Arrived in Memphis via a bus journey where I tried to eat $18 sushi (wtf!?!) as the bus was moving! #chopstickskills. It was so average, Japan has ruined my life!

First stop was the home of the King himself, Graceland. As someone who has never really had an interest in the whole Elvis phenomenon asides from the fan fact that he died on my birthday, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was an absolutely awesome tour and a really great way to start our time here. The place is just as blissfully tackytastic as you’d hope. Mirrored ceilings, leather clad furnishings and the odd ceramic monkey ‘down in the jungle room’.

Quintessential American touch of an interactive iPad for each guest with a 360 degree image of the room if you’re in if prefer to stare at the screen rather than use your actual eyes?!

We also got driven across the road in Graceland mini buses to get there….it was 30ft away. Really puts all the time I spend washing out sodding yogurt pots to recycle and save the environment into perspective as in classic style they chug exhaust fumes into the atmosphere 50 times a day.

Checked into our hotel which is best described as ‘stale’ but fine, and quick turn around to wander over to the Peabody hotel. This hotel is home to the famous Peabody Ducks, a group of 5 quackers residents who use the lift every day to travel from their penthouse home to the lobby of the hotel to spend the daytime hours in the hotel fountain! Yes, really!!!!

They are accompanied by a man whose actual career is to be ‘Duck master’ and train the ducks to walk on a red carpet to the fountain and back again twice a day (really helped to put my previously shit jobs into perspective!). After much pomp and ceremony we watched them waddle out the fountain and into the lift…was as big an anticlimax as it sounds! Completely bizarre waste of time exercise which must’ve been dreamt up by the hotel bar manager to keep other idiots who come to see it buying drinks whilst they await the ‘grand spectacle’!

Memphis is a gritty town, no doubt about it. Local restaurants are emblazoned with signs reminding punters not to bring their weapons to dinner, and we stuck out like pale, out of town sore thumbs! But we took a stroll down to the famous home of Rock n Roll Blues, Beale Street for dinner and drinks .

The street was a veritable hive of activity, one of the only US cities where it is legal to drink outside and people were going for it. Dinner at another grimy looking bbq joint which was absolutely delicious. There was Catfish on the table and gospel in the air! Just as i’d imagined and Cher has sung at me for so many years. Bloomin marvellous.

We waved bye to the under 21s who headed back to the hotel and found a little bar called the Rum Boogie Cafe to soak up some Sunday night sounds. The band were phenomenal! The gravelly tones of the lead singer pushed Greg over the edge, fan girl doesn’t even cover it! I think it was literally the best day of his life…could’ve been the 5 pints though?!

I decided Hurricanes were the way to go, a test run before we get to New Orleans where they are the famous cocktail of choice. “What’s in this drink please”….”it’s 5 shots of rum and southern comfort ma’am”…….riiiiiight, just one then please! That is a cheap date in a glass right there! But dangerously delicious!

Monday was our visit to Sun studio for a tour. It was really interesting, great artifacts and memorabilia including the microphone all the greats sang into (Elvis included!) the tour guide then said the words “just a reminder, this is very old so please don’t Lick it”…at a museum, probably a sentence you should never have to say. Some of the women actually looked diappointed, only in America ladies and Gentlemen. Grim!

 

Gus’ Fried Chicken for lunch, a Memphis institution and seriously good. We were eating for 20 minutes and our plates looked the same size as when they arrived! Portion control seems to be stop just short of causing an aneurysm.

Afternoon option was another museum, most of decided we were museumed out having visited 10 in around a week or so. Just an overload! So had a chilled few hours wandering the city, eating more giant ice cream enjoying the sunshine.

Dinner was traditional Memphis BBQ and after the near coronary at lunchtime, we decided to share…one plate….between 3 of us!!! We didn’t finish! It was yumptious, but I cannot survive 3 weeks of this pace of eating. Adam Richman would not be impressed with my skills!

A good nights rest ahead of the longest drive of the tour so far, a 6hr beast down to New Orleans for some Jazz and Cajun hospitality! Xx