BEALE STREET-AND THE PEABODY DUCKS

Nov1st
After our tour of Sun Studios-we were on our way to Beale Street-but first, we had one stop to make-the Peabody Hotel, to see the famous Peabody Ducks"-really!
The Peabody Hotel is a beautiful upscale hotel downtown Memphis. There is a whole history of why there are ducks-but I won't go there. Just know that twice a day-the ducks are paraded to the huge fountain in the lobby-once in the morning-then again at 5pm they are taken back upstairs via a private elevator to their "ducky penthouse" on the roof of the hotel. It is a big production with music and a "duck master" presiding over the whole thing. It is pretty silly-but hey-when in Memphis...
So, after seeing the duck ceremony-and enjoying a great martini at the beautiful hotel bar-and the hotel is really beautiful-we hurried on down to Beale st.
Beale St. is a lot like going to the french quarter in New Orleans-it has the same look and feel-and smell kind of also! We had asked our guide at the Sun Studios where she liked to listen to music, and she told us several choices-so we has some idea where to go. There was a party atmosphere in the air-and on the street-everything was lit up and buzzing. There were a group of about five young men-very fit and shirtless-they make their money in the evenings by doing continuous back-flips and handsprings down the middle of the street-it is incredible and fun to witness-they just go and go and go! how they have any skin left on their hands after all this is a mystery-they have big paint buckets for people to put tips in-and they do get the tips! after watching this for a bit-we slipped into one of the bars for a drink-the band was just setting up-so after awhile, we decided to wander on down the street. There was music going on everywhere-on the street and in the clubs. We decided it was time for dinner-and headed on over to the Rendezvous for their famous ribs. The restaurant is well known-and happens to be in an alley-behind a few dumpsters-and if one did not know where they were going-well-they might think twice about their choice for the night! anyway-we went-it was great, and the atmosphere was fun-and funky. After dinner we walked up and down the street-shopped a little in a drugstore-it had been in business for over 125 years-in the same family all that time-that is cool. I bought some tea and necco wafers! We wandered down the street at the sound of some good music coming from outside a club- it was the Blues City Cafe-and the band was awesome! The lead singer was even more so-Ms. Zeno-the queen of Beale Street-and well names she was! It was part musical show-part comedy-but it was all great! After their show was done-we went to the original club-had one last cocktail-the band was great too-and then off to catch our shuttle. Tomorrow was another big day-Graceland.