Beale Street Buddies

We've described the awesomeness of the Mississippi, and the delicious barbecue we ate in Memphis, but we haven't really mentioned Memphis! We loved Memphis. A very cool city with a very active downtown - on Beale Street people buy beer through the windows of the bars that line the street and then walk around with them, while street performers do acrobatics and live music floats out of most bars.

Mike and I opted for a rooftop bar overlooking the activity and we were debating what we wanted to drink (Mike is a solid beer drinker whereas I'm a nice fruity mixed drinker) when the waiter came over. He asked what we wanted and Mike said, "Do you have any mixed drinks here?" and the waiter looked at him and said, "Well, there's this thing called a bar." And we all laughed and then Mike ordered a beer and I ordered a cranberry vodka, and the waiter looked at me and said "This was the complicated mixed drink?". The cracks kept coming all night. "Do you have a bathroom?" "Uhuh." Eyebrow raised. "Downstairs?" "Yeeeaah."

Mike loved that this guy called him out on the absurdity of his mixed drinks question so we had to take a picture before we left.

Neely's Interstate BBQ

It's south of downtown Memphis. Keep driving past those impromptu Sno-Cone stands, on past the dilapidated gas stations, the bail bondsmen and billboards for defense attorneys. You won't be disappointed. Neely's tasty BBQ sauce (slightly sugary, slightly tangy), their large portions, friendly waitstaff--all of it will soothe the road weary traveler. It did for us.

The chopped pork sandwich delighted. A cool coleslaw balances a hefty serving of meat and sauce. Enjoy it amid wood paneled walls decked with pictures of the leading lights of Memphis: the Channel 3 News Team, Penny Hardaway, Cybil Shepherd, and MC Hammer.


And the meats...while not as tender as Rudy's in Austin, they'll have you believing you want to eat more even when you're full.