Breakfast at Karen's: More of Memphis

Stax Museum

Since I was in Memphis to exhale, it was not my plan to try and see everything. That would defeat my purpose. But I saw a few things.

The Stax Museum of American Soul was pretty cool. It was interesting how something so phenomenal was just down a lonely, two-lane road. Earlier, while eating catfish alongside an older black couple on Beale Street, I mentioned that I was on my way to see the Stax Museum. They were on their way to see the Memphis Grizzlies. He said, Yeah...my wife is from that part of Memphis. She, fondly and sweetly, said..Yes, I used to play right outside the museum as a little girl but it wasn't much of nuthin then. They've done such a good job with it! He said, as if this was crucial to the conversation...Yeah...she from the hood! We all laughed.

Stax from across the street

On a spinning platform was Isaac Hayes' peacock blue 1972 Eldorado Cadillac. It had a white fur interior and 24 karat gold accessories and trim. Stax gave this $27,000 car to him as a gift. There was a little television between the front driver and passenger seats in the front.

It was a beauty...

On this site stood Stax Records...in case you didn't know it from the big building with the red marquee that says STAX.

Oh...then there was the floods...

Evidence of the flooding was just a few blocks away from my hotel. I took this photo riding on the Riverfront Trolley.

This police officer in the cute yellow shirt was glad to talk to all of the tourists about the flooding. He was very dramatic and excited. It was as if he was born to educate others about the 2011 floods of Mississippi.

The officer said that this tree (below) was halfway submerged in about 15 feet in the water. Wherever you see water used to be greenspace. This was after I asked him...what's normal? He couldn't wait to tell me.