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Published: August 18th 2012
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So, we had about 24 hours in Memphis...pretty much exactly 24 hours.
We arrived in Memphis at about 3pm after an easy drive from NOLA. We checked in to our hotel, the Econolodge Downtown, and it was pretty dumpy. Pretty sketchy entrance, terrible elevator, double beds, not so nice bedding...overall pretty not so good. Oh well, we went out for a walk.
We walked the downtown a bit before going to dinner, saw the Mississippi river, Beale St, Main St, the Peabody Hotel, and that was about it. Beale St is nice, but a bit overdone and loud. Beale St is like the entertainment district. It is pedestrianized for a few blocks, and lined with blues clubs, bars, shops and such. It is cool, but each club and bar is playing different loud music, so it can be hard to walk down the street when they are all playing at once. Back to the hotel, and off to dinner.
Now, for the real deal. We came here for BBQ. When we first pulled up and got out fo the car in Memphis, the first thing we smelled was BBQ smoke. This town is BBQ heaven. We decided to
go to The BBQ Shop, which is about a 5-10 minute drive from the hotel. Boy was it worth it. I ordered a regular order of ribs (dry was recommended), which was 6 ribs, and it came with sides of coleslaw, beans and texas toast. Jackie ordered the pulled pork sandwich with fries and slaw. It was all fantastic. I didn't think much about dry ribs ebfore this, never thinking ribs without sauce would be good, but they were the best ribs i've ever had. So smoky, so delicious, fall right off the bone tender. Amazing. The sides were fine, but the ribs....oh lord. So amazing. Jackie's pulle dpork sandwich was great as well. Tender as hell, delicious sauce and slaw, so good. And on toast, not a bun. Full thumbs up super recommendation for The BBQ Shop.
We took a walk after dinner, bought a couple souvenirs at A. Shwab's Dry Goods Store, which is an old general store now turned into a gift shop, odds and ends store with a museum and Elvis store in it. It is a great place to spend 30 minutes looking around.
The next day we planned to do a little
walking tour, and visit a museum or two. We packed up our bags ready to leave at 3, had a low quality breakfast, and headed out. The first thing we did was head to the Peabody Hotel to see the famous Peabody Duck March. Get this, at 11am every morning, The Duck Master dressed in formal red coat brings down 5 ducks that live on the roof of the Peabody in the Duck Palace down the elevator, and with announcer and music playing marches them down a red carpet where they spend the day in the central fountain of the Peabody lobby. They then reverse the process at 5pm everyday. Crowds assemble everyday for this wonderful ceremony. This happens every signel day, and has been for like 70 years. What an amazing, unique and strange tradition. It was a priviledge to witness. What fun. Have a look.
then took a little walk around, peeked into a few museums (the Gibson Guitar Factory, the Rock and Soul Museum), before walking a few blocks to the National Civil Right Museum at the Lorraine Hotel, the sight of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This was the best
museum experience I've ever had. It was moving. The museum is so detailed, visual, engaging, with pictures, videos, audio, and physical recreations. it was an amazing museum, about an amazing piece of history. Everyone should have to go here, and maybe should have to go here every 5 or 10 years, to remember the amazing history of this grand movement. The work of these amazing people is so admirable and amazing. What strong people. But the museum was very tragic and sad. I am slightly embarassed to say I nearly cried on a number of occassisons. Just the exterior of the hotel, with the old cars on the lot out front of the place where MLK was shot, just like in the photos of the day it happened, with a large wreath to mark the exact spot, it was absolutely moving. It was similarly moving to my experience at Auschwitz, where I was nearly moved to tears and had to really compose myself or I would weep. A truly moving experience.
We had lunch at TGI Friday's (salads), which I really wanted to do so bad since the trip started (don't ask me why, I just did...I'd never been
in an American chain restaurant), and it was fine. And then we were off. Off to drive through Nashville then North towards Louisville, where we'd arranged a hotel room in Elizabethtown Kentuky.
We stopped just outside Nashville at a very popular BBQ restaurant chain in the south called Jim and Nicks BBQ. We had sandwiches, one Pulled Chicken and the Brisket sandwich. Both were well smoked and tasty, tender and great. The brisket was a little fatty, but overall very good (my brisket this summer at the cottage was a bit better we thought), and the smoke chicken sandwich was delicious. The sauce was good, and the service so perfectly southern charming. Over all a great meal at a great price.
And now we sleep, one more sleep, 10 hours from Hamilton, in Kentuky. Kentuky. Can you believe it.
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