Walking In Memphis

In the words of Chandler, could that title BE more uncreative?

As John mentioned, we were in Memphis last week, working at the PCA's annual General Assembly. John worked the exhibition booth for his company, and I worked the booth for mine, trying to generate more subscriptions for the magazine.

We did manage to play the part of tourists and see some of the sights, including (unintentionally) the city jail. (After reading that, I realized it needed explanation: because we WALKED past it, not because we were sent there. Smarty pants.)

First, we visited the famous Peabody Hotel to watch the March of the Ducks. There is a Peabody in Orlando, but for some reason we never made it to that one. I had a good spot at the ropes to catch the action - which lasted all of 1 minute at about 5:04 p.m., after a short speech about the history of the tradition.

They stroll down the red carpet and onto the elevator. We didn't go see their suite on the 5th? floor, though you can visit if you want. The Assistant Duckmaster (in the red coat) said that most of the time, they behave well, but once in a while, they can do the unexpected. He didn't elaborate.
We also walked a million blocks to get to Sun Studios, the studio that first recorded Elvis as well as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others. Here's John sitting in front of a famous photo (which I'd never heard of before this tour) of (l-r) Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis, and Johnny Cash. It was an impromptu jam session in 1956 that came to be called The Million Dollar Quartet.

It's a small building, and the tour basically consists of 2-3 rooms, but it is worth it. The guide is hilarious. Below, he's standing in the recording studio with one of the original microphones that was used by all the legends - in fact, the same one that Elvis is using in the picture behind the guide. You could line up and get your picture taken behind the mike, though we didn't do that. The guide said, "I am required to say this: Please do not lick or kiss the microphone. It has germs from a lot of people on it. Plus, it's gross."

Today, the studio still has the original soundproof tiles (or whatever they're called - the white tiles with the tiny holes), and two X's on the floor mark the spots - one where a hole was drilled into the floor to hold the string bass (back then, they didn't have rubber stoppers on the bottom), and one X to mark where Elvis stood to sing while he recorded. You can't really see them in the picture though, sorry!

Then we went to Graceland, which is located on Elvis Presley Boulevard. We debated over whether to buy the Mansion tour ($25), or the Platinum tour ($30) which also includes tours of the airplanes, car museum, and costume museum. We splurged and paid for the Platinum tour. (Note: If you're a car buff, it's worth the extra money. If you don't care about the cars or the planes, just stick with the basic package.)

From the car museum, this is the pink Cadillac that belonged to Elvis's mother (and here's a Free Elvis English Lesson: if the singular noun ends in an "s," you are STILL SUPPOSED to add the 's to it! Just because it already ends in "s" doesn't mean it stops being singular!!!! As many fans would probably say, There is only one Elvis!! Sorry, Elvis Stojko.):

I didn't take notes on what kind of car this is, but someone else out there probably knows. It sure looks cool, though:

The larger plane, called the Lisa Marie, is more interesting than the small one, which only seats about 8 passengers and looks like the inside of a bag of Skittles. The Lisa Marie contains typical 60s-70s decor: dark paneling and velour. It also boasts a 24-carat gold-plated sink in the lavatory. Nothing was mentioned about the toilet itself, which is actually the leather ottoman-ish object on the right.

Located at the back of the plane, next to the second bathroom that contained a hairdresser's chair, is this double bed. You'll notice the bed has a seatbelt on it, not because Elvis was quirky but because FAA regulations required it. Harder to see is the 24-carat gold-plated BUCKLE on the seatbelt. All of the seatbelts on the plane were gold-plated. People, we can't make this stuff up.

On to the mansion, which was very pretty on the outside, like a small southern plantation.

Then you walk inside, and the blast of 60s decor almost knocks you over. Surprisingly (don't shoot!), I did kind of like the living room on the right when you first walk in the door. The color scheme is white, royal blue, white, gold, and white. It's the least obnoxious room in the house, next to Elvis's parents' bedroom.

In the basement is the entertainment room, with 3 TVs; Elvis heard the President watched several TVs simultaneously and liked the idea. This room is decorated in overpowering yellow and navy blue and makes me realize that our guest room, painted a more muted shade of yellow, could be much worse.

I couldn't believe this pool room. Pool rooms are supposed to be masculine, aren't they? (Hey, dark paneling would actually WORK here.) But instead, the poor macho guys are supposed to play pool in a room covered - literally floor to ceiling - in fabric? Really, really busy fabric? It feels like the room is shrinking in on you.

Moving back upstairs, we passed the famous Jungle Room, a moniker chosen by fans who toured the house when it first opened to the public, not assigned by Elvis himself. It's an apt description of a room that contains odd-shaped wood furniture, a tree-trunk coffee table, and animal skins. And the vital green shag carpet - on the floor AND on the ceiling.

There's also a room that contains some furniture from the upstairs level of the house, since the tour does not include the second floor. This white, furry bed with a built-in stereo was originally in Elvis's dressing room upstairs. That is all the information about it that the tour provided, and that is all the information I want to know. (The blue object on it is a shirt or something.)

The last stop on the mansion tour is the gravesite of Elvis and his parents and grandmother, who all lived with him at Graceland. There's a sign that mentions how Graceland receives tons of flower arrangements and stuffed animals all the time to put at the gravesite, especially around his birthday and the anniversary of his death. Elvis's burial site is second from the left.

Then we visited the costume museum. You can walk through and read about each one, and they all have titles. I think our walk through lasted a grand total of 2 minutes. The costumes all seem like the same basic "suit," but with a different beading and bejeweling pattern.

Overall, it was interesting and I certainly learned a lot about Elvis. But the mansion tour felt more like a shrine to the decorating of the 60s and 70s than Elvis's house. (Elvis fans, don't send me hate mail. Not everyone thinks Elvis is the best thing since sliced bread. And That's OK. Really.)

On the way home, we Strayed From the Plan (gasp!) and stopped by the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. We ended up only buying books, but they have everything under the sun there, including the proverbial kitchen sink. And hubcaps, sewing machines, brand-new bedspreads from Target, pots and pans, expensive cameras, clothing straight from European runways, wedding dresses, and lamps.

On the walls of the beautiful old house that serves as the "Book Nook," framed articles from newspapers and magazines hang. The articles state that contrary to popular belief, only 0.005% of bags remain permanently unclaimed, after extensive efforts by airlines to find the owners. In its history, the Center has opened bags to find legitimate ancient Egyptian artifacts, jewels worth tens of thousands of dollars (that are examined by a gemologist and then sold at half price), and even a guidance system for an F-16 fighter jet (which was returned, not sold!). I could have easily spent all day among the clothes, so I didn't even start to browse.

Our trip, By the Numbers:

Ducks at the Peabody: 5
Subscriptions sold at General Assembly (approx.): 1,000
Books bought: 12
Free books picked up at other booths: 8
T-shirts acquired: 5 (3 free ones from Covenant College, 2 bought at the Hard Rock Cafe)
Days away from Darra: 7
Number of bite-sized candy pieces I ate from my own booth's supply: Um, I lost track
Average temperature in Memphis during the trip: 91 degrees F
Number of hours worked daily at the booth: 12
Number of General Assembly worship services: 3
Number of PCA laptops stolen from the Internet cafe area: 1
Rides on the downtown trolley: 3
Smoothies bought for me by a stranger who's a male: 1
Books read on the trip: 2
Hours of TV watched in the hotel room: 7 (since we don't have cable at home)
The #1 most surprising fact learned about Elvis: He was a big reader
The #2 most surprising fact learned about Elvis: He gave a lot of money to charities
Not-so-subtle nags from my mom about how long it's been since I posted last: 1
How long it took to create this post: 2 hours