Brooks Museum of Art
Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Cotton Museum
Lists of Memphis Murals: List 1 List 2 List 3
Southland Park Gaming and Racing – West Memphis, AR (minutes from downtown) Casino, Dog track, Sammy Hager Sports Bar and Bourbon Street Grill (fine dining)
Family Attractions:
Memphis Zoo –very nice. New exhibits for Zambizi River (hippos/crocodiles)
Children’s Museum of Memphis – splash pad in summer
Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid Official Site – amazing. Huge aquariums, shooting gallery, live alligators, bowling alley, many taxidermy animals, luxury hotel and seasonal free activities.
Memphis Botanic Gardens - nice gardens, large outdoor kids area.
Shelby Farms Park – large playgrounds, trails, lakes, paddleboats, fancy restaurant, seasonal attractions for Halloween and Christmas
Mud Island River Park
Memphis Riverboats – take a cruise on the Mississippi in an old fashioned paddle wheel boat
Outdoor Activities:
Big River Crossing – Pedestrian bridge that allows you to walk across the Mississippi River
Shelby Farms Park
Shelby Farms Greenline – network of 11 miles (and growing) of paved walking/biking trails connecting midtown to Collierville.
Overton Park – small lake, some trails
Shopping: See South Main, Cooper Young Broad Ave and Overton Square above.
Bass Pro at the Pyramid
Saddle Creek – Germantown
Oak Court Mall – East Memphis
Wolf Chase Mall – Cordova
Carriage Crossing – Collierville
Laurelwood Shopping Center - East Memphis
Live Music Listings and Events Calendars:
Memphis Flyer Live Music Listings
I Love Memphis Blog
Choose901 Blog
East Memphis Moms Blog
FedEx Forum Calendar
BBQ:
Tops Bar-B-Q -Multiple Locations- Ask for white chop, good burgers
Central BBQ –Multiple Locations- Nachos with house chips
Payne’s Bar-B-Que –Midtown- Slaw Dog, BBQ Baloney
One & Only BBQ - Multiple locations- BBQ Quesidilla
The Bar-B-Q Shop –Midtown- BBQ Spagetti
Corky’s Ribs BBQ –Multiple Locations- Ribs and Catfish
Cozy Corner Restaurant –Medical Center- Cornish hen and rib tips
Arnolds BBQ and Grill -Medical District- ribs
Leonard’s Pit Barbecue -Parkway Village- buffet
Eldwood’s Shack -Berclaire/Summer- lots of great stuff
Interstate Barbecue – South Memphis- BBQ spaghetti
Blues City Cafe - Beale Street -wet ribs, bit touristy
TOURIST BBQ Rendezvous BBQ –Downtown- don’t slow smoke their ribs, they grill them
*Breweries *
Meddlesome Brewing - Cordova
Boscos Restaurant and Brewing Company- Midtown
Ghost River Tap Room/Brewery –Downtown
High Cotton Brewing – Medical District
Memphis Made Brewing – Midtown
Old Domnick Distillery vodka/whiskey - Downtown
Wiseacre Brewing – Broad Ave
Crosstown Brewing Co - Crosstown Concourse
Memphis Brew Bus - Bus tour of selection of Memphis breweries

I think this may be an unpopular opinion here, but I wanted to test the waters anyway. I really do not like the fact that the symbol of the city of Memphis is now a bass pro shop. I understand people like to go there, it can be fun and exciting... but is it necessary?
Fist of all, the Bass Pro deal cost Memphians 30 million dollars in taxpayer money. Second, there is now a giant billboard advertising for a private company on a public monument. Third, Bass Pro had been notorious around the US for leaving deals with cities when they start to lose money.
I get that it brings jobs to the city, but people claim that it brings tourism as well. I doubt that many of the visitors are actually coming to Memphis specifically for the pyramid, most probably find out about it and visit after coming for Graceland, The Civil Rights Museum, or Beal st.
I don't hate bass pro, but I think that a monument so synonymous with the city itself should be a public space, perhaps a collection of local stores, or a concert venue. Anyway that is my two cents about it, I really just want to know what people's opinion on the matter is now that tensions have calmed down a bit.

. Hello BSMF 2018 fans, we are glad you can join us at Memphis ! Memphis a great city with plenty of great food, entertainment, and sights to offer for your visit. Below you will find listings and links to some of our most popular attractions, restaurants and bars. If there is something you can’t find here, check out the search feature or the sidebar, and please feel free to ask us you need more detailed information. We hope that you enjoy your time here and can come back again soon.   Festival Info/Transportation/Contacts:
Official Beale Street Music Festival Info
BSMF Survival Guides: Guide 1 Guide 2 Guide 3
*Memphis Police Non-Emergency Number 1-901-545-2677 *
Downtown Parking Map/Guide
Both Uber and Lyft are great around town:
Uber BSMF Info
Lyft: Use MEMPHISINMAY18 code for $5 off 2 rides with Lyft or $10 off one ride with DILLYDILLY10
Yellow Cab: 1-901-577-7777
MetroCab 1-901-322-2222
[Memphis Area Transit Authority](www.matatransit.com)
  Entertainment Areas:
South Main - Downtown
Cooper Young- Midtown
Overton Square – Midtown
Broad Ave Arts District – Binghampton
Crosstown Concourse - Crosstown Area
Brookhaven Circle – East Memphis
Downtown - Includes Beale Street, Pinch District, Mud Island and South Main
  Memphis Sites of Interest and Attractions
Beale Street - Home of the blues. Bars, restaurants, shops. Quintessential tourist spot.
Graceland – way more expensive than you think
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
National Civil Rights Museum
Sun Studio – don’t eat at the café
The Peabody Hotel – ducks in an indoor fountain in very nice lobby
Elmwood Cemetery – famous dead Memphians
Historic Court Square in Downtown Memphis
Pink Palace Museum – originally home of Piggly Wiggly founder, now museum.
National Ornamental Metal Museum - Small museum of metallurgy and active blacksmith Shop overlooking the Mississippi River, next to Chickasaw Heritage Park with burial mounds. Grounds with art are free to walk and check out river view (make sure to stop and look at the entrance gate)
Brooks Museum of Art
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Cotton Museum
Lists of Memphis Murals: List 1 List 2 List 3
Southland Park Gaming and Racing – West Memphis, AR (minutes from downtown) Casino, Dog track, Sammy Hager Sports Bar and Bourbon Street Grill (fine dining)
 
Family Attractions:
Memphis Zoo –very nice. New exhibits for Zambizi River (hippos/crocodiles)
Children’s Museum of Memphis – splash pad in summer
Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid Official Site – amazing. Huge aquariums, shooting gallery, live alligators, bowling alley, many taxidermy animals, luxury hotel and seasonal free activities.
Memphis Botanic Gardens - nice gardens, large outdoor kids area.
Shelby Farms Park – large playgrounds, trails, lakes, paddleboats, fancy restaurant, seasonal attractions for Halloween and Christmas
Mud Island River Park
Memphis Riverboats – take a cruise on the Mississippi in an old fashioned paddle wheel boat
  Outdoor Activities:
Big River Crossing – Pedestrian bridge that allows you to walk across the Mississippi River
Shelby Farms Park
Shelby Farms Greenline – network of 11 miles (and growing) of paved walking/biking trails connecting midtown to Collierville.
Overton Park – small lake, some trails
 
Shopping: See South Main, Cooper Young Broad Ave and Overton Square above.
Bass Pro at the Pyramid
Saddle Creek – Germantown
Oak Court Mall – East Memphis
Wolf Chase Mall – Cordova
Carriage Crossing – Collierville
Laurelwood Shopping Center - East Memphis
 
Live Music Listings and Events Calendars:
Memphis Flyer Live Music Listings
I Love Memphis Blog
Choose901 Blog
East Memphis Moms Blog
FedEx Forum Calendar
 
BBQ:
Tops Bar-B-Q -Multiple Locations- Ask for white chop, good burgers
Central BBQ –Multiple Locations- Nachos with house chips
Payne’s Bar-B-Que –Midtown- Slaw Dog, BBQ Baloney
The Bar-B-Q Shop –Midtown- BBQ Spagetti
Corky’s Ribs & BBQ –Multiple Locations- Ribs and Catfish
Cozy Corner Restaurant –Medical Center- Cornish hen and rib tips
Arnolds BBQ and Grill -Medical District- ribs
Leonard’s Pit Barbecue -Parkway Village- buffet
Eldwood’s Shack -Berclaire/Summer- lots of great stuff
Interstate Barbecue – South Memphis- BBQ spaghetti
Blues City Cafe - Beale Street -wet ribs, bit touristy
TOURIST BBQ Rendezvous BBQ –Downtown- don’t slow smoke their ribs, they grill them
 
*Breweries *
Meddlesome Brewing - Cordova
Boscos Restaurant and Brewing Company- Midtown
Ghost River Tap Room/Brewery –Downtown
High Cotton Brewing – Medical District
Long Road Cider Co –North of Millington
Memphis Made Brewing – Midtown
Old Domnick Distillery vodka/whiskey - Downtown
Wiseacre Brewing – Broad Ave
Crosstown Brewing Co - Crosstown Concourse
NEW Memphis Brew Bus - Bus tour of selection of Memphis breweries

Mostly jazz here, but other genre's too. $10 minimum order, $4 shipping for any amount sent Media Mail, tracked in the US. Shipping from Illinois. Please inquire for international. Links below lead to my Discogs site that contain additional detail about the LPs condition. I crammed as many in this post as possible, but feel free to pick from MY Discogs as well to bundle.
Grades are VINYL / JACKET.
Thanks!
X
Ahmad Jamal - Portfolio Of Ahmad Jamal VG VG $7
Ahmad Jamal Trio - Volume IV VG VG $4 Al Di Meola - Casino VG+ VG+ $4 Al Kooper - Championship Wrestling VG+ VG+ $4 Alex de Grassi - Southern Exposure VG+ VG+ $5 Alphonse Mouzon - The Man Incognito VG VG $7 Alphonso Johnson - Moonshadows VG+ VG+ $5 Alvino Rey - Refreshing Melodies VG+ VG $3 André Previn, Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell - Sessions, Live VG+ VG $7 Anthony Braxton - New York, Fall 1974 VG+ VG $8 Aretha Franklin - Greatest Hits Volume II VG+ VG $3 Aretha Franklin - Jump To It VG VG+ $4 Art Tatum - The Tatum Solo Masterpieces, Vol. 10 VG+ VG+ $3 Art Tatum Trio - Presenting... The Art Tatum Trio VG+ G+ $15 Audience (2) - The House On The Hill VG+ VG $6 Average White Band - Warmer Communications VG+ VG+ $4 Babatunde Olatunji - Zungo! VG+ VG+ $5 Badlands (10) - Badlands VG+ VG $4 Barney Kessel - Barney Kessel's Swingin' Party At Contemporary VG VG+ $4 Barney Kessel - Music To Listen To Barney Kessel By VG VG $4 Barney Kessel - Vol. 3, To Swing Or Not To Swing G+ G+ $3 Barry Galbraith - Guitar Comping NM NM $4 Beck, Bogert & Appice - Beck, Bogert & Appice VG+ VG $3 Ben Webster & Harry Edison - Ben And "Sweets" NM VG+ $8 Benny Carter 4 - Montreux '77 NM VG+ $8 Bernard Wright - Nard VG+ VG+ $35 Bill Perkins, Art Pepper, Richie Kamuca - Just Friends VG G+ $13 Bill Reinhardt - Where Were You Last Night? "At Jazz Ltd. Of Course" VG VG+ $3 Bill Withers - Still Bill G+ G+ $4 Billie Holiday - Broadcast Performances Volume 3 1956 - 1958 VG+ VG $4 Billie Holiday - Lonely Blue Child... VG+ VG $8 Billie Holiday - The Billie Holiday Story Volume III VG+ VG $6 Billie Holiday - The Original Recordings VG+ NM $5 Billy Vaughn - Number 1 Hits, Vol. 1 VG+ VG+ $3 Bloodrock - Bloodrock 2 VG G+ $3 Bob Brookmeyer - Bob Brookmeyer And Friends VG+ VG+ $5 Bob Dylan / The Band - Before The Flood VG+ VG+ $14 Bobby Broom - Clean Sweep VG+ VG $4 Bobby Jones (2) - Arrival Of Bobby Jones NM VG $6 Booker T & The MG's - Hip Hug-Her G+ VG+ $13 Brand X (3) - Do They Hurt? VG+ VG $4 Brand X (3) - Livestock VG+ VG+ $4 Brand X (3) - Moroccan Roll VG+ VG $5 Brand X (3) - Unorthodox Behaviour VG+ VG+ $6 Branford Marsalis - Random Abstract VG+ VG $3 Branford Marsalis - Royal Garden Blues VG+ VG+ $4 Branford Marsalis - Scenes In The City VG+ VG+ $4 Brian Auger - Brian Auger VG+ VG $3 Brian May + Friends - Star Fleet Project NM VG+ $5 Brother Jack McDuff - Live! VG VG+ $6 Brother Jack McDuff - The Midnight Sun VG G+ $4 Bud Freeman's All Star Orchestra Featuring Harold Baker - The Bud Freeman All-Stars Featuring Shorty Baker NM VG+ $13 Bud Shank Featuring Laurindo Almeida - Brazilliance Vol. 2 VG+ VG+ $14 Buddy DeFranco And Oscar Peterson - Play George Gershwin VG G $6 Buddy Johnson - Wails VG VG+ $4 Bunny Sigler - Let The Good Times Roll & (Feel So Good) VG+ VG+ $9 Caldera (2) - Dreamer VG+ G+ $4 Caldera (2) - Time And Chance VG+ VG+ $4 Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else G+ G $34 Cannonball Adderley - The Black Messiah G+ G+ $8 Carlos Barbosa-Lima - Plays The Music Of Luiz Bonfá And Cole Porter NM VG+ $4 Charles Earland - Black Talk! VG VG $4 Charles McPherson - Siku Ya Bibi (Day Of The Lady) VG+ VG+ $6 Charles Mingus - Mingus VG+ VG+ $7 Charlie Byrd - Brazilian Byrd VG VG $5 Charlie Byrd - Brazilian Byrd VG VG+ $4 ~~ PENDING Charlie Byrd - For All We Know ~~ VG+ G+ $3 Charlie Parker - The Happy "Bird" VG+ G+ $5 Charlie Parker - Dizzy Gillespie - Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie M NM $6 Chico Hamilton - The Gamut VG+ G+ $5 Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good VG+ VG+ $4 Count Basie - Super Chief VG+ VG $5 Count Basie / Big Joe Turner - The Bosses VG+ VG $4 Count Basie Orchestra - Hollywood...Basie's Way NM NM $6 Count Basie Orchestra - Kansas City Suite - The Music Of Benny Carter VG VG $3 Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash VG VG+ $5 Dakota Staton - The Late, Late Show VG+ VG+ $4 Danny Wilding / Pete Bonus - Pleasure Signals VG+ VG $5 Dave Brubeck - Time In VG+ VG+ $5 Dave Edmunds - Subtle As A Flying Mallet NM VG+ $5 David Rose - Enchanted Strings VG+ VG+ $3 Dean Elliott - College Confidential VG+ VG+ $4 Dean Martin - The Best Of Dean Martin VG+ VG+ $7 Delaney & Bonnie & Friends - Motel Shot VG+ VG+ $9 Delaney Bramlett - Mobius Strip VG+ VG $5 Dexter Wansel - Voyager VG VG $5 Dick Garcia - A Message From Garcia NM NM $15 Donald Byrd - Places And Spaces G+ F $4 Donald Byrd, Gigi Gryce, Wynton Kelly, Art Taylor, Jackie Paris, Julius Watkins, Sahib Shihab, Jimmy Cleveland - Modern Jazz Perspective VG+ VG+ $6 Dorothy Washington - The Negro Woman VG+ VG+ $5 Doug Clark & The Hot Nuts - Homecoming VG VG+ $3 Drifting Cowboys - We Remember Hank Williams VG+ VG+ $18 Duke Ellington - Duke Ellington's Greatest Hits VG VG $4 Duke Ellington - The Music Of Duke Ellington Played By Duke Ellington VG+ VG+ $3 Duke Ellington And His Orchestra - Duke's Mixture G+ G+ $3 Eberhard Weber - Fluid Rustle VG+ VG $7 Ed Thigpen - Out Of The Storm VG VG+ $4 Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies Volume 11 - Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson VG VG+ $3 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis With Shirley Scott And Jerome Richardson - The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook G+ G+ $5 Eddie Adcock - Eddie Adcock And His Guitar VG+ VG $3 Eddie Bonnemere - Jazz Orient-ed VG+ VG $8 Eddie Harris - Cool Sax Warm Heart VG+ VG+ $8 Eddie Jefferson - Letter From Home VG F $8 Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy (2) - Original Radio Broadcasts Featuring Edgar, Charlie, Mortimer, Snerd, Effie, Klinker, And Their Guests VG VG+ $6 Edmundo Ros & His Orchestra - Latin-American Novelties VG+ G+ $4 Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Abraça Jobim - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Antonio Carlos Jobim Song Book VG+ VG+ $10 Elton John - Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy VG+ VG+ $5 Elton John - Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player VG+ VG $4 Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton VG G+ $4 Eric Kloss / Barry Miles - Together VG+ VG+ $3 Etta Jones - Don't Go To Strangers VG+ VG $14 Frank Butler - The Stepper VG+ G+ $6 Frankie Carle - Caressin' The Keys VG VG+ $8 Fred Katz, Harold Gaylor, John Pisano - 4-5-6 Trio G+ VG $8 Freddie Hubbard - First Light VG+ VG+ $7 Freddie Hubbard - Straight Life VG+ VG $11 Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster - Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster VG+ VG+ $14 Gil Evans - Pacific Standard Time VG+ G+ $5 Graham Jackson (3) - In Concert At Pittypat's Porch In Atlanta, Georgia VG+ VG $8 Grand Dominion Jazz Band - Come Back, Sweet Papa NM NM $9 Grover Washington, Jr. - Mister Magic VG VG+ $7 Hank Crawford - Cajun Sunrise VG+ NM $4 Hank Mobley Quartet - Hank Mobley Quartet NM NM $10 Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage NM NM $14 Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off VG+ VG+ $30 Herbie Hancock - The Prisoner VG+ VG+ $16 Herbie Hancock - V.S.O.P. VG+ G+ $6 Herbie Mann - Memphis Two-Step NM VG+ $4 Hubert Laws - Family VG+ VG $4 Hugo Montenegro - Love Theme From The Godfather VG+ VG+ $3 Ike Quebec - Blue & Sentimental NM NM $14 Irving Wolfe, Beatrice Krone, Margaret Fullerton - The Development Of Jazz VG VG $6 Jack Bruce - Songs For A Tailor VG+ VG $5 Jack DeJohnette's Directions - Cosmic Chicken VG+ VG $6 Jackie Mclean - Monuments VG+ VG+ $5 Jaki Byard - On The Spot! VG+ G+ $15 James Blood Ulmer - Black Rock NM VG+ $8 Jazz At The Philharmonic - Norman Granz' Jazz At The Philharmonic Vol.3 VG+ G+ $20 Jean-Luc Ponty - Aurora VG+ VG $5 Jean-Luc Ponty - Canteloupe Island VG+ VG+ $8 Jean-Luc Ponty - Cosmic Messenger VG+ VG+ $3 Jean-Luc Ponty - Electric Connection VG+ VG+ $7 Jean-Luc Ponty - Imaginary Voyage VG VG $3 Jean-Luc Ponty - Live VG+ VG+ $3 Jean-Luc Ponty - Upon The Wings Of Music VG+ VG+ $3 Jeff Beck - There & Back VG+ VG+ $4 Jeff Beck - Truth/Beck-ola VG+ VG+ $5 Jeff Beck With The Jan Hammer Group - Live VG+ VG+ $4 Jerry Byrd - Steel Guitar Favorites VG G+ $5 Jim Collier (3) - Trumpet Pickin' M M $6 Jim Hall - In A Sentimental Mood VG VG+ $4 Jimmy Dempsey - Tennessee Saturday Night Fever VG+ VG+ $5 Jimmy McGriff - Black And Blues G VG $3 Jimmy McGriff - Black Pearl VG+ VG $7 Jimmy McGriff - Fly Dude VG VG+ $6 Jimmy Raney - A VG+ VG+ $15 Jimmy Smith - Got My Mojo Workin' VG VG+ $3 Jimmy Smith - The Best Of Jimmy Smith VG+ VG+ $8 Jimmy Smith - The Sermon! VG G+ $8 Jimmy Smith - Unfinished Business VG+ VG+ $4 Jimmy Witherspoon, Gerry Mulligan, Ben Webster With Mel Lewis, Leroy Vinnegar, Jimmy Rowles - At The Renaissance VG G $8 Joe Dukes With The Brother Jack McDuff Quartet - The Soulful Drums Of Joe Dukes With The Brother Jack McDuff Quartet G+ G $13 Joe Houston - Wild Man Of The Tenor Sax VG VG $6 Joe Pass - Guitar Interludes VG+ NM $65 John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguard Again! VG+ VG $15 John Entwistle - Whistle Rymes VG+ VG $3 John Jacob Niles - The Ballads Of John Jacob Niles VG VG $6 John Klemmer - Magic Moments NM VG+ $3 John Klemmer - Waterfalls VG+ VG $5 John Patton - Accent On The Blues VG+ VG+ $15 John Williams (7) - A Spanish Guitar VG+ VG+ $4 Johnny Guitar Watson - A Real Mother For Ya VG VG $3 Johnny Guitar Watson - Ain't That A Bitch G+ VG+ $3 Johnny Hodges - A Tribute To Johnny Hodges VG+ VG $6 Johnny Hodges & Wild Bill Davis - Wings And Things VG VG+ $4 Johnny Lytle - Be Proud VG+ VG $4 Johnny Smith - Reminiscing VG+ VG $5 Jon Lucien - The Best Of VG+ VG+ $4 Jørgen Ingmann - Swinging Guitar VG G+ $3 Ken Moule - Cool Moule VG+ VG $17 Kenny Burrell - Ellington Is Forever VG+ G+ $4 Kenny Burrell - In New York VG+ VG+ $9 Kenny Burrell - K.B.Blues NM VG+ $55 Kenny Burrell - Kenny Burrell VG+ VG+ $34 Kenny Burrell - When Lights Are Low VG G+ $6 Kenny Burrell / Jimmy Smith - Blue Bash! VG+ VG $6 Kenny Dorham With Cannonball Adderley & Sonny Rollins - Kenny Dorham And Friends G+ G+ $4 King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon VG+ G+ $11 King Curtis - Live At Fillmore West G+ VG $8 Kool & The Gang - Open Sesame VG+ VG $5 Lambert, Hendricks & Ross With The Ike Isaacs Trio - Sing Ellington M G+ $17 Larry Coryell - The Lion And The Ram VG G+ $3 Larry Coryell with John Scofield and Joe Beck - Tributaries VG+ VG $6 Latin All Stars (2) - Jazz Heat Bongo Beat G+ Not Graded $4 Laurindo Almeida - Contemporary Creations For Spanish Guitar VG+ G+ $5 Laurindo Almeida - Spanish Guitar Recital VG+ VG+ $4 Leadbelly - Sings Ballads Of Beautiful Women & Bad Men / With The Satin Strings VG+ VG+ $12 Lennie Niehaus - Vol.1 The Quintets G F $4 Lester Young With Count Basie Orchestra - Let's Go To Prez VG+ VG+ $11 Levon Helm - Levon Helm VG VG+ $8 Lily Pons - Popular Concert VG+ VG+ $4 Little Feat - Dixie Chicken VG VG $3 Little Feat - Little Feat VG+ VG+ $11 Lonnie Brooks - Bayou Lightning G+ VG $3 Lonnie Liston Smith - Live! VG+ G+ $4 Lonnie Mack - Second Sight VG+ VG+ $3 Lord Jayson And His Limbo Gang - Limbo VG G+ $4 Lou Bennett (2), The George Benson Quintet, Charlie Byrd Trio - Europa Jazz NM VG+ $3 Lou Donaldson - Midnight Creeper VG+ G+ $4 Lou Donaldson - Midnight Sun VG+ G+ $11 Lou Donaldson - Sassy Soul Strut VG G+ $4 Lou Donaldson Quintet - I Won't Cry Anymore VG+ G+ $4 Mahavishnu Orchestra - Mahavishnu NM VG+ $4 Mark Murphy - Rah VG+ VG+ $19 Marvin Gaye - Trouble Man G+ G $11 Masahiko Satoh Featuring Eddie Gomez And Steve Gadd - Amorphism VG+ VG+ $4 Material - Memory Serves VG+ VG $6 Matrix (26) - IX VG+ VG $7 Matrix (26) - Wizard VG VG $4 Michael Brecker - Don't Try This At Home NM VG+ $4 Mike Stern - Upside Downside NM VG+ $4 Miles Davis - Archives Of Jazz Vol. 3 M VG+ $4 Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue G G+ $15 Miles Davis - Miles Davis At Fillmore VG G+ $6 Miles Davis - Round About Midnight G+ F $17 Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain M M $17 Milt Buckner - Rockin' With Milt VG+ VG+ $11 Milt Jackson & Ray Charles - Soul Brothers G+ VG $7 Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Take A Ride... VG+ NM $17 Morton Gould - Hi-Fi Band Concert M VG+ $11 Muscle Shoals Horns - Born To Get Down VG VG $5 Music Minus One - For Drummers Only! VG+ VG+ $4 Nat King Cole With Nelson Riddle And His Orchestra - The Piano Soul Of Nat King Cole VG+ VG $5 New Birth - Comin' From All Ends VG VG $5 New Birth - It's Been A Long Time G+ VG $3 Newport Youth Band - The Newport Youth Band At The Newport Jazz Festival VG+ G+ $11 Nicanor Zabaleta - Zabaleta Plays Spanish Classics For The Harp VG+ G+ $13 Niels Lan Doky - Daybreak VG+ VG+ $10 Norman Granz - Jazz At The Philharmonic Vol.8 VG+ VG+ $8 Nova (38) - Vimana VG+ VG $3 Ohio Players - Skin Tight VG VG+ $5 Oliver Sain - Blue Max VG+ VG $8 Oregon - Crossing VG VG+ $3 Oscar Peterson - Soft Sands VG G+ $4 Otis Redding - The Dock Of The Bay G+ VG+ $4 Otis Redding / The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Historic Performances Recorded At The Monterey International Pop Festival G+ VG $4 Owen Bradley - The Big Guitar VG VG $6 Passport (2) - Passport VG VG $8 Pat Martino - Live! VG F $4 Paul Bley - Axis (Solo Piano) VG G $4 Paul Bley With Steve Swallow & Pete La Roca - Floater VG G+ $5 Paul Humphrey Sextet Featuring Oscar Brashear - Paul Humphrey Sextet Featuring Oscar Brashear VG+ G+ $5 Paul McCartney - Tug Of War M M $9 Perez Prado And His Orchestra - Mambo Mania VG+ VG $7 Phil Upchurch / Tennyson Stephens - Upchurch/Tennyson VG G+ $4 Pickin' Around The Cookstove - Pickin' Around The Cookstove NM NM $9 Pieces Of A Dream - We Are One NM VG+ $5 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky / The Boston Pops Orchestra - Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker, Op. 71 (Excerpts) VG+ VG $4 Quincy Jones - Body Heat VG+ VG+ $9 Quincy Jones - Smackwater Jack VG G $4 Ralph MacDonald - Sound Of A Drum VG+ VG+ $6 Ralph MacDonald - The Path VG+ VG+ $4 Richard Davis (2) - Muses For Richard Davis VG+ VG+ $6 Robben Ford - The Inside Story VG+ VG+ $6 Roland Kirk - Boogie-Woogie String Along For Real VG+ VG+ $5 Roland Kirk - Other Folks' Music VG+ VG $7 Roland Kirk - Pre-Rahsaan VG+ VG+ $6 Rolando La Serie - El Rey Guapachoso VG+ VG $7 Rollie Hudson, Jim Levesque, Dennis Hinman, Debbie Culbertson, Alden Skinner, Tracy Hammer - Record Breaking Performances Featuring The Yamaha Electone 7000 NM VG+ $5 Ronnie Laws - Fever VG+ VG+ $5 Ronnie Laws - Flame VG VG $3 Ronnie Laws - Pressure Sensitive VG VG $6 Roomful Of Blues - Hot Little Mama! NM VG+ $5 Roomful Of Blues - Let's Have A Party VG+ VG+ $5 Ruth Brown - The Real Ruth Brown VG VG $6 Sadao Watanabe - Maisha NM NM $5 Sal Salvador Quartet - Music To Stop Smoking By The Sal Salvador Quartet VG VG+ $20 Sam Cooke And The Soul Stirrers - Gospel In My Soul VG VG $9 Sam Most With Joe Farrell - Flute Talk VG G+ $7 Santana - Amigos VG G+ $4 Sarah Vaughan - That Everlovin' "Sassy" VG G+ $5 Shake Keane - Dig It! NM VG+ $4 Shirley Scott - On A Clear Day VG VG+ $3 Shirley Scott - Shirley's Sounds G+ VG $4 Shirley Scott Trio - Great Scott!! VG VG+ $4 Sly & The Family Stone - Stand! G+ G+ $4 Sonny Boy Williamson (2) & The Animals - The Night Time Is The Right Time VG VG $3 Sonny Stitt - Stardust VG+ VG+ $4 Sonny Stitt & Bunky Green - Soul In The Night VG VG+ $4 ~~ PENDING Stan Getz - Groovin' High~~ VG VG $7 Stan Getz Quintet / The Charlie Parker Quintet - The Saxes Of Stan Getz And Charlie Parker VG VG $4 Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Serge Chaloff, Brew Moore, Allen Eager - Brothers And Other Mothers VG+ VG+ $4 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - Stan Kenton Classics VG+ VG+ $5 Stan Kenton And His Orchestra, June Christy, The Four Freshmen - Road Show VG+ VG+ $5 Stanley Black - Cuban Moonlight VG VG $4 ~~ PENDING Steel Pulse - True Democracy~~ G+ VG $5 Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic VG+ VG+ $8 Steve Khan - Arrows VG+ VG $5 Steve Kuhn - Trance VG+ VG $6 Steve Marcus - Sometime Other Than Now VG+ VG+ $5 Stevie Wonder - Down To Earth VG VG+ $3 Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life VG+ VG+ $14 Sting - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles VG+ VG+ $3 Stomu Yamashta's Go - Go Live From Paris VG+ VG $6 Sylvia Syms - Sylvia Syms Sings VG VG $15 The 50 Guitars Of Tommy Garrett - 50 Guitars Limited Edition VG VG $5 The Art Van Damme Quintet - Manhattan Time VG VG $4 The Beach Boys - Wild Honey VG+ VG+ $13 The Blackbyrds - Flying Start VG+ VG $8 The Charles Ford Band - A Reunion NM VG+ $17 The Chico Hamilton Quintet - Chico Hamilton Quintet VG VG $13 The Dave Brubeck Quartet - My Favorite Things VG G+ $4 The Don Elliott Quintet - The Don Elliott Quintet VG VG $6 The Eddie Bonnemere Trio - Piano Bon Bons By Bonnemere VG+ VG $11 The George Russell Sextet Featuring Don Ellis & Eric Dolphy - 1 2 3 4 5 6extet VG+ VG+ $11 The Laurindo Almeida Trio - Laurindo Almeida Trio VG+ VG $17 The Louis Nelson New Orleans All Stars - April In New Orleans VG+ VG+ $7 The Lovin' Spoonful - You're A Big Boy Now - The Original Sound Track Album VG+ VG+ $5 The Miles Davis Quintet - Cookin' With The Miles Davis Quintet G+ G $17 The Modern Jazz Quartet - Patterns G+ VG $3 The Modern Jazz Quartet - Pyramid G+ G+ $3 The Monty Alexander Trio - Full Steam Ahead VG+ VG+ $3 The Oscar Peterson Trio - In Tokyo - Live At The Palace Hotel NM VG+ $17 The Ramsey Lewis Trio - Bach To The Blues NM VG+ $12 The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The In Crowd VG VG+ $6 The Rascals - Searching For Ecstasy - The Rest Of The Rascals, 1969-1972 NM VG+ $3 The Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue VG+ VG+ $4 The Section - Fork It Over VG+ VG+ $3 The Section - Forward Motion VG+ G+ $4 The Tennessee Guitars - 20 Pieces Of Country Gold VG+ NM $3 The Ventures - The Ventures VG VG $4 The West India Regiment Steel Band - Panorama VG+ VG+ $8 Thelonious Monk - Monk. G+ Generic $8 Thumbs Carllile - All Thumbs VG+ VG+ $6 Tim Berne - Sanctified Dreams NM VG+ $3 Tina Charles - Heart 'N' Soul VG+ VG+ $3 Tiny Grimes / J.C. Higginbotham - Callin' The Blues G G+ $4 Tommy Speledore - At The Piano VG VG+ $6 Tony Mottola - Guitar U.S.A. VG VG+ $4 Turibio Santos - Five Centuries Of French Guitar Music VG+ VG+ $8 Turk Murphy And Wally Rose - The Music Of Jelly Roll Morton VG+ VG $3 Various - 5 Birds And A Monk VG+ VG $3 Various - A Jam Session By Sarah Vaughan And Other Jazz Stars VG+ VG+ $4 Various - A Jazz Holiday VG+ VG+ $3 Various - Bethlehem's Best VG G+ $4 Various - Death Row - Greatest Hits M M $15 Various - Hi-Fi Drums VG VG $3 Various - In Concert With Host Charley Pride VG+ VG $3 Various - In The Groove (The Masters Of Swing Play Their Greatest Music) NM VG $5 Various - Man With A Horn, Trumpet Solos by Famous Jazzmen G+ VG $6 Various - Mar Y Sol VG+ VG+ $5 Various - Montreux Summit - Volume 2 NM VG+ $4 Various - Murder Was The Case (The Soundtrack) VG+ VG+ $21 Various - One Night With Blue Note Preserved VG+ VG $25 Various - The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies - Isle Of Wight / Atlanta Pop Festival VG+ VG $8 Various - The Twelve String Story, Volume 2 VG+ VG+ $5 Various - Underground Blues G VG+ $3 Virgil Gonsalves Big Band Plus Virgil Gonsalves Sextet - Jazz At Monterey VG+ VG+ $8 Vital Information - Global Beat NM VG+ $5 Walter Bishop, Jr. - Hot House VG+ G+ $5 Walter Raim - 12 String Guitar 12 Great Hits VG+ VG+ $8 Wanda Robinson - Black Ivory VG VG+ $8 War - All Day Music G+ G+ $5 Wes Montgomery - Road Song VG+ VG $4 Wet Willie - Wet Willie Greatest Hits VG+ VG+ $5 Willie Hutch - Fully Exposed VG G+ $8 Willie Ruff - The Smooth Side of Ruff VG+ VG+ $8 Wynton Marsalis - The Wynton Marsalis Quartet Live At Blues Alley NM G+ $4 Wynton Marsalis - Thick In The South (Soul Gestures In Southern Blue Vol.1) VG+ VG+ $5 Ziggy Elman & His Orchestra - Play For Your Dancing Pleasure G+ VG+ $3

https://www.cdcgamingreports.com/commentaries/20-years-ago-trump-had-eye-on-seminoles/
I have just started researching this, but I think it’s incredibly suspicious.
It turns out the tribal chairman James Billie was courted by trump to build a casino where the hard rock is currently located.
Apparently he nicknamed a gator after trump.
“Trump’s legacy remains at the Big Cypress reservation, though. It seems that shortly after The Donald’s visit, Billie encountered an especially feisty gator, a fighter with a Type A personality and a lust for territorial dominance.
The gator is still around, in captivity. Billie named him “Trump”.
So considering the seminoles donations seem to be to democrats, their chairman seems to dislike trump, how exactly did this guy work as the Human Resources manager at the hard rock while also having a hardcore decaled out trump van?
Why is Debbie wascherman Schultz the only return address in the bomb packages and one of the few individual politicians seminoles have donated too?
You might also find it interesting that the hard rock is well known for pyramid shaped hotels/restaurants an all seeing eye with pyramid in their logos, and the founder Isaac Tigrett of the hard rock was a big time follower of pedophile Sai Baba.
He also literally was referred to as an Illuminatist by American Way magazines cover story on him and built the great American pyramid stadium in Memphis.

. Hello BSMF 2018 fans, we are glad you can join us at Memphis ! Memphis a great city with plenty of great food, entertainment, and sights to offer for your visit. Below you will find listings and links to some of our most popular attractions, restaurants and bars. If there is something you can’t find here, check out the search feature or the sidebar, and please feel free to ask us you need more detailed information. We hope that you enjoy your time here and can come back again soon.   Festival Info/Transportation/Contacts:
Official Beale Street Music Festival Info
BSMF Survival Guides: Guide 1 Guide 2 Guide 3
*Memphis Police Non-Emergency Number 1-901-545-2677 *
Downtown Parking Map/Guide
Both Uber and Lyft are great around town (Use MEMPHISINMAY18 code for $5 off 2 rides with Lyft or $10 off one ride with DILLYDILLY10 )
Yellow Cab: 1-901-577-7777
MetroCab 1-901-322-2222
[Memphis Area Transit Authority](www.matatransit.com)
 
Entertainment Areas:
South Main - Downtown
Cooper Young- Midtown
Overton Square – Midtown
Broad Ave Arts District – Binghampton
Crosstown Concourse - Crosstown Area
Brookhaven Circle – East Memphis
Downtown - Includes Beale Street, Pinch District, Mud Island and South Main
  Memphis Sites of Interest and Attractions
Beale Street - Home of the blues. Bars, restaurants, shops. Quintessential tourist spot.
Graceland – way more expensive than you think
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
National Civil Rights Museum
Sun Studio – don’t eat at the café
The Peabody Hotel – ducks in an indoor fountain in very nice lobby
Elmwood Cemetery – famous dead Memphians
Historic Court Square in Downtown Memphis
Pink Palace Museum – originally home of Piggly Wiggly founder, now museum.
National Ornamental Metal Museum - Small museum of metallurgy and active blacksmith Shop overlooking the Mississippi River, next to Chickasaw Heritage Park with burial mounds. Grounds with art are free to walk and check out river view (make sure to stop and look at the entrance gate)
Brooks Museum of Art
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Cotton Museum
Lists of Memphis Murals: List 1 List 2 List 3
Southland Park Gaming and Racing – West Memphis, AR (minutes from downtown) Casino, Dog track, Sammy Hager Sports Bar and Bourbon Street Grill (fine dining)
 
Family Attractions:
Memphis Zoo –very nice. New exhibits for Zambizi River (hippos/crocodiles)
Children’s Museum of Memphis – splash pad in summer
Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid Official Site – amazing. Huge aquariums, shooting gallery, live alligators, bowling alley, many taxidermy animals, luxury hotel and seasonal free activities.
Memphis Botanic Gardens - nice gardens, large outdoor kids area.
Shelby Farms Park – large playgrounds, trails, lakes, paddleboats, fancy restaurant, seasonal attractions for Halloween and Christmas
Mud Island River Park
Memphis Riverboats – take a cruise on the Mississippi in an old fashioned paddle wheel boat
  Outdoor Activities:
Big River Crossing – Pedestrian bridge that allows you to walk across the Mississippi River
Shelby Farms Park
Shelby Farms Greenline – network of 11 miles (and growing) of paved walking/biking trails connecting midtown to Collierville.
Overton Park – small lake, some trails
 
Shopping: See South Main, Cooper Young Broad Ave and Overton Square above.
Bass Pro at the Pyramid
Saddle Creek – Germantown
Oak Court Mall – East Memphis
Wolf Chase Mall – Cordova
Carriage Crossing – Collierville
Laurelwood Shopping Center - East Memphis
 
Live Music Listings and Events Calendars:
Memphis Flyer Live Music Listings
I Love Memphis Blog
Choose901 Blog
East Memphis Moms Blog
FedEx Forum Calendar
 
BBQ:
Tops Bar-B-Q -Multiple Locations- Ask for white chop, good burgers
Central BBQ –Multiple Locations- Nachos with house chips
Payne’s Bar-B-Que –Midtown- Slaw Dog, BBQ Baloney
The Bar-B-Q Shop –Midtown- BBQ Spagetti
Corky’s Ribs & BBQ –Multiple Locations- Ribs and Catfish
Cozy Corner Restaurant –Medical Center- Cornish hen and rib tips
Arnolds BBQ and Grill -Medical District- ribs
Leonard’s Pit Barbecue -Parkway Village- buffet
Eldwood’s Shack -Berclaire/Summer- lots of great stuff
Interstate Barbecue – South Memphis- BBQ spaghetti
Blues City Cafe - Beale Street -wet ribs, bit touristy
TOURIST BBQ Rendezvous BBQ –Downtown- don’t slow smoke their ribs, they grill them
 
*Breweries *
Meddlesome Brewing - Cordova
Boscos Restaurant and Brewing Company- Midtown
Ghost River Tap Room/Brewery –Downtown
High Cotton Brewing – Medical District
Long Road Cider Co –North of Millington
Memphis Made Brewing – Midtown
Old Domnick Distillery vodka/whiskey - Downtown
Wiseacre Brewing – Broad Ave
Crosstown Brewing Co - Crosstown Concourse
NEW Memphis Brew Bus - Bus tour of selection of Memphis breweries

Welcome to Memphis!
For music check out this listing for tonight and tomorow
You can't go wrong with BBQ around here (unless you go to Rendezvous Downtown). Feel free to use the search feature on the home page to check out some of our intense debate about the best que in town, or feel free to ask for specific rec based on where you're staying. But we have great sushi, tapas, fusion and soul food too!
Night life is great for both bars and restaurants at Overton Square , Cooper Young , Broad Ave arts district and south main district and dog track/casino at Southland Greyhound Park just across the river in West Memphis. Get off Beale and explore!
Uber and Lyft is also super easy and affordable in town.
For breweries check out Memphis Made Brewery and wise acre brewery or if you're up for a drive Saturday check out Long Road Cider Co . If you want to keep it closer to the hotel pick up a 64oz or 32 oz Growler at Cash Savers on Madison , Joes Liquor on Poplar or Busters Liquor out east and put your feet up.
There is also great family friendly entertainment options available too! Bass Pro at the Pyramid , memphis zoo , Children's museum , a great walk across the Mississippi River .
So please make yourselves at home and don't hesitate to ask any questions!