Day 9 - Memphis, TN

Everything great about Tennessee is culminated in Memphis. I was looking forward to amazing ribs, heartfelt music, and unique scenery. I came across an overwhelming amount of bars, old buildings with neon storefronts, and a lot of local talent trying to make it big. Actually, Memphis is a lot like Nashville, except substitute country music with blues, and insert a lot more Elvis.

I drove downtown and searched for the rib mecca of Memphis, Rendezvous. When I got to the location, it looked like it was closed. This was a sharp blow, because not only was I looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about, I was also starving. Turns out the establishment is underground, in the alley. So I walked around the block, entered the shady alley, and found a hoppin' restaurant to my delight. I was reassured. Approximately two people working there within 3 minutes told me that they didn't open till 4, and could only offer me a rib platter. Well, if that's the best you can do, I guess I'll have to deal!

The restaurant was very kitschy, but charming. And full of hungry patrons. Remember, it was closed. I take a seat and order a half rack, which the server indicated to the cooks across the dining room with a swipe of his arm, illustrating that the rack should be cut in half. Before I had a chance to wash my hands, the food arrived, and it looked fantastic. The beans had actual rib meat in the cup, giving new meaning to "pork and beans." Even the cole slaw had barbecue spices in it, giving it a reddish brown color.

Yet, I have to say I think I am just not a fan of Tennessee ribs. They dry rub the meat and smoke it, and then the sauce is laid out on the table. It creates a charred crust on top of the meat, and although it locks in the juice mostly, I was expecting the meat to be a lot more tender. I've had more moist ribs in Virginia. They were good, just not what I expected. Also, I'm not a fan of the sauce on the table, after the fact. There was something sweet in both mild and hot sauces that I couldn't put my finger on, something fruity and tangy, and neither of the sauces won me over. Oh well, it was still an experience.

I stopped at the Flying Saucer Pub on Second Street, across the street from Peabody Place, to cool off. This was one of those serious beer places that had hundreds of varieties of beer. There were pool tables and plush couches. It was a really fun place to hang out and I wish I could have stayed longer and party there at night. The staff were gracious and friendly.

Recharged, I walked a few blocks to Beale Street, which is not unlike Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It was very reminiscent of Broadway in Nashville, except with even more bars and gift shops. I lost track of all the bars and blues clubs. There were even more local performers on stage during the day, and the blocks were abuzz with tourists and locals partying together and enjoying the live music. There was blues playing everywhere, and with so many storefronts evoking both B.B. King and Elvis Presley, it was hard not to get sucked in.

And these people drink. Almost every bar served a colossal 32 ounce brew serving, endearingly labeled "Big Ass Beer." The main blocks of Beale Street were blocked off for walking in the street, but I was surprised to see that drinking in public wasn't ignored here like in New Orleans. Still, it didn't take away from the festival atmosphere and the outdoor drinking.

I bought one of these ridiculous beers and sat down in an outdoor patio, listening to the "Louisiana Mojo Queen," Ms. Zeno, belt out soul and bluegrass classics, and some of her original works too. She was very animated and had a fiesty character. The beer, the blues, and the beauty of Beale Street made for a perfect afternoon. I bet my father would have thought the same, even more so.

On my way back, I made some small talk with some locals and found out about the man-made Mud Island on the Mississippi. I ended up driving to Martyrs Park, right on the river, and took some pics of the bridges, the water and the park. I even snagged a sneak peek of the Memphis Pyramid! This park was dedicated to the late volunteers who came back to Memphis in the late 1800s to tend to the ill suffering from yellow fever, after a mass evacuation. Seems to me that this city is, and always has been, full of wonderful people.

With the sun starting its descent, I begrudgingly got back into my car and headed toward the bridge across the Mississippi River into Arkansas, en route to Missouri. Midwest, here I come!

More pics

Day 8 - Nashville, TN

A week into my trip, I found myself in Nashville, surrounded by country music. My first stop was the Frist Center for Visual Arts, which housed not only a proper art museum, but also a community art gallery. The architecture of the building looked like something out of an Ayn Rand novel, and I was very impressed with it.

Nashville has an abundance of 3 things: country singers, cowboy boots, and churches. When I got to Broadway, the main strip in Nashvile leading up to LP Field, I noticed 3 churches within 3 blocks. I made my way past the churches and the local high school, also a classically designed building that I almost mistook for a church. Then came the honky-tonk bars.

Several blocks of Broadway constitute the heart of Nashville. Almost every business is a bar where local country artists perform live music. The few outstanding stores were memorabilia shops or record stores. One of famous country pioneer Ernest Tubb's record shops is along this street, just half a block away from the modern visitor's center. Every storefront has neon signs and loud music coming through the open wall windows and doors.

Ribs are also huge in this part of the country, and I chose one out of the two rib joints on the same block surrounding the record store. I asked around and people recommended Rippy's, where they had an open-air saloon with two stages. Upon digging into the vast amount of pork, I was not impressed. The sauce was funny and the ribs were dryer and crispier than I expected. I drank a Corona and continued my photography trek up and down Broadway.

One big thing I noticed, which I alluded to earlier, is that every local girl had on black cowboy boots. And it was 85 degrees all afternoon with no shade. Dedication. The streets were packed of tourists, but the locals were very friendly. They even let me take pictures inside the record store.

After spending some time listening to Waylon Jennings and snapping loud storefronts, I packed up and drove to the Grand Ole Opry. Bright foliage surrounded this campus of Tennessee musical history. However, something else also surrounded the hall. A shopping mall. Built around the Opry house. It was humongous and gawdy. It reminded me of Potomac Mills in size and craziness, for folks back home. And wouldn't you know it? It's called Opry Mills.

The speed limit in this area is 24 miles an hour, something I've never seen posted. From what I've tried to learn, this is either a trick to make people pay attention and drive safely, or it is because Interstate 24 runs through Nashville. I don't know for sure.

I had one more city to conquer in Tennessee, so I made my dash in rush hour traffic to Memphis. More to come! Bottoms up!

*For all the pics from today and the entire trip, check http://picasaweb.google.com/cyprian.mendelius.

Day 7 - Great Smoky Mountains

The wildest part of Tennessee was my next stop. I had aspirations of doing things I've never done before. No better place for it, especially if you are short on ideas.

Sevierville is home of the Great Smoky Mountains Visitor Center, and the first stop along the eastern route up into the heavens. I stopped here for a map and some information, and then excitedly took off for Pigeon Forge. Do you ever mistake the name or identity of a famous person or place or event and then feel stupid when the light is dawned? This was my situation involving Gatlinburg. Although it too is somewhat of a entertainment attraction capital, it isn't quite as extensive or activity-filled as Pigeon Forge. Also, it is truly a mountain town, carved into the side of the mountain. It seems like a cartoon version of a ski community.

All the rides, simulators, and even Dollywood are in Pigeon Forge. As i drove down the strip delighted, I realized the first stop had to be as awesome as it would be unique. Oh yeah, riding in a monster truck. Check!

I drove to the dusty lot of Outdoor Adventures, past the helicopter and truck with giant wheels, and signed up immediately. There was a staircase leading to the back of the pickup. It looked kind of like a hayride, except five times as high and with inexplicable horsepower. We were strapped to the bench in the bed by a makeshift seat belt, like the ones on airplanes, except definitely much more worn. The course was tight and included sharp curves, and there were two hills: one larger one made of dirt, and the smaller one gravel.

The engine growled to life like a dinosaur taking its first breath, unhappy to be alive, and smoke coughed out of the exhaust. We took off faster than you could imagine a 20-foot high vehicle capable, and were off for ten laps of terror. It was incredible. I soon realized it was much like a roller coaster, except half as scary and twice as dangerous. If we hit one of the hills too fast and the truck flipped, the driver would be fine in his cage, but we would be smushed.

Next stop was the Old Mill District, an old-fashioned gristmill village from the 1800s. Shops in the community included a pottery shop, a farmhouse kitchen where you could buy dry and canned goods, a creamery, and two restaurants. The main mill was converted into a giant restaurant. There was also a giant field for sports leading to the foot of the mountain. A trolley drove visitors through the village. I took lots of great pics, bought some preserves, and ate some delicious ice cream.

I also got yelled at by a woman in an old-timey dress for taking pictures inside the pantry. She "didn't take kindly" to it. Apparently, it would be a problem if I sold them; she had read about a guy taking pictures of antique items, framing the pictures and selling them on eBay for huge profits. I didn't even knew what that meant or where the problem was, and neither did she. Those pics are absolutely going online, maybe even on eBay just to spite her, haha.

After some amazing pictures, I realized it was getting very late and the sun had set. It was too late to experience my next stops: Dollywood, Cooter's Garage, and the indoor hang gliding place. I drove to Dollywood just to see it and snap a picture, and then took off for Gatlinburg. I walked by Cooter's Garage and took some pictures, then got a really late dinner at Corky's BBQ, which so far, in my unique opinion, is the best barbequed pork in Tennessee, despite it being a chain. It was all for the best that i left, because as it was Monday night, about 9:30 the main strip cleared out. Everything was closed. I seriously considered staying the night there, but then this would turn into a cross-Tennessee trip and nothing more.

Speaking of which, just as this started out as a reunion of friends tour, it quickly evolved into a race across America to get to California in time to make my deadline. Incidentally, I was trying to avoid this, and so I stopped visiting friends and spending days at a time with them so I could see enough of the country. Here I am rushing anyway. Oh well, it is an adventure. Off to Nashville in search of ribs.

Feel free to leave a comment and say hello! And definitely check out my photo album to see the rest of the pics; there are some really good ones here.

Day 6 & 7 - Knoxville, TN

For my next stop, I needed to backtrack north and east a little bit. My goal was to explore all the major cities in Tennessee. Plus I couldn’t pass up a trip to Gatlinburg. That place is like a combination of all the wildest attractions you’ve ever seen at any beach, except they’re all thrown together in the Great Smoky Mountains.

My first day in Knoxville, it was raining, freezing, and I was exhausted from the 3-day bender I just experienced with my friends. I checked the weather on my phone, and there was a “blackberry frost” alert. Apparently, there was a chance I’d wake up to see the grass dusted in PDAs. No, I understood perfectly that we were getting an uncharacteristically chilly cold front, and given the perfect week I just had, it was only fair. I spent most of the day relaxing and updating the blog.

It was nonetheless the anniversary of my best friend Bobby’s death. Every year, I get together with his cousins, and we go to dinner and have drinks to toast to his memory. I’m very close with them and consider them cousins of my own, as we all grew up together. This was the first time in 13 years I haven’t been in town to do so or visit the memorial. The latter I made sure to do before I left for my trip.

This year, I figured I would participate all the same by going out to dinner wherever I was, calling them at dinner to pay my respects, and having a toast “remotely.” I went to the Market Square District in downtown Knoxville; it’s the old town/main street area of the city. It was really a great opportunity for some classic pictures. I dined at the local hot spot Downtown Grille and Brewery. I had the best burger I’d had in a long time, and the beer was solid, the same quality you’d expect from a local tavern brewing its own beer.

The evening was filled with shenanigans, as I forgot to put the battery in my camera, for starters. My bartender seemed to try to skirt work at every opportunity, and sparked long conversations every chance she got, except when I actually had questions to ask her. She left the bar at one point to visit with some friends and play with their baby, because apparently Sunday night at the bar is the best place to bring your infant. So although it was frustrating, it was also mildly amusing.

Logistics back home were all mixed up, and by the time everyone got together, they only chatted for 10 minutes, took a toast, and left for other engagements. I still phoned my shot in, and of course in the spirit of the night, they didn’t have any Polish vodka and I took Absolut. Which wasn’t really what I wanted anyway; I wanted to try a new (local) Tennessee whiskey. Imagine this: the bartender never made herself available to recommend one.

I walked around afterwards scoping out the attractions, then went home to prepare for a day of sightseeing. I drove through the University of Tennessee campus, passing by the college bars. This looked like a pretty happening place to be while school was in session.

The next morning, I returned to South Gay Street, the main street in the Market Square District, and headed straight to my most anticipated location, the Mast General Store, an old-fashioned 1800’s style general store with just about everything you can imagine. They had clothes, dry food, toys, household items, and camping equipment. There were some quirky items that made for great photos, including garlic-shaped garlic containers, lots and lots of smoked bacon, and plenty of funny-sloganed t-shirts.

The outside of the store was amazing for pictures, as was the rest of Gay Street. I went to the History Center, and they had lots of old-fashioned hand made brooms, with the carved and lacquered twisting handles. I took pictures of the Riviera movie theatre, and the Tennessee Theatre, which featured not only a Bob the Builder production, but also a sold out Heart concert in the next month. The local park featured a very interesting iron sculpture. Also, among all the delicious country cooking, there was a French café serving homemade crepes. And a consignment store called “Yee Haw.”

I made my way towards the Knoxville Convention Center, which had shooting fountains and a very modern layout just waiting to be photographed, as well as a World War II memorial. The pictures were amazing, and it was an incredibly pleasant afternoon.

On top of that, I decided to try something new called geocaching. This is basically taking part in a worldwide scavenger hunt for individual items hidden in random places, trackable by GPS device. You enter the coordinates of a local item, then begin your search, and when you find it, you sign the log both on paper (contained with the item) and online. So I registered at the website and found some local “caches” hidden in Knoxville. There were several interesting ones hidden around the convention center, in or around the fountains.

I plugged the coordinates into my iphone and got started. The first one was definitely in the fountain, and it was definitely not even 60 degrees outside. Since this trip is all about adventure, I threw caution to the wind and took off my shirt and shoes and ran in regardless. Words cannot describe how cold the water was; I literally can’t even remember because I went into shock. It was hard to see anything because of the gushing water, and I ran around a lap and held out as long as I could but saw nothing. After that I realized it was not a battle to be won, but at least I tried.

The next cache was in a drier place apparently, but I could not find anything in the area marked by the given coordinates. After searching for quite some time, and almost killing my battery, I decided I would need to upgrade the GPS device and try again later. I was using Google Maps and I don’t think it was as accurate as it needed to be for this exercise. It was disappointing, but still a lot of fun. I got to see a lot of great landscape in the process. A huge thanks to my friend Chelsea for introducing me to the idea.

On my way back, I stopped to snap some shots of the World War II memorial. Adding to its aesthetic qualities were some inspiring quotes that only reinforced my mission to go out and live life with my hands on the wheel, according to my own rules. The monuments spoke of freedom, and I felt like I was right where I needed to be. The obelisk in the middle had a basic freedom on each of its 4 sides, and the one that stood out in my mind was “Freedom from Want.” I now have that. I am doing what I want, I don’t need to sit and dream about it and sigh because I may never get to do it.

I took a moment to reflect on the courageous people who fought and died for these basic freedoms. I wish they didn’t have to die for me to be here right now doing what I’m doing, but nonetheless I am fiercely grateful.

After spending a brisk but sunny afternoon dissecting Knoxville, it was time to move on to the Great Smoky Mountains. Next stops: Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg!

*For all the pics from today and the entire trip, check http://picasaweb.google.com/cyprian.mendelius.

Day 4 & 5 - Atlanta, GA

This had been a long time coming. I hadn't seen my friend Ian since he moved down to Atlanta with his family 4 years ago. Hotlanta is a ridiculously fun city so this was a no-brainer. I blazed through Georgia and made my arrival in the city, you guessed it, around midnight. My schedule is really out of wack and needs to change. Well, at least I'm having fun.

Ian was out so I made my first (believe it or not) Waffle House stop. I wasn't really all that hungry, but I was feenin for a waffle. I ordered a pecan waffle (pronounced pe-caan waaaffle) and I got a plain one. I was so tired, and ready to devour it, that I didn't care enough to send it back. It was delicious.

After my little distraction, I drove through downtown a little bit to scope out the nightlife. What a fantastic place to go out. People here know how to have fun. Maybe too much.

I strolled back to upscale Buckhead to meet superstar Ian C at his high-rise. It was a classic night of mixing it up and "sparking" conversations. We were up for way too long catching up and cracking jokes, and then we crashed throughout most of the morning.

The next day I pretty much dedicated to setting up and updating the blog. Ian had to go run some errands, buying me time, then we ordered chinese. After hanging out in the afternoon, he had to go to work, and I got back to updating for a while.

Dre, his brother, who lives on the south side of Atlanta in College Park, gave me a call and came over. He brought the drinks and we had a hilarious time pre-gaming in the apartment. Then we went out to explore the city.

Atlantic Station was the main attraction. We chased the modern skyline on the way to midtown, to this newly developed section of town, occupying an old steel mill site. A mulitplex and many trendy bars and clubs abounded. I saw more Bentleys and Ferraris than I ever had in Tysons Corner. Both the Minor boys told me of their constant run-ins with celebs, but the closest Dre and I got was to a fat guy in shades who really, really looked like Rick Ross. Also, the security guards rode what can be best described as tricycle segways.

Popular establishments we visited were club Dolce, Strip lounge, the Fox (channel) sports bar, and Grape, a wine bar franchise that Usher had invested in (that location closed). We walked by Twelve, a high-rise condo development where several A-listers reside. Afterwards, we walked towards downtown to take some pictures of the skyline.

By this point, we were having too much fun, so we went to drive by the Georgia Dome, and then we had some downtime at Dre's place in College Park. That was definitely a live place. There were many people with wild hair smoking weed in the street. We chopped it up for a while, then drove back to Buckhead to meet up Ian, and long story short, Dre cooked up the best homemade chicken wings I've ever had, and then we partied the entire rest of the night.

The next day, I bid adieu to the Minors and traversed the famous Peachtree St in Midtown for about 4 hours. Some of the notable places I visited and snapped were the Christian Science church, the Margaret Mitchell House, the Wimbish House, the Fox Theatre, the former (original) Club 112, the lounges Artistry and Tap, and of course, Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles. I also took pictures of the famous skyscrapers in the skyline and various sculptures along the way. I ended up walking for 3.5 hours and feeding two homeless guys. A pretty nice little Saturday. :)

Goes without saying I wanted to eat at the chicken and waffles place, but the line was so long that there were about 20 people waiting outside the restaurant, not counting the crowd inside in the lobby. So I had dinner at this swanky lounge, one of those that turns into a club at night, Shout. They're known for their tapas and sushi, for which they have a dedicated bamboo room with sushi chefs. I had some insanely tasty mahi-mahi and spinach. It came with a tomato-cilantro-yuca salsa. Yum. The decor was fabulous. Among its top drinks are a guave margarita, martinis (obviously), and their famous "banana hammock" drink. Oh yeah.

Interestingly enough, I had noticed a restaurant named Twist my first night in time. It was yellow and had squiggly letters in its name, just like Shout. I had put two and two together and found the theme: twist and shout! Sure enough, further research from the good citizens of Atlanta confirmed that they were indeed owned by the same company.

I really enjoyed the successful implementation of tasteful modern architecture mixing with the existing foliage and old housing. My time in Atlanta was wonderful, and I had a little too much fun; I don't think I'd survive too long there. Next stop: Tennessee!

*For all the pics from today and the entire trip, check http://picasaweb.google.com/cyprian.mendelius.

Day 3 - The Carolinas

It was about midnight when I touched down in Greensboro, NC. At this point, the first leg of the trip was becoming a series of catching up with old friends I haven't seen in a while. That's fine with me, since this is really the "do whatever the f i want" tour. One of my best friends Jon and his family live in G-Boro. I'm extra excited about this since his son Donovan is my godson, and I haven't seen him in about a year. The last time I was in the area, he was out of town so the grown folks could play for Jon's 30th. Very good times.

I've been to Greensboro a million times, so it was basically the same drill: Give Jon a pound, fire up the Crossfire, ransack Food Lion for 22s of the shittiest beer we can find, play rap videos, stay up all night catching up and trading war stories, then roll out in the morning and get a steak style cheeseburger from Cook Out.

So for this iteration, we hung out and drank per usual, then in the morning, Jon stayed home to hang out and he helped me plot the trip. We realized that in the four weeks or so I'm out before Son's wedding, I will have to skip a few more states than I'd like. I'm trying to be loose and spontaneous, because as you all should know by now, spontaneity is more important than gravity. However, in the grand scheme of things, I'm going to have take the country on one or two regions at a time, with the things going on that call me back to VA in June. One being my 30th birthday.

Anyway, I'll be definitely checking out the Grand Canyon big time, San Diego for a day, San Francisco for a day, Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, and the Corn Palace. Wisconsin? West side of Chicag-o-o? I've got that all planned for the last week. I'll end up in Ohio hopefully at my friend David's. Now's the time for Californians to speak up. :)

Afterwards, we just hung out some more, and I played with my godson and took some pictures. He's a character. Two years old and running around having one million conversations. Barely touched down on earth and already has so much he needs to tell the world. Adorable. Also, he's the only two-year old I've ever met who understands and uses the word "laptop." For that matter, when he dunked on his miniature basketball hoop, he said he was doing "stunts."

I waited for Debra to come home to chat for a little bit, then I took off for South Carolina. I drove through Columbia, Spartansburg, and Clemson. Spartansburg was hilarious and full of oddballs. I'm pretty sure I saw a hooker getting gas in her get-up at about 7 p.m. Unless gold silk shorts and gold heels are the new generic black pants and pumps.

If you ever want to move to a town where you can advertise your sales on bathroom stalls and above urinals, get yourself some Spartan spirit. Next stop, Hotlanta, GA. Going to hang out with my friends Andre and Ian. I'll try to find some unique things to do and sights to see.

*For all the pics from today and the entire trip, check http://picasaweb.google.com/cyprian.mendelius.