Yes, we headed for Memphis, Tennessee ! Heck, why not!
It was a nice ride down, and only 3.5 hrs from Nashville. The temp was great, around 75, and the traffic wasn't bad at all. We arrived here Wednesday, just after lunch.
Getting downtown was pretty straight forward and we were to the hotel in no time. As Karen was getting off the bike to go check in, the first thing we heard was "hey, Nova Scotia !" It was the couples from Ontario we had met the night before at the Opry. They were just pulling away from the stop light ! Funny how it goes.
It's been a busy couple of days.
The first place we hit was Beale Street and we were staving. Jerry Lee Louis's pub sounded like a good place for lunch. After that it was walking and checking the place out.
Beale Street isn't that long in length, but it's sure long on history we've come to learn. There are markers and plaques dotted throughout the downtown explaining the history of the town. It's actually quite interesting and I tried to get a pic of as many as I saw - I'd still be there if I stopped to read them all.
The street is full of old buildings with bars and restaurants ( I swear, the motto in this area must be 'if it ain't fried, it ain't died'. You have no worries of finding an organic health food store on this street ! ha ! ).
One of the coolest buildings we were in was C. Schwab General Store. The lady at the cash, who was 4th generation, said it has been in the family since the 1880's (don't quote me on the exact date) but the 5th generation didn't want to work so they had to sell it. The store itself was a museum piece. 1880's, could imagine, there would have been horses and wagons out front back then. Today there is asphalt and Harley's.
Many of the buildings on Beale street are quite old and show a lot of (tired) character. Beyond Beale Street there is Main Street. This was probably our favourite street. It's where the famous Memphis Trolloy still runs back and forth the street. Unfortunately for us, they were down for restoration this summer. That said, the streets are cobblestone and trees, with shops on each side.
Throughout the area you'll see a lot of history
- The tallest building the the south at the time, 11 stories
- The second building in the US to get an elevator, after an office building in Chicago. People would pay 5 cents to go for a ride in it
- the cotton exchange building that would handle the distribution of cotton in the US. Obviously, it's long closed up, and Tennessee is no longer the largest cotton picking area in the country - it's now Texas.
We saw the Peabody Hotel where, we didn't know until tonight, that on the roof there are ducks. Each morning at 10:00, the ducks are lead to an elevator, off the elevator in the lobby and out to a duck pond. At 5:00 the whole show is repeated in reverse. We haven't seen it, but if it's true someone must have put it on You Tube by now !
Other than the downtown, Memphis has a great waterfront. Grassy areas, playgrounds, soccer field, bike paths, viewing and look-offs to watch the Mississippi River. An island called Mud Island has a amphitheatre for concerts with both a pedestrian bridge and a trolley car for access. There is an awesome water feature on the island that shows where the Mississippi starts and ends at a scale of 1 foot for every mile. It is very impressive.
Well, this is getting long, And I'm getting past my bedtime.
I'll follow-up with some more pics as I can only post 4 or 5 per blog entry.
