I loved Memphis!

It had a small town in a big town, old time charm feel.

It was alive with Blues!

  BB King – the flamboyant blues musician

 

It was alive with Rock n’ Roll!

Elvis Presley – the King of Rock n’ Roll

The trolleys were fun and a great way to get around.

(this photo was stolen off the internet – I somehow neglected to take a photo of Graceland!)

First stop was the tour of Graceland.  I know….. it is so touristy.  But we had to do it.  And I am so glad we did. 

Cameras were allowed but no flashes.  So some of these pictures leave a bit to be desired.

Graceland is located in a not so great section of Memphis.  He bought it for $100,000 in 1956.  It is an impressive home, stuck in the 60’s. 

My first memory of Elvis was his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  I rememb I wasn’t allowed to see it.  My parents ruled on the side of “wickedness” when it came to Elvis and Rock n’ Roll.  I lived vicariously through my friends when I went to school the next day and listened to them swoon.

I had no idea that he was such a little man.  Even when he “blimped” out before his death in the 70’s, he was not large by any standards. 

He apparently loved mirrors.  Many of the rooms were lined with mirrors.  This is a stairwell… wall to ceiling with mirrors.

He gave generously to charities.  I always struggle giving too much credit to celebrities who give.  Mostly because they have so much to give!  In relation to what we have and what we give, who is to say if they are really as generous as it seems.

What impressed me most was the walls of gold records and awards.  Floor to ceiling.  Room to room. 

I snatched the above picture off the internet.  With no flash allowed, my attempts at taking a picture came up with very scary results.

Elvis is buried at Graceland, along with his mom and dad and grandmother.  He has a headstone there memorializing his twin brother, who died at childbirth.

Cars anyone?  How about a museum of cars, motorcycles, a snowmobile on wheels, go carts, and a tractor? 

His famous pink Cadillac.  His mother’s favorite set of wheels.

A bedraggled me in front of the Lisa Marie.  I have been placed just so to hide a maintenance guy who was scrubbing the plane down.

Then on to Beale Street.   Why go to Beale Street?

To see the sights of night life.

To drink.  We actually did very little of that on Beale Street.

I pointing at what looked to me to be a pimp. lol who knows. 

To watch people.  We did that a lot.

To listen to the blues.

And to eat! 

We called cousin Lisa to ask where we should eat.  Her immediate response was BB Kings!  Then she let us in on a secret.  “Tell the guy at the door that you want to go upstairs to Itta Bene.”  What?  “Ittabeena” (that’s what it sounded like to me).  So here everyone was at the door waiting, paying a $5 cover charge to get in.  We got the big guy at the door’s attention and said the magic word.  “Ittabeena”  And the doors of BB King was opened to us and we were ushered upstairs. 

BB King was born in Itta Bene, Mississippi. The upstairs world is a restaurant where you can eat the best barbeque around, look down on the house band playing the blues without the music blaring so loudly that talk is impossible.  I hear their steaks are good too.  But we all had barbeque.          

                   

Autozone Park is the home of the Memphis Redbirds.  s we stood watching a street entert

Next day, on a tip from Jim’s boss, we headed back down to Dyers on Beale for the best greasy hamburger, fries and onion rings around.

Back in 1912, the late Elmer "Doc" Dyer opened his own cafe and began to develop a secret cooking process for the uniquely delicious world famous burgers we still serve here today on Beale Street.

Legend has it that the "secret" was Doc Dyer's ageless cooking grease. This famous grease , strained daily, has continued to produce our juicy Dyer's Burgers for almost a century now.

(taken from dyersonbeale.com)

I have a little tip of my own to share.  If you are in a hurry, don’t go to Dyers.  But if you want a unique eating experience, go to Dyers!  I’m sure glad we did.

Up next?  A visit with another legend named Cy and Muse.

I’m heading to the airport for a trip to visit with sis in Arizona.  We are going to do some hiking in Sedona.  Of course I will share!