I Love Memphis!!!

I loved Memphis! Driving over the muddy Mississippi, the fragrant smell of BBQ rubbed ribs, the sweltering humidity that sucked all the water right out of my body onto the back of my shirt, Blues in the air, and rock 'n' roll in my shoes. This was the first time we would spend any length of time in a city during our road adventure. We got to our Hotel, the nicest one of the trip, and we all passed out for a little while. I was ready for Memphis though, so I didn’t lounge around long, I got up and walked a couple blocks to see the Pyramid Center before meeting back up with the Jim and Jonathan.

Pryamid on the Left

I walked along the Mississippi and around the Memphis Grizzlies Stadium that resembles a Pyramid. Which makes me sort of wonder why they named the team the Grizzlies? Why didn’t they go with something distinctly Memphis like The Blues (I know it’s already the name of a hockey team), or something uniquely Memphis-Egyptian to go with there Pyramid, like the Memphis Mummies (probably not a good name if you’re team is not doing that well).

Anyways, I went back and met the guys so we could go walk around and check out Beale Street. Jonathan and I lit up our first Cigars bought specifically for this moment. There’s a refreshing aroma when Punch and Memphis humidity are mixed in the air. The downtown part that we walked through was recently redeveloped, or at least it looked that way. We walked through Jefferson Davis park; a very charming tribute to an American Hero. However, there were a lot of men in the park that looked like Confederates that were there in the days during the War of Northern Aggression and were still suffering the consequences. It didn’t seem like they wanted to be bothered by Southern Loving California Yankees, thus we moved along.

10 Commandments

We walked along the mighty Mississippi something I honestly thought I would probably never see in my life time. I’m not sure why I’ve thought that, but anytime I would see it on the news flooding over or picturesque in some movie I would quietly think to myself, “Yeah all probably never get there.” Yet, here I stood walking along Twain’s river. I desperately wanted to jump in and swim around in its muddy banks (actually they looked more rocky than muddy) but I was hesitant being still in my clothes. Though that might not have stopped me if I’d seen people swimming, canoeing, or boating up and down the river, but as far as the eye could see it was barren and lonely. No one was out enjoying this vast river for recreational purposes. Which leads me to ask, can you swim in the Mississippi? Is the current too strong? Is it too filthy? Or was I just at the wrong location to see all the vacationing throngs of people recreating on the water.

We then headed to Beale street the night life of the founding fathers of Blues. What once were the segregated side of the tracks and the heart beat of black music, is now degenerated to a couple city blocks of Tourist trap Blues. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy a good tourist trap. In fact I have a neon blinking sign over my head when walking around that reads, “I’m a tourist, please trap me and take my money!” In all actuality, besides a couple of novelty stores and well-known Blues artist putting their names on some restaurants, the couple of blocks still has some good bars to hear some Blues. So, really Beale Street is more of a tourist trap for drinkers.

For dinner, we opted to stay close and eat right there on Beale Street. A food decision I have regretted since. Not that it was bad, but I was looking for some distinctly Memphis BBQ. I was told by one of the guys who worked at Sun Studios his favorite Rib joint, but it was night, we were walking, and the place was located in the bad part of town. So I asked someone else who might know good food…a bartender. He gave me two choices for us to ponder. Right next door to his establishment a place on Beale street and the Flying Saucer. We opted to stay close, he insisted it was a good choice and stated that the meat would fall right of the bone. He didn’t lie; The meat was tender and the dry rub was tasty. Overall it actually wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t what I pictured or read about Memphis BBQ. The place had the look and feel of a Johnny Rockets and just seemed too easy to please the big crowds that flocked to Beale Street. I would have much rather eaten at a Mom and Pop place with sticky walls and greasy tables. Plus, no sauce on the Ribs!!! I hear this is what makes Memphis BBQ Unique, but man I need a little sauce! I asked for some sauce anyhow, ready to feel the waiters wrath of indignation, but he was pretty hospitable and brought me out a small cup to spread over the ribs. Nothing like the Whole Hog!

While most of the 20-30 something vacationer crowd found themselves at some loud DJ bar that resembled a bar in TJ, we opted for Silky O'Sullivans. It was a slow night, the crowd was sparse but the music was everything I imagined and made the night completely worth it. The band was made up of a Piano player/singer, drummer, and guitar player all of which had played with every major music artist around the city. The singer was raucous, rockin and raunchy. His scratchy, guttural singing paired well with the foamy, bown ale of a Boddingtons.

On our way back to the Hotel, we noticed another place that looked pretty lively. It was off of Beale Street in the heart of the downtown section. It looked like a place where all the post-college business crowd was gathering after a hard Monday of work. Then we noticed that this was the Flying Saucer where we were told by the Bartender we should get something to eat. This was a much better crowd (because it wasn’t all vacationers, but the regulars) and probably much better food than where we ate. But what got all three of us upset and banging our heads against the table were their unbelievable prices on Import beers. It was half the price as what we were paying on Beale Street (which I suppose shouldn’t be surprising since I just told you that Beale street is the tourist trap for drinkers). If you head out towards Memphis and are looking to have a beer then this should be the place to stop, they have reasonable prices and a good selection of beers.
Outside singing the Blues

Lastly, let me comment on my California laid-backness versus Memphis and the rest of the South on out to the Atlantic. I opted to where my normal unimpressive jeans and preferably dark shirt. Someone, anyone could have left me a message, a memo, a quick email telling me this is not acceptable attire and that I should purchase no less than three to four polo shirts and Dockers if I wanted to fit in with the casual scene. I absolutely could not believe what I was witnessing while people watching at the Flying Saucer, every male in the place had a polo shirt on! I don’t mean a fancy polo shirt, some of them were down right ugly, but they were polo shirts nonetheless. This phenomenon was true just about every city we traveled through. I remember sitting in the oyster bar in Charleston and Jim counting all the men in the place with Polo shirts. We were outnumbered 10 to 1! Why is this the case and why do East coast men love Dockers so much? Someone please explain this weird fascination.

Sun Studios

Ten dollars to tour a tiny, cramped, old, one-room recording studio? I’m in! In all actuality this was a more compelling tour to me than Graceland. I loved this place and the authenticity that went with it. The guide had Memphis flare, told some intriguing stories, and allowed the visitors to hear some of the first music recorded at the studio, like Elvis’ first recording apparently done for his mother's birthday (that was months prior) and Ike Turner's "rocket 88" (the first Rock n Roll song ever recorded).

When you first walk into Sun Studios, the room is situated like a café with plenty of knick-knacks to browse and purchase. They have a counter to sit at and buy a drink or a little something to eat if needed. When the tour begins you are escorted up stairs to a room that serves as a preservation of the Studio's history. Then you are led down to what was the main entrance of Sun Studios, and into the place where all the greats recorded their hits. It’s a quick simple tour that last about half and hour (if I recall correctly).

The only negative I had about the tour was that there were sooo many people squished in like sardines (and some of them smelling that way) that it was hard to move about freely and see all the displays. By the time the tour guide was done talking and moving on with the tour you barely had time to check out everything he was covering. Jonathan told me that this was not reminiscent of the tour he did a couple years a go. He said there were only about ten people in his group the last time. We went late in the afternoon, on a Monday, so if you go, check into it prior, you might want to plan on going early so you have time and room to see everything.

Bill Black Stood Here during the recording of "That's alright mama!"

The most photographed microphone in the world!

Oh, well my singing aspirations are out the window!

You have to love Sun Studios for having a Pepsi Machine

Whole Hog

Jim had read about this place on the Internet and it seemed to have rave reviews. So we headed a little out of our way to eat some down-home Arkansas BBQ. The Whole Hog has won a plethora of awards for their amazing BBQ. They seemed to be known for their Pulled BBQ (Shredded BBQ pork on a bun), so as the saying goes while in Rome... or in this case Arkansas. The pulled Pork did not disappoint! It was an amazing feast filled with flavor. Also, they had the best sauces to mop the top with, that we had found on the trip. I forget the beer we bought to compliment the meal, but whoever suggested it (probably me) had a stroke of genius. It went perfectly. So, if your going through Clinton’s favorite town of little Rock then be sure to stop by and satisfy your BBQ cravings.

The Leaning Tower of Texas

The leaning Tower of Texas, or The Britten Water Tower is in every Route 66 book, and roadside attractions, book out there. It is another staple of Texas ingenuity of roadside advertising.

When we passed by, I really wanted to stop the car, get out and take some pictures. I thought it would have been awesome to make it look like I was pushing the tower over or stepping on it…something like that. But, we were already behind schedule and had already agreed to stop at the Largest Cross in the western Hemisphere. While, I think it was a good choice, I’m still kicking myself for not going with my gut on this one. So for the time, I’m stuck with just a quick snap-shot of the leaning towers just to prove I was there.


For those of you interested…Yes, the tower was built that way on purpose. Ralph Britten the owner of the tower intentionally cut one leg shorter than the rest to give it that nice lean look. It was a marketing ploy to get people to pull off the side of the road and stop at the Britten truck stop, garage, and restaurant.

The Cross of Groom

In Groom Texas we found the Second largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. The spot is a couple miles down the road from The Big Texan and a nice place to stop to let out the flood of sweat tea. Actually, this was another location I had found prior to our trip that I thought would make for a cool photo op. From what I had seen on the Internet, it simply looked like a huge cross in the middle of a field. I was under the impression that you just pulled off the side of the road and took a picture. However, I was delightfully wrong about my assumption as there was much more to the place than just a giant cross. The Cross was placed Cross Ministries ( A Catholic Organization).



I suspect Jonathan enjoyed the place more knowing that the Cross was placed by Catholics. As I recall he wasn’t too excited about doing another stop in Texas, and wanted to get to the hotel as soon as possible. Plus stopping to see what those crazy Dallas Seminary Fundamentalist had erected was not his idea of a good time. But I was driving, so for the moment the trip was in my control. However, I think I actually saw his face light up when he found realized that it had a Catholic origin and began to enjoy the site.

This American Holy site was well thought out and planned. Around the Towering Corrugated metal cross were statues of the 12 Stations of the Cross. Also, there was the scene of Jesus sharing his last Passover with his disciples, then steps leading to the three crosses on Golgotha’s Hill. Near the first part of the 12 Stations, their was a statue of Jesus kneeling, praying ,and in tears, while holding a fetus in his hand. The statue of Jesus and the fetus was placed by The knights of Columbus. This was a moving statue, but lost some of its reverence when Jim took photos of his Lego Man next to the Fetus.They also had a nice, but expensive gift shop and book store. The restrooms were the nicest I went into on the whole trip, but we were out of California so there was still no seat covers. Who knows maybe they think it’s a form of Birth Control (That’s a joke folks)!

Big Texan- Everythings Bigger

Everything??!!

When planning our trip we had discussed a number of different routes to go, but eventually landed on taking the 40 most of the way; it just seemed faster. During our discussions I told Jonathan if we did take the 40, we must stop at The Big Texan for a bite to eat. Jonathan had eaten their on a prior cross country journey with his family and wholeheartedly agreed that this was a must!



The Big Texan is home to the free 72oz streak! That is it’s free if you can eat it and all the sides in an hour. For those baseball fans and Christian readers I have on my blog, you might be interested to know who holds the record for eating this meal the quickest…Frank Pastore. Yep, one time Red’s Pitcher and now current Christian Radio Talk Show host finished the meal in 9 ½ minutes! That’s impressive.




I tried to eat as little as possible before stopping at The Big Texan. Before our trip, I had eaten a small McDonald's biscuit breakfast in New Mexico. I wanted to savor every succulent taste of my steak. No, I didn’t try and go for the gold and eat the 72 oz. I saw a sample of it on the platter and I admit I was too intimidated. Plus it’s an $80 gamble if you don’t eat the whole thing. Maybe, when I have my kids with me to cheer me on, I’ll give it a try! I stayed with in range of what I though I could manage- I had the 24oz Rib eye topped with onions and mushrooms. It was tender and juicy, I was not disappointed.

Yummy. Yummy. there's a party in my Tummy.

The sides weren't that great and probably not worth mentioning; in fact I don’t really remember what I had.

Sadly, after I chomped down my savory steak, I was picking away at some french fries on my plate (that was one of the sides) when one of them got stuck in the back of my throat. I was choking, but it was irritating. So, I got up to use the restroom and cough the potato out, but by the time I made it to the restroom the irritating cough had become a gag. I ended up throwing up 24 oz of steak in the men's urinal. Surprisingly, it tasted just as good coming back up! It was like paying two for the price of one!

So scrumptious, I think I'll throw it up just to taste it again!

They also served Rattle snake, but were not offering it the day we stopped. Apparently there was a mix up in there order from their supplier; they were shipped buckets of rattlesnakes that had been properly cleaned. they were just snakes in a bucket. They also sever mountain oysters, but I just couldn't bring myself to try the things! Sorry, I'm no Andrew Zimmerman.

It should be noted that the Big Texan is a kitchy stand that once use to stand along Route 66. But when the 40 came along the owner made the best move and moved his Steak House to keep up with the changing tide. Put simply the place has been around awhile and is a road stop Icon. Everyone traveling through Texas should stop there at least once. Be forewarned though, while it might have been a prime location in it's heyday, it appeared that the Big Texan is now sitting on the seedy side on town. But if you're looking for a place to stay on your way, they do have a hotel on site! It looked like a pretty fun and entertaining atmosphere.

Wow that's a big boot to fill!

What can I say, my camera was not the best for taking pics inside.