Memphis Tennessee - Day 2

Thursday May 17, 2018

We all slept in this morning. My masters have a big day doing things in Memphis. I get to a day off from riding in the car. It is a win win day. My masters leave around 11:30. Before heading to Graceland they pick up some provisions, get gas and have lunch. They get this all done within a few blocks of the hotel and in under 30 minutes. They  had lunch at the VGM Foods and Deli. It is a Filipino store with a small selection of daily entrees. The items aren't labeled so they just picked a couple and shared the plate. One item was a pork stew, might have been menudo, over rice. My masters liked that one best. They also had rice noodle with vegetables and chicken plus a BBQ pork skewer. The owner said they didn't have to pay until after they ate in case they didn't like it. He also gave them a sample of chicken adobo. Everything was delicious so they gladly paid.

They got on the highway to Graceland about 12 and arrived just at 1pm. Their tickets were at the Will Call window. They watched the pre-show, received headsets and iPad and boarded the bus for the mansion tour. Graceland is a classically elegant building.  The property has a serene feeling even though it is off a busy street. The grounds are groomed yet casual. It looks like a place where someone still lives. The bus driver said Priscilla, Lisa Marie and family do come to Graceland a couple times a year.

Inside, the mansion is frozen in time, just as it was in 1977 when Elvis died. These pictures provide an idea of the look of the house, albeit some of the more interesting rooms. My master said her family home had some of the antiqued gold and black mirror as in the dining room. Both my masters grew up with shag carpet. It seems Elvis was the force behind the decor, changing it many times. The tour is very well done and includes all the property expect the upstairs which was and now remains private. It is clear how much Elvis loved his family, giving his parents a lot of credit for his success. The pictures of Elvis, Priscilla and Lisa Marie show how much they all loved each other. It must have been very hard for them to retain any sense of normal family life. My master said she was surprised how moved she was seeing his grave. His parents and grandmother are buried next to him.

After the tour was over, they turned in the equipment and the bus took them back across the street where the Elvis Experience and restaurants are located. They looked at his cars and other various vehicles. Turns out my master and Elvis had similar tastes. They each owned MGA 1600s. Bob's was a 1961 and Elvis had a 1960. They also both owned Honda Dream 305 motorcycles. Karen toured the other exhibits while Bob enjoyed a beverage and a soft comfy seat. The movie posters reminded her of watching numerous Elvis movies with her sisters and the Hansohn girls in the basement on Brookside Drive. It started pouring rain so Karen joined Bob for awhile. It didn't seem to be stopping so they bought rain ponchos in the gift shop and braved the rain. Sure wish I had seen them. Bet it was worth a good laugh. 

From Graceland they took BB King Boulevard downtown to Beale Street, home of the Blues. They found a parking garage. A section of Beale Street is blocked from car traffic so it would have been nice to just walk the street. Unfortunately it was still raining so they went directly to BB King Blues Club and Grill. My master is a big fan of BB King. He was her favorite blues artist. Listen to this to see why. There was a band playing, the King Beez. My masters said they were very good, especially the woman vocalist. Boy could she belt it out with feeling. Karen had a great time. It was so nice of Bob to take her there. They stayed quite a while enjoying the music. After a trip to the gift shop for shirts, they headed back to the hotel.

My master researched BBQ spots in Memphis and found that the Tops BBQ chain was considered one of the places to try. Since there is one right by the hotel, it was an easy pick to go there. They each had the quintessential Memphis pork sandwich with coleslaw on the sandwich. Very tasty and cheap. You have to love a town with good drive thru BBQ. It was just what they needed after being at BB's. I got my dinner after they returned along with a walk. Sure glad they didn't listen to any more music. It was a fun day for them. I'm glad they enjoyed it so much. Tomorrow we head for Montgomery. We will be home Sunday.