Memphis

We left Nashville on Thursday afternoon and arrived in Memphis by 6 p.m. Despite the cold and damp (and the tender ages of our children), we ventured downtown to see the famous Beale Street. We decided to eat at Pig on Beale, which—judging by the number of enormous trophies in the window—served up some seriously good pork BBQ. The assumption was correct! All four of us were stuffed by the time we left. Josiah declared his meal "more than thumbs up" but on the other hand was unimpressed by the somewhat shabby state of repair that the place was in. "They need to invest some money in this bathroom" reportedly was his comment to Jesse in the restroom! We tried to explain the concepts of authenticity, ambiance, and original charm to no avail. He also saw a poster with Ray Charles on it and recognized him as the "guy who sings 'Hit the Road, Jack.'" Josiah wondered whether he worked there.  :)

We poked around A. Schwab's historic dry goods store after dinner, just a few doors up from Pig on Beale. It's been around for over 100 years and sells a little of everything! In particular, they're known for having the largest selection of men's and women's hats in the state.



In the morning, we had hoped to take a quick, free trolly ride in downtown and get a closer look at the Mississippi River in daylight. Unfortunately, it was only barely above freezing and raining (i.e., utterly miserable) so we drove around a little bit and saw a few sights through the gloom and rain from the car windows. We then drove all day, clear through Arkansas and well into Oklahoma (much of it in poor weather), and now are safely in Oklahoma City for the night.

Next stop: Amarillo TX by tomorrow evening!