Walking the Streets of Memphis

Hello everyone!  Thanks for stopping by and joining me and Vanessa from X-tremely V for Thinking Out Loud Thursday. Hope you link up below and tell all your blogger friends to link up too!

So today I'm thinking about the fantastic trip to Memphis I took a few weeks ago with my friend Linda.  Linda and I had decided last year at Christmas that instead of buying each other gifts, we would have an "experience" together.  After mulling over several options, we landed on taking a trip to Memphis!  If you're thinking about having a girls' weekend or a long weekend with your significant other, I highly recommend Memphis as a place to check out.

We loaded the car and started the 5ish hour drive from St. Louis on Friday morning.  We weren't on the road long before we started discussing where to eat lunch.  Like magic a billboard for Lambert's (home of throwed rolls) appeared in our sight.  Linda had never been there before so lunch location decided -- Lambert's it was!  This establishment has been around since 1942 and has been throwing rolls since 1976.  Their home style meals can't be beat and it was a fun way to start off our trip.

Speaking of throwed rolls, here's one up close and personal for you to see.  When you're ready for a bun, you raise your hand and they literally throw a roll to you.  From across the room.  Might want to bring your catcher's mitt.

Linda and I had been trying for days to land a deal on Priceline with their Name Your Own Price option.  We were really, REALLY, wanting to stay at The Peabody.  I mean, come on.  Who wouldn't want to stay at The Peabody?!?  It was the only 4-1/2 star hotel in downtown Memphis so we knew with those choices, if our bid was accepted, the hotel would be The Peabody.  Finally on Thursday night our bid won us the hotel we were hoping for!  Do you use Name Your Own Price?  Personally, I love it!

We rolled into Memphis early afternoon and went immediately to the hotel.  The minute we pulled up, we knew we had made the right decision to stay there.  It is gorgeous!  Our room was ready upon arrival, so we dropped our bags and headed back out to hit a museum.

The museum we picked to visit on Friday was Sun Studios.  Eric and I went to Sun for the first time last year and then saw the musical Million Dollar Quartet a few months later.  It was so cool how the musical tied in to what we saw at Sun.  Second time there for me was just as fascinating and Linda's first experience was good too.  To me it's just so cool to be standing in the exact same spot as people like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the list goes on and on.

Ever seen ducks march?  Well, we got back to the Peabody just in time to watch their little quackers exiting the fountain and heading to their night time home.  It's amazing to me how the hotel lobby fills up to watch some ducks walk down a red carpet!  If you want to see this spectacle, I suggest getting a spot well before the 5:00 pm start!

Dinner Friday night was at BB King's.   Ribs seemed like the appropriate choice for dinner.  They were good -- REALLY GOOD!

The band Memphis Jones was playing and we hung out at our table even after we were finished eating just to enjoy them.  As luck would have it, the couple at the table next to us was from a town just miles from where I live!  Small world, isn't it.

Saturday we got out of the hotel in time to get to Central BBQ for lunch.  We chose the original location on Central.  Great bar-b-que nachos!

Once our bellies were full, we drove to the National Civil Rights Museum.  This is located at the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.  Very touching place to visit.

Next up was a tour of Stax.  To by honest, many of the artists highlighted in this American Soul Music museum were not familiar to me.  That being said, I still enjoyed seeing the memorabilia that was displayed.

We were in need of a snack, so we headed back over to midtown for some ice cream and shopping.  Nothing is better than sitting at a window seat and people watching!

In the evening, we had reservations at Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar.  Talk about a good place for dinner!  Each course, along with the wines, can be served in "flights".  In addition to our flight of wine, Linda and I both ordered flights of salad/soup, had only a single entree and ordered a flight to share for dessert.

As we were ordering, Linda noticed an engagement proposal in progress at the table next to us.  Stop everything -- we had to watch!  It was the sweetest thing ever to witness.  The groom-to-be AND the bride-to-be cried -- which, of course, made us cry.   Wonder if they would like me to help them with their wedding?!?

When we went back to the hotel to change before hitting Beale Street again, our view out the window of the hotel was a perfect vantage point to watch the fireworks being sent into the air from Autozone Park.  How lucky were we to be right there when they started!

Sunday we very sadly said goodbye to our hotel and walked to BB King's for lunch.  There is live music at BB's all the time, so you get good food and entertainment for the price of one.

We had just enough time to go to the Blues and Soul Museum and the Hall of Fame Museum before loading up in the car and heading back to St. Louis.

Making the decision to do something like this was one of the best decisions ever!  Memphis was a perfect place for us to share an adventure and two weeks later I'm still remembering tidbits of things that happened and laughing.  Hands down, there is nothing better in my book than spending time with the special people in your life.  This trip will give us memories we will always treasure.  

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and let us know!

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at:

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

100 Happy Days

The Deliberate Mom

This is How We Roll

Embark on the Journey

Party at My Place
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