They Got It Right (Memphis Day I)

Editor's Note: This is going to be a pretty boring entry. It's the first of three days in Memphis and I chose to explain a lot in this entry. It will be wordy, it might be boring and downright sterile. I promise to make it up for it on day two. I swear!!

It was a phrase I uttered several times over the course of a recent weekend in the city of Memphis, Tenn. With the excuse of this being a road trip to test out my mother's recently purchased Infiniti FX35, we decided to wander up I-30 and I-40 for a long weekend.

It started with a 1:30a departure from my place and a nice speeding warning from the Cumby city police department (I wasn't driving and that's all I am going to say about that). As I dozed in and out, it was brought to my attention once we go out further towards Arkansas, how many more 18 wheelers there seemed to be on the road. It was like this all the way. Rigs taking over the highway and the numbers seemed to grow the closer we got to Memphis.

Friday morning saw us check in to our economy Ramada Inn in West Memphis, Ark. A brief breakfast and nap before hitting the streets. Our first stop was to be the National Civil Rights Museum. Before we touch on this, just a little note if coming from West Memphis or straight into town from the west, take I-40 into Memphis not I-55. Those who give directions make it seem quicker to take I-55 to the downtown area and in some cases that might be true. There is a curveball thrown at you when attempting to head south on 55, the highway narrows down and forces southbound traffic to exit this 25 mph, single lane exit. Remember those rigs I referred to? Guess who stacks up traffic at least half a mile to a mile back from the actual exit? If you are fortunate to be headed to Riverside (which is north bound) then you have a lot less traffic to face, but the same cloverleaf like exit faces you with yet another twist. The northbound traffic from I-55 has to enter in the same manner merging into the same lane you are exiting. Something only an Aggie could have thought up. But I digress.

We did take the north exit and after testing the acceleration of her SUV, mom and I came upon a park right along the Mississippi River and in the shadows of downtown. We took a moment to take in this large body of water as well as the houses on a cliff overlooking the river. Well out of the floodplain, nice idea. After a brief moment of taking this in, we drove around looking for the museum.

Based in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was slain, it covers the Struggle starting from the early days of slavery, through Reconstruction and somewhat up to present day. The primary focus of the material covered deals with the civil rights movement in the south starting in the 1930's and culminating with King's assassination. The are brief biographies of a number civil rights leaders and stories pertaining to important events. There is a vast amount of information, which is easier to take in using the audio tour offered when purchasing tickets. Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee alternate narrating the story from Harper's Ferry to Little Rock to Oxford to McComb to Chicago to Memphis and beyond.

It was a very rushed visit. There is a brief ten minute film in an auditorium which has seen better days before beginning your tour. There are actually two wings to the museum. The Civil Rights section is in the "main" wing". Here one goes through meandering through newspaper clippings, television rebroadcasts as well as mock-ups of the bus Rosa Parks sat on, the jail cell MLK wrote his infamous "Letter From Birmingham Jail" as well as other places.

The showstopper is the bedroom where MLK stayed, glassed off and the spot where he stood when he was shot from across the road. It was an awe struck moment for me as I stood and looked across. My mother wanted nothing to do with this spot and passed on entering the room. A narrative of the day of played in the background as I looked around. This was the place where they killed the Dream. I am waaay too young to truly appreciate this monument. Rather, I just tried to gain some sort of understanding, a clue as to why he had to be slain? None was forthcoming.

As I mentioned, we were short on time (arrived a little after 3:30p and the museum closed at 5p) thus we had to rush across the street to the other building. Mmm… a waste of time for me. Most of the "second wing" is dedicated to the movements of James Earl Ray the day of the assassination as well as the subsequent hunt for him afterwards. The evidence, as presented by the prosecution of this case, is also shown in various cases. The prosecutions methods for tying people in to the involvement as well as divergent conspiracy theories are presented in this newly looking built wing. Of real interest is the view from the rest room Ray allegedly shot across the street using a high-powered rifle. The view is chilling when you think of how easy it must have been to fire off a shot at a man in plain sight across the street.

However, of the 15 minutes spent in this wing, we missed some odd presentation of Civil Rights around the world as well as a chance to stop in the Museum store. I gave the whole experience an A- as it is very informative and educational. I don't feel I should say this, but I would rather have seen the money they used on the assassination information in the "second wing" go towards continued upgrades of the "main wing".

After all this walking around the corner back to the tank, we made our way to the other side of town for some supper. I did some research before heading up and the concensous pointed toward Corky's as having some of the best Q in town. I am not going to start on this subject of whose is better (though one reviewer, Russ from Texas, is about to lose their card for claiming we Texans knew Memphis has the better Q… watch yo back man!!), but I will say Corky's is a great spot to stop in when visiting. I ordered the large slab of ribs and split the kind, half wet and half dry. I'll let them explain that. It came with decent sides of slaw and baked beans. For bread lovers, the rolls served while waiting for the meal are amazing good.. and heavy!! Someone put the heavy dough in these things. Mom had the bbq chicken and was able to sub out a pork dish with grilled on a bed of pasta. The chicken was a hit, not soo sure about those shrimp. Regardless, the service was very friendly and on the spot. Easily our best service the entire weekend. Beware if going to the location on Poplar. The resturant is a bit cozy and if seated in the aisle where the staff walks, watch yourself. The space between tables is a little tight and don't be surprised if brushed by the staff as they walk by. Please don't stretch your arms out. Bad idea. Very bad.

After our dinners, we rolled out of the place trying to figure out how to kill time before looking for a reggae spot downtown I read about. Thus we drove around town taking various streets and putting a ton of trust in our built in compass. Eventually, our meandering led us back downtown and in search of said club. Now I am guilty of doing something here. As we rolled upon the spot, I noticed there were a number of people going in and coming out who appeared to be a younger and more hip hop. Yeah, I stereotyped, I'm sorry. So I pointed the car south in search of Cooper & Young.

I read about this neighborhood online and it seemed like this newly growing neighborhood. It appears to actually be an area where a few independent businesses have setup shop and student housing exists. Not sure what I was truly expecting, but the infamous deli there (Young Deli ) is not exactly a deli. It is truly more of a student hangout and a bar, which happens to have a pretty good kitchen (more on that tomorrow) We drove a lot of the area within I-240 and the Mississippi River including a failed attempt at going to Beale Street.

Our day ended around 1a with our arrival at the hotel. Let me take that back. Someone's mother found CSI: Miami and while I did my best to ignore it, I was drawn into watching that and another episode at of the show before turning in around 3a. I hate A&E!