What Everyone Should Know About Surviving a Memphis Vacation Alive and Unscathed

Memphis, Tennessee was recently named the second most dangerous city in the US by the FBI. While this may come as a surprise to those who live outside the Midsouth area, it is certainly no surprise to those of us dwelling in the Bluff City. Memphis is a wonderful city - if you know how to navigate through it like a local. Those of us who have eluded being murdered can offer visitors a perspective unlike any other - clearly, we are still alive and fairly unharmed.

The first thing you need to understand before you come to Memphis is how you will travel through the city. It is ideal to have a vehicle. A car will offer a level of protection that is unparalleled. Inside the confines of a vehicle, you have the ability to race away from muggers, car jackers, and various other thieves. This is not to say that a vehicle will completely protect you. It will only assist you in your endeavors to stay alive while sight-seeing. You must keep your car doors locked at all times. You must remember to look inside the back of your car before entering the vehicle: this is where someone who has broken into your car will hide until you are in it like a sitting duck.

The perpetrator may rise from the backseat with a gun or knife at your throat while commanding you to do his or her bidding. If you are approached at a stop light or stop sign by someone ready to take control of your vehicle, punch the gas. You may collide with another vehicle, but a vehicular collision is far more pleasant than what your carjacker may have in mind. Whatever you do, do not allow yourself to be taken alive. This could lead to torture before murder. If you are going to be murdered, make them kill you where you are. This applies to any kidnapping attempts while you are going to your car from a shopping center or other public event.

Crack addicts are everywhere in the city of Memphis. Do not get too close to them. If you are approached by a stranger, do not trust anything that you are told by the stranger. You will get a variety of creative stories. While this may be a testament to the creative genius that dwells and breathes within the city, it is not to your benefit. No matter what you are told - a mother needs a ride to get to her babies, a father needs gas money to get home, do not respond. Move as quickly as you can to the safety of your vehicle and flee the scene. Do not be moved by these stories. When I was seventeen, I was approached by a woman who said she had just been attacked by a group of men. She just wanted money for a cab to get back home to a suburb. I offered to drive her myself, and strangely, she declined. Over the next few years, I have been approached by her with the same story! She walks the streets of my neighborhood turning tricks - yes, she is a prostitute with a very good line.

While it is best to get away from the people approaching you for favors as fast as possible, it is a good idea to keep a dollar folded up in a pocket or your purse where you can grab it fast. It should not be in a place that is near where you keep the majority of your money: it should be somewhere that will not in any way expose your cash power. Keep it to give to beggars. This is a fast way to ensure your safety. Very often people asking for money just want money. Hand them your dollar and consider it an investment in your safety. A dollar is far less costly than a trip to the hospital to recover from a knife wound. Giving the beggar a dollar will more than likely make them go away. However, do not linger for them to tell you they want more money (this may or may not happen). Walk away as fast as you can. Giving them a little will often be satisfactory.

Be selective about which gas stations you use. Memphis is riddled with street prostitutes, drug dealers, and drug addicts. If you see people loitering anywhere near the door to the store or on the store property, go to another gas station. If the clerk in the store is not running the loiterers off, you are not in a safe place. This is something that you should observe in any part of town from Desoto County in Mississippi to the Tipton County line. Do not go in a store with lingering patrons. They want your money. If they do not make the store clerk nervous, you should be suspicious of the clerk. If you have to go to five different gas stations, the inconvenience could save your life.

Do not stay in cheap lodging while you visit Memphis, Tennessee. This is where crack, heroin, and crystal meth dealers set up shop. This is also where street prostitutes set up. While their trade may not directly interfere with your business of vacationing in beautiful Memphis, Tennessee, it is certainly not a good idea to be that close to a fire. These elements are the most likely to involve shootings. If someone comes for the man in the room next to yours who sells a good deal of crack cocaine, the bullets could sway your way. Avoid this by paying an extra thirty dollars a night. This also means that you can avoid being called into court during a trial of a gang member who is accused of the crime you witnessed.

If you follow these simple rules, you will have an excellent time here and you will return home with your Elvis memorabilia alive. If you do not, you may be the next face on the news as a victim of crime in our hotbed city.