"I Don't Sound Like Nobody"

After years of wondering how I missed 'em, I finally made it to kentucky and tennesse (after a brief trip through arkansas from our flight to little rock).

day 1: wednesday, may 4
We checked in at a surprisingly fancy hampton inn just off beale street, and headed over to the famous peabody hotel for the 5:00 PM duck march. This sounds goofy (and it is!) but it's a must see. You're in a giant hotel lobby, with lots of people, stores, a bar, and a fountain, and in the fountain are the peabody ducks, who march twice a day (into and out of the fountain) to the delight of every tourist.

Afterwards, we had to get some authentic memphis barbeque ribs. One of the top spots is the rendezvous, with an entrance located in an alley across the street from the peabody. These ribs are cooked in charcoal ovens and "dry rubbed", which gives you all of the great flavor with a lot less mess. The menu is sparse (if you want beer, you better like michelob!) but this is the place to go if you want the true barbeque experience.

day 2: thursday, may 5
The next morning we made our holy day mass (see my pic of the memphis cathedral) and then headed to graceland, which is probably one of the most famous houses in the world. I wanted to do this (being a big elvis fan), despite the fact that I expected it to be a little hokey. Surprisingly, it is quite well done (see my graceland pics). You get audio headsets that change programming as you move from room to room, and it also lets you choose special tracks depending on your interest. For example, there's a room with a number of exhibits (elvis in sports, his wardrobe, the family, etc.). You pick the audio to match the exhibit you're viewing. The graceland tour is a MUST SEE and something I highly recommend!

After touring graceland, we had lunch on the east side of town, at corky's BBQ, which is famous for its pulled pork sandwichs and ribs. Then we headed back toward downtown and the legendary sun studio. The entrance is now a combination diner and souvenir shop, and you buy the tour tickets in the back. It's a brief but very informative and interesting tour, which ends in the studio itself where the million dollar quartet once played. They still have the microphone that elvis used. Awesome! Trying to fit everything in, we also made a quick one hour tour of mud island river park, including the mississippi river museum and a giant 5-block scale replica of the mississippi river (See my around memphis pics.)

For the evening, I took a walk around beale street, which is sorta like a smaller version of the french quarter in new orleans. There are lots of bars, clubs, and stores, and you can carry your drink out onto the sidewalk or across the street. I checked out bb kings blues club, but ended up at a club with a $3 cover charge and an excellent blues cover band. I wish I could have stayed here a few more nights. Right up the street is the gibson guitar showcase, and there's also the fedex forum, home of the memphis grizzlies.

day 3: friday, may 6
We headed out of town and made the 3.5 hour drive to nashville. On the outskirts of town is the famous loveless cafe. This is a southern style restaurant where breakfast just might be the best meal. I had a pecan waffle, but you gotta try the biscuits! They serve 'em with strawberry preserves, honey, and sorghum. That's right, sorghum! After breakfast, we made a quick stop around the capitol building (see my nashville pics) before heading north to kentucky.