memphis after dark
 

unfortunately have already bought our accommodaion at Marriott Downtown Memphis and am now wondering whether it is safe to walk back to the hotel from Beale Street in the evenings. Have been reading a bit on this forum about unsafe areas. Guess it is probably too close to be picked up by a taxi? Would appreciate any help please!!

I would not walk that area after dark as I did once and felt unconfortable. It feels isolated. I would recommend taking the trolley which stops in front of the hotel. I googled this from their website: The trolley picks up right in front of the hotel on a regular basis and there is a free shuttle to attractions so its really not a problem.

Taxis aren't readily available in downtown Memphis. The trolley would be the way to go, though I don't know how late it runs.

excuse the ignorance... is trolley a bus?? thanks.

I felt a little uncomfortable in downtown Memphis. We stayed at Spring Hill Suites, and that street was pretty dark and deserted at night, though there were vagrants standing around.

kimmos..the trolley is...a trolley. :) Kind of like a cross between a bus and a train. :) I've taken it from Beale St back to my hotel, too. I wouldn't walk, but do ask the hotel how late the trolley runs.

kimmos - the trolley runs on a track. It's primarily used by tourists and has a limited range. It covers downtown pretty nicely and runs up to mid-town, though I've never gone up that far.

I hate to warn you about this, but we were approached by a panhandler while we were waiting on the trolley. My husband gave him some money and he left, but we're careful to steer clear of dark streets in Memphis - there are a lot of them!

We stayed at the downtown Hampton Inn one street over from Beale St and felt fairly safe in that area, but would avoid the "dark" streets at night.

SusanCS offers good info but I will elaborate a little.

I think the trolleys were pretty neat. We got some picture ops with a vintage streetcar in the background.

Take the River Loop to shart with - it doesn't take long. You get on downtown and it will take you around via downtown & the river front, returning you to where you embarked.

The other route runs from the Pyramid to Central Station that will take you right down Main Street to Beale Street.

Depending on the time on day the regular fare is either 25 or 50 cents. The trolley is scheduled to come by each stop every 5 minutes & runs to 1 am each day except Sunday when it ceases operation at 6pm.

Don't get the idea that downtown and Main Street is a dumpy area - it's not. We have walked from downtown to Beale Street and the Civil Rights Museum during the day with no problem. But when the stores and shops close down there is nothing going on & few people around. Main Street does not have a lot of action in the evening as there are no restaurants & that sort of thing.

All in all we thought Memphis was a pleasant surprise - much more than we expected.

This website will give you reviews and the trolley schedule:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...lley-BR-1.html

thanks japw82 for the site with photo.....its what we sydneysiders call Light Rail. Roy2moira, we have a problem now as we are only going to be there for 2 nights, the first being a SUnday night. Was actually hoping to go somewhere for country music in the evening but looks like a problem going back to the hotel now. Bought the hotel on priceline (my first attempt and maybe last) and may have to forego that at this stage.

I'm not sure when your trip is planned so this post may be too late. Go to Beale St. by trolley. Listen to country music at Coyote Ugly.(Open Sundays until 1:00a.m.). When finished, walk to one of the Beale St. area hotels (DoubleTree, Westin, Hampton,or Peabody)and have the bellman/doorman either hail or order you a taxi. An even easier option would be to have an employee of the establishment where you go to listen to country music call for a taxi. They do this regularly for people who don't want to drink and drive. So, if you haven't yet gone to Memphis, this is a very easy solution to your problem.