Memphis - day 1 - Beale Street

Today I am in Memphis Tennessee. It was surprisingly interesting tonight. I'm here to see another lawyer about a phone that supposedly burst into flames and made a woman deaf. Highly unlikely but I have to take a look at the phone. I flew out of San Diego this morning at 11:30 so I didn't have to get up at some insane hour and it was a direct flight so it went quickly. My first shock was when I walked off the plane into the ramp and it was like walking into a wall. It was a hundred degrees and very humid. To think I was wondering while I packed this morning if I should throw in a jacket, just in case. Mike said that he heard that Memphis was famous for their barbecued ribs so we checked into the hotel and headed off for Beale Street looking for the Blues City Cafe. As we approached down town we came around a corner on the freeway and there was the mighty Mississippi river. It really is a grand looking river. I have never heard of Beale Street before but I guess it is famous. Supposedly a lot like Bourbon street in New Orliens but smaller and not as famous. We got there and the street is all blocked off. I don't quite know what I was expecting but this isn't it. It was a fun looking place. We'd been told that the place to eat was Blues City Cafe but some guy flagged us down on the street and offered to let us park in a stall that was marked "no parking at any time". He assured us we wouldn't get ticketed so we tipped him $5 and took his word for it. He told us that the place to eat was BB Kings. We went into BB Kings but they were playing loud music and it was way too noisy so we went across the street to "The Blues City Cafe". As we were trying to decide where to eat I noticed that the sidewalk has a bunch of musical notes embedded in it with music stars names on them. I didn't know who they all were and Mike thought I was joking. He was quite disgusted when he realized I was serious. I did find one name I recognized. The ribs were excellent barbecued ribs. I love it when they cook them until they look burned but this was just a little too much. The burned part actually tasted a bit like ashes to me but it was still good and I enjoyed it so much I had fried apple pie for dessert. What a dessert, it was served in the frying pan they cooked it in and the butter was still in the pan. A big scoop of ice cream and I just packed away all of the calories I burned on Saturday and then some. Very good though. After we ate we decided to go for a walk down Beale Street. It was really a happening place. I saw the FedEx Forum where the Grizzlies play. I really don't know who the Grizzlies are but that is what the sign said. I saw another bar called Pat O'Reilly's. It is supposed to be famous for their moonshine during prohibition but I took a picture of the hallway leading into the place because I thought it looked pretty cool. I guess the original Pat O'Reilly's eventually moved to New Orleans once they became legal again. We stopped in another bar and listened to some guy do a Johnny Cash imitation. I don't think he looked anything like Johnny Cash but he really did sound like him. They not only had bands inside the bars and restaurants but they also had bands out on the streets. Some of them actually sounded pretty good but you know how much I love music. I was ready to go home long before Mike was. I think he was a little disappointed that I didn't want to go sit in a bar and listen to them all night. They also had a few horse carriages going up and down the streets. One of them them looked like the pumpkin chariot out of Disney's Cinderella. It was covered with flashing blue lights that you can't see too well. Finally Mike decided it was time to go home. I was good and didn't say once that I wanted to go. He could just tell that I was done listening to loud bands. It became pretty obvious that Elvis lived around here at one time. We asked around and learned that Graceland is only a few blocks from our hotel. Now wouldn't it be a shame to be that close to Graceland and not go see it? We stopped by on the way home and it looked like it was still open but we decided to gamble and go see it tomorrow in the day light. I didn't want to pay money and get kicked out in half an hour and we should be done tomorrow in plenty of time. I did take a picture of Lisa Marie (that would be his airplane). Can you believe they actually have Elvis' airplane parked out in front of his house? It is strange being in a place this hot. We are in the car and forget how hot it is until we open the door and get brutally reminded. Even now it is midnight and according to the TV it is 90° outside. Thank goodness for air conditioners. How did the pioneers ever manage?

Yesterday was also a long but fun day. We got up early again because Brian Wilson (our friend going on a mission) reported at 9:00 and they're on the south side. We've been used to sleeping in since our meetings don't start until 12:30. Brian gave a very good talk and I can tell already that he's going to be a great missionary. After their meeting Alex figured that since he'd already gone to church that he was done for the day. He was quite distraught to learn that we were then going to our own ward. Mackenzie came in to town last night to go to Batman with Alex and his friends. It was so late and they live so far out she just stayed the night and we all went to church together this morning. After church Ben and Sharley came over for dinner and it was good to have everyone here.