We left bright and early last Wednesday, with the car loaded up and plenty of coffee to keep us going. The drive to Memphis, TN took us eight hours. We passed small brush fires as we drove through Southern Illinois. Some were small and would probably put themselves out, but some we passed were scary big and had firetrucks rushing toward them.
I had never seen anything like it, the smoke was clouding up both sides of the highway. As we approached Memphis, we passed over the Mississippi River, with the huge glass pyramid Bass Pro Shop looming to our left. When we reached our hotel, we checked into our room, only to discover we were put into a room with double beds. This was one of the few reasons I was a little underwhelmed with the hotel. But, that’s what you get when you book budget I guess! We took solace in the fact that it was simply a place to sleep and we wouldn’t be spending much time there. Mike and I headed out to explore pretty quickly after checking in. We could see the river from right outside our hotel, and we passed some beautiful buildings and parks on our way to Main Street.
We had dinner at The Majestic Grille, a restaurant fashioned to look like an outdoor movie theater with palm trees and twinkly lights.
Sabrina (the original with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart) played in the background as we waited 20 minutes for our beers to arrive. However, the trouble was soon forgotten when they brought over a basket of delicious, homemade bread. Our entrees were equally delicious. I had a grilled artichoke flatbread and Mike had a burger. After dinner, it was show time! We walked to the FedEx Forum, just off of Beale Street to enjoy the whole reason we were in Memphis in the first place: The Foo Fighters. Gary Clark Jr. opened and was fantastic. If you’ve never treated your ears to this man, you need to look him up immediately. The main event exceeded expectations.
They played a good mix of old and new tunes, and even did a couple covers. Halfway through, Dave Grohl invited an old Battle of the Bands foe to join him on stage, and they sang “Under Pressure”.
Earlier in the year, Mr. Grohl broke his leg, but instead of cancelling the tour, he had an amazing Rock ’n’ Roll throne made to play from. It was adorned with guitar necks and strobe lights, and had the Foo Fighter Logo emblazoned on the chair back. After the show, we hopped back over to Beale Street for some cheap drinks and Blues.
We went to Club 152, enchanted by the music coming from inside and happy about the no cover. After a while, we called it a night and wandered back to the hotel. The next morning, we went down to enjoy our free breakfast only to discover that it had already closed… at 9am. What?? So we walked over to Café Keough on Main Street for some coffee.
While the service wasn’t full of Southern Hospitality, the café was gorgeous, their menu was unique and my latte was superb. We walked through Memphis Park and over to the pedestrian walkway bridge that leads to Mud Island.
To go over to the island by foot is free, but the trolley and the tour are not. The island featured a Mississippi River museum ($10 for entry), a park, paddleboats, cafes, and a topographically accurate replica of the river from start to finish. The views from Mud Island were spectacular.
After we got our fill, we walked back to the mainland and over to Beale Street. We popped into some of the stores and sized up the bars for later. The whole scene was reminiscent of a mini Bourbon Street in NOLA (check out the New Orleans blog here). We went into the Gibson Factory to take a look around. Unfortunately all of the tours were sold out or cancelled, so Mike had to settle for drooling over the guitars in the gift shop. We went to the Rum Boogie Café for lunch, and it was my first Memphis barbecue experience.
I had BBQ pork with cole slaw and fried okra and Mike had a BLT with fried green tomatoes. Afterwards, we walked through some questionable territory to get to Sun Studios. A cab may have been a better choice, but it was definitely worth it. Sun Studios is a Memphis legend, it was the first studio to record Elvis Presley and was responsible for recording the first rock ‘n’ roll song “Rocket 88”.
Many amazing artists have walked through their doors, including: Howlin Wolf, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and many more. The tour of the studio was $13, and worth every penny.
Our tour guide was knowledgeable and charismatic and punctuated each music fun fact with a song that was recorded in the studio. In the same building is a café and gift shop which was fun to browse.
Later that evening, we went to Flight Wine Bar for dinner. We each got a wine flight with dinner, I had the Sibling Rivalry, all white wines. For dinner we got a few small plates to share, including: veal scallopini, chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits. The food was so flavorful and had me wishing we had ordered more than small plates.
After dinner, we walked back to Beale Street and sat down at King’s Palace Café Blues Patio to listen to some good music and enjoy a Beale Big Ass Beer.
Venturing a little further down Beale Street, we ended up at Jerry Lee Lewis’s Café for a night cap. There was an amazing rockabilly band playing when we arrived, called Smooth and the Bully Boys.
We sat by the window and waited for a waitress that never came. When we went to the bar to get a drink, we were told we would just have to keep waiting at the table. We didn’t mind waiting because the music was so good, but it did take an awfully long time for two measly drinks. After the band finished, we ended our night back at the hotel with a game of rummy and a bottle of wine.
To Be Continued…
TN tomorrow, bright and early. This trip was planned so long ago, that I almost forgot it was happening. In fact, I had a very panicky moment where I thought I misplaced the Foo Fighter’s tickets in the time between booking them (6 months ago) and now, which would be unfortunate as they are the whole reason for this trip. We planned this trip around the Foo Fighters concert on Wednesday, October 7, and decided to make a little vacation out of it. We are staying in Memphis for four days and three nights. It’s only a seven hour drive from Chicago, so it will be a perfect long weekend trip. Memphis is a new city for both of us, so I did some scouting on the best attractions in the area, mostly using Pinterest and taking some tips from some fellow bloggers (thanks 
in the last minute scramble to get ready to leave, I had to pack, choose an audiobook (“The Wind Through the Keyhole” by Stephen King), buy snacks and bottled water for the car, and pick up some other last minute items for the trip. This crazy Chicago weather has me really craving the sunshine and warm weather we’ll be encountering in Memphis, but it also means I’ll have to round up all my warm weather gear that I’d shoved to the back of my closet. My only concern for this trip is that I may have too many items on our Memphis To-Do List. I don’t want it to be so scheduled that we don’t have time to enjoy the vacation we both so desperately need. It will be interesting to see if we can find a good balance of exploring the city and relaxing. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I’m just looking forward to hitting the road with my main man and enjoying this beautiful city. Feel free to leave any Tennessee Travel Tips in the comment section.
We always start with the apple picking. We enter through the end of the orchard where we are greeted by orchard workers who direct us to the Golden Delicious apples and supply us with the bags to contain them.
The trees are always full of apples, just ready to be plucked and taken home. They have an ingenious device to pick apples on the top branches scattered throughout the orchard. It’s a something like a broom handle with a wire covered in denim, fashioned to catch the apple as you pull it from the branch. It’s like hitting the jackpot any time you can find one hidden in the neat rows of trees.
After we fill our bags with apples, we head over to the smokehouse, paying for the apples as we exit the orchard.
The smokehouse is full of delicious meats and cheeses, specifically the best deli ham I have ever tasted. There is also summer sausage, apple butter, honey, pie filling, and all sorts of assorted goodies. The brat shop is just outside the smokehouse that sells hot dogs and brats to be enjoyed with a cold cup of cider.
The donut shop is next door, with a line that stretches past the patio and into the grass. The wait for the delectable fried dough was almost an hour, but oh so worth it. They make them to order and cover them in cinnamon sugar, coconut, frosting or sprinkles.
Once we had our share of Harvest Time, we went back to my parent’s house to feast on apples, cheese and charcuterie. We parted ways at the end of the evening, all toting our bags of apples and leftovers home with us.
Until next time, Harvest Time.
They patio and small shop next to the smokehouse were dotted with batches of pumpkins, squash and gourds. I am a sucker for tiny pumpkins, so I bought one for a dollar, such a bargain.
Oh, Miami… I wish I would have done right by you. I briefly mentioned in a previous blog (
When I arrived at the hotel, I was hungry from a day full of travel, so I hunkered down in the hotel room and ordered room service for dinner. I got coconut shrimp and fries, which I enjoyed in my PJs from the comfort of the queen-sized bed in my room. When I finished the food, I was instructed to place the tray outside the door, where it would be picked up. I took the tray outside, while the door to my room abruptly closed behind me, locking me out. I had to walk to the front desk for a new key in my teeny tiny pajama shorts and tank top, my face flushed with embarrassment. The front desk staff were nice enough to act like it happened all the time, but I scurried back to my room with my head down. Once I was in, I decided to call it a night.
The next day, I woke up early and enjoyed a cup of coffee out on the pool deck. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day, and I was quick to get into my swimsuit and sit out on the beach. What I was most wanting from this vacation was to lay out in the sun, read, and sip cocktails. I certainly accomplished that, but not much else. Also on the first day in Miami, I did indeed take the bus to Miami Beach, where I walked around aimlessly for a couple of hours.
and salsa that were on the table. Right off the bat, I started coughing in full force due to swallowing a large bit of chip whole. My eyes were watering, my hands had the table in a death grip, and I could see the waiter in my peripheral, deciding whether or not I needed the Heimlich. Once I got myself under control, my eyes continued to water as I ate my meal. I desperately hoped that no one around me thought I was some sad girl eating dinner by herself, but could sense some pity coming at me. Needless to say, I paid my bill and got out of there as soon as I finished eating (food first, always). I went off in search of a bar to prove to the Miami citizens that I knew how to behave properly in public.
In any case, the next day I did not meet up with my new casual acquaintance. I did, however, get drunk on the beach, on Sex on The Beaches no less. In the afternoon, I attempted to find a paddle board rental joint that I had 
heard about from the concierge. I didn’t find it, in fact, I got a little lost and wound up just going back to the hotel instead of asking for help or hailing a cab. My misadventure and the fact that my big solo vacation was shaping up to be a little uneventful caused me to have a little pity party in my hotel room.
I got it together eventually, and decided to treat myself to a lobster dinner in the hotel restaurant, Kitchen 305. As I was sat at my table for one, the waitress came over to take my drink and promptly said “aww, honey is it just you tonight?” Umm, yes, yes it is, and if your goal was to make me order three more drinks than I was going to, mission accomplished. I ordered my lobster dinner, which also came with a salad and bread and perhaps a side dish.
When the lobster arrived, I stared at it dumbfounded. It was a whole lobster, which I had never experience before. Lobster tail, yes. Lobster roll, yes. A whole lobster…what the heck do you do with it? I took a picture of it and sent it to my dad, an avid seafood lover, with this message “HELP! I don’t know what to do with this! Which part am I supposed to eat?” I cut into the top of the lobster and green goo flowed out. I turned my plate around and cut into the tail. I ate what little meat I could scavenge from the little guy and then filled up on bread. I left a big tip and walked out of the restaurant feeling a little bit defeated. It was my last night in Miami, and I spent the rest of it drinking PBR and brooding by myself on the pool deck.
The next morning, I woke up early to catch the sunrise. I walked along the beach, taking pictures, and I noticed what seemed to be ocean wildlife washed up all along the shore. The majority of the creatures looked like clear, blue empanadas with tentacles. One of the men cleaning up the shore line in front of the hotel told me not to touch them, they were Portuguese Man of War. They were closing the beaches to swimmers that day due to an overabundance of these little death empanadas. That was my queue to head back to Chicago. I took another airport shuttle back to Miami International Airport, where I was delayed for three hours before finally making it back home.
I was a little bit ashamed of this trip for a while afterwards. I felt like I should have made more out of this trip, should have explored more, should have ventured out more fearlessly. Retelling the story now, I see that a big part of the problem was attitude. I was too easily overcome by any obstacle that I faced. Now I know better. But, I still feel a little bit of a pull back to Miami, to redeem myself for my previous lackluster visit.
something else last minute. We wound up at The Country Inn and Suites which was tragically far away from the downtown area. Now let me preface my limited review on this hotel by saying, I am not a hotel snob. I don’t mind staying at budget hotels and I enjoy staying at hostels, but my first instinct when I walked into our hotel room was to 
run directly back to Chicago. There were stains on the carpet, scuffs on the walls, the bathroom was questionable, the GD curtains were torn! Come on Country Inn, have a little pride! The room did have a few good points, which included a coffee maker in the room, great water pressure in the shower and an individually wrapped make-up remover towlette, which was a very thoughtful touch. We beautified ourselves for the wedding and inquired about a taxi service in the area. The front desk agent handed us a business card and told us it would be about $10 for the ride into downtown. Wrong. It was actually double that. BUT it was worth every penny because the cab driver turned out to 
be our personal concierge. He gave us tons of advice on where to go out after the wedding, where to go for breakfast the next morning, and the maximum level of intoxication that they would allow at the casino across from the wedding venue. It was great! The wedding was at The Grand River Center, which as its name suggests, is right on the Mississippi River. It had a beautiful
glass wall on the river side, and a stone patio that led out onto the river walk. We spent the cocktail hour out on that patio just taking in the scenery. The Mississippi isn’t the prettiest river, but it is really a sight to behold. The wedding reception was beautiful, as they usually are and we danced and abused the photo booth for a good portion of 
the evening. Earlier on, we had noticed that there was a brewery next door to the venue that looked like it was having some sort of festival with a live band. When there was a lull, we decided to walk over and check it out. And that is how I accidentally crashed a wedding for the first time ever. (Congratulations Travis and Christy! Sorry we barged in on your festivities!)
After the reception ended, we walked over to the Diamond Joe Casino. Surprisingly, they let us in and we hit the slots. I tried my hand at blackjack and won a couple of hands, which I’m sure would have made my grandma very proud. We ended up losing $30 but I guess that’s what we get for gambling while under the influence. We decided to take the 
9 minute walk to the main drag, which was on the other side of the highway, over a bridge. The city looked beautiful. We walked past the hotel we should have stayed at and I instantly vowed to come back solely to stay there; it was gorgeous and grand. We walked to a bar called The Broken Lift, which our concierge cab driver had recommended. It was a music venue/bar in the basement of a restaurant called Vinnie Vanucchi’s. The Broken Lift occupies a cave-
like space with two large rooms and limestone covered walls. I had a John’s Generations White Ale, which was crisp after drinking so much light beer at the wedding. They had an enthralling game in the backroom that involved swinging a metal hoop at a hook on the wall that completely
knowledge of the city and drunken rambling led our cab driver to believe our hotel was in the opposite direction than where it actually was. When we finally made it back to the Country Inn, we tried unsuccessfully to order a late night pizza and then passed out from the effort. The next morning, we checked out early to explore Dubuque a little more before heading home. We took another cue from our awesome cabbie took his recommendation for brunch. All we had written down was Quality Inn, so we plugged it into the GPS and off we went. I was interested to see if it was the same small motel that I thought it was, and as we climbed the hill to our destination, I realized that it was. For one moment, I was very mad at our cab driver for leading us astray. That was until my boyfriend, who is a much better listener than I am, pointed out our actual destination, which shared a parking lot with the motel.
Timmerman’s Supper Club was perched on a bluff which overlooked the river. The décor and architecture were straight out of the seventies with gold chandeliers and wooden bamboo chairs. I loved the atmosphere and look of 
the supper club, but the food on the brunch was just ok. The buffet with many choices, carving stations, omelet stations, and a slew of baked goods. The clientele seemed like they had been coming there for years, there was a familiarity to the crowd that was very comfortable. I would like to revisit Timmerman’s, but maybe for dinner or a fancy supper club drink. Our next stop was the 4th Street Elevator (or the Fenelon Place Elevator), one of the more historic sites in Dubuque.
It used to transport folks to and from their houses on top of the hill and their jobs at the bottom, downtown. We were excited to ride this contraption up and down, however they only took cash and had no ATM so we settled for watching it 
instead. It was only $3.00 roundtrip, and I am kind of bummed we didn’t get a chance to experience it. Another reason to come back, I suppose. I needed another coffee before we drove back to Chicago, so we stopped at Monk’s Kaffee Pub on Bluff Street. It is a coffee bar by day and a bar bar by night. It was such a cozy space, with a dark wooden bar that spanned the length of the front room and mismatched arm chairs and tables 
throughout. The coffee was good too! It was such a nice departure from the coffee shops that I am used to. I would gladly return to enjoy a latte in one of those comfy arm chairs. Our last stop before heading home was a flea market/farmer’s market we spotted by the train tracks. It was interesting to say the least. We parked in the grass and browsed through the card tables and tents. I saw a lot of clip on earrings and dishes and beer signs.
I’d never been inside when it was the Tokyo Hotel, but always passed it and wondered what went on behind its dingy exterior. A month later, there I was checking in at the upscale hostel/hotel. I had walked over after work on Friday; it was just a short jaunt over to the River North Neighborhood. The check-in process was casual and easy, and after a brief orientation of the property, I was on my way up to the tenth floor in a painfully slow elevator. I chose to stay in one of their private rooms, which they offer along with shared and private bunk-bedded rooms.
two small shelves of books ranging from “The Help” to “The Mammoth of Best New Erotica”, as well as a house phone, hotel guide, and a mini bar in an interior cabinet. The blue-tiled bathroom featured a stand-up shower, hairdryer, fluffy
higan Avenue, looking at menus and turning them down, hunger forced us to stop into Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen. Right off the bat, I wasn’t crazy about this decision. It seemed like an upscale TGI Fridays, only without the moderate prices. We sat down and ordered a couple of beers and decided whether or not we should bail. Again, hunger won and we had our beers and a kale and artichoke dip which was good in the way that artichoke dip always is. After we paid, we walked back up to Michigan Avenue just in time to finally be summoned to The Purple Pig because our table was ready. We were sat at a table inside and immediately made work of reading and translating their extensive menu of share plates.
The Chorizo Stuffed Olives, Whipped Feta Dip, and Pork Belly Rillon looked best to us. They brought each dish out separately, which made for optimal enjoyment. We started with the feta, which was served with thick slices of delicious bread. The feta had cucumbers and peppers brunoise on top and was so tasty. For me, there is literally nothing better than cheese and bread so of course I loved this dish. Next came the olives, which were a little too salty for me, but my boyfriend very much enjoyed them. Finally, the Pork Belly Rillons, which were the perfect mixture of crispy and melt in your mouth. I only wish the serving was bigger.
After we finished the decadent dinner, we walked the few blocks across the river and walked down the steps to the River Walk. The brightly lit river-adjacent sidewalk was vibrant and teeming with the after-dinner crowd. We walked down a-ways and doubled back to pop into The Hideout for a beer.
There was an extravagant process to making it that ended with lighting the garnish on fire with a blowtorch. It was a hefty portion of booze worthy of two cocktails and priced accordingly. The bar was crowded, but not uncomfortably so. The bartenders were very attentive and continued to craft creative cocktails without the pretension of other “mixologists”. We spent a good amount of time enjoying the cozy atmosphere of The Broken Shaker before retiring to our room for the night.
Part of the beauty of a staycation is that every new thing that you discover and enjoy is easily accessible for revisiting. And I plan to go back to Café Integral often, specifically for the Avocado Smash.
Before we checked out, I wanted to explore the basement of the hotel, which is where the guest laundry and kitchen was located. The kitchen was brightly lit and happily buzzing with a few other guests preparing their meals. In addition to these in house amenities, The Freehand offers an activity calendar for their guests including workouts, walking tours, and other special events much like the pop-up gallery my friend was featured in.
We left the hotel at noon, after walking around and popping into a few shops in the area. We walked the two miles back to our apartment, across the river and over the line that separates blissful staycations and real life.
rebeccawanderlusting 