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We took this while waiting for the trolley on the corner of Beale St. And Main St. It’s seems that every town we’ve visited has an “Orpheum,”‘that either used to be a theater or still is. We’re obsessed with old signs, so this is a good precursor to our upcoming Route 66 drive

Inside Graceland! Obviously we expected tacky – after all, Elvis lived here. And we were not disappointed. It was tacky and then some…but delightfully so. This was the the first room visible upon entry and it was my favorite.

Lisa-Marie’s swing set. Ali just couldn’t resist a cool photo op.

Elvis has left the building – but he didn’t go far. We had no idea that Elvis and his parents/grandmother were buried at Graceland. The idea made us sad – that their final resting place was so cheapened by turning it into a tourist trap. Ah,well.

Inside the “Lisa-Marie,” the Presleys’ private plane. Either the plane has really good lighting or I’m having a fantastic hair day. This calls for fried chicken.

You cannot go to Memphis without stopping at Gus’s.  They call it “funky fried chicken,” and it’s served over white bread on styrofoam plates.  The batter was spicy, and just the right amount.  We waited outside for half-an hour before we were seated, but it was worth the wait.

We had breakfast here at “The Little Tea Shop,” on our way out of Memphis.  I have three words for you:  CORN BREAD STICKS.  To die for.  And we were big fans of their ordering process. You mark your order on a one-page printed menu of the day – there’s a different menu for each day of the week – with a little box next to each item.  The only thing we regret is being too full to try their frozen pecan ball with hot fudge.  Yes, I know – there is no such thing as being too full for frozen pecan balls – but we had an eight hour drive ahead of us, and I’m not sure a frozen pecan ball would sit well in the stomach for eight hours.

Tags: Elvis, Fried Chicken, Graceland, Gus's, Memphis, Presley