Day 9: Memphis TN

Memphis, TN here we come! We left Hilton at the ballpark early after mike stopped into Starbucks for a Caramel Macchiato and then we were off! It was a 4 hour trek from St. Louis to Memphis. I was disappointed when we arrived in Memphis and I had booked the Hilton instead of the Double Tree Downtown. I do not know why I changed it and opted to stay out of town??? Anyway, I suddenly felt better when all the research I did of Memphis had turned up the fact that it is a driving city. We drove on into the Downtown area which is right along the Mississippi River. Our first stop, Gus’s Famous Fried Chicken. Man vs. Food on the Food channel has been to this restaurant several times. It is very spicy and hot out of the fryer. It was some of the best fried chicken I have ever had! The sides are beans and slaw and the slaw was top notch! The beans had salsa mixed in, so I was not so thrilled with that. At the last second, I ordered fried pickles and then regretted not getting fried green tomatoes. Mike and I just kept drinking and drinking the sweet tea, and MAN WAS IT SWEET! Delish! It was a total hole in the wall and we ate on paper plates with plastic silverware. After reading so much about this joint on the chowhound, it totally lived up to its reputation and Michael said it was a good call!
Several blocks away was the Mud Walk park. We caught the monorail across the river and then explored the river on our own. It is a life size model of the Mississippi River from start to finish, right down to the tiniest tributaries. Filled with running water that children and adults alike are encouraged to explore. I walked along with Jay for a while and when I quit, he went right for it…on my warnings to be careful, he still took a spill right in the water. I think it was one of the best things he could have done in his mind. He enjoyed scooting on his bottom up the river. When his shoes came off and floated downstream he became so tickled!
We took the last monorail back across the river to our car. It was so blasted hot this afternoon, Jay was thrilled to cool off and I was thrilled I had a second outfit in my bag for just such an incident as falling in the Mississippi River.
Next stop, Graceland. It was a mere ten minutes out of town in a horrible section of the city. If Elvis was alive, there is no way he would ever still live there! There was a festival of some sorts happening in the parking lot there and I can only imagine it was Elvis reincarnated in some hopeful fan. I managed to get a picture of Graceland Gates and the Heartbreak Hotel as we drove by. I felt completely satisfied in having seen it!
Set the GPS for the Hilton and head on home. It dawned on me that we were very close to Marc’s condo he owns in Tennessee. After seeing the area, I am wondering what possessed him to move to Florida. A few blocks from his condo are these extravagant mansions and he was surrounded by yuppyish homes. A very nice neighborhood indeed.
Then on home where we both happily crashed on the king size bed, with Jay nestled in between us...he has mastered the art of climbing out of the crib while in Chicago. Although Mike shared with me today he is dreading the 525 mile trip we have tomorrow. I don’t blame him, it is going to be difficult with Jay. Heck, it is just going to be difficult!