Memphis, TN

June 5, 2010

The Peabody, Ducks, The Rendezvous, Farmer's Market, Beale Street, Blues, Elvis.

All on an overcast Saturday in downtown Memphis. The Peabody is a grand hotel with a history of 135 years, but it's present location was built in 1925. We relaxed here for much of the morning, but I was there for the ducks, along with a few hundred other enthusiasts. The pomp and circumstance surrounding this tongue-in-cheek tradition can not be overstated. I got the whole parade: ducks,grandmaster, children (honorary grandmasters) and their parents, from elevator to fountain on video. Russell has seen a duck and had no interest at all, a minority in this hotel. We even went to the roof for a view of town and Duckinham Palace.

Lunch at the Rendezvous was in keeping with tradition, but they really need to visit Country Tavern in Kilgore for World Class Ribs. We walked off lunch with a hike to the farmer's market, a ride in a trolley, a frustrating hunt for the lost car, and a rest back at the Peabody. We collapsed in a sofa on the mezzanine just to catch our breath before a walk down Beale Street. A beautiful lady with cups of ice water appeared to make our day. She was an employee working an event who saw us and took pity. What an Angel! We completed the afternoon waling Beale Street, blues and rock filled the air while serious clouds threatened overhead. It was time to get back to the car.

Overall, our impression of downtown was not favorable, and neither of us is in a hurry to return. "Historic Main St." is dirty, ugly, and mostly vacant. You can't stray off the beaten paths without feeling a little insecure.

We finished the day with a drive by Graceland. We opted to skip the $70per tour in favor of standing at the fence for a long distance view of the mansion. The rock fence is really pretty interesting. Fans have left messages on every square inch of the entire length. We can now say, "We saw Graceland." and feel good about the savings.