Memphis

It's my last day in the South, and I am officially out of energy.

Green shag carpet, floor AND ceiling

Today I finally got to sleep in a bit, then headed down to Graceland, which just may have the gaudiest interior design in history. The mansion uses a guided audio tour that leads you all around the grounds. I really hate audio tours, and would have preferred to just wander through on my own, but without the recordings, there's little to no information given on the place. The tour ends at the graves of Elvis and his family, in the meditation garden. Since I was surrounded by other tourists, I couldn't really stop there and sing Heartbreak Hotel, a la Spinal Tap. Oh well, probably would've sounded reggae anyway.

The overpriced mansion tour alone was only $4 less than the everything tour, so I went for it all. However, after looking at the second small museum and the airplanes, I gave up. I was vaguely interested in the car collection, but it was a block down the road, and it was too hot to make the walk, especially after 90 minutes out in it already. I opted to get back in the car and visit Beale Street.

Before I did, though, I took a trip across the bridge to West Memphis, Arkansas, to get a closer look at the state of the Mississippi River. On the way over, the bridge walls were high and I couldn't see much of anything, and it turned out West Memphis is not really a destination for anything at all. Most every building I saw was run-down and/or closed, and that was on the town's main drag. I finally just turned back toward Tennessee, and that's when I saw the water level... long before I actually reached the river. Big Muddy is currently Huge Muddy. What a mess.

Back in Memphis, I parked on the east end of the Beale Street Historic District and walked down the closed off blocks. I was rather underwhelmed. The street has some old landmarks and lots of new clubs, each one with a different live band playing so that the street was a cacophony. I went into a couple of stores and stopped in at WC Handy Park, then gave up. The car claimed 98 degrees outside, but it felt more like 1000. Maybe 1200. I made my way back to the hotel to cool off before dinner.

My original plan was to relax for a few, then go down to Earnestine and Hazel's for a burger, since they sound so good, and this will probably be my only chance. But now that I'm here, I have no desire to move, even to grab something nearby. I'm bored and don't want to sit in this room watching Three's Company all night, but I also can't muster the energy to drive anymore, and am definitely not up to walking in the heat.

Maybe I'll caffeinate and see if that helps me perk up. I have more to do here!