![\"Rich](\"http:\/\/www.zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Rich-and-oysters.jpg\" "\\"Rich")
<\/a>Another great day in Memphis.\u00a0 What a trip this has turned out to be.\u00a0 One of us slept in yesterday while the other one was writing her blog entry.\u00a0 You know how I mean.\u00a0 I guess it gets harder to rejuvenate after a night on Beale Street.<\/p>\n
We are beginning to see how connected Chicago and Memphis really are.\u00a0 It’s amazing.\u00a0 We tell everyone from Chicago and they each know someone up there.\u00a0 I never knew how strong this connection is.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, I took notes on things. That means I might have more to say.\u00a0 Unfortunate for you, because you’ll have more to read.\u00a0 Don’t worry.\u00a0 I promise pictures at the end.\u00a0 We have an interesting practice on our trips.\u00a0 On something that she loves,\u00a0a friend of ours tells the server, “That’s horrible.\u00a0 Never bring me that again.”\u00a0 Remember this as you read.<\/p>\n
We headed out to breakfast at the The Little Tea Room.\u00a0 Darn, there are only open for lunch.\u00a0 I could have swore I saw breakfast in their daily servings.\u00a0 Oh well, guess we gotta\u00a0return to the Cockadoo and those horrible, awful biscuits.\u00a0 Rich ordered eggs and ham with a biscuit.\u00a0 I could finally see that it was a drop biscuit, but it was one of the largest I had seen.\u00a0 I had The Shag.\u00a0 I posted a pictorial description of this breakfast in yesterday’s post.\u00a0 So I had to try it.\u00a0 It is a deep-fried french toast sandwich stuffed with peanut butter and bananas covered with blueberries and maple syrup with a huge line of whipped cream.\u00a0 I love the South!\u00a0 Once again, we had Mississippi Mud coffee. I tell the waitress, “Never bring me this horrible breakfast again.”<\/p>\n
As we sat and enjoyed our breakfast, there were\u00a0three gentleman sitting a table nearby.\u00a0 One gentleman was from Chicago and the other two were from Memphis. After they finished their breakfast, they pulled out papers and begin to work.\u00a0 This was a planning meeting between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Memphis Orchestra for how their seasons would use the same people and share in music planning.\u00a0 Wow, we got to hear what next season would be!<\/p>\n
Our first stop this morning was at the Rock and Soul Museum. Believe it not, we are running out of things to keep us busy during the day.\u00a0 We’ve seen so much and walked all around downtown.\u00a0 Oh, there’s more here to see and do in just downtown.\u00a0 Unfortunately, we don’t have an interest is some of the things.\u00a0 We’ve decided that we aren’t really interested in Graceland.\u00a0 I know, I know.\u00a0 How can you not pay homage to the King.\u00a0 Well, there are a whole lotta Kings when it comes to Memphis, blues, and music.\u00a0 We are trying to celebrate all of the others.<\/p>\n
So as I said, we went to the Rock and Soul Museum.\u00a0 Now, I have been to a lot of Smithsonian exhibits in my day.\u00a0 Even with the Smithsonian name attached to the museum, I wasn’t expecting that much.\u00a0 I was most pleasantly surprised.\u00a0 The first surprise was to find that Mike working the front desk was from Sandwich, IL.\u00a0 He talked about Blackhawks, and I nodded my head.\u00a0 I know who they are, just not a hockey fan.\u00a0 After watching a short documentary on the development of music in the delta area, we got our headsets and wondered forth in search of Rock and Soul.\u00a0 The museum is arranged in chronological order.\u00a0 We start off in the 1700s to 1800s talking about life in the delta and the different types of music being played on front porches, churches, and fields. You move into the 1900s where blues and country were the main sources of music.\u00a0 Finally, all types of music blend together into Rock-n-Roll and Soul.\u00a0 Really takes you down the road in a great set of stories and examples.\u00a0 Along the way, you have a list of songs you can play to hear what they are referring to.\u00a0 Can you tell I really enjoyed this one?<\/p>\n
Now I might admit to dancing a little bit in the museum.\u00a0 But all that walking made me hungry and it was after 1:00.\u00a0 We stopped into Dyer’s on Beale Street.\u00a0 This is a soda fountain still operating today.\u00a0 We ordered up burgers and fries.\u00a0 No shakes though.\u00a0 The fries were awesome.\u00a0 Cut straight into the grease from a potato.\u00a0 My favorite kind of fries.<\/p>\n
Now we are back out on The Street.\u00a0 I have a bag with goodies that I purchased from the Rock and Soul Museum and it’s a little heavy.\u00a0 We decide to return to the hotel from another angle.\u00a0 It’s still the business district, but there are few people on the street.\u00a0 Kind of heard to believe I’m in a major city and\u00a0it looks that deserted. So the Peabody Hotel is across the street from us.\u00a0 This is the place you really want to stay, if you can afford it.\u00a0 We finally found the main entrance to the hotel on the lonely street we are walking.\u00a0 We have yet to see the duck parade through their lobby.\u00a0 Maybe tomorrow.<\/p>\n
We drop off my heavier-than-it-should-be package and decide to finally take that trolley ride around town.\u00a0 Now everyone says to do this first so you can see everything.\u00a0 We never seem to do things in the correct order.\u00a0 Our time is almost up and we finally jump the electric trolley.\u00a0 To find out information about the trolley, I stop a member of the Blue Suede Brigade.\u00a0 These are people stationed throughout downtown to answer questions for visitors and provide direction.\u00a0 You can tell them by the vivid blue jackets in the cooler temps and sashes in the summer. Our brigade member\u00a0was very nice and I complimented her city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So we step up (way up up since the step was so high) and find window seats.\u00a0 This is an old horse-drawn car, so the seats are very short and narrow.\u00a0 This is not a modern fit.\u00a0 The car takes off and we see Main Street and the riverfront.\u00a0 The Pyramid is closed these days.\u00a0 All sporting events have moved to a new home in the Forum.\u00a0 It’s pretty and shiny though.\u00a0 Mud Island is still out in the river beside the Visitor’s Center.\u00a0 I love architecture and can almost identify time periods by the types of buildings.\u00a0 We see an old quartermaster that is converted into lofts.\u00a0 At least it is getting used.\u00a0 There are Art Deco buildings, Federal styles and a couple of extremely modern designs that wouldn’t hold up to much snow and ice. We arrive at the top of Beale Street and jump off.<\/p>\n
We realize that those burgers didn’t hold us and we are hungry again.\u00a0 We decided to snack a little and head down to a little place called Silky’s Oyster Bar.\u00a0 Now I’m not too keen on oysters, but Rich thinks this is good idea.\u00a0 We get to the door and the little lady on duty has company.\u00a0 We ask if this is entrance for oysters.\u00a0 The young man opens the door and asks how many he can shuck for us.\u00a0 We get a table and order a couple of pale ales.\u00a0 There is a blues duo playing on stage.\u00a0 We are the only people in here at the moment.\u00a0 It’s like a private concert.\u00a0 Oysters arrive on the half shell.\u00a0 Am I adventurous enough to try one? OK.\u00a0 It’s not bad and so fresh, but Rich only has a half dozen and he starts guarding them.\u00a0 Rich tells the waitress, “Never bring me those horrible things again.”<\/p>\n
The duo on stage finds out that Rich likes Freddie King and Howlin’ Wolf. So all of their music becomes centered around everything that Rich wants to hear.\u00a0 One after another, we hear the kings:\u00a0 B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King. Rich is getting really spoiled here.\u00a0 Everyone wants to please him with their music.\u00a0 He knows that ends here in Memphis, doesn’t he?<\/p>\n
Back out on the street, we walk around some more listening to music and watching everyone getting ready for the evening’s entertainment at each of the clubs. Now, each establishment has a person out front from the time they open until they close.\u00a0 These people talk to the crowd and try to get you into their joint for food, drinks, and music.\u00a0 Some of them are very interesting.\u00a0 We’ve had a couple of great conversations along the way. You can’t escape them, they are right there as you pass by, even if you\u00a0out in the street and not on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
It’s late afternoon now.\u00a0 We decide to head back for a well deserved rest and wait for Rendezvous to open.\u00a0 Now this is the premier BBQ joint in town.\u00a0 It is conveniently located right behind our hotel, in an alley.\u00a0 Yep, an alley.\u00a0 A lot of business started out sharing a building so there is an entrance on the front street for the top and one in the alley for the bottom.\u00a0 Most of the alley businesses wouldn’t think of using the front street entrance these days, even though they have the entire building!\u00a0 Kokomo Joe says this is the place to eat.\u00a0 The Rolling Stones go here whenever they are in town. Just gotta try it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now Memphis BBQ is a dry rub on the meat with no wet ingredients.\u00a0 So it relies on the best cut of meat to cook up its own juices and soak in the flavors that are coating the top.\u00a0 I didn’t know if I liked Memphis style or not.\u00a0 Rich, of course, knows the differences in all the BBQ styles and then there is his own.\u00a0 We went down to eat and the alley is full of cars.\u00a0 People are milling around and walking up and down the alley.\u00a0 This isn’t a big street, mind you.\u00a0 It really looks like an alley.\u00a0 To be precise, this is General Washburn’s Escape Alley by name. We go into the restaurant and go downstairs. This would have been their original entrance and building layout.\u00a0 We get seated and the menu is under glass on the table top.\u00a0 Your choices are limited.\u00a0 Ribs, chicken, pork shoulder, and lamb riblets.\u00a0 Rich orders a rack ribs and I get pork shoulder.\u00a0 That way we can share.\u00a0 The food comes right out since they spent all morning cooking it.\u00a0 The cole slaw is mustard-based and kind of yellow.\u00a0 The beans have meat and BBQ sauce in them.\u00a0 Needless to say, that didn’t take long to eat.\u00a0 It was wonderful.\u00a0 Gotta admit though, I prefer Rich’s BBQ.\u00a0 Still my favorite.<\/p>\n
The hotel is on the way back to Beale Street, we stop to get dolled up and decide what kind of jacket to wear.\u00a0 Evening temp is supposed to be 44. Not too cold, but still chilly in the breeze. Off we go back to The Street.\u00a0 We arrive without a definite plan.\u00a0 We find out that The Bluesmasters don’t start until 8:00 at Mr. Handy’s.\u00a0 We wonder around listening to the music.\u00a0 At B.B. King’s, we decide to go in.\u00a0 The band, Memphis Jones, is about to go on stage.\u00a0 We get drinks and get seats right in front of the dance floor.\u00a0 These three nerdy looking guys in the almost impossibly\u00a0straightest leg jeans I’ve seen appear on stage and mill around.\u00a0 What the heck was I about to see?\u00a0 This looks like Green Day coming on stage. They play their first song and then introduce themselves.\u00a0 They are dedicated specifically to Memphis music.\u00a0 OK, let’s see.\u00a0 We listen for an hour.\u00a0 They play everything from B.B. King, Ike Turner, Elvis, and other great Memphis artists.\u00a0 Not bad, but the electric guitars, jumping around, and screaming were getting too much.<\/p>\n
Back out on The Street, we wonder down to Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall.\u00a0 Opening the door, the place appears to be packed.\u00a0 We find seats at the bar and listen to some great old blues music.\u00a0 I realize the lead guitar is the same guy from last night.\u00a0 Cool! He was pretty good.\u00a0 The singer is pretty good also.\u00a0 They walk around with their tip bucket and I throw a couple of dollars in. Next set, they shift to soul music and we move to a table.\u00a0 Some of is pretty good, but some I don’t recognize.\u00a0 Can’t say I’m a soul music enthusiast.\u00a0 At some point, a couple of older guys come in the door.\u00a0 The singer sees them and introduces them as two original members from the BarKays and having worked with Otis Redding.\u00a0 We just read about these guys today in the museum!\u00a0<\/p>\n
We listen for a while and just can’t keep up anymore.\u00a0 We give up our table by the wall and head out into The Street.\u00a0 Things are still jumping out there and people are milling around.\u00a0 No more for me.\u00a0 We walk back to the hotel and talk about what we’ll do on our last day in Memphis.\u00a0 We have a plan.\u00a0 Now to sleep.\u00a0 “Don’t bring me anymore of that horrible music and food from The Street,” we say.<\/p>\n
Goodnite, Memphis.<\/p>\n
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