I purchased a 9:30 admission ticket for Graceland on line last night. I got up in plenty of time, but the process of finding a decent place to eat breakfast and then get waited on in a timely manner meant that it was going to be difficult to be there by 9:30, so I called. Apparently, one can show up any time after the time on the ticket, so I was okay.
The food was really good at the place I ate, but the waiter was very slow and inattentive, at least to me. I left him an extensive note, along with my 10% tip, explaining why the tip was so small. Then Remy and I were off to Graceland.
Parking is across the street from the "mansion" and grounds. (I put "mansion" in quotes because it's so small. I thought everything would be bigger. But I'm sure it was huge for its time. Elvis died in 1977, only four years after I graduated from high school. He seems a bigger part of my life than that. Interesting.
The tour is self-guided, Each person is given an iPad and headphones, and as one moves from room to room she can swipe the screen and get the narration for the appropriate room. John Stamos narrates, with tidbits from Lisa Marie, and from Elvis himself. It was very well done, I thought.
The shuttle took us back to the other side of the street, and I bought a few mementos. By this time, the humidity was staggering, so Remy and I got into the car and cranked the AC, and off we went to Whole Foods for a few groceries and some lunch.
Then, Google maps steered me all over town as I purchased some black thread, and diatomaceous earth as a precaution against fleas and ticks for Remy, as well as a couple of things I didn't intend to get and probably didn't really need. For one thing, I should have checked with my Airbnb host before I bought plantains (since there weren't any green bananas) and eggs to make banana pancakes for breakfast. He doesn't have a blender or a mixer.
After my afternoon driving around Memphis, Remy and I returned to Anthony's house, and I thought about going swimming in his above ground pool. By the time I had fed and walked Remy and spent some time on the computer, though, it was getting to be dusk, and the mosquitoes were out in force. Maybe tomorrow.
I spent a little time chatting with Anthony this evening. That's what I like best about Airbnb, generally. There's someone to talk to besides hotel staff, who don't really have the time or inclination.
I've been looking at my time after Murfreesboro. I plan to leave there on the 17th, and I have an Airbnb reserved in Ithaca on the 23rd (through the 29th), so the time in between is kind of up for grabs. I'd really like to visit Falling Water in Pennsylvania, and Cape Cod is kind of calling to me, but it's expensive. Camping is a challenge, because RV sites are quite a bit more expensive than tent sites, but most tent sites don't have electricity, and I need that for my CPAP. Open to suggestions. Guess I'll have to post this on FB, because most of you -- whoever is actually reading this -- don't respond here.
Oh, for those of you who share my abhorrence with most modern word usage, the following two photos:
The food was really good at the place I ate, but the waiter was very slow and inattentive, at least to me. I left him an extensive note, along with my 10% tip, explaining why the tip was so small. Then Remy and I were off to Graceland.
Parking is across the street from the "mansion" and grounds. (I put "mansion" in quotes because it's so small. I thought everything would be bigger. But I'm sure it was huge for its time. Elvis died in 1977, only four years after I graduated from high school. He seems a bigger part of my life than that. Interesting.
Living room. One of three pianos is seen in the background.
A very youthful picture of Elvis, with the crowd reflected in the mirror.
A closed-circuit TV setup on the kitchen counter.
The "back" stairs are very narrow.
Mirrored stairway to the basement. Psychedelic.
I really loved this room, the pool room. The walls and ceiling are covered with cloth in little rolls.
Another view of the pool room.
Back upstairs, just off the kitchen, the "jungle" room, with appropriate decor and green shag carpet on floor and ceiling.
Waterfall wall in the jungle room.
Part of the grounds.
More of the grounds.
This little room is connected to the office. The plaque on the wall says: "This building was part of Graceland Farm well before Elvis owned Graceland. It was possibly used as a pump house at one time, but later used by Vernon (Elvis's father) as a smokehouse to cure meat. Elvis also decided that it would make a good firing range and that's what it was for a short period of time. Other than that, it was used as a storage area by Elvis and his family."
Four record covers that I liked.
The hall of gold and platinum records and other awards.
More awards and costumes in the racquetball court
The crowd is looking at the graves of Elvis, his parents, and his grandfather, if I remember correctly. It wasn't important to me to stand over their graves, but I wanted to show the beautiful Meditation Garden.
The swimming pool is also very small.
Another tourist was kind enough to take this picture of Remy and me in front of the mansion.
The tour is self-guided, Each person is given an iPad and headphones, and as one moves from room to room she can swipe the screen and get the narration for the appropriate room. John Stamos narrates, with tidbits from Lisa Marie, and from Elvis himself. It was very well done, I thought.
The shuttle took us back to the other side of the street, and I bought a few mementos. By this time, the humidity was staggering, so Remy and I got into the car and cranked the AC, and off we went to Whole Foods for a few groceries and some lunch.
Then, Google maps steered me all over town as I purchased some black thread, and diatomaceous earth as a precaution against fleas and ticks for Remy, as well as a couple of things I didn't intend to get and probably didn't really need. For one thing, I should have checked with my Airbnb host before I bought plantains (since there weren't any green bananas) and eggs to make banana pancakes for breakfast. He doesn't have a blender or a mixer.
After my afternoon driving around Memphis, Remy and I returned to Anthony's house, and I thought about going swimming in his above ground pool. By the time I had fed and walked Remy and spent some time on the computer, though, it was getting to be dusk, and the mosquitoes were out in force. Maybe tomorrow.
I spent a little time chatting with Anthony this evening. That's what I like best about Airbnb, generally. There's someone to talk to besides hotel staff, who don't really have the time or inclination.
I've been looking at my time after Murfreesboro. I plan to leave there on the 17th, and I have an Airbnb reserved in Ithaca on the 23rd (through the 29th), so the time in between is kind of up for grabs. I'd really like to visit Falling Water in Pennsylvania, and Cape Cod is kind of calling to me, but it's expensive. Camping is a challenge, because RV sites are quite a bit more expensive than tent sites, but most tent sites don't have electricity, and I need that for my CPAP. Open to suggestions. Guess I'll have to post this on FB, because most of you -- whoever is actually reading this -- don't respond here.
Oh, for those of you who share my abhorrence with most modern word usage, the following two photos:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this should read: The Presleys' Wedding, unless they're only talking about one Presley, in which case they might have said, "Elvis's Wedding," or "Priscilla's Wedding."
On the counter in the little restaurant inside Whole Foods.
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