JT and I began our recent trip to Memphis with a stop at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel.
Located in Downtown Memphis, not far from Beale Street,
the Lorraine Motel is significant because it was where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on the evening of April 4, 1968.
JT standing in front of the Lorraine Motel.
Outside Room 306, where Martin Luther King was assassinated.
The Museum, built next door to the Motel, documents the Civil Rights Movement with an interactive and an interpretive timeline.
Visitors will learn about slave ships that transported hundreds of people to America; Jim Crow laws that kept segregation legal and pioneers in the Movement like Rosa Parks.
As I made my way through the museum, I read why Martin Luther King was in Memphis at the time of his assassination.
King had came to Memphis to rally with striking sanitary workers who were asking for higher wages. The sanitary workers rally cry became “I AM A MAN” – a simple; but powerful message that, I believe, symbolized the entire Civil Rights Movement. Black Americans wanted to have the same rights and freedoms that white Americans were given. They wanted people to know that they were man too.
As I turned to my left to read the next section on King, a cool chill ran through my body when I realized that I was looking into his room and at the balcony where he was shot.
Inside Room 306. The room where Martin Luther King stayed.
The balcony where Martin Luther King was standing when he was assassinated.
In addition to the Civil Rights Timeline, your ticket also allows you access to the building across the street from the Lorraine Motel.
This is the building, a boardinghouse at the time, where James Earl Ray, the suspected assassin, was at when it is believed that he fired the shot that killed Martin Luther King.
The main exhibition in this building is the evidence collected against Ray, who confessed to the murder; but later recounted his plea.
The viewpoint from the boarding house where the assassin was suspected to be positioned at the time of the murder.
The topics covered in the Civil Rights Timeline provoke emotions that I have never felt before.
Typically when leave a museum, I feel good and uplifted about my experience.
But when I left the National Civil Rights Museum, I felt saddened, humbled and disappointed; but also motivated.
We are constantly learning, growing, and believing for change,
and growing up, I heard stories of the segregated South and the violence that black people endured because of their skin color.
It did not become a reality for me until I had the chance to see the videos, the photographs and the images.
We have come so far since that time, but I know we have so far to go, especially since racism still exists in our country.
The Civil Rights Movement continues until everyone does their part to
ERACISM.
TIPS for going to the National Civil Rights Museum
Go Inside
You can view the balcony where Martin Luther King was assassinated without going inside to the rest of the Museum. But why would you do just that.
If you do not go in, you will miss out on so much more history and information. Yes, the tickets are $13.00 for adults, but they are well worth it.
Buy the Audio Tour
For only $2.00 extra, you can listen to Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis narrate the key topics of the Civil Rights Movement.
Although they do not address every topic on the timeline, you will learn more by listening to them.
Watch the MLK Video
The video is about 30 minutes; but it is well worth the time. The video give eye-witness accounts of the assassination of King.
Watching it gave me chills and connected me with the events that happened only a few steps from where I sat.
Take Your Time
The Museum offers too much to see, read and listen to, to rush through it. Give yourself at least two to three hours see everything.
Had we had more time, we could have spent another hour beyond the two and half hours that we were.
Just Go!
This not a museum just about black history and is for black people.
This is a museum for everyone!
You may say, “Well I am not black. What will I learn from it?”
We all have something to learn from this museum.
We do not want has happened in the past to happen again.
My hubby is back with another travel post from our trip to Memphis….
On a recent road trip to Memphis, my wife and I attended our first Duran Duran concert. It was an awesome experience and I was thrilled that we had the opportunity to go. Check out my review of that show here.
Since we were going to Memphis for the first time, I thought we would sample some of that famous BBQ that I always hear people talking about. Prior to going, I knew very little about Memphis, let alone its BBQ. I knew that Corky’s Ribs and BBQ hailed from Memphis because we previously sampled its ribs after purchasing them via QVC.com. I was not impressed with the ribs. I thought they were fatty and had very little meat. We decided to skip Corky’s and searched out other possible restaurants.
In my search I discovered Neely’s BBQ had a couple of locations in Memphis. Having sporadically watched Down Home with the Neelys on the Food Network, my wife and I were impressed with their food selections. We decided that we would try their BBQ while in Memphis. We selected their location on Mount Moriah Avenue because the location was close to our hotel and close to the Memphis Botanic Garden where the Duran Duran concert was going to be. After checking in at our hotel, we traveled to the restaurant.
Dinner at Neely’s BBQ in Memphis
As I drove down the street, I envisioned a big and fancy restaurant to match the big and fancy style that I see on the Neely’s show. When the GPS announced that we had arrived, I looked around, asking “Where’s it at? I don’t see it!” As I looked back, I realized that I had passed it up. The building was much smaller and much plainer than I had thought, painted all in yellow. Seeing this didn’t deter me from wanting to go in.
As we stepped inside, I realized that this wasn’t going to be the big and fancy restaurant that I had thought. It was quite small. It looked like the decor had not been updated in the twenty years. The ceiling tiles looked like they were coming apart. The booth seats were held together by duck-tape. And the photographs on the walls of the Neelys with the celebrities were faded and in cheap frames you would find at a dollar store.
But still I kept an open mind, thinking that this will not matter if the BBQ is awesome. The menu selections offered traditional BBQ selections without any unique choices. My wife ordered the the BBQ Chicken Platter with Mac and Cheese and Green Beans. I ordered the Pulled Pork Platter with BBQ Beans and Mac and Cheese. The food arrived fairly quickly and we eagerly got to eating.
We soon realized that the BBQ was not knock over special. It was good; but I knew we had much better. My pulled pork had gristle and bones throughout it and not enough sauce. My wife’s chicken was somewhat dry with too much sauce. The BBQ beans were just beans and BBQ sauce. No onions or peppers. The Mac and Cheese was a classic any creamy recipe. The green beans were good, but the portion size was rather small. My food was on a plastic plate reminiscent of a school cafeteria; while my wife’s platter was in a plastic basket with a paper liner.
Overall, I was not impressed with the food or the building’s decor.I must say that the waitresses were very nice and the service was good. Maybe the other menu items would have been a better choice. But for our experience, we would not recommend it. If the food tasted pretty good it wouldn’t necessarily matter what the restaurant looked like. Next time maybe we will try the Neely’s in New York.
Maybe next time, we will try Corky’s or another restaurant. Leave us a comment with your recommendations on your favorite Memphis BBQ restaurant.
I would like to introduce my new travel writer, my hubby, J. He will be writing on upcoming travel plans, past trips and concerts that we have been to. J is a cool guy and my best friend so welcome aboard honey. In this post he will be writing about the fun times we had in Memphis.
Enjoy!
Last year, Duran Duran began a tour the United States with the release of the latest album “All You Need Is Now”. My wife had always wanted to go to one of their concerts; but never had the chance to go. I began checking out the tour information, I found that the concerts were far away from the Gateway City and the venues were quite small. Getting tickets seemed to be almost impossible. I thought that the tour had finished and that the dream would have to wait again. Until last month I found that the wild boys were playing in Memphis and the tickets were still available. My wife and I decided that this would be our chance. I quickly purchased the tickets and started planning our road trip to Memphis to see Duran Duran at the Live at the Garden concert series.
Waiting for the concert to begin!
Duran Duran put on an awesome show. The two hour concert was jammed packed with hits that made them popular in the 1980s; with a few from their latest album. They knew what people wanted to hear and they didn’t disappoint. They made sure that the playlist included hits like Reflex, Hungry Like The Wolf, and Save a Prayer. It was great to look over at my wife and seeing her singing along, as if she was a back-up singer. I must admit, I too liked Duran Duran. So when they played Wild Boys, Come Undone and Ordinary World, I too was singing along and jamming.
The line up of songs for the night.
Playlist for the Memphis concert / Duran Duran FB page
I had been to several big-name concerts, but this concert at the Memphis Botanic Garden was a unique experience.
For the first time, I had to purchase general admission tickets. Typically, I want to be as close to the stage as possible. However, by the time we found out about the concert, there were only general admission/lawn seat tickets left. Considering that we found out about the concert three months after the tickets went on sale, I feel fortunate that we were able even get tickets.
As we parked on the grounds of the Memphis Botanic Garden, I expected to have to pay $15 or $20. But parking didn’t cost a dime, it was free. This was the first time I had been a large concert like this and didn’t have to pay for parking.
Since we had general admission tickets, we arrived at the Garden an hour and a half prior to start time. We didn’t know what to expect so we wanted to make sure we could get a good spot to view the concert. There looked to be only a few hundred actual seats, while the rest were lawn seats. When we arrived, most of the lawn seats closest to the stage were already filled up, so we stayed towards the middle of the field. We were not crammed in; and we felt free to set up our blanket and chairs under a tree.
The setup for the lawn seating worked well except for the Italian Ice food stand on the left side of the lawn section. Because of the placement of this large tent, it prevented people from sitting behind it because they could not see the show. If this tent was not there, the people in the lawn section could have spread out and prevented people from having to sit close together.
Duran Duran Concert
I never had been to a concert where people brought in their own food and drinks. Maybe because the concerts were mostly inside where you had to pay for your food. I witnessed people eating baked chicken, salads, and deserts; all on fine china. They were popping open wine bottles and sipping champagne. I thought people came to concerts to jam, to rock, to dance and to get their groove on. This crowd was much different. While some danced to the hits, others sat there; looking like they were at a movie or just there because their spouse wanted to go. My wife and I do like to people watch so to see the vast array of expressions was quite interesting.
Although my wife and I didn’t stand up and dance to all the songs, we were definitely jamming. We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the Duran Duran concert in Memphis. Seeing my wife singing along with all the hits at a concert that she wanted to go to for many years, made me feel good. I would do it all over again, in a second.
Now, if anyone knows how my wife can be a back up singer for Duran Duran, that would fulfill another one her dreams. So Simon, if you are reading this, just let me know how we can make that happen.
I celebrated my 12 year wedding anniversary on September 11th. That is when my husband and I walked down the aisle to start our life together. Each year to celebrate our anniversary, we pack up one of our Jeeps and head out on the highway for an exciting road trip. It’s been a tradition with us since 2005. In previous years, we have traveled to North Carolina to see the Biltmore, drove up Pike Peaks in Colorado and explored the Native American sites in New Mexico. This year’s trip was a little different for us. My hubby wanted to surprise me and would not tell me where we were going until we got close to our destination. We left early Friday morning and started driving.
After about four hours on the road, we stopped and had a great Italian lunch in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.
Hubby at Vincenzo's Restaurant
We drive to our hotel and checked-in. I had never been to Louisville before, but it seems like a cool place. I think of great Bluegrass music and the Kentucky Derby horses. I still did not have an idea why we were in Louisville. My hubby said that we had to dress up for the evening’s event. I wore my maxi dress which doesn’t wrinkle and a tailored black blazer because it was a little cool.
JTwisdom getting ready
I said to myself, “we probably will be going to a nice restaurant, how sweet!” So we decided to take a nice stroll since he said where we were going was not that far. We walked about a block in a half and came up on the KFC Yum! Center. Okay I am really wondering what’s going on now.
KFC Yum! Center
My hubby had on some awesome boots. He was getting compliments on the cool look of the boots.
Hubby wearing some awesome cowboy boots
Before we got into the center, my hubby was sweating from sheer excitement. I was like, “Honey do you need to take off your coat?” He said, “So you know why we are here?” Still not sure, I noticed that people were dressed nicely so it looks like it might be a concert. He said we are here to see Sade! I was like way cool, awesome. We saw the concert in Missouri back in July. I said that we would love to see it again. I had no idea that we would get the chance to see it again. Seeing Sade in concert is a treat.
John Legend opened the show. His hour-long show was packed with piano playing, slow dancing and singing his hit songs, including Ordinary People and Green Light.
John Legend
Sade was awesome. When I say Sade, I mean the singer and the band. They both gel together like the song, “Nothing can come between us.”
Sade in Louisville, KY
Sade in Louisville, KY
My hubby surprised me big time and I love it when he does those sweet romantic things. Marriage is not a cake walk. It takes work and most of all we have to communicate with each other. I know that when I need him, he is there and vice versa and I find that so important and special. My husband is a cool guy and my best friend.
Happy Anniversary honey!
This post is linked with Not Dead Yet Style blog Visible Monday’s
I hope everyone is having a fabulous day! Here in my neck of the woods we are having a break from the heat and having gorgeous fall like temperatures so I am enjoying it while it last. The Rose above is from a vine on a trellis in my back yard. I have had those roses for a long time and they still are a coming out strong and have a light perfume scent to them.
I was remembering that I had been told before I went on a cruise that there would be sales so I was getting ready. After going on the cruise I learned that you really have to be on the look out because some of the sales are on a certain day and time and only last maybe a couple of hours.
I was able to find a couple of cuff watches for $9 or $10 each and some pashminas for $10 each so I bought some nice items at great prices.
Getting ready for the watch sale in my Evan Picone dress
The picture below is a watch sale with tons of people. The sale was $89.99-$99.99 priced watches for $19.95. Yes, 19.95! Is this a television commercial, no it’s a watch sale on a cruise ship. The watches were in blue and gold box gift sets that may include a necklace and a bracelet for the women or a money clip and pen for the men.
Watch Sale in the Promenade on the Oasis the Sea
When my hubby and I first stood in line it may have been five people in front of us but when it got close to 2pm (the time of the sale) the line was really long. The cruise staff for the sale asked if everyone could please be civil and no pushing and shoving. I enjoy sales but will draw the line on getting in front of someone or cutting them off that is so rude. If I do not get something I want then it wasn’t meant for me anyway. I will not lower myself to standards of stepping on people or jetting in front of them so I can be there first. I think this behavior is crazy and uncivilized. People this is only stuff, material possessions that fade away over time. I digress, sorry for ranting but this really gets to me.
Well for the most part people were civilized when the sale started. Some people grabbed ten watch gift sets for birthday and Christmas gifts. My hubby and I picked out a couple nice ones. I will point them out in my future outfit posts.
Did you notice in the picture that there were quite a few men getting in on this sale. Men love fashion sales too. I think that’s a big myth that men don’t like to shop, maybe some don’t but some do. My hubby likes to shop and he likes to shop with me. It’s so much fun. When we met he really didn’t know a lot about putting colors together and working your wardrobe but now he likes to dress up and loves shoes (especially boots).
So cool to catch men shopping on camera.
Tips to look out for when on a Cruise ship
1. Day of the sale (very important)
2. Time of the sale
3. Location of the sale
4. Quality of the merchandise ( feel it, look at it, check it)
5. Keep your receipt-I had bought a watch that looked fine in the box but when I put it on in my room I noticed it was scratched. I was able to exchange it for another watch.
Bonus:While at sea merchandise is duty and tax free so you may can find some good deals.
When I was on vacation my hubby and I saw this gentlemen and we still say wow this is something. At the Everglades Holiday Park this gentlemen talked about how he rescues alligators, they cannot go back into the wild if they are over four feet long. Their instinct is to go back where they came from when they were captured so that may be someone’s home.
He is very courageous to rescue alligators for a living and to stick his head in their mouth as well.
This is Wordless Wednesday which is now called Wordless Weekly.
Learn More About JT
Bubbling with Elegance and Grace started out as an outlet for my passion for fashion but has evolved into a place for me to teach, collaborate, and inspire. My hubby has since joined the team and we have been digital creators for 13 years. We are thankful for those who believed in us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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