First – I went back to the hotel from Friday night because I forgot to snap this picture from the front desk. Yes, even after I went to bed after 2 AM when I woke up I could hear the music outside my 5th floor room.
It was Monday, November 2, 2015, and my last day in Memphis so I decided to take the Sun Studio shuttle into town again. That wasn’t to happen as it was not operating for the day so I took a taxi. I dropped into B B King’s Club for a quick lunch (shrimp and grits – not exactly carb smart).
My first stop was the tour of the Gibson Guitar factory which is just one block off of Beale St. Yes, the actual factory is at Beale St. Unfortunately, they don’t allow photography but it is a wonderful 45-minute tour. They employ 100 people there and it starts with blocks of wood (a lot of maple plus some others) that get milled, steamed, bent, shaped, and glued, glued, glued. They have many specialized machines for getting things right. There are multiple spray painting booths and many of the workers have been there for 10 or more years. BTW, rejects are used for training and then eventually cut into pieces and destroyed. The guide pointed out a fellow who was a 9-year veteran who was now in a 4-month training program to become one of 2 people who scrap the paint off of the little trip that runs around the side at the top and bottom. He said they had tried masking that trip before painting but it just didn’t work as well. So they paint the entire body and then these 2 people use a very sharp blade to scrape the paint off the trip (without removing wood). Yes, I really liked the tour.
From their I had time to kill because even on Beale St. music doesn’t start at 2 PM. So I snapped a few street shots (catch the steel frame holding an old facade in place). These are up and down Beale St. in the early afternoon so not much foot traffic. The main block of Beale St. is closed to traffic.
From their I wanted up to the Peabody Hotel (home of the Peabody Ducks) and sipped a few single malt scotches at the bar. Then I found a comfy chair in the lobby and continued reading a biography of Johnny Carson that I’m working on from my Kindle app on the iPhone. By this time the iPhone is having a battery fit (thanks Apple and Facebook, I’m pretty sure you did this to kill old phones). I shifted to Airplane Mode and continued reading. Then I dozed off and took a long nap in the lobby of the Peabody. No one disturbed me and I was well rested by 4 PM. Unfortunately, iPhone battery death had continued only at a slightly slowed pace so I had to completely power it off to safe enough energy for emergency calls.
I wandered back to Beale St. and the outside stage at the King Palace. Same as last week, Sonny Mack and The Mack II Band were playing. I always tip entertainers well and in this case I also purchased one of their CDs.
By 5:30 PM the opening band was working at B B King’s Club and I could get in before they start charging a cover. I grabbed a stool near the bar but facing the stage and kicked back with another Ghost River Ale. I ended up having dinner here. They lived up to their claim – best ribs I’ve ever had. Oddly (and to my benefit) I have to make sure I take in a balanced level of carbs so I don’t get a low blood sugar attack. So I did that with their Mac and Cheese. True to my belief – if they put Mac and Cheese on the menu it must be good (rule applies to liver and onions as well). Truly the best Mac and Cheese I have ever had.
I spent a few hours here listening to a good band. Kind of a mix of rock, soul, and blues; with a lot of Memphis music history in between songs. Ultimately, I hopped the shuttle bus back to my RV park and prepared for Tuesday’s departure to Nashville.
Here is one of my favorite signs from Beale St.
Retirement Escape 