I'm Going to Graceland - No, really, I am!

  Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Friday, June 13, 2008

Oooh, this was a busy day.

Survived my first night in Mugphis unscathed, and it didn't seem so bad really yesterday.  Plenty of people willing to give you compliments...and then ask you for money!

Memphis 2

Speaking of money, my first stop today was the Peabody Hotel.  A little out my price league.  In what is possibly the randomest thing I've seen (for a few days), everyday at 11am the Peabody Ducks come down in the elevator, walk up the red carpet, and climb into the fountain, where they remain all day. That's right, ducks.  Not 'ducks' as in something called ducks but in reality a completely different, non water-based being, but actual ducks!  And it was quite the crowd puller.  All these people taking photographs as the ducks walked out, it was like they were being papped!

Had a quick look at the statue of Elvis and the Orpheum Theatre but there were a large (-r than the rest of Mugphis) number of men hanging around so I ran away pretty quickly!

Memphis 2

To a land of less scary manly men! The Gibson guitar factory.  Here I had a little tour.  Again, I'm not going to tell you anything about the process as I couldn't hear a word the guy was saying.  Suffice to say it was very cool and the people who worked there looked very relaxed:  it wouldn't have looked out of place if they had a fag hanging from their lip and a can of beer in one hand.

Extortionate, cheesy, and horrifically decorated, but you can't really come to Memphis and not see Graceland.  So I did!  And it was!  Funniest part actually was the people stood in front of me in the cue.  They were two retired couples from North Caroline and there was the obligatory comedian of the group.  Kept referring to himself as a 'redneck':  "You tell the folks back home you met a genuine redneck" etc!  And he kept offering to photograph me with my own camera in front of all the different rooms.  "Taken by a genuine redneck this 'un!"

Memphis

But back to Graceland.  It was what you'd expect, although a lot smaller.  Not really the ostentatious building I'd expected, and quite homely too.  I mean, there was a soft ball room and a shooting range, but in itself the building wasn't OTT.  And what I didn't realise was that he's buried there too.  Somebody had put a twinkie on his grave.  Sweet or ironic, I'm not sure?

Memphis

  On my way home I called in at Beale St which was starting to buzz.  Let me tell you that is not the place to get vegetarian fodder, no sir-e!  All the bars have windows onto the street with bar staff sitting there trying to tempt you with cocktails, and there was jazz music and people doing somersaults down the streets.  I would have stayed but a)  I was tired, b) it was getting dark and I'd left my steak in the hotel room! So I ordered some mac and cheese from BB Kings whilst Blind Mississippi Willy (HONESTLY, NOT JOKING) played the blues.

To round it off I watched a beautiful sunset over the Mississippi, while all the down and outs of Mugphis assembled in the very same park.  The sun set and bham! I left hastily and without making eye contact.  Hope the shots were worth it!

Memphis