It wouldn't be an accurate recollection of my holiday if I didn't include my less than enthusiastic approach to the first half of my stay in Memphis; I arrived into gloomy weather and was super tired, thanks to my GPS going offline for 24 hours which resulted in me having to follow my sense of direction in an area I'd never been in before. So instead of the 2 hours it was meant to take me to get to Memphis, it took all day Thursday. The next morning (Friday) I awoke crying after a particularly ominous nightmare, and a deep sense of separation from Shaun. The huge storm cell that had been making its way south finally broke over Memphis, and as I woke up with that sense of loss, thunder clapped and the storm rolled over the Home of the Blues. I hunkered down in bed defiantly, not wanting to be an adult and get up to face the day. Little wonder, with a start like that, that I didn't end up particularly motivated to explore Memphis' downtown region.
Friday was spent catching up on laundry & Game of Thrones; and a 90 minute massage which put me in s stupor for the rest of the day. I did manage to eat lunch however, at a place I'd had on my hit list: Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken. Moist meat, crispy exterior with just the right amount of heat - I can see why this is a preferred local hang-out. While I was busy enjoying my chicken, the guy in front of me turned around and started asking me questions (starting with 'do you like the chicken?' and moving to things like 'how long you here for?'), and we found ourselves engaged in a lengthy and pleasant conversation about all things from Memphis to Brisbane. When Greg proposed we have dinner together that night, I was happy to oblige, as I had been wanting to go to the restaurant he was proposing, to try the local barbecue fare. Unfortunately, Interstate B-B-Q is.. how can I put this? Crap. The ambience is TERRIBLE (think ripped seats with stuffing coming out and smoke-stained walls), the waitstaff are surly, the neighbourhood is terrifying (Greg had to walk me to my car to ensure I got there safely, and the restaurant gives discounts to the police to keep them in the area!), and the food was overcooked, dried out, like somewhere between jerky and ribs. I have absolutely no idea why this place is an 'institution' in Memphis BBQ.
Saturday I woke determined to see downtown, and find something I liked about Memphis. Initially, I tried to go to Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum, but upon pulling up outside and having my car eyeballed by a bunch of truly dodgy looking youths, I decided against it. Instead, I hit the next attraction on my list - Elmwood Cemetery. Not only did I get to pat the cemetery cat, Howard, (squeeee!!), I got a CD which is a guided tour of the cemetery and commentary on its more interesting residents. As you drive slowly around, the narrator tells you when to stop and which headstone to look for, and then proceeds to give you a colourful story about the person buried there. From brothel madams turned yellowfever heros to confederate generals and the first black millionaire, it was an interesting step through history.
After spending a couple of hours in Elmwood, I headed to the next target on my hit list: the National Civil Rights Museum. I wasn't entirely sure what this museum was about, but I do like my museums, and I am constantly fascinated by the history of slavery in America, so off I went. I would estimate more than two thirds of this museum is a shrine to Martin Luther King Jr, as it is the exact location where he was assassinated, and you can actually stand on the balcony where he received that fatal bullet, and stand at the window where James Earl Ray took aim and fired. The museum is much more than that, of course, it goes through the history of black slavery and civil rights (not just for black people, but all people) in the USA, the struggles, the triumphs, the set-backs. The component dedicated to MLK is very large however, and in detail goes through the lead-up to his assassination through to after Ray's sentencing, from both his side in chronological order, and James Earl Ray's. The feeling that it was indeed a conspiracy and Ray had more than help still lingers, and it seems pretty unlikely he was able to do it by himself, without financial assistance. I could go into it, but that would be more than one blog entry in itself. If you're interested, go here for more details. "No flash" photographs are allowed, so I made good use of my camera and took some shots of the balcony on which MLK stood, and the bathroom in which Ray stood, as well as the bullet recovered from MLK along with all the other evidence used in the criminal trial.
I wandered around the entertainment district for a while, after securely parking my car in a garage run by the most happy parking attendants I've ever encountered. They had a boom box going, playing all kinds of funky tunes, and they were dancing and laughing and calling me "baby" etc (not that this is unusual here in the South..) and were just a delight to witness really. Finally, I wandered onto Beale St, and boy oh boy. The first whiff of pee I got nearly had me doing a 180, but I steeled myself and threw my body headlong into the press of sweaty people lining the main strip which had been roped off to vehicular traffic. BB King's Blues Bar seemed like the logical place to go for lunch, and after settling in and ordering some fried pickles, I was pleased with my choice. The band were fantastic (although not strictly playing Blues..) and the female lead was excellent. She caught me taking happy snaps and winked at me, and for the rest of the afternoon I grinned at her like a love-struck fool as she belted out winners like "I'd rather go blind" and "Mississippi Woman" and "Chain of Fools". The food was sub-par, but the atmosphere and music were wonderful. I headed back out into the light like a mole rising above ground; squinting and struggling to find my sunglasses and to orient myself amidst the hustle and noise of Beale St midtown. So much to see! And unfortunately smell! After spending a good hour walking up and down, watching shoe shines holler for business and young boys do acrobatics up and down the street, I decided it was time I called it a day, and headed back to the peace and quiet of my room. Once you've eaten, and you've watched the buskers, and you've soaked it in - there's little to do in Beale St except sit down and start drinking, and I'm not on that kind of holiday.
My last day in Memphis was nothing short of beautiful - the clouds had moved South, and the rains had washed away any residual smog in the air, leaving a crisp, clear and slightly chilly day ahead. I started by doing another tour of the downtown region, further East this time as I had focused on the midtown area Saturday. Once satisfied I'd seen the best of the downtown area, I parked the car near the river and walked a few kms (miles?) up to Beale St Landing, a new under-development dock and parkland complex due to be finished in March 2014. This is the new location for the riverboats to depart from, and I was pretty determined to go on a riverboat cruise on the Mighty Mississippi. I arrived around midday to discover that boarding time wasn't 1pm, but 2pm, for a 2:30pm cruise. Whoops! After asking the girls manning the ticket booth how I could kill two hours, and receiving "nothing to do around here" as a response, I decided to just sit down and enjoy some sunshine on the dock instead. I noticed fairly quickly through the viewfinder of my trust Nikon, that the dock appeared to be uhm.. underwater. Feeling a bit alarmed, and wondering if Memphis was having a flood I wasn't aware of, I decided to be proactive and ask a man driving along in a golf buggy if he knew the answer. Boy! Did he know the answer! ALL of the answers! Jimmy is a veritable treasure trove of all thins Memphis, history and current goings-on, and not only did he answer that question (no, it's not flooding, more on that later) but he proceeded to invite me to hop in the buggy, and drove me all around the new development, showing me landmarks and telling me what's planned, and how things will look, and then took me up in an elevator to see the top part of the development, and then back down again to show me the architect's diagrams of the finalised project. He spent a good 40 minutes educating me on Memphis and the river, and I barely said a word, too scared that if I stopped his stream of information, he'd realise how long he'd been talking and realise he should probably get back to work. Turns out Jimmy is the Community Engagement Manager for the riverfront development - looks like they hired well. I was mighty engaged! Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and when we returned to where he'd parked the buggy, his two workers had arrived and were sitting on it expectantly. I went back to the riverfront and sat on the steps, watching the birds dance precariously on the debris swirling along the muddy river. It wasn't long before I overheard two men talking about Australia, and I had to giggle to myself when one said "...Brisbane... Sydney... Melbourne.. that's about it, I think they're the only real cities." The same man asked me if I minded them smoking cigars, and I said of course not, and well, as seems to happen, we struck up a friendship for the next few hours, as we talked about Australia and about their adventures as well. They were on what they call a "cigar holiday". Two good buddies, who reminded me uncannily of Danny Crane and Alan Shore from Boston Legal, with their cigars and fishing hats and subtle wealth under their easy going manner. Confusingly though, one looked so much like George Segal , I couldn't stop staring at him. We sat next to each other on the cruise, and chatted amicably for the next couple of hours. It was a little sad to say goodbye (they were flying home in a few hours) and Joel gave me a bit of a hug goodbye, while Michael aka George just kinda waved airily at me. Characters indeed.
Now! On to some actual information about Memphis and the Mississippi! The river's tide mark varies greatly season to season. In Spring, the water level rises to around 35-48 foot (at the bank level, not the level of the deepest parts), thanks to the influx of Spring rains and melting snow coming down from up North. After Summer however, due to a lack of rain and no more melting snow, the river will dip down to as low as -10, leaving huge stretches of riverbank exposed. To compensate for this constant shift in river level, the new development has a very smart system in place, whereby the ramp you walk down to meet the dock has five levels on a spiral system (four of which were submerged when I was there), and the dock itself is attached to two huge mechanical arms that swing up and down with the water, so lift the dock up to meet the required level of the ramp to meet the water level. Click here to check out some photos. There is also a whole riverbank walkway system that goes underwater during the high tide season, which of course has been built to withstand submersion. There's around $300Million worth of development going on in the Riverfront District right now; not only the Beale St Landing complex but also the world's sixth largest pyramid (yes, including the ones in Egypt) is undergoing a massive transformation inside. The pyramid was initially built as a fancy football stadium - it is six stadiums wide at the base - but in the late 90s, the local basketball and football teams wanted a state-of-the-art stadium built (not entirely sure what was wrong with the existing structure), and so FedEx Stadium was built. But it was built with an exclusivity contract attached, so since 2004, the pyramid has been empty. Recently, Bass Pro has bought the stadium, and is in the process of converting it into an outdoor sports ecosystem of marshes, creeks, log cabins etc, so people can go on holiday there and fish inside the pyramid. Bizarre. It's costing $30M apparently! The river was 55 foot deep when we went on our cruise, and running at around 9-10 miles/hour. She moves along at a clip!
So all in all, I did end up finding some spots I quite enjoyed, but I have to say, I'm terribly disappointed with Memphis BBQ. I heard so much about how wonderful it was before I left, and I was really looking forward to some finger-lickin' ribs. I don't know if I just kept going to the wrong places, but I honestly did not have one good meal while I was there. Which is appalling if you consider I was there four nights, and five days. Monday morning I awoke refreshed and ready to get on with the rest of my road trip. I turned on 95.3 HICK-FM and headed on the I-40 W for Little Rock. Miranda Lambert (fittingly) sang me out over the state line with my new favourite song "Mama's Broken Heart". I particularly like the lines "Go and fix your make up, girl, it’s just a break up / Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady / 'Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together / Even when you fall apart". Click here to listen to her awesomeness.
Chat soon,
M x
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