Memphis Hi-Lites: Memphis Redbirds

Redbirds Park in Downtown Memphis

My family recently went back to our home state of California. We lived in a resort that was about a half a mile from the beach in Oceanside. We were only 45 minutes from California Adventures and Disneyland and we visited both. I went shopping at the border near Mexico, visited my alma mater San Diego State University (which has added an underground trolley station-something that is probably ruining GPAs all over campus) and then I went to eat at Sombreros, Pat and Oscars and Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. I stood in the Pacific and watched my son play in the ocean and I held my daughter as the June gloom began to recede and the sun was breaking through over the horizon. I felt the sand shift under my feet and I realized that I missed San Diego. I missed the idea of going to Julian for apple pie and ice cream. I missed the beach. When we got back on the road to come home, I realized that I was returning to a place that was going to be hot and for the most part angry. In my head, Memphis was not a choice as much as it was an agreement. Especially after being back in Cali, Memphis just seemed... blah.

Then I realized, that my mentality was creating my personification of the city. I forgot that I enjoyed watching the Grizzlies play at the Fed Ex Forum. It's not the Chargers, but it was great this year. I forgot that I had written several articles about the Trolley Tour in Downtown Memphis. Check the Memphis Hi-Lite tags. I decided that I was going to do the same thing in Memphis that I had done in San Diego. I went out and looked for the good. This weekend, the good was visiting the Memphis Redbirds at Autozone Park. It's not Petco in San Diego overlooking the Pacific, but Autozone has its own ambiance and qualitites.

Redbirds Action!

We decided on a whim to go to the game. We jumped in the car and began to drive. We considered the movies, but four people, popcorn, and drinks, to watch Kung Fu Panda wasn't that attractive. So we went downtown. We parked and walked to Autozone Park. Had we ordered our tickets online we would have saved a bit, but we were able to ask at the gate for a deal and we got 4 tickets which included 4 vouchers for free hot dogs and drinks for around 50 dollars! I realized that I had not taken my son to a baseball game before. As a matter of fact our family had not gone to a sporting event together in a while. As we entered the park there were displays, stores to purchase gear and smiling faces all around. My son was excited and my daughter was looking around with interest, she's three. We went to a line and recouped our snacks and made our way to our section. The game was not sold out, but there was a nice crowd. The Redbirds were playing Oklahoma City. The heat wasn't ridiculous and the bugs, were, well, bugging. We still enjoyed ourselves though and to cap it off, the Redbirds hit a grand slam (of course sponsored by Sonic).

Overall the value of the experience and the game were well worth the visit. I'm beginning to learn that Memphis has it's own charm. It may not be San Diego, but nowhere is like San Diego. Memphis though has its own flavor and I kind of like it (My next game, I'm getting some of those nachos!)

Check out the Redbirds online and go to a game doggone it. You'll enjoy yourself.