Memphis - Ducks and The Mississippi (Day 4)

It was so nice to have a day without having to GO anywhere! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the driving - but I can do without packing and carting my stuff from hotels to the car and back. Anyway, after a night of having fun on Beale Street (left) I was pretty tired and glad to have a day to just kick back and see the sights.

When I picked up my dinner on Wednesday night from Miss Polly's on Beale (EXCELLENT by the way!) I got to chatting with the bartender, Sara, who recommended a few things I needed to see while in Memphis, and one of the things she mentioned is the Peabody ducks. This is hilarious. I'm staying across the street from the Peabody Hotel, which is without question the most beautiful hotel in all of Memphis. What Sara explained to me is that there are these ducks that live at the Peabody, and that every morning at 11 the ducks come down on the elevator and march to the fountain in the middle of the lobby, and then every evening at 5:00pm they march back up. Anyway it sounded so odd that I had to see it, so at about 10:45am I went over to the Peabody, and what I saw there was truly unique. There was this big red carpet which extended from the elevator to the fountain at the center of the lobby, and on either side of the carpet behind velvet ropes stood hundreds of people with cameras eagerly awaiting the arrival of the ducks. A member of the hotel staff spoke for about ten minutes on the history of the ducks at the Peabody, a cute tale about how a practical joke turned into a famous tradition. A few minutes later, a voice was heard over the speakers saying something to the effect of "Ladies and Gentlemen, blah blah blah, the Peabody Ducks" and as there's this wonderful Sousa-like march music playing, the doors to the elevator open and these five little ducks march over to the fountain, get in and start swimming around. This had to be one of the quirkiest, most hilarious things I've ever seen. There are cameras flashing, people cheering - you would think that Elvis Presley himself had just risen from the dead and stepped off that elevator. If you ever visit Memphis - make sure you see the Peabody ducks!

After the time well-spent seeing the ducks, I walked around Memphis a bit, checking out the Main Street historic district before heading down to the Mississippi. Seeing the Mississippi was incredible; all I could think about was Mark Twain and all his stories about and around that river. I bought a ticket for a ride on a Mississippi Riverboat, and I'll tell you - that ride was something else. It sounds crazy but it was such an amazing experience simply to be on that river, with all that history - and the tourguide was amazing. He told a lot of incredible stories about the river and its history. What really got me though was what he said about ships and things that sink on the Mississippi. Apparently, nothing that goes into the Mississippi ever comes out - but instead becomes mired in the Mud and only sinks deeper until it ends up below the earth. At one point he explained that our boat was floating directly above another wrecked riverboat that had gone under in the late 1800s. He explained that the wreckage of that boat was currently underneath 75 feet of mud. In his words, "the Mississippi guards all her secrets." It kind of gave me an eerie feeling to be there then; really cool stuff.

After the riverboat ride, I headed back to my hotel - and I couldn't help but stop at the Peabody to watch the ducks walk back upstairs. After having some ridiculously good BBQ I picked up from The Pig on Beale (I'm going to have to add a food review section on this blog, but for now let me say that some of the best southern food I have ever eaten is down here in Memphis), I decided to head back to Beale Street to see what was going on. The street itself was pretty crowded, lots of music playing. I had a few beers, listened to some good music at the Rum Boogie, and met a few more interesting people. I have to say though, the real highlight of the evening came when I stopped into BB King's place, and lo and behold - Elvis himself apparently DID rise from the dead. This guy was actually pretty good - I prefer old, fat Elvis anyway (doesn't everyone?). I am loving this.