Over the span of my life I have always had a love/hate relationship with Memphis. At times, it seemed as though the negatives always outweighed the positives that were going on throughout the city. As I began to grow older, I started to discover more of the amazing, and sometimes not so amazing, features that the bluff city had to offer. Here are ten undeniable things that I love about Memphis.

1. Getting caught on Poplar Avenue. In the RIGHT LANE.

2. Spending hours at Pho Binh talking with randoms at the community table, the hours seemingly slip by as the conversation turns from gay marriage to how shitty the Grizzlies played last night.

3. The smell of cheap cigarettes and Pabst Blue Ribbon, with pretentious music conversation flooding into my ears from all around the crappy little two story house. Julien Baker, Memphis’s Alt. princess in blasting away at one of her swan songs. Somehow friends convince me to go to yet again another house party in Midtown.

4.CENTRAL BBQ.

5.Skateboarding and drinking Arizona Ice-Tea (Original Style only.) at Al-town, a skatepark that Memphis skaters put together. Not for the little kids who ride around on those hoverboards, but the real “DIY” kind of guys that would take a bullet for you if you asked them.

6.The constant feeling of Deja Vu. Memphis is beautiful at finding a way to repeat herself.

7.Getting a salty mustard covered Pronto Pup at Beale Street Music Fest, going to see a couple of B-list Bands and basking in the “million dollar” sunset by the river

8.Waking up early with my dad to explore the city and grab breakfast at Bryant’s Biscuits. The biscuits are flaky and the company is unmatched. The smell of grease and butter filter through the nostrils of veteran customers who have eaten in the booths of the breakfast joint for years. Knowing my dad, we opt to sit at the longer table designated for drifters. There is something about city at the community tables in Memphis, but it is honestly one of the greatest ways to meet and chat with other Memphians. If there is one thing that Memphis has beyond all the food and music it is our hospitality.

9. I-240 can be one of the most annoying drives at rush hour. But on a Sunday afternoon, rolling the windows down and cruising down the pavement is reminiscent of any famous drive in the world. The sun slowly starts to fade into the horizon, leaving the sky a light pinkish color that is both humbling and picturesque.

10. Knowing that no matter what part of the world I get stuck in, my roots to Memphis are also strong. They were learned from some of that Memphis Grit n’ Grind.