Memphis 2000

Note: This travelog was written in 2018, so many details have long been forgotten since we took the trip.

	Friday, September 1, 2000: We headed to Memphis for the long weekend, but stopped first in Carbondale to visit Debbie's college roommate, Janet.
	Here's Janet with her husband, Dave, plus her dog, ...
	... and her cat.
	Saturday, September 2, 2000: We stayed at a hotel south of Carbondale so we didn't have far to drive to reach Memphis. We checked into the Peabody Hotel, ...
	... home of the famous Peabody Ducks.
	We were trying to find see all of the different references in Marc Cohn's song, "Walking in Memphis," so staying in a hotel on Union Avenue fit into our plan nicely. "Saw the ghost of Elvis on Union Avenue..."
	"Followed him up to the gates of Graceland..." Of course, our first stop was Graceland.
	We found an electronic postcard kiosk at the visitor center, and just couldn't resist.
	Here's what it looked like once sent.
	We bought a lot of postcards to show you. Here's an overview of the grounds.
	Inside, we saw the living room, ...
	... the dining room, ...
	... the pool room, ...
	... and the TV room.
	Of course, an actual photograph of the Jungle Room was required. "There's a pretty little thing waiting for the king down in the Jungle Room."
	"Now security did not see him, they just hovered 'round his tomb."
	With a constant line of visitors, you can see why security would be important. The following year, we came back to Memphis to stay at the Graceland Suite in Heartbreak Hotel, across the street from Graceland, so we were glad to have seen the real rooms upon which the suite's rooms were based.
	Everyone has to visit Sun Studio once in their life, but that's plenty.
	It's easy to call it Sun Studios, but that is incorrect because there's only one studio.
	It consists of exactly two rooms, so tours here are pretty brief.
	There are photos of famous people who have recorded here, and some original equipment lying around. After our tour, we went to the tiny souvenir shop next door to buy a Sun Studio shot glass.
	Sunday, September 2, 2000: We visited the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
	The room and balcony where he was shot has been frozen in time, ...
	... but the rest of the property has been turned into the excellent National Civil Rights Museum, and it was well worth a visit.
	We had lunch at Corky's BBQ but got no photographic proof. Then we passed Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant on the way back to the hotel. We didn't eat here during our stay, but we did when we came back in 2001.
	We got back to the hotel in time for the afternoon march of the Peabody Ducks. While we waited in the lobby, we ordered mint juleps. We had never tried them before and we left them on the table, unfinished. Not delicious.
	The crowds started to form around the fountain, the little stairs were set up, and the ducks started to exit the fountain.
	Loud march music played and it was all quite a spectacle. Debbie saw it again when she was here in 2007.
	Then we put on our non-blue suede shoes and went walking in Memphis. "... walking with my feet 10 feet off of Beale."
	Here's a fine statue of Elvis, which is a mandatory photo stop when on Beale Street. See 2001 and 2007 photos. We spent some time unsuccessfully searching for Muriel playing piano "every Friday at the Hollywood" by driving up and down Hollywood Boulevard. We found out years later that those lyrics refer to the Hollywood Cafe in Mississippi.
	Monday, September 4, 2000: We left Memphis in the morning and drove to the Nashville area to visit Tom's nephew, ...
	... niece, ...
	... and sister and brother-in-law, on our way home. ** THE END **