Graceland Field Trip

It was Saturday morning, and I woke up early, kind of refreshed, but not totally. The evening before had been blurred by post competition martinis and delightfully spicy scallops (with chow foon noodles!) at Memphis' P.F. Chang's, and I had fallen asleep late, hampered by a king sized bed in my Doubletree room. I have a really difficult time with king sized beds. They're just too big.

I began my day with a decidedly unhealthy breakfast:



and made it to Graceland by 10 AM. There weren't too many lines at this point; I tried to play up my random P.F. Chang's connection at the ticket window (I had met the director of Graceland by coincidence at the bar the previous evening!! And she gave me her card!) but no dice, I had to pay the full $27 to see everything. I had no idea what to expect, least of all intriguing decorating. Elvis had an eye!!! Or maybe I'm just into tacky seventies interiors.

My favorite room (the picture doesn't give justice to the navy/yellow contrast and doesn't show the bright yellow bar):



My second favorite, the fabric lined pool room:



Here's the first room you see upon entering:



The couch to the right is fifteen feet long. It was pretty amazing to see Elvis' piano. One of the things I learned at Graceland was that Elvis never wrote any of his music, but he produced everything. He chose every song he performed -- and I guess he was just a master of knowing the public's predilections.

The kitchen was pretty modest:



Hard to believe this is where meals for the entire estate were cooked. I was actually surprised at the small size of the mansion in general. I mean, I couldn't even afford to buy a room of it, but I had expected something more in the line of the Breakers or something.

Here's the dining room:



The upstairs was closed to the public. The audio guide explained that since it was Elvis' private space during his life, they kept it that way since his death. BUT there was a bed covered in white fur that he onced used which was on display:



Wow. Those are some of his costumes on the bed. A little wacky, this Elvis. Amazing that in the 50s he got away with gold lame suits. And that sequined capes lent to his appeal in the seventies. I have to say, though, that when I saw some videotapes of his TV performances in the 50s and 60s I realized why he had been such a huge phenomenon. Not only was he HOT in his youth, there was something about him that jumped from the screen at you. Perhaps other performers in the past were as charismatic and spiritual, but this was the first time TV was available to link someone to every living room in the country. His energy just hit me! It was pretty amazing. I spoke to a friend of mine who had lived in Memphis for a couple years, performing with the Memphis Symphony, and she said that she had become an Elvis fan while she lived there for exactly the same reasons. Elvis was a sublime performer, and being a performer myself, I truly admire what he was able to do. Of course, he took the fame and wealth in a sad direction, though Graceland didn't go too much into it. Here's the room where Elvis entertained friends the day he died:



Here's the famous jungle room. Ceilings and walls covered with green shag. Rock.



Lisa Marie's favorite chair is the one with the bear on it.

I also saw Elvis' car collection. Wow. Dad called it a "cadillac salad bar" which pretty much describes it. And, I saw his private jet. Elvis had a LOT of money. He was charitable, though, and gave a lot of money to local organizations; he also took very good care of his parents and grandmother. I did some research and discovered that he wasn't so great to Priscilla, his wife, however. Affairs and such. And of course his addiction to painkillers didn't help the marriage.

Rest in peace, Elvis:



Bye, Graceland:



Then I decided to drive to Arkansas. Hello, Arkansas:



Since the really was nothing in West Memphis, Arkansas, I left soon after and went back to Tennesse, got lost on my way to the Gibson factory, got cranky and hungry, tried to go to a nice steakhouse for some lunch, found it was closed, got very cranky, ate some pretty good tacos, went to the recital of Matej Grahek, played in a concert, came back to hotel and finally had some steak, fell hard asleep, then went back to Boston.

Goodbye, Volunteer State!
Next field trip: Missouri and the Ozarks, March 28 - 31, 2005.