Day Seventeen, I've Got the Blues!

But in a good way, don't worry!

This week has been so nice as I've been able to sleep in every day and still manage to check out of my hotel on time with seconds to spare! Today was no exception, which meant after grabbing coffee and a treat, I was finally on the road by 1pm. I knew right then that my plans were going to be altered slightly from the night before. Originally, I thought I'd drive to Memphis and still have time to check out Graceland, but it closes at 5pm and I didn't want to short change my potentially one time only visit, so I decided to wait until the next morning, which left the rest of the night wide open for a new plan.

But first, I almost forgot about my eventful drive today. Well, somewhat eventful anyway in that it involved driving through 6 different states! I started out in Kentucky, then drove west, briefly entering Illinois again and continuing on to Missouri. I know it seems a bit odd to be driving west to go southeast but I took this route so that I could drive through Arkansas and check off yet another new state (one of only two that my Dad has yet to visit, the other being Alaska - sorry you couldn't be here with me today Dad!), then into Tennessee, and I took the highway further south than necessary so that I could momentarily dip into Mississippi and finally head back into Memphis for the night. The only bummer was that the state welcome signs were in places that I couldn't stop at and take a picture in front of, so I had to settle for driveby photos, and annoyingly Mississippi didn't have a sign! The above county sign was the best I could do after circling a few times just to make sure I hadn't missed a sign somewhere. I think it should be a requirement that all states welcome you! It's just rude when they don't! Anyway, it was a long, but interesting drive, one in which I traveled through the most total states in one day, six, besting the day I was in the Four Corners, which still holds the record for the most places I've been at one time on this trip, and in my life, a record I'm not likely to break anytime soon!

Back to my Memphis plans...I remembered that when I was discussing potential stops on my road trip with my coworkers, one of them said that if I went to Memphis, I had to check out Beale Street. I looked it up online when I got to my Memphis hotel and what I saw reminded me of San Diego's Gaslamp District with restaurants and bars. It seemed like a perfect place to wander around and grab some dinner and still make the most of my time in the Home of the Blues!

I was a little worried that it would be packed because of the All-Star game, but as it turns out, this historic street isn't as interested in sports as it is music, which I should have figured given what Memphis is most known for. In fact, the place was practically empty to the point where I thought it might be closed for some reason, but it wasn't, it was just too early for things to be busy yet. I wasn't complaining though because it gave me the opportunity to have an unobstructed view of Beale Street before the big crowds arrived. It's a fun little place! I loved the live music by a great local jazz group in the Pepsi Pavilion, a park adjacent to Beale Street, though I wasn't such a fan of the name or the heavy Pepsi presence in town! I stopped by before and after dinner and the same 5 or 6 were still playing the Blues for the passing crowds. Listening to live jazz on Beale Street is pretty much the quintessential Memphis tourist activity, so I was glad to have experienced it without having to buy a drink at a bar that had live music or at the many alcohol-to-go windows along the sidewalk as a sort of cover charge for the entertainment. The fact that it was a free concert for people walking by to enjoy was what made it so great, that people love playing jazz and blues so much they go out there to entertain the crowds and let others enjoy the music, and hopefully get a few tips while they're at it, of course!

I didn't mind being there alone, but I didn't really want to go eat dinner in one of the bars, that was a little much even for me, so I decided to play it safe and a little less adventurous and went to the Hard Rock Cafe. Ironically, I ended up eating at the bar there, but at least it was more of a restaurant atmosphere with families dining as opposed to a bar where everyone's mostly drinking and partying. I couldn't resist getting a fun drink, too - so much for avoiding the bar scene! But in a way, it worked out perfect because I got the full Beale Street experience while avoiding being hit on by strange, drunk men or any other kind of awkward situation. I got a Tropical Rock in a souvenier glass, I'm such a sucker now for souveniers, I just couldn't resist. It was yummy! I got some spicy mac and cheese, which was a little too spicy for my taste so at least I had my cool, fruity drink to wash it down! I even got a nice couple to take my pic in front of the Hard Rock! It's always nice when a stranger is willing to do you a favor, especially when I'm in these cool places all by myself and want a photo to remember them by.

That pretty much sums of Beale Street - good drinks, good food, good music, good people, good times! I probably wouldn't have ended up there had I been late getting going this morning and postponed Graceland until tomorrow. Things happen for a reason and being late this morning worked in my favor this time, let's hope things work out again tomorrow for my visit with the King!