Mississippi Cruise–Memphis

We grabbed a cup of coffee and a pastry on our last morning on the American Countess. Our luggage was outside, waiting to be put on a bus. We’d tried to buy Graceland tickets through the cruise company but we were too late. So we took the bus to the airport. Gordon took advantage of airport WiFi to buy our own tickets to Graceland. What we saved buying our own tickets paid for our rental car so we made out like bandits. We drove around Memphis for an hour to get the feel of the place. It’s green and lovely. There are paddle boats moored on the river but we’d had enough paddle boats. We drove down Beal Street but it was closed. From the trash being cleaned up it looked like there’d been a big Saturday night. We figured out where Graceland was then drove back to our hotel. Gordon had booked us into a converted train station. We were early for check-in but hoped they’d let us store our luggage. The desk clerk said our room was ready and we could drop off our stuff. So we did. Then we went back to Graceland.

I’d seen seen pictures of the outside of Graceland so the Southern Plantation look of it wasn’t a surprise. Lovely exterior. The interior was a museum of 70s kitsch. I thought it was a little weird but, let’s face it, the 70s were a little weird. One interesting thing: Elvis had carpeted some rooms and hallways with dark green shag carpet–including the walls and ceilings. (I think we had the same carpet in our Hollywood apartment many years ago). Anyway, I thought it was tacky until if occurred to me that there wasn’t much available for home acoustics in the 70s. Elvis did a lot of recording in his house and the shag carpet muffled any echoes. Elvis jury-rigged his own sound proofing. Rather ingenious. We weren’t allowed upstairs per Elvis’ life-time request. He wanted SOMEPLACE private.

We went outside and toured the stables and paddock where a few horses are still kept. The tour ended at Elvis’ grave. He’s buried on-site with his parents and other family members. It’s very touching. Then we went across the street to see the other exhibits.

There are about five buildings devoted to different aspects of Elvis’ life. One building displayed his cars (and he had a lot of them), one building showed his costumes, one building detailed his early years, including his time in the military. We didn’t go through all the buildings. It was interesting but we’d been looking at Elvis stuff for hours. One observation: I’ve been told all these years that Elvis was an idiot. I don’t think that’s true. When you listen to taped interviews Elvis comes off as rather clever. He could handle all the ‘gotcha’ questions from a hostile media when he was only about 22 years old. And you don’t accomplish what he did before his death at age 42 by being an idiot. Think the media gives him a bad rap.

We toured Elvis’ private jet and private 707 and called it quits. I’ll probably never go back to Graceland but I’m glad I saw it once.

We went back to our train station for a nap before going to Central Bar-B-Q for dinner. It’s a local institution and was highly recommended so we walked over. On the way we read an historical marker about the Memphis Massacre. Don’t remember the date but it was a horrifying account of an attack on the local black population. Something like that tends to kill the appetite but we had to stand in line so long we got hungry again.

Gordon ordered the ribs and I ordered a pulled-pork sandwich and we shared. We also split an order of nachos just to see what they were like. We couldn’t finish it all, there was just too much food, but it was delicious. I ordered a local craft beer and that was good too. I enjoyed the ambiance although it was obvious we were the only Yankees. It was strange being the one with the funny accent. We walked around the historic neighborhood which is in the process of being restored. The trolley went past our hotel but we never took a ride. We probably should have.

We wandered around our train station hotel before bed. It still had the bumpers that stopped the trains from running into the place. There were lots of historic markers to read. I got a kick out of the place and Gordon loves trains, so he was in hog heaven.

Next morning we went across the street to the Arcade Restaurant. There was a line around the block the previous evening so we figured the food was good. Gordon got hash browns with his eggs and he ordered them extra crispy. They deep-fried the hash browns for him and he said they were perfect. The Arcade has really good food and the neon on the exterior is spectacular.

We spent the rest of the morning at the Civil Rights Museum. The Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was staying when he was killed, has been saved as has the boarding house across the street where the shot came from. There is a huge wreath on the balcony where King died. The attached museum details the civil rights struggle and the notables of that struggle over the years. It’s a sobering exhibit. This country has been through some times. Fortunately, we’ve always had strong people who were up to the challenge. The final exhibit was the boarding house across the street. They have the rifle and scope that was used to assassinate Dr. King on display. Or maybe it was just the same model of the rifle used, I don’t remember. It was a little macabre but it really brought the ugliness home. We were allowed to stand in the room where the shot came from. And we read about the hunt and trial of the killer. Not exactly a feel-good morning but it’s important US history. We were thoughtful when we left.

We had a few hours before we had to catch our plane so we went downtown and toured the Fireman’s Museum. We tried to get in the historic churches but they were closed due to the pandemic. I wanted to go to the Peabody Hotel and see if the ducklings were walking through but I was too cheap to pay to park–especially for ducklings who probably weren’t even there. We went to a huge Bass Pro shop on the way out of town. Supposedly, it was designed as a sports arena but funding went to pieces and by the time they started completion it was considered too small. So Bass bought it and it’s become a hotel, restaurant, and retail store. It’s full of fishponds and all sorts of other little treats. We were told by a salesman that it’s become a tourist destination. I believe it. The place was packed.

It was time to drop off the car and catch our flight which was uneventful. The cats were glad to see us–well, Gracie was glad. George pouted a bit. Good thing we can bribe him with food. It was good to be home.

Would I take the trip again? Maybe. The boat was perfectly appointed (game room, exercise room, snack room), there was always something to do, and the cabins and bathrooms were huge compared to other cruises I’ve taken. And being able to sit in a rocking chair as the Mississippi floated by was an experience in itself. That’s a spectacular river. The only problem was the food service. They were under-staffed and had to follow some ridiculous CDC rules. The food was good, when we could get it, but I still get slightly irritated when I think of the struggle to get basic things–like butter. The Battle of the Butter was almost a daily annoyance. And I didn’t like having to sit at the same table every night. If you got a clinker, like Horrible Henry, you were screwed. But except for meal time I enjoyed myself. Maybe the food situation will be straightened out. We were one of the first cruises allowed after the pandemic and they were still getting organized. But I enjoyed my time in the South. I’ve never spent any time there before. Quite an education.