How to Rate a City

As promised a few weeks ago, I want to share some of my travel photos with you. Calling them "photos" is probably elevating these a bit much-- they are snapshots. Mostly when I am exploring a city and taking pictures, I am by myself, stealing a few moments away from a work trip. This doesn't leave a lot of time to really get to know a place, so I have a simple rating system that helps me separate the "I like this place" from "I don't ever want to go back." Here it is:

• The locals-- This category usually gets entirely judged by how nice the cab driver that takes me from the airport to the hotel is, though sometimes it is supplemented by servers, gift shop workers, and the odd pedestrian I ask for directions when I get lost. The food-- The biggest perk for me of travelling is getting to sample excellent local faire. So, do you have any?
• The scenery-- Is there anything to look at? I only get to judge this one when I stay in town, and not at a convention center or in a suburban Hampton Inn.
• The history/attractions-- I am a history nerd, so I love going places where something happened, or there is something great to see. .

• The weather-- This is big for me. I hate hot and muggy-- it isn't an automatic bad mark if a place is hot and muggy-- New Orleans is my FAVORITE city, but I would never go in the summer.

And so, here is a quick recap of my latest trip, and one that surprised me-- Memphis, Tennessee. I really liked Memphis, and I didn't expect to. For one, I was going south in July and expected hot (which it was), and other cities I have been to in Tennessee have been.... well, just fine. Memphis is different, though.

The people were friendly, and I stayed smack in the middle of downtown. Though the entire area felt a bit economically depressed, Main Street was beautiful and charming. Beale Street is a great attraction for music lovers or foodies. I got a crawfish po-boy. Anywhere that serves me a crawfish po-boy is a winner to me!

I didn't get to do Graceland, but still feel like I got the entire Elvis experience just by being in Memphis. I snapped a bunch of photos, and am attaching some, but if you're looking for a winter getaway... see Memphis.