Down South

Andrew and I just returned from a twelve-day trip through the south. We decided to rent a car and drive instead of fly, since we wanted to hit a lot of spots and have more flexibility (and it was actually cheaper). Our first big stop was Memphis, Tennessee, but along the way we stopped in Pittsburgh and Nashville to visit with friends and break up the long trip.

Our reason for visiting Memphis was really for a family reunion of sorts. Most years my grandmother attends Elvis Week with her cohort of impersonators, and I have always wanted to go and see the insanity. My mother, stepfather, brother, sister, nieces, nephew, and great-aunt and great-uncle all decided to converge in Memphis at the same time, mostly to visit with my grandmother, but also because Elvis Week is fun!

Graceland

Weird hallway in Graceland

Pool Room

Andrew graffiti's the walls of Graceland

Elvis' gravesite

Ribs on Beale St.

We stayed the first two nights at the RV park with my family before moving to a hotel after they had left. We got to tour Graceland, walk Beale Street, eat BBQ, and visit this weird place called The Pink Palace, a never-inhabited mansion built by the owner of Piggly Wiggly which was eventually turned into a very weird museum after he went bankrupt.

The Pink Palace