Memphis, Tennessee

I was in Memphis, Tennessee last night, and I really enjoyed it.  It was definitely better than Nashville.  For one, Memphis was easier to get around in, and the roads had fewer potholes.  When I left Nashville in the morning, I was once again treated to a traffic jam, and this was after the traditional rush hour.  Suffice it to say that I did not enjoy driving in Tennessee.

I arrived in Memphis in early afternoon and immediately headed to the river.  It was a nice day, probably one of the nicest I've had since I left Florida weeks ago.  Sunny and warm, I wandered around near the river for a few hours, seeing the sights.  I wanted to take a ride on one of the paddle boats, but I wasn't able to do so.  It's a beautiful area, and will be even better once the trees regrow their leaves.

I like this sculpture outside of my hotel.  Google helpfully put together a panorama from my pictures by the river that I would like to share.

 

Watching baseball at this field would be a lot of fun.

After I was done walking around the river, I went to Beale Street.  In my opinion, Beale Street is better than Broadway Street in Nashville.  Broadway Street tries very hard to be loud, and in your face.  The music from all of the bars blends together until you can't tell where it's coming from.  On Beale Street (at least while I was there), the venues don't project the music out into the street.  You need to go inside to listen. 

I was walking outside one of the restaurants, when I heard this great music playing.  Needing to eat, I went inside.  The music was great, and I had deep-fried ribs of all things.  (They were fine.)  Nevertheless, what made the place memorable were the others sitting at the bar, a nice couple just returning from Marco Island in Florida, and a man in from Texas for the day on business named Chris.  We all got to talking and they were quite interested in my story.

It seems that no matter who I tell that I've left Key West for a walkabout, their immediate reaction is "Why would you ever leave Key West?"  I've heard those seven words so many times now from so many different people.  No matter what answer I give, the disbelief never leaves their faces.  I think it takes living there to really understand why it becomes necessary to leave.

I ended up hanging out with Chris and his coworkers on Beale Street.  They reiterated Chris' disbelief with my walkabout.  They were great guys, and it was fun meeting new people.

I'm in Jackson, Mississippi tonight, but I can honestly say there is nothing here that is interesting.  I doubt I'll come back here.