We have been looking forward to our day at Graceland. Once you arrive in Memphis you drive through a very seedy and desolate area, which when Elvis was living here was actually rural, to what at first appears a very large commercial venture. Despite this and in memory of my dear Auntie Ine, who always referred to Elvis as 'her boyfriend', we walked through the gates with great expectations and we were not disappointed. People had told us that we would find the house disappointing as it was so small and in a way unassuming for the mega star that Elvis was, but it was his home and he obviously loved it. The house itself it actually a distance from the commercial outlet. A short ride in one of a fleet of small buses takes you up the the sweeping drive right to the front door. It truely is a time capsule of life in the sixties and seventies. We toured the living areas of the house which are all on the ground floor. We also saw the stables, his father's office, the museum that held many family treasures, memories and photographs, the grounds and his grave. The tour is accompanied by an iPad that has a very detailed interactive app that guides you through the house. It really was very well done. It was obvious that for many visitors that this was a pilgrimage. They lingered by Elvis' grave and some were even shedding a tear.
The second part of the tour, which was back in the newer much more commercial area, included several different large rooms that housed his expansive collection of automobiles, motorbikes and other toys, his numerous jumpsuits and costumes, his war time memorabilia, gifts from other performers, his gold and platinum records and other awards and a movie theatre that showed Elvis movies continuously. There were also numerous gift shops, a smokehouse restaurant named for his father Vernon and Gladys' Diner. Gladys was Elvis' mother.
Our next stop was the Lorraine Hotel, the place where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was unfortunately assassinated on 4 April 1968. The hotel now forms part of the new Civil Rights Museum.
Dinner was at B.B.Kings on the famous Beale Street. After dinner we strolled along Beale Street which was absolutely alive. Loud Blues music emanated from every establishment which was designated by a gaudy neon sign. It was very interesting but to be honest we didn't like it as much as the Broadway, Nashville.
Memphis is in the state of Mississippi which is the poorest state in the USA. It also has the lowest percentage of college graduates and the largest percentage (37.4%) of African Americans, although overall Washington DC actually has the highest percentage of African Americans (50.7), but it is a district and not a state.
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