More sites around Memphis

I visited so many places and there are many more on my list. A close 2nd to Graceland on my favorite list in Memphis was Stax Records. They did a great job of compiling and displaying the history. BUT - NO PICTURES. NONE at all. I didn't cheat and use my phone; I respected their wishes but DANG. I needed a pic of that Superfly Gold-Plated Cadillac El Dorado once owned by Issac Hayes!

Imitation Elsie got a few whistles from the workers across the street and also some peeps driving by. She was a little embarrased but happy she was noticed! This is a sad site just around the corner from Stax. Many of the musicians who recorded there were from this neighborhood which was a little worn but had character.

Here is Lisa, one of my co-workers. We had a little time so I took her to the Civil Rights museum. This was the 2nd visit in three days for me. I still cried at the end of the film. Another life taken at such a young age.

Another stop was the Rock and Soul museum in downtown Memphis. That was a lot of fun too. Again, the little radios with recording narrations provided by satellite radio.

The Gibson Guitar factory is across the street but had cancelled a few tours that day and I didn't want to wait a few hours. So, I'll just have to go back to Memphis so I can see how those amazing instruments are made.

I ate a lot of pulled pork and bbq last week. I have now acquired a taste for all kinds of bbq! I stopped here because the place was packed and I figured...if the locals eat here, so should I. Well, I found out later this place is somewhat famous :) It is along side a busy road and I passed it a few times going from here to there and kept seeing all the locals in there. Work vans, work trucks, etc.

http://www.interstatebarbecue.com/history.html

I had sweet potato pancakes at the Arcade, the oldest restaurant in Memphis. I'm gonna make some just as soon as I get to the market and the ingredients! This place is a block from the Civil Rights Museum. If you go there, eat here!

http://www.arcaderestaurant.com/

While browsing the many gift shops at Graceland I kept seeing these chocolate bars, chocolate guitars, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. I finally looked at the back of one expecting to see McChocolate or something but there was a name I didn't recognize: Dinstuhl's. Of course the librarian in me had to research this place. I found out that they are like the Esther Price of Dayton. I went to one of the stores before I went to the airport and had to partake. The reason they are in Graceland is because Elvis used to buy his candy here. He had Lisa Marie's Easter baskets made by Dinstuhls, etc. Chocolate fit for a king. Works for me. I even bought some chocolate covered grapes. Don't knock it 'til you try it. They were awesome.

http://www.dinstuhls.com/

Ground Zero Blues Club - Memphis

I went here twice and I think the food is much better at the Clarksdale location. However, in Memphis you can get sweet potato fries or a baked sweet potato with your meal. yum. The music was knock-your-socks off good at this place tho. It is one block off Beale Street and I will return. I wasn't impressed with Beale Street at all. I walked up one side and down the other and hit the road. I'd go again tho if someone wanted...any takers?
I have to admit that this was the nicest place I stayed on this journey. The Marriott at Thousand Oaks.

I was looking for a few books so I (of course!) googled 'used books Memphis' and found this little place close to downtown. I loved this shop and hope it stays in business forever. Support your local used book and music stores!

I think that about wraps this jaunt for now. It was loads of fun, exhausting, saddening, enlightning (sp), and I'd do it again next week.

Although, I do want to go to Nashville the next time I'm scheduled for Memphis. I will take one day and go back to Clarksdale and reconnect with the blues roots.

I hope I didn't bore you too much!

A cotton pickin' good time was had by Shelley and Imitation Elsie

My pics don't do the fields justice. Miles and miles of cotton as far as you can see. It was full and ready for harvest. As I drove around the countryside I saw many different pieces of farm equipment in various stages of harvest. It brought back memories of Ohio and Indiana and I loved every minute of it. Those farmers work so hard - but - I can't imagine how hard those men, women, and children worked before those wonder machines were created.

Bales of cotton waiting for the truck:

You gotta stay at the Heartbreak Hotel, right?

If you want to stay at the Heartbreak Hotel, you better get there soon 'cause it is scheduled to be destroyed. Apparently much land is being purchased all around Graceland and it will soon be like an amusement park. I think the only ride will be the bus to through the gates but there will be an performance hall, etc. I'm sure more gift shops are on the list too. Nothing special about this room except the framed photos of The King. Oh, Oh, Oh,....and the 24 hour a day ELVIS MOVIE CHANNEL! After four days of driving around the delta I was very tired and it was nice lounging around and watching that handsome man. The movies are cheesy and I think he knew it too... but... I still had a great time watching them.

What a pool! It was closed of course...after all it is November in Memphis... but, you can get the gist of it by the cover.

James Son Thomas gravesite

Just had to post this so you can read the memorial - a line from one of his songs. John Fogarty is credited with purchasing and installing this marker.

Willie Sonny Boy Williamson, Tutwiler, MS - Harmonica playin' blues man

This site was a little difficult to find. My reference gave a street name but it wasn't quite accurate. Also, there isn't a church or marker so you just have to look. This graveyard (like many) is on the edge of a cotton field and partially overgrown. I can't remember if this one was on a dirt road but I remember driving down a dirt road to get to this area.

Charley Patton - ramblin' blues man

Another marker on the side of the road....at the edge of a graveyard....bordered by cotton fields....That is Charley's grave to the left in this pic:

I didn't leave that bottle at the site.

Willie James Foster's grave is next to Charley's. He lived longer than many of his fellow musicians. Willie also served our country and was happy to see someone took the time to install the official military marker.

Robert Johnson . . . Some say he is the King of the Delta Blues Singers

Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil and was poisoned to death. He has three grave sites. This is the smallest and was the most difficult for me to find. The church next to this graveyard was occupied but there were no windows facing the graves. One grave stands out with an official Blues Trail marker at the Little Zion MB church.

I thought I might arrive during services but they hold them only every third Sunday. I was sad to see the sign on the ground. Too bad someone can't fix it.

This is the view as you turn to the left of the church/sign. My reference said his grave was under a large pecan tree. At any rate, I walked around a bit and found various things in this graveyard and eventually found his headstone. 27 years old.

There were a few items on this headstone left by travelers. Imitation Elsie and I just took a few pics and left no tokens. The third headstone is much larger and is also in an active church graveyard. If you are a regular blog reader you will remember my post about MS Dogs. Well, if you look real close at the cars towards the center of the pic you can see the mama dog who appears in my previous post.

His songs have been covered and re-covered. A true-blue Blues Legend.

Graceland . . . very interesting, Imitation Elsie loved it too

After the bus takes you to the front door, you enter and look to the right into the all white living room. NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY! Pics aren't the greatest but can ya see those peacock stained glass windows? The King had them made special for this area and you too can have them in your home. Yes, purchase your reproductions at one of the eleven. yes ELEVEN, official EPE gift shops found across the street. EPE = Elvis Presely Enterprises... now you know.

Oh, BTW, no tour guides. Just tour guards. Everything is relayed via satellite radio and you wear these little headset thingys to listen. You have to push numbers or specific buttons on the small radio to hear the next narration. The tour guards will answer questions and are VERY friendly and VERY nice. They were especially nice to IE. I didn't take very many pics in the house. It was a little eerie to me and I wanted to show respect to The King. Seriously, I found it incredible and would go back again. Anyone wanna go? Ok, on with the tour.

Beyond those peacocks is the Music Room. You can just get a glimpse of the piano.

To the left of the white living room is the stairway and a short hallway to the right. Off to the right is (was?) his parent's bedroom. Nothing fancy but a bit nicer than what they had in Tupelo. The stairs are roped off and a large blue velvet curtain blocks your view at the top of the stairs. THEY SAY that no one ever went upstairs except Elvis, Priscilla, and Lisa Marie. THEY SAY that nothing has been touched up there since he died. Kinda creepy. Also, THEY SAY (well, not on the tour but eveyone else) that the bathroom in which he died is directly above the foyer. Ok, off through the dining room (no pics) and kitchen (no pics). Something I thought as I walked through this floor was how if this house was on House Hunters (HGTV).... those potential buyers would gasp and say 'oh my, this needs totally remodeled, look at that terrible carpet, who picked these wall colors?' yadda yadda yadda. However, one has to remember that this house was decorated in the late 60's and early 70's and I'm sure was very stylish and modern. Ok, back to the kitchen.... previously the kitchen was not on the tour because his aunt lived in the home until she died which I think they said was 1993. I better google that date. Anyhoo, think about that... she lived there for a very long time with people ooing and ahhing and boo-hooing through there. Very generous of EPE to commit to his request to allow her to stay. Ok, now you go downstairs to the famed TV Room and Pool (or was it game?) Room. The TV room was decorated in dark blue, yellow, and white - which looks adorable on a child's sweater or on a sailboat flag. In here... well, between the colors, the vinyl, and the mirrored ceiling, it was a little much. However, like I stated before, 30ish years ago - this was HOT! The Pool Room was different too - the walls and ceilings are totally covered in fabric. Back upstairs to the famed Jungle Room:

That's Imitation Elsie sitting on the ledge near the indoor waterfall. After this room you are guided outside and walk through Vernon's office, the shooting range (an outdoor room with a large door), and then to the racquetball court. After you walk into the RC, you step into the actual area that would have been the floor, etc. and instead the walls are covered - floor to ceiling - with gold records. TVs are showing concerts from his last years and there are a few of his legendary jumpsuits on display. It was at this point I started getting very sad. He was only 42 years old and wow - what a life. I know you think I'm silly but I did get very sad.

So, after you leave the racquetball court you move into what Elvis called the Trophy room (building? I can't recall). Anyhoo, again, a short intro and then you walk into this:

Can ya see tiny IE in the pic to the left? Can you see the hugh number of tourists? Note: If you ever want to go to Graceland, this time of year is AWESOME!

Walking along, looking at all of those records was just incredible. As you leave this hall, you enter the hall of movie posters, etc. At the end is a display of his wedding suit, her dress, and Lisa Marie's crib and a few toys. Around that corner is another long hallway that displays his charity work, etc. Both he and Priscilla were very active and generous. Again, this display really moved me.

Here's a couple of shots to cheer you... Imitation Elsie at the pool!

And then there's the meditation garden with the four graves and the original HUGE marble headstone from his mom's grave. Flowers, tributes, gifts, etc. are everywhere but not trashy.

This is the marker near the road. Here are the famous gates.

And... the famous wall with signatures, tributes, and messages from around the world.


The tour also includes a building with about 10 cars and motorcycles as well as the golf carts, etc. he used to drive around the acreage. Yes, Graceland was originally almost 14 acres. I'm not sure what it is now. I think I should get a job there. I love it and am becoming quite the expert. Of course, in two weeks I will have forgotten all of this which is why I am putting it here. Well, that and I want all of you to enjoy my experience. I wish you were there!

Back to the tour... you can walk thru the Lisa Marie airplane with the gold plated everything and also Hound Dog II, a smaller jet. There is Private Presley - a display about his time in the military and an exhibit I really liked which showcased all of his movies. I wish there was a package set of DVDs of his movies. I'll just have to get them here and there at the flea market. I want to get Roustabout first. My new fav Elvis song is 'Little Egypt' from that movie. I watched Jailhouse Rock for the first time last week too. He was so handsome!

This concludes your tour of Graceland.

I went back a few days later to visit the remaining gift shops and do another drive-by of the wall/gates. At one of the shops the very nice clerk noticed IE in my purse and said I had to take a pic in front of the suit.

We love you ELVIS!
If you get the chance, stop by and take the tour. I know I didn't spoil it for you here because you can see all this all over the web. I can't wait to go to Memphis again and fork out the cash and head through those gates.