It rained pretty hard that night and as we left Nashville, but cleared up by the time we reached Memphis. We had a light breakfast so we’d have a hearty appetite for Gus’s Fried Chicken and my introduction to fried pickles (tasty).
We walked it off by rambling along Beale Street, “Home of the Blues...Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll”, and exploring a genuine general store that had the most “general” selection of merchandise I’ve ever seen. Then it was over to the Peabody Hotel, where mallards live in the penthouse and spend their days swimming around the fountain in the lobby. We next took the trolley for a view of the mighty Mississippi, and I couldn’t help but think about Huck Finn floating down it on a raft. Our next stop was more somber, as we visited the Lorraine Hotel to see where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot. They’ve left the facade intact, and the site is now the National Civil Rights Museum, which was unfortunately closed that day. Our next stop was historical but on a lighter note (no pun intended): Sun Studio, where Rock ‘n Roll was born.
It was great hearing some of the music that came from there, including Elvis’ “That’s All Right, Mama” and getting to visit the actual recording studio, which is still in use. I was surprised to learn that U2 recorded some of “Rattle and Hum” here. If you ever visit, you must get a milkshake at the counter.
From seeing where he got his big break, it was only fitting that we finish the day with a trip to Graceland. I was surprised at how...normal the outside was, but the inside didn’t disappoint. To boot, it was decorated for Christmas. The kitchen was quite modest, but the rest of the house shows what happens when it’s the 1970’s and you don’t have a budget. Jungle room, anyone?
Truly an enjoyable time. A friend of Brad’s met us afterward and we dropped by Stax Records, now the Museum of American Soul Music (also unfortunately closed), on our way to dinner. He’s in the music industry and was also able to get us into Ardent Studios for a brief tour. Kinda cool to see a modern recording studio and all their equipment. In keeping with the Elvis theme, we went to Corky’s for dinner and I tried Memphis-style ribs (dry rub). So tasty! A tasty, great day!
Wednesday morning we were on the road again, this time driving to see my cousin, Susie, and her family who live in Helena, Alabama. The scenery was nice, but you could tell it must be stunning in the summertime. Helena is just outside of Birmingham so we briefly stopped there, and it finally clicked for me that it’s main industry is iron when I saw the 50-foot statue of Vulcan on the highest point in the city. Helena looks like a cute town, but we didn’t spend much time playing tourist. It was Thanksgiving, after all, and the main attraction was catching up with family. In tribute to my travels of last November, I introduced them to Tim Tam Slams.
They, in turn, introduced me to the Iron Bowl. A checker in the supermarket was genuinely shocked when I admitted I’d never heard of it before and couldn’t tell the difference between the two teams. All too soon, the holiday was over and we were back in Nashville and tourist mode.
In keeping with our BBQ streak, I had a BBQ “salad” for dinner. Is it really a salad if the ratio of meat to veggies is 3:1? I was glad Christmas was already in full swing, as it made the Gaylord Opryland Hotel even more beautiful with its Christmas decorations. We finished Saturday night at the Midnight Jamboree, a weekly country music concert that’s broadcast globally. Unfortunately, since the flood it’s no longer live and at midnight. Musically, Memphis is definitely more my scene, but being in the context of Nashville made it a good time.
We spent my last afternoon in Nashville enjoying a few of the sights: a full-scale model of the Parthenon built for Tennessee’s centennial, the Cash family graves, and the remains of Johnny Cash’s home.
This style of travel was a bit of a departure from my norm, but just what I needed. It was so great to spend time with family, and I’d never had so many tasty types of BBQ!
