French Toast, Ducks and the King / city of Memphis

Another state, another city and more attractions are crossed off the list. Christine and I headed on a 5 hour road trip through Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee to adventure through the river city of Memphis. We also popped over to Arkansas to grab a fridge magnet, I mean come on, it was just over the river in Memphis. 

While in Memphis we had the intention of exploring a handful of world famous attractions in the heart of the city. Little did we know that not much would go our way on this trip. But, not a drop of rain or a struck of lightening could ever stop us from exploring the world around us two.

Our first stop for a photo op was the house that Elvis Presley was born in at Tupelo, Mississippi.

The house has not been moved since Elvis was born and is situated in an ordinary neighbourhood. The house is as small as it looks!

Memphis was another city I’ve visited with surprising delicious food! We made a pit stop at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, it was a hole in the wall, but, oh boy did it live up to its name! Without a doubt it was some of the most mouthwatering, juiciest chicken that I’ve ever eaten! A little on the spicy side, but it’s definitely worth it if you’re passing through the city!

Our location for the night was The Peabody Hotel. The famous hotel that escorts ducks through the lobby twice a day for the guests amusement, it being a tradition since the 1930’s! A ‘duck master’ puts on a 15 or so minute presentation and marches a half a dozen ducks from the lobby fountain and up the elevator. The ducks are swimming in the fountain from 11am until 5pm everyday. World famous people have located here just to witness these ducks waddle along the red carpet! I was a lucky duck to have watched this! Yes, a lucky 'duck’…

On our morning of waking up in Memphis we had debated whether to have breakfast in bed with it being delivered to our room or search on TripAdvisor for a place to eat, just like we normally do! We took on our advice and searched for a place to eat, we had chosen The Arcade. An average sized diner hidden in the streets of the city. The breakfast was phenomenal, tasting the most exquisite french toast! It will definitely be hard to come across another plate of french toast as amazing as this one! We also had a side of bacon, hash brown and egg!

When we see an opportunity, we take it! It was a coincidence that a NBA game was being played on our night in Memphis. We purchased the tickets a couple of days before and went to the game! The Memphis Grizzlies were playing Utah Jazz and it’s most definitely one of the best sports I’ve watched!  The sound of sneakers squeaking against the court, the music in the background and the amazing players sure did put on an amazing show! I wasn’t the only Aussie in the stadium, Joe Ingles #2 for Utah Jazz was running up and down that court like no tomorrow!

I was the only spectator in the crowd sporting off a Utah Jazz jersey, but, I was supporting an Aussie and also a friend back home who adores the boys of Utah Jazz. 

Jazz - 97
Grizzlies - 91

Elvis’ grave site was situated on his property on the side of his house opposite the in-ground pool. Elvis is buried alongside his parents, grandmother and his stillborn twin brother. It was absolutely surreal to be in an atmosphere full of vibes from the most significant cultural icons in history. Not many people I know will get to say they’ve been by the King of Rock and Rolls grave site. Another lucky experience I have to cherish for years to come. 

The Big Easy / New Orleans, Louisiana

Christine, Morris and I had debated whether to drive at our own pace or to stick to a schedule with the train when travelling to NOLA. We decided to board an Amtrack train in Birmingham the day after Thanksgiving (and a night of Black Friday night shopping) and travelled 7 and a half hours down through Mississippi and into the heart of Louisiana. 

The most common shared traits of deep in the French Quarters is the food and music. The food is such an abundance that a whole other blog post could be dedicated to its importance in the streets of New Orleans. So let me begin in regards to the music component of the culture.

Strident Forays of Jazz // Music

The music from the heart of New Orleans sings various styles of music which have grown from earlier traditions. The city of especially known for its strong involvement with jazz music and is globally known to be considered the birthplace of the genre. New Orleans has also been a well known center of the funk genre of music and home to some of the earliest funk bands. The African influence on New Orleans music can backtrack to its roots to Congo Square in New Orleans in 1835, when slaves would gather there to play music and dance on Sundays. Unless you are trapped inside your hotel room or in the residential parts of the city, there is not one step you can take without hearing the loud series of earthy grooves played in swing. 

Haunted History // They Live On

An essential part of New Orleans, particularly the French Quarters, is the deep, eminent haunted stories it holds. Christine and I engaged in a 2 hour long ghost tour walk stopping at big-name haunted destinations. Our tour guide for the night was entertaining, phenomenal and put so much depth into the stories she shared with our group. New Orleans holds such suffering and this was shown through the gratifying stories that floated through the ears of our tour group. I was lucky enough to have encountered the rich stories that I was knowledgeable of before I arrived in America. We were lucky to have learnt numerous of stories, but I want to share just two of my favourites that have made a great impact on me. I happened to come across two girls behind me during the tour, one from Newcastle, Australia and the other from New Zealand… What a small world!

One of my favourite songs, The House of the Rising Sun, was adapted from one of the haunted buildings, Villa Convento, that we ran into during the tour. This building was in fact a brothel. Today it is an intimate hotel in the middle of the French Quarters. We were educated that there is haunting of the door knobs rattling during the night. This is the haunting of the workers in the brothel tugging and rattling the door knobs indicating to the occupants inside that ‘time is up’. I wonder how the couple behind those doors would feel if they knew the meaning behind those rattling noises they heard… Haha! This story from the tour interested me greatly due to me being a big fan of the song. Being able to be in the same atmosphere as the birth place of this song was something that never crossed my mind that I would experience!

Haunted destination number two was even more of a shock to me than the brothel house. This story was full of gore, horror and not for the weak stomach. To my friends or those who are reading this who are familiar of American Horror Story Coven will understand this story in greater depth. This haunted record involves a lot of explaining and has such intensity that it would be almost impossible for me to share through just one blog post, so to be concise here is the story of the LaLaurie House. This story leaves you engrossed and it causes you to contemplate such reasoning to these ladies actions… What this website I’ve shared with you has not said is that those who enter or even touch this building will encounter a haunting that will change their life forever… Another note that this website has left out is that Nicholas Cage once owned and lived in this house. He was uneducated on this legendary house he resided in and when a haunted tour sat outside his newly purchased property he came down to question them. Once he was told, he instantly grabbed his family and belongings and moved. Remember when Nicholas lost his money and went through a period of suffering a few years back? That was the power of LaLaurie. 

Attractions // Bourbon Street 

You’ve all heard of Bourbon Street, right? It would come a shock to me if you hadn’t heard the name at some point. It is the world famous party, vibrant and loud street in the deepest parts of New Orleans. We strolled a bit of the way down to feel the vibe of the night and we ate in at the Hard Rock Restaurant. This street is full of drinking, drinking and more drinking and the constant jazz, party and swing music that rings through your ears, how could you not carry yourself through the crowd with a dance? This street has the atmosphere for the young adult crowd and I have definitely added this back on my bucket list to experience the true vibes when I’m of legal age.

There is a lot to do and see in the city of New Orleans. This one-of-a-kind city can impact each of its visitors in different ways. Every corner, every detail of architecture, every taste and every witty encounter I experienced has influenced me in such a way that it would be impossible to share with you all…