August 29 - 31, 2004
After
a (yawn) three hour layover at DFW (Dallas), we head
for
Memphis just as the morning sun clears the horizon.
A
FedEx airfreighter on final approach to Memphis International.
The
New Salem Baptist Church was highly recommended by a
clerk
at Dollar Rent A Car for its outstanding gospel choir.
The
New Salem choir in action . . . absolutely heavenly!
(One
of our very favorite memories of the entire trip!)
Why
were we in Memphis? Mostly to see Graceland, the
home
(and
final resting place) of "The King of Rock 'n' Roll."
A
"nice" house, but much smaller than one might imagine.
The
living room.
The
dining room.
The
media/party room. (The '70s are well preserved here!)
Stage
costumes and awards as seen in one of a number of such rooms.
"The
Famous Gold Jacket"
R.I.P.
The
graves of Minnie May Presley (Elvis' grandmother), Elvis,
Vernon
Presley (Elvis' dad) and Gladys Presley (Elvis' mother).
Two
weeks after the August 16th anniversary of Elvis' passing.
Floral
overflow...
Kolleen
is having a Cadillac moment!
Speaking
of Cadillacs, here's the pink '55 that El gave to his mom.
El's
Convair 880 jet.
More
Elvis stuff...a program from his high school graduation
ceremony
(June,
1953), and a temporary Social Security card.
The
entire wall fronting Graceland, along Elvis Presley Blvd.,
is
covered with messages from The King's many fans.
Downtown
Memphis at mid day evokes
a
nostalgic feeling for the 1950's.
Any
city with a vintage streetcar system can't be all bad...
Soulsville
USA, home of "The Memphis Sound!"
The
sign about says it all . . .
And,
a short distance across town, the famous Sun Records studios!
The
soda fountain/gift shop at Sun Studios.
Certainly
not a Mark Twain-era Mississippi River scene, these
sidewheeler
tour boats take "time trips" back to days gone by.
Kolleen
with our Hyundai Sonata rental, a very nice ride!
The
Peabody Hotel, home of the world famous "Peabody Ducks!"
The
Peabody Ducks themselves! They spend their days in the hotel's
lobby
fountain, and nights in their opulent rooftop penthouse pen.
The
ducks come down to the lobby via elevator each morning, and return
to
the roof each evening. Both events draw large numbers of folks who
totally
cram the lobby to catch a glimpse of the proceedings. Here they
are
on their way to the elevator, at the other end of the red carpet.
Kolleen
catches up on her journal entries in front of the
Peabody's
penthouse. The ducks' pen is on the far side.
While
Kolleen does her journal thing, I'm busily shooting the
sun
as it sets over Arkansas, across that "Ol' Man River."
If
Memphis is "Home of the Blues," Beale Street must be its
"party
room." Three long blocks of non-stop blues, blues, blues!
Memphis
is especially noted for its superb "dry" barbecue ribs. We got it from
several
sources that The Rendezvous was "the place" to get 'em but, much
to
our
chagrin, it's closed on Sundays & Mondays - the only full days we were
in
town.
We opted for the Blues City Cafe, and were extremely pleased with it.
The
line cooks at Blues City Cafe, hardworking guys to be sure!
BB
King's is directly across the street from the Cafe.
Our
final meal in Memphis was breakfast at the Gridiron, located on Elvis
Presley
Blvd. a short distance from Graceland. Down home good eats and
lots
of Elvis stuff on the walls. (Yes, Elvis was a customer, too!)
Memphis
from the air, heading for Cleveland!
Back to the Bruce & Kolleen's Vacation Pictures homepage...
Photos
by
Bruce
Wheeler
(C)
2004
All shots taken with a Nikon Coolpix 5700