Lucy and I rolled into Memphis just before sunset. We checked into the Days Inn at Graceland. It was a pretty cool hotel - tons of Elvis paraphernalia. And the pool was shaped like a guitar!
Me and some Elvis pictures (including one of my favorite pics of Elvis in Hawaii - it's on the left).
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Lucy showing off the pool. We got to dip our feet in but, sadly, didn't have time to go for a proper swim. Just as well since Lucy apparently forgot to pack her swimsuit.
After getting settled we decided we just wanted something quick for dinner and, since we spent nearly all day in the car, we decided we'd walk to some place nearby. Well, we stepped out onto the street in front of the hotel and saw a sign for a McDonald's only half a mile away. I said, hey that's close, that'll do. So we turned right and started off.
About 100 feet from the hotel the sidewalk ended. After that it was all asphalt and gravel sporadically interspersed by driveways. We walked by like 4 gas stations and a tire store with groups of people loitering at each one. There was some catcalling and whistling. I told Lucy not to look too friendly because it would only encourage them. Of course you can't look mean either because that would just irritate them. And whatever you do, don't look nervous because they can smell fear and it makes them circle like sharks. Lucy started to panic a little bit (it was probably my helpful instructions that caused the panic more than anything else) and I started wishing we had just driven the half mile to McDonald's. But by then we were closer to McDonald's than the hotel - so I told Lucy we should just press on, we were nearly there anyway.
Then a policeman flagged us down. He asked Lucy and I where we were headed. We said we were going to the McDonald's across the street. I asked if we were ok walking. The policeman said "Well, yeah, you're ok...I know you must be here for Graceland...just don't go wandering too far after dark." We thanked him and tripled our walking speed so we could get our food and get back to the hotel by dark. We can only assume that Memphis has a pretty serious vampire problem.
As it happened there was a huge wreck near McDonald's. A semi-truck had hit some low-hanging power lines. They had like 7 cop cars on the scene. They had to stop and divert a lot of traffic because the live powerlines were lying across the road. I told Lucy that, aside from the downed powerlines and the risk of electrocution, I felt very safe. After all, if we needed any assistance, there were at least 14 cops who could respond to our call within 3 seconds.
Lucy and I reached McDonald's and ordered our food to go. Then we raced back to the hotel. As the sun got lower and lower, we walked faster and faster. We may have even been running the last little bit. But, you know...we didn't want our food to get cold. And we didn't want to get killed either.
Lucy and I were sort of high strung the rest of the night. I personally didn't get a wink of sleep. I kept having nightmares about my car getting stolen. Of course it didn't get stolen, everything was just fine. But we did learn a valuable lesson - if you want McDonald's in Memphis near Graceland, you drive there. Who knew Elvis lived in such a rough town?
About 100 feet from the hotel the sidewalk ended. After that it was all asphalt and gravel sporadically interspersed by driveways. We walked by like 4 gas stations and a tire store with groups of people loitering at each one. There was some catcalling and whistling. I told Lucy not to look too friendly because it would only encourage them. Of course you can't look mean either because that would just irritate them. And whatever you do, don't look nervous because they can smell fear and it makes them circle like sharks. Lucy started to panic a little bit (it was probably my helpful instructions that caused the panic more than anything else) and I started wishing we had just driven the half mile to McDonald's. But by then we were closer to McDonald's than the hotel - so I told Lucy we should just press on, we were nearly there anyway.
Then a policeman flagged us down. He asked Lucy and I where we were headed. We said we were going to the McDonald's across the street. I asked if we were ok walking. The policeman said "Well, yeah, you're ok...I know you must be here for Graceland...just don't go wandering too far after dark." We thanked him and tripled our walking speed so we could get our food and get back to the hotel by dark. We can only assume that Memphis has a pretty serious vampire problem.
As it happened there was a huge wreck near McDonald's. A semi-truck had hit some low-hanging power lines. They had like 7 cop cars on the scene. They had to stop and divert a lot of traffic because the live powerlines were lying across the road. I told Lucy that, aside from the downed powerlines and the risk of electrocution, I felt very safe. After all, if we needed any assistance, there were at least 14 cops who could respond to our call within 3 seconds.
Lucy and I reached McDonald's and ordered our food to go. Then we raced back to the hotel. As the sun got lower and lower, we walked faster and faster. We may have even been running the last little bit. But, you know...we didn't want our food to get cold. And we didn't want to get killed either.
Lucy and I were sort of high strung the rest of the night. I personally didn't get a wink of sleep. I kept having nightmares about my car getting stolen. Of course it didn't get stolen, everything was just fine. But we did learn a valuable lesson - if you want McDonald's in Memphis near Graceland, you drive there. Who knew Elvis lived in such a rough town?
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