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​One Sunday evening, around 6:30 p.m., my hubby and I decided that we wanted a good cup of coffee. Knowing that most good coffee places are closed at that hour, he did a quick search and found Society Memphis Skatepark and Coffee in Binghampton off Broad. We walked in fully expecting a jazzy coffee club scene. Did we read the well-lit signs? No. Did we ask why there were skateboards on the wall? No. Did we notice the guests in helmets and pads? No.
I’m using the pronoun “we” very loosely. My husband probably noticed all of those things and could have possibly pointed them out to me as we entered, but I was hyper-focused on coffee. And not just any coffee. But the good kind. The Cxffeeblack kind!
Cxffeeblack is just the right elixir to becoming a Cool Kid. After ordering coffee, I took a peek through what appears to be a back door. There were ramps! Ramps to the left. Ramps to the right! There were handrails and slopes and flying people! Well, they weren’t actually flying, but they were close. I immediately knew that I was in the presence of the Cool Kids. They were doing tricks, turns and … and … cool stuff. I’m sure all of the moves have names, but I honestly couldn’t tell you.
As I watched with my mouth wide open, my husband leaned over and said, “We should come back here.” And somewhere between pure awe and a coffee high, I agreed. I agreed to go skateboarding as a date night.
Fast forward to Friday night and I found myself nursing another cup of coffee to calm my nerves. (I know, I know. The coffee might have done the opposite, but it was still a great comfort.) The attendant confidently passed me my rental skateboard and left my hubby and me to our own devices. As I looked at the skaters enjoying themselves, I thought, “Maybe I should have signed up for skateboarding lessons.” Well, it was too late for shoulda-coulda-wouldas. I was there and I ain’t no chicken.
Within 15 minutes, I realized that I might not be a scaredy chicken, but I was definitely not a spring chicken. And 20 seconds after that realization, I came to terms that I was a scaredy chicken, too. Skateboarding is not an activity for the weak or the timid. My husband and I couldn’t figure out how these Cool Kids got both feet on the boards at the same time. Memphis miracles were happening before my very eyes! After 20 minutes of failing to even stand and move on the board, my eyes desperately said, “Somebody — anybody — help me!”

And just like that, Cool Kid S. M. Vazquez came to our embarrassing rescue. He showed us the proper way to stand on a skateboard, how to balance, and even a little physics. (Stuff about motion, center of gravity, and degrees of something or another. My math doesn’t “math” like everyone else’s.) Nevertheless, I was able to stand on the skateboard and balance. Not in motion, but not falling either. That was until he said that we could try to coast down a very small ramp.

This ramp was no higher than 2 feet off the ground with a generous slope. I stood at the top of the mini-Mount Everest (yes, I’m exaggerating) and got balanced. I found my center of gravity and pushed off very, very slowly. And very slowly, the ground came rushing to meet me like a long lost friend. Falling when you’re 7 is quite different than when you’re 37. All of my bones vibrated. When the vibrations ended, I felt like pieces of me were floating away. In some distance galaxy, Thanos had snapped his fingers and I was slowly dissolving away.

Cool Kid Vazquez and my hubby picked me and all my imaginary pieces off the ground. I blinked a few times back to reality and realized that I was still alive. No bones were broken, but my dignity had permanently stained the floor. The Cool Kid Vazquez mentioned a few tips, but I didn’t hear them. The bones in my ears hadn’t fully recovered.

Okay. I might be a little dramatic, but I fell. Off a skateboard. At age 37. Enough said.

I took a sip of Cxffeeblack, aka Liquid Courage, while my hubby tried the same thing. He fell, too.

Then I was back at the top of the ramp. Before I pushed off, I asked my hubby to hold my waist from the back and Cool Kid Vazquez to hold my wrists from the front. I was determined not to fall. So determined, in fact, that I did the only thing I could do in that situation.
I fell. Again. This time, I didn’t meet the floor quite so fast. I was guided down gently. It was then that Cool Kid Vazquez gave me this nugget of knowledge, “If you think you’re going to fall, get closer to the ground.”

After one hour, I was finally able to skateboard, and, yes, I’m using that term loosely. I could coast about 6 to 8 feet before losing momentum. And I’m satisfied with that. After falling, my goal was to never experience that again.
This date night showed me just how versatile Memphis is. Date night with Memphis doesn’t have to be food and movies. It can be drinking good coffee and almost breaking your rear in the process. Memphis is about making memories and having great stories to tell.

This is one for the books.

Now that I’m writing this, I wonder if my hubby knew all along that this place was a skateboarding place and used coffee to lure me in.

​Hmm … Gotta love it, mane!
Society Memphis: 901-746-8587, IG: @societymemphis

Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. @realworkwife @memphisismyboyfriend

Every date night with Memphis can’t be out in those streets. Especially with Covid lurking around. So I decided to bring Memphis home and just chill. In order to make this date night pop, ya girl gotta get the right eats.
When you think of Memphis, I bet you think about barbecue, Beale Street, and Elvis. That’s all good and everything, but I’m a native Memphian, not a touristy one. Yes, there’s a difference. (Just ask 10 native Memphians if they’ve ever been to Graceland and I’m sure nine will tell you, “Naw, mane! I’m from Memphis.”) When I think of Memphis, I think of tamales, hot wings, burgers, and Beale Street. Yeah, I love me some Beale Street. Issa whole vibe.
For this date night, I wanted to take a walk down memory lane.
As a little girl, we would ride the MATA bus everywhere. We would always start off by taking the 10 Watkins(1) and connecting to wherever we needed to go. In those days, it could be minutes or hours before you could get a connecting transit. So my mom, brothers, and I would shave off the time by going to Dyer’s Burgers on Watkins. Those burgers were, and still are, amazing — greasy, seasoned, and flavorful. I recall watching the cook fry up the burger in the grease and watching the burger patty float a little.
Finding a burger like Dyer’s within my “delivery area” was unheard of. Until I ran across James Michael Fisher, also known as Chef JBless, of A & J’s Food Delivery. It’s apparent that taste and flavor is a high priority for this Black-owned business. I initially hit him up on Instagram (@ajsfooddelivery901) for his wings. I was pleasantly surprised to find that his cost of wings hasn’t tripled like everyone else’s. So for my first time, I ordered some honey-gold wings and a burger and had it delivered to work. Y’all! That meal made my whole day! While the wings were on point, in price and in flavor, the burger took me back to my childhood days on Watkins. The burgers are well-seasoned, moist, and oh-so flavorful! So before leaving the house, I placed an order for wings, burgers, and fries.
Sidenote: Seriously, why are chicken wings so high? Chicken thigh prices haven’t doubled, and wings and thighs both come from the same chicken! Somebody make it make sense!
I first decided to get some tamales. Now, Mexican tamales are different from Black people’s tamales. As a very young child, before my days on Watkins, we stayed in Dixie Homes(2). Across the street from our projects(3), there was this man who sold tamales from a cart on the corner. I wasn’t too much taller than the cart itself, but as my mom and I approached the cart, I could smell the spices and flavor. My mom would pass me my tamales and I would grab the wrapping and gently unroll my delicious tamale. Y’all. Blessed!
There’s only one place that I know where I can get a tamale from my childhood. So with my audiobook on full blast, I drove to Orange Mound(4). Pop’s Tamales are amazing and remind me so much of the man on the corner with the tamale cart. Sometimes I wonder if it’s the same man. There, I bought seven tamales for $14: two for me to eat in the car, two to eat at home, and three for my hubby.
Now, I only had one more place to stop before heading home to meet Chef JBless. Buster’s! I have been a patron of Buster’s since my old college days back in ’03. But on this day, I wasn’t looking for liquor. I was looking for a very special beer, a beer with a name close to my Memphis heart. A beer that is just like how I like my men — dark and full of body. After much anticipation, Beale Street Brewing Co. released a peanut and banana porter, and it is available at Buster’s. I strolled in like a boss and headed straight back for the beer cooler. I grabbed my four-pack, blew Kahlúa a kiss, and checked out. I was in and out in under 15 minutes.
I had just pulled back in my driveway when I received a text from Chef JBless that my order had an ETA of 5 minutes. I cleared the coffee table, poured the beer like a pro, unwrapped my tamales, and welcomed in the hot wings, burgers, and fries. With the food and drinks ready to be devoured, there was only one last thing to do. We sat on the couch, streamed a little HBO Max, and exhaled before we inhaled.

Gotta love it, mane!
1 10 Watkins (n.) — a popular MATA route in Frayser
2 Dixie Homes (n.) — one of the Memphis Public Housing communities, 1938-2006
3 projects (n.) — a term given to Memphis Public Housing areas
4 Orange Mound (n.) — first African-American neighborhood built by and for African Americans, located in Southeast Memphis

A & J’s Food Delivery: 901-849-3981; IG @ajsfooddelivery901
Beale Street Brewing Co.: IG @bealestbrewingco
Patricia Lockhart is a native Memphian who loves to read, write, cook, and eat. Her days are filled with laughter with her four kids and charming husband. By day, she’s a school librarian and a writer, but by night … she’s asleep. @realworkwife @memphisismyboyfriend

I'm so sick of these heifers disrespecting my boyfriend. Talking about, "He's boring," "He's so violent, He hit a record for most homicides." "His people can't drive worth s@$t," and "His folks are crazy." Now all of that may be true, except the boring part because Memphis is NOT boring you booty-scratchers! Memphis is trying his best in the midst of this epidemic. So give my boyfriend a break! Geesh.

Entrepreneurs are still flourishing. Like that Furloughed Bread I can't seem to get my hands on. Voodoo Cafe's Witch Doctor Beignet is to die for. There's movies in the park and the drive-in is LIT! I can hit multiple book clubs in a week since alot of social events are happening virtually. All of the coffee shops have unveiled their fall flavors like S'mores @Muggins and the Butterscotch Miso @Cityand State. Annnndddd....you can still get pizza. Aldo's, Memphis Pizza Cafe, Excline's, and Broadway Pizza are still sizzling. Brunch is still brunchable. All dinners are now deliverable and alcohol is to-go for goodness sake!!!!

My only complaint...Memphis let people use the freaking restroom if they purchase 2 decaf caramel lattes with almond milk, water and sandwiches while blessing your "patio" with their presence. People need to pee!!!!! Ugly.....meanies. 

Oh, I'm also looking for a plus-size boutique to upgrade my wardrobe. Something with elastic waistbands and stretchy stuff please. But make it fancy.