Graceland

One cannot visit Memphis without making a stop at Graceland. I’ve heard of people visiting Graceland more than once, but beyond checking the visit off your bucket list there isn’t much to do there that would warrant repeat visits. Elvis’s mansion might have looked impressive in the 1960’s but it’s pretty average today and it’s not even fully open “out of respect for Elvis”, so you won’t be able to see the infamous toilet where he met his demise. All the other exhibits across the street including Elvis’s personal planes and cars are of limited interest. And for a dead guy Elvis is charging way too much for the pleasure of strolling by all his jumpsuits and gold records and cassettes. That really doesn’t stop the crowds of people from filing in, and parking lot that would make an average Wal-Mart proud is never empty.

The first thing that struck me was that the mansion is fairly small by today’s standards. I always imagined it to be more grand and lavish. Not so much.

Inside looks like it was lovingly decorated by Jethro Bodine and the rest of the Clampett family.

Gold cassette:

Exercise didn’t help Elvis in the end.

Out of respect Elvis and his family are buried right there by the pool where throngs of people in shorts and flip-flops walk by on the way to the return bus shedding a quick tear.

Across the street there are additional exhibits, restaurants and souvenir shops.

I thought that owning one of those would greatly improve my dating life, but then decided that it’s not worth this much and passed.

We realized that we didn’t get a chance to see the famous gates, so we walked back across the street and took some photos while being yelled at by a guard.

I’d like to say that you could easily skip Graceland, but I know you won’t.

Somewhere in California, an old gas station employee lives a quiet life. Every time he says “Thank you very much” when he is done pumping gas people recognize something familiar but no one can put their finger on it.