A Pleasant Surprise

[HostDave]

By Timothy Rubacky, Senior Vice President

With many people spending more time online than in the real world, it seems like a lot of folks have lost their sense of place. For me, where I live was, and still is, important to me. And I always want to take pride in my hometown. I love Memphis and am excited that it is also the headquarters of the American Queen Steamboat Company as well as the homeport of the grand American Queen herself. While New Orleans is a fantastic place, I took a lot of pride in seeing the letters spelling out “New Orleans, LA” across the stern of the American Queen come down and the letters “Memphis, TN” go up while she was refurbished in drydock a year ago prior to reentering service on America’s rivers. For me, it just seemed right.

I live just across from our office in downtown Memphis and each morning have the pleasure of driving along the river with the towers of Memphis silhouetted against the rising sun. I love the fact that the mighty Mississippi River always seems near and that my city has embraced its river legacy with riverfront parks and new development, most notably Beale Street Landing which serves as the American Queen’s berth whenever she’s in town. But I also have to be honest. When you think of America’s biggest cities, Memphis usually doesn’t get uttered in the same breath as New York, Los Angeles, Boston or Miami. There’s something about living someplace that doesn’t get the acclaim it deserves that can give you an inferiority complex.

Imagine my delight when I recently came across a list that finally does Memphis justice. National Geographic Traveler has named Memphis one of the Top 20 Places to Visit in 2013. Let me point out, we’re not talking about the Top 20 places in the South. Or even in the United States. Or North America, for that matter. The list embraces the 20 must-see spots in the entire world. Memphis has pride of place on that list with Grenada; Bodø Norway; Valparaíso, Chile; Kyoto, Japan; and Jarash, Jordan, among others.

While National Geographic Traveler acknowledges the draws such as Graceland and Beale Street, it points out that there’s “something newly electric in the air.”

“The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, located on the grounds of the famous Stax Records, is at the forefront of that revival,” the magazine says. “The museum, along with its Stax Music Academy and the Soulsville Charter School, celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2013 with concerts, parties, and Stax to the Max, a huge outdoor music festival. It’s far from a solo act.”

“All around Memphis, locals are pursuing grassroots projects more often associated with Brooklyn or the Bay Area. The nonprofit Project Green Fork has certified dozens of Memphis restaurants as sustainable, linking chefs with farmers and stimulating a vibrant local food community along the way. Running the culinary gamut from down-home Central BBQ to upscale Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, the eateries are held to admirably high standards in sourcing and sustainability.

And there’s no better setting for a grassroots revival. Memphis claims one of the largest urban parks in the country: the 4,500-acre Shelby Farms Park, with 6.5 miles of urban trails and a working farm. The Office of Sustainability supports the city’s plans to expand the existing 35 miles of bike lanes to 85 miles and to build a greenway that will link Memphis with cities in Arkansas and Mississippi.”

City administrator Paul Young is quoted as saying in the article that “We get to innovate.” And notes that sentence is a “fitting description for Memphis.”

The article suggest visiting the Peabody Hotel to watch the hotel’s ducks march to and take a dip in the lobby fountain each day. For cuisine, visitors are encouraged to head to Central BBQ for some Memphis-style ribs and to order them “half wet (smoked with a secret blend of spices and BBQ sauce) and half dry (spices only) with a side of homemade potato chips.”

Obviously, we’ve known what a terrific place Memphis is for longer than National Geographic Traveler but we’re excited at their stamp of approval for 2013. In fact, we have a large number of sailings from Memphis next year. With our complimentary night in a local luxury hotel, guests get the chance to relax before their voyage and truly experience Memphis for themselves. Memphis is the American Queen’s embarkation point on our Big Band, Southern Culture & Spring Pilgrimage, Southern Spirits, Blue Hawaii Elvis Tribute, President’s Cruise, Dixie Fest, Old-Fashioned Holidays and New Year’s Eve voyages next year. Just click on the name of each cruise listed to be directed to a page with all the details.

Memphis is a special place and I hope you’ll join us for a voyage from our hometown in 2013. To get in the mood, follow a suggestion from National Geographic Traveler and pick up a copy of John Grisham’s books The Client and The Firm, both of which are set in Memphis. Or better yet, just book one of the voyages above and start dreaming today!