Day Five

Day five: We're Going' to Graceland, Graceland... Memphis, Tennessee.

Woke up in Little Rock, Arkansas in a smoky hotel room. We were happy to clean off the stale cigarette stench and get back in the car. We took a short driving tour of the city before we headed to Memphis.  We passed Little Rock Central High School, the site of the Little Rock 9, and drove through some beautiful neighborhoods.

Crossed the Mississippi while listening to BB King and Eric Clapton, sang along to Walking in Memphis, then sang Graceland as we pulled into the parking lot. Oohed and Ahhed at all of Elvis' really cool things and then spent some cash in the gift shop.

We walked around in Memphis for a bit... Walked on Beale, then went on a search for the famed Rendezvous restaurant. We curled up and down streets and alleys, knowing it would be worth it when we finally arrived. We stopped a girl on the street to ask her if she knew where it was and she happened to be looking for it, too. So the three of us continued the search together. Eventually, we spotted the sign in an alley. 

Rendezvous ... The most delicious- I mean... THE MOST DELICIOUS RIBS IN THE WORLD. Period. Laura and just sat there in silence, gnawing on heaven. 

With our bellies full,  we headed towards Nashville.

Nashville was just a short, beautiful drive up the road. And we were thrilled. The whole reason we began planning this trip was Nashville. A year ago Laura and I began talking about traveling here to see the Bakersfield Sound exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. We figured it was the perfect excuse for a trip.

And we were sure Nashville would greet us with the widest open arms because of our Bakersfield roots. 

As we neared the city it was late, having spent the majority of the day in Memphis and on the road. We headed to the hostel that we were spending the night in, just off the riverbank. Young friendly folks, happy clean place, felt safe and surrounded by fellow travelers. After dropping bags off, we stepped out on the town.

 Music city? Absolutely. Everywhere we walked there was another live band blaring at us. Cowboy boot stores were nestled in between the bars and restaurants. We found a place that looked good for a meal and stepped in. Merchants. We found a couple spots at the bar and got to know the bartender. We ordered local brew: Yazoo. We ate lobster macaroni and cheese. The bartender was amused by us... We could tell. He liked us. We asked him about Nashville things and Tennessee things and Southern things and he gave us some good laughs. We told him we were from Bakersfield, but he wasn't as impressed as we thought he would be. We told him he should have been more excited. 

The meal ended and we took his suggestion and went into a bar called Robert's Western World. Yes. The best. We drank some more local beer. The place was seasoned. The walls were coverd in music memorabilia. Paintings, photographs, instruments, and signs. We danced. We sang along. The band was a spectacular mix of musical genres. The bass player was a rockabilly guy who made the most ridiculous faces, from big goofy smiles to sucking his cheeks in, to squinting and raising his eyebrows. Laura and I have been practicing them. The guitarist was a 17 year old whiz kid. He has thick red hair and massive hands that moved effortlessly along the frets. The singer was a great frontman and looked like he could be a good buddy of our parents...a JimmyBuffet sort. The drummer looked a little jazzier. Together they made up a great ensemble. We left to walk around a bit more and see what else was out there. We ran into some very nice people. We listened to more music. Then we headed back to the hostel.

 Nashville, you were better than we had imagined.