Carbon Copy

Graceland

I've never been a huge Elvis fan, but when I saw the pictures from Erica's tour of Graceland last March, it totally captured my fancy. I really wanted to see it for myself. Memphis is about 6 hours from New Orleans, but it was only 3 hours from Jackson, MS. We figured we'd never be that close again and since not much was going on during the evacuation, we made a day trip to visit the King.

We splurged for the Platinum passes, since they were kindly giving evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi discounts. I was pleased to find that the first thing you see upon arrival is a gift shop. And there were many more to be found on the entire Graceland compound, which is extensive. I perused the shop for a long time, debating about whether or not it was worth $25 to buy a cheesy t-shirt just to be ironic. My prudent side, for once, won, and I walked away with just some postcards that I have yet to mail and an Elvis tin with mints. It was hard, though. So much merchandise!

They handed out the audio guides and we waited in line for the shuttle up to the Graceland mansion.

And finally, there it was!

I know, I know. It doesn't seem like much by today's MTV Cribs standards, but just wait till you see inside. The glamor is all in the decor.

Here's the living room when you first walk in.

The elegant dining room, along with a painting of Elvis. There were many around the house, and some more that I will share.

And now for the creepiest room - the Jungle Room.

I loved the kitchen, exactly how Elvis left it.

The billiards room. I like to picture Elvis and his entourage shooting pool and everyone has sideburns.

And now for my favorite room in the house - the TV room.

Taking Care of Business!

Backyard:

And now for the best part - the memorabilia!

Gold records!

And updated to reflect the new technologies - a platinum tape.

I promised more paintings, and I always deliver.

If the memorabilia is the best part of Graceland, then the best part of the memorabilia is the costumes. Such amazing costumes!

This photo cannot capture the immensity of the racquetball court full of gold/platinum records. And the best part is that when you enter the room, the theme from 2001 Space Odyssey plays through your audio guide. It really sets the tone.

Our last stop at the house was the burial site. On the drive up, I had thought about what I could leave for Elvis, but since we didn't have much with us whilst evacuating, I couldn't come up with anything. Luckily there was no lack of other trinkets for Elvis.

Time for a quick snack, but there was still so much more to see!

Such as cars!

And more jumpsuits!

And private jets!

Phew! It was a lot to take in and very worth the trip, even for someone who had never really listened to Elvis. I guess I had this feeling before that Elvis was kind of a joke, someone that people do bad impersonations of in seedy lounges in Las Vegas. I left Graceland, though, completely overwhelmed by what a star he was. Pure and simple.

But there was one last thing we had to do in Memphis. Get some ribs! ChaCha told us the best place for ribs was Central Ribs, and I'm pretty inclined to agree. They had a sign posted that said any evacuees from Louisiana or Mississippi got half off their meal. Bonus, right! Except, it didn't count for ribs. Still, it was worth paying full price.