erok_oshay: Walking in Memphis

I had a big long post about how Missouri was lame half the way, Arkansas was lame, and Memphis was beautiful but it got lost. I have lost feeling in part of my thumbs and it's hard to do much of anything with my left hand because it is either weak or numb. My ass is barely feeling everything through the seat anymore so that's good. No one cares. I made it to Memphis. What a fucking city. So much history. I drove around a little bit seeing a big ass pyramid and a sports stadium, Beale street and such. After I got to the motel that I am guessing was at some point important, as the sixth floor was locked off and half of it was glass. It was a beat up old Super 8 just south of where 55 enters the city. I'm sure it has an impressive view of the river, as even from the the 5th floor balcony had a wicked sight.

I was three miles from Beale street and decided to walk. First I entered an old neighborhood called "French Fort." After going through there, over a bridge across 55 I entered a the manufacturing area of the city. Out of that then was then crossing over EH Crump BLVD into a kind of nicer area where 600 condos were being built. I walked up and down through the cities hills until I caught up with south main, which was half of an urban renewal and half established high culture area. Walking towards Beale I got really hot as there was no breeze, until there was a grassy area where I stopped to cool down. After half a minute I looked down the hill and it was the Lorraine motel where Dr. Martin Luther king was shot. Having thought of Beale street as just a place for bars and live music it really changed my attitude of Memphis. It kind of dampened my experience of eating a catfish poboy. Along the street there are historical signs of major events that happened on the street, and how it turned into some strange touristy hot spot. I headed back to my motel at about 7 before the nightlife kicked up, and also before the freaks crawled out of the sewers because I was staying in a slimy part of the city. Near the motel there was a residential neighborhood and half a block away a man raised his hand and said "how's it going?" This wasn't the first time in Memphis that someone had said hello to me but it was the most outgoing. Just goes to prove that Minnesota nice is bullshit. I tried to catch the sunset over the river but it was too cloudy. As of yet riding towards St. Louis between a storm and the sunset is the winner.

This was an old abandoned army reserves barracks right behind the motel.