Walking (again) in Memphis ...

My sons, Will, (7 next Friday) Xan (just turned 3 Tuesday), Grandma Nancy, G.G. (87 in May) and I drove up to Memphis from Pensacola to meet Uncle Joe (my brother), who was in town for his friends' wedding. Of course, we hit two of the city's main attractions: Graceland and Beale street.

Friday evening we got into town and checked into the hotel. We walked around the corner and down a few blocks to the famous Beale Street amd ate dinner at the Blues City Cafe.


Xan had seen the large decorative balls adorning the front walk of the FedEx sports center down the street and begged to be allowed to climb on them. Why this was such a draw, I have no idea, but we humored him. I think he liked the fishing lure float the best.





While the grandmas and kids settled down for the night, Joe and I headed back to Beale street for some music and drinks. We gave Coyote Ugly a try, since neither of us had been to one, and we played a game of pool in the practically dead bar. Well, at least we can say we've been to Coyote Ugly.



We moved up the street in search of some good live music and found it at BB Kings with the BB King Allstars.



Saturday morning we were off to Graceland. The boys and I were the only ones who had been there before and that was in Decemeber. Graceland wasn't all decked out for Christmas this time, so it was great to see it in it's usual state.


Here is Grandma Nancy and G.G. waiting patiently for our shuttle to take us across Elvis Presley Blvd. (Hwy 51) to Graceland. They are wearing their headphones for the guided tour. If you missed it and are interested, I detailed this all out when we visited in December, so you can check out the blog archives.



Will took his digital camera and photographed everything until his battery died. A future scrapbooker, perhaps? Now I just have to try and find the cable to download the photos!


I tried an artistic shot with the mirrored stairwell, but without a flash, it was a little shaky. Flash photography is not allowed inside Graceland.


Mom got to see Will's favorite Elvis jumpsuit up close and personal. She is currently working on creating a small replica for Will to wear for Halloween this year. Quite the project!


After touring Graceland, we came back to the guest center and toured the different exhibits. The newest was Elvis Lives and there was kareoke and a microphone. It just so happened that Will's favorite Elvis song, "Suspicious Minds" happened to be the song on, so he gave kareoke a whirl!

Tonight G.G., Grandma Nancy, the boys and I headed back out to Beale street and ate some tasty grub at BB Kings. Here is a shot of the family on Beale:



We drive home tomorrow so we can spend Easter with my husband... 8 hours in the car again... wish me luck!