Memphis in May

I've had a girls' weekend!!

I drove to Birmingham on Thursday to pick up Taylor and Lindsey, and off we went to Memphis to visit Caroline. We decided after our last weekend together (in Fairhope) that we needed to make it at least a semi-annual event. It was Caroline's turn to host us, and we had the most fun!

{This is going to be a long post...just a warning.}

Our first order of business when we arrived on Friday was lunch. Imagine that. We went to this very cool sushi restaurant with the most terrible service. I asked the waitress what was in the veggie roll and she said, "You know...vegetables." REALLY? And she never brought Caroline her beans. She did however, bring her the wrong roll and argued with her that she had ordered it. We were not impressed. Our next stop was the Orpheum theatre. I am pretty sure it is famous for reasons I do not know. They are having GREAT shows there this season, and I am very jealous that Caroline will get to see them all. We don't have a Broadway series in my tiny town. After the Orpheum we headed to Beale Street. I think Beale Street, as a whole, feels its sole purpose is to pay homage to the late Elvis Presley. There was Elvis stuff everywhere. I had never been to Memphis, and I didn't realize the severity of the city's obsession. I should have been more prepared.

We saw an Elvis statue and thought it would be fun to have a "do your best pose" contest.

Here is Lindsey (valiant effort):and Caroline (who got Elvis Presley confused with John Travolta):and Taylor (who didn't try very hard, obviously):and me:Who do you think should have won? You better say me, because I did. It was a unanimous decision.

We then went to Wet Willy's to purchase a little frozen refreshment. All that walking and posing can make a girl tired and thirsty. Some of the people in this picture ordered themselves a little something named "Call a Cab." And it wasn't me. I'm just saying...We took our drinks and walked around, because that is perfectly legal on Beale Street. We passed a store that Caroline mentioned was the weirdest store ever. We went inside. We found these: I have never seen such large pants in my entire life. And it WAS the weirdest store ever. Lots o' junk.

We decided to walk to the Civil Rights Museum. Memphis is also obsessed with MLK. Here is the hotel where he was shot and killed. We could have paid $14 to see his actual room (preserved), but decided against it. I thought that might be a little creepy.And as if all that weren't enough, we decided to check out the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. We were a little let down by their performance. Lindsey really thought they would do a little dance routine, but then Caroline reminded us that we aren't exactly in possession of any ducks that are smart enough to walk to an elevator, much less perform.Friday night Caroline took us to the Memphis in May Barbecue Fest. It was insane. I have never seen such massive amounts of barbecue (and I worked for a food magazine!). And beans. And alcohol. She got us the hook up to go to one of the tents (because you don't get to actually eat the BBQ if you don't get invited to a tent). The food was yummy. And every tent had a band or DJ. It was like a frat party that went on for miles.

Of course to get to the front gate, you have to walk down a very steep hill/small mountain. I did not fare so well, as I refused to take off my shoes.This picture was taken by a random man who told us he was a professional photographer. He sure had us fooled with his talk of "lighting" and "positioning." I do believe he was lying.Afterwards we went to this really dark and smoky place called Ernestine and Hazel's. It used to be a real live brothel, and there were still some rooms set up on the second floor. We weren't there long, so I don't have a picture of that. But it was interesting anyway, and now I can check "See a brothel" off my life aspirations list.

Saturday morning we slept in, and Caroline made us breakfast. After a little walk by the river, a yummy sandwich and a little nap, we went to get pedicures. It was hands down the WORST pedicure of my entire life. No filing, no cutting, no scrubbing. I got one coat of polish. No top coat. And I still had to pay for it! This picture was obviously before they got started. If you live in the Memphis area, stay away from Rose's on Union. I also should apologize for wearing the blue tank top again. Sorry.We got home just in time to get ready for dinner. Caroline cooked us a fancy fiesta complete with mango margaritas. We took our time getting dressed and just enjoyed being together. When it was my turn for the shower I found this:How rude! Back in college when Caroline and Lindsey were my suite mates I would get mad at them for "using" my shampoo. So of course when I saw this, the first thing I did was lather, rinse and repeat. I used her conditioner, too.

We met some of Caroline's friends at "The Flying Saucer." They were all very nice to us, but did make fun when we got tired and had to leave . We are all getting old.{I'm almost done, I promise!}

We ended the weekend with breakfast at the Arcade. It is another historical place in Memphis, and we met another "professional photographer" whose advice was to "get close like you are gay."What is it with Memphis and the professional photographers?

I cannot say enough "thank yous" to Caroline for being such a wonderful hostess. We had the best time just being together talking about crazy things, re-enacting moments from college, playing Would You Rather and eating. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these girls, and am so thankful that we make an effort to stay in touch.

Tata!