Day 21/22 – Memphis

‘The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams’

After a nice breakfast at the hotel, complete with English tea, which was a welcome change from coffee in the morning :), it was back in the car for the drive to Memphis.  Not before getting good use out of  their laundry room though. I also stopped at a park in Nashville, that has a hall of fame. Many of the pavement slabs have been replaced and dedicated to the men and women that have influenced a thousand bands.

It’s a little over 200 miles to Memphis, heading pretty much due west and a bit south, so I hit the Interstate 40 and enjoyed cruising through the Tennessee countryside.

Lunch stop was at Coltons steak house and grill in Dickson, a real American Roadhouse, with all sorts of stag heads on the walls and other animals. A real warm and friendly welcome and the food was great, I had steak, of course.

It was dark when I rolled into Memphis and finding the apartment block I am staying in took a moment or two. It is  a lot quieter than Nashville and a bit like St Lois, in that the streets are really quiet.

The action takes place on Beale street in the downtown area, which has numerous clubs and bars. There is a lovely old tram that runs up and down the downtown area and another that runs along the waterfront, although the waterfront one is actually a bus, but made to look the same as the tram. It’s only $1 a ride or you can really push the boat out and for another $1, have unlimited rides all day!

Again the museums were shut, but it was Martin Luther King day as well, which is a national holiday here. In particular I wanted to go to the Blues hall of Fame. Guess I’ll just have to listen to some more bands.

The apartment, where I stayed, was on the 15th floor with amazing views out over the city and only a short walk to Beale street.

Unlike Nashville most bars have a cover charge for entrance, especially if they have live music.

The first night I saw Vince Johnson and the Plantation Allstars at the Rum Boogie cafe. There’s a catchy name for you! The band were great and the drummer, called Scooby as he does Scooby Doo impressions, was particularly impressive. The bass player had a six string bass guitar, which I’ve never seen before. When I chatted to him afterwards he said he has a seven string one as well !

The cover charge included two bars with a doorway between them. When the band finished we went next door and so did the drummer to sit in with another band, where he sang as well. They were slightly less bluesy and a bit more contemporary. Really excellent.

Also you can smoke in this bar. Shock, horror I hear you say! It certainly reminded me of the old days, but it’s true in  certain bars you can smoke. This is also the case in Oklahoma and I’m sure other states too. The ceilings are high and the aircon good, so it didn’t bother me at all.

It’s been a long day so I headed back to the apartment and wrote some more blog.

I set my alarm for 8 am so that I could pay the parking meter that is currently hosting my car. Unlike the excellent French system where you can put your coins in the meter the night before and it will only start , when the charging period starts the next morning. No such luck here, when I tried, it ejected my coins and told me it was free to park at this time.

There was a 2D barcode on the meter though, so I took a photo of it and then at 8am, I just scanned it and paid for a couple of hours without so much as getting out of bed.

Then I was off walking around Memphis, passing by the Shelby county Sheriff’s car on the way. The old accent did me proud again, seeming to open doors every time I asked anything,

In particular it got me into the super posh Peabody Hotel to see the march of the Peabody ducks. This is something that happens twice a day. At 11am, after a talk about the history behind this strange event, the duck master leads 5 ducks out from their penthouse home, then down in the lift and then along a red carpet into a beautiful carved Italian marble fountain, sitting in the centre of the lounge and bar of the hotel.

The reverse happens at 5pm. It’s only supposed to be open to guests of the hotel, but they liked my accent.  The ducks are supposed to walk along in single file behind the duck master, a couple of them were a bit unruly, much to the delight of a couple of watching children.

You can very quickly walk out of the centre into Memphis, into what is really quite a run down town. There is the Lorraine Motel, which has been converted into the National civil rights museum. It was here on the balcony of his 2nd floor room at the motel that Martin Luther King was shot and killed in April 1968. Again it was closed, so I hopped on the tram and headed to the other end of downtown to see the famous pyramid. Yes, a pyramid of glass and steel some 28 stories high with a sky deck and restaurant  at the top. The rest of it is the most amazing shop I’ve ever seen. You can buy a safe, guns, children’s clothes, boats and tons more. The inside is almost like you are outside, there is a lake full of huge fish. catfish and the strange looking alligator bar.

There are real alligators too in another lake. In the middle of the store there is a glass elevator that whisks you up to the sky deck with fabulous views over the city and the Mississippi. There is a Beretta museum,  a duck conservation area, compound bows, fishing gear, all sorts of handguns and rifles. You really would have to see it to believe it. I had a go at a laser shooting range, clocking up a respectable score of 435 on my first go! (500+ is marksman level). There is a real shooting range as well, but you have to bring your own gun or you could even try a bit of safe cracking.

I had lunch at the restaurant at the top and then trod carefully across the sky deck to the edge for the best views, which are lovely. There was an amazing collection of mechanical fish hanging from the ceiling, both in the restaurant and the store. Think the Nautilus from 20,000 leagues under the sea, by Jules Verne and you get the idea.

 

Tonight is BB kings blues bar, a popular blues club on the corner of Beale street. There is another fabulous blues band playing and I get there in good time for dinner, beer and music.

The lead singer, sporting a big Afro hair-do, had some powerful vocals and the bass player had a 6 string Bass guitar, which I’ve never seen before. When I chatted to him about it afterwards, he said that he has a 7 string as well!

On the way home, I spotted a shop selling unusual loo seats. Unfortunately my rucksack is  already full, so any souvenirs I buy will have to be a great deal smaller.

Off to Graceland tomorrow. Home of Elvis.