Memphis, Tennessee

Prior to the whole 50 states in 30 years quest began and before Pics of Me in Front of Stuff was even a glimmer in my eye I visited Tennessee with my family on our return trip from the Atlanta Olympics to our rural home in Pennsylvania.  We spent a little time in the Smoky Mountains.  I can't say much more than that.  The portion of the trip through Tennessee was certainly much less memorable than the portion spent in Atlanta.  Tennessee for us was really defined by what went on in Atlanta, the Olympic Bombing happened the day after we left Georgia while we were in the Volunteer State.

This guy did not do it.

 That is Richard Jewell and no matter how much the FBI profilers and the media wanted him to be culprit, it was not him.  He should have been a hero and will probably always be incorrectly remembered as a villain.

Whoa, that was as close as I ever get to political rant.  

Sorry about that.
Getting to visit the site of the Olympics was a great opportunity and my mom and step-dad were great for paying for me to go on some great trips both with and without them while I was growing up.  When I look back at my teenage years, especially the early ones, I feel like I was probably an ungrateful little bastard most of the time.  It was probably the same shit everyone goes through growing up due to hormones and teenage insecurities.  (Wow, I just did a Google Image Search for teenage hormones and asshole.  Those results almost made me blush.  This was one of the cleanest images that resulted.)

Maybe I should put Safe-Search back on.

Comparing how I feel about myself now and how I feel about myself now it's like night and day.  Really, it should be completely different considering I am approximately twice as old now.  I will never know where my lack of confidence came from but it was there and I can imagine it made me a pain in the ass to live with and especially ride an a car with over a weeks worth of road trip.  To the Official Parents of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff, I apologize.

Sorry.

Holy shit, is this a LOL Cats picture?  I might have to punch myself in the nuts.

Back to the present, I would like to thank Memphis for being close to Tunica, Mississippi.  I was not a huge fan of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff's time in the 3rd biggest gambling center in the United States.  It is a short ride between Tunica and Memphis, but leaving the bright secure lights of the casino we got to a see a part of the country not many people will witness.  The outskirts of Memphis in Tennessee and Mississippi are a rather depressed  area.  Or at least it appeared depressed to my untrained eyes.  Maybe it was easier for me to see the shortcomings since the area is much flatter than the depressed areas in PA that I earned my first 2 degrees.  No one could hide in the hills because there were not any hills that close to the Mississippi River.  Once Pics of Me in Front of Stuff arrived in Memphis we stuck to the more tourist friendly areas so there was no abject poverty on display but there were some signs that Memphis had been affected by the economic downturn through which this country had been going through since Bill Clinton left office.  I had never been in such an empty mall in my life in December as when I entered Peadbody Place.

Don't go in there CP, it's empty!!

By empty I mean not just a lack of shoppers but also a lack of stores.

Thank God for the other tourist attractions in town.  The first we happened upon was the Pyramid.

Playing off its namesake in Egypt, Memphis, TN has its own pyramid.  Like the Egyptian version its the Pyramid is within spitting distance of a major river (Mississippi vs the Nile). Playing into my whole economically depressed area point from above, the Pyramid is an arena but has not hosted regular sporting events since 2001.  Both the University of Memphis basketball team and the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies played there prior to the construction of the Fedex Forum.  According Wikipedia there are no current plans for regular use of the Pyramid but hopefully something will materialize to keep the building open.  It is a unique building in the United States and the 6th biggest pyramid in the world so somebody needs to figure out how to use it.

Could we mummify and bury them in there in preparation for the afterlife?

 

Is this much different than that?

Moving further away from the Official Parking Spot in Memphis of Pics Me in Front of Stuff, I eventually came upon the Gibson Guitar Factory.

Memphis's prominent musical history features the likes of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Otis Redding, and Al Green just to name a few.  Having a guitar factory downtown just makes sense.  It is a rather new development in Memphis though the exact year escapes me.  It did not turn up in the minimal amount of research effort I am willing to put into finding it.  Like most factories, to the bane of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff's existence, photographs were not allowed.  The tour is worth the $10 it cost because making a guitar is a surprisingly labor intensive and interesting procedure.  Any defects that may occur in the process call for the immediate destruction of that guitar.  The final step is actually playing the guitar to ensure if it sounds right.  In my head the only way to ensure the guitar is working correctly is to play Stairway to Heaven.  Keep in mind I have no musical ability or knowledge, but dammit I wanted to hear Stairway.

My Stairway to Heaven related disappointment disappeared shortly after we left the Gibson Guitar Factory thanks to the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum directly across the street and attached to the Fedex Forum.

Unlike too many new museums like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex and the Sports Museum of America in New York City, The Rock and Soul Museum does allow photographs but without a flash.  Photographs would not do the place justice.  What you really get out of the Roll and Soul Museum is the sound.  While not a music aficionado this museum packed as much of the historical music of Memphis as aurally possible.  Describing how rural and gospel music became soul and country and rock and roll music is a unique historical trip that can be seen in the musical history of Memphis.  There are really too many recording artists and other figures to even try and mention so Pics of Me in Front of Stuff suggests going and seeing the Rock and Soul Museum for yourself.

With all of these attractions, I am sure you are wandering what exactly did Pics of Me in Front of Stuff eat?  To ease your concern there is amazing food in Memphis like there was throughout the South.  Pics of Me in Front of Stuff found its way to the famous Beale St in Memphis.

While not quite Bourbon Street, I imagine Beale Street could be a fun place given the right conditions.  A cold night in the middle of the week in December is not the right conditions.  The weather and timing certainly did not affect the quality of food at B.B. King's.

Those were some damn good ribs.

The ribs and the beer definitely went well with the great house band as well.

Dinner really sealed the deal on a good time in Memphis.  Following some eating, drinking, and digesting all while watching the house band Pics of Me in Front of Stuff made its way back through the night to Tunica.  After a good trip and in comparison to the disappointment that was Tunica, Memphis receives the vaunted Pics of Me in Front of Stuff Seal of Approval!