Poor & Hungry
You could probably tell that one of the things I miss most about college is going on long road trips. I feel like every month I was somewhere else. There was the time me and 8 other guys piled into a car and drove down to Chapel Hill to spend a few days wandering around. Another trip to DC where me and my friend Ari drove all night and slept in front of the Smithsonian. I never really got into the whole spring break thing, I was looking for a different type of freedom. There are so many odd memories I have of those trips. One time I was going to the bathroom in Jersey and this guy walks in with blood all over his face. He had just smacked his car against the guard rail. There was also the time that I wasn't paying attention and drove the entire length of the beltway until I noticed we had just seen the Washington Monument for the second time. We all have these memories. There's this feeling you get when you're driving on the open road and the temperature outside is just right. The windows are down and there are tall trees lining the road. The future just feels right, it's free and the open road beckons. Life doesn't seem so planned, does it now.
When we left the Smokey's for Memphis we were two days from New Orleans and the cold northeast was an eternity away. We were going to Graceland and Beale Street. If you ever go to Memphis you have to check out the P&H Cafe, while it originally stood for Pearl & Harrison it was affectionately dubbed Poor & Hungry. They have great burgers and awesome fries. I think at one point in my life I'll go on a burger tour and hit all the great joints around the US. OK enough of the advertisement. Visiting Graceland meant a lot to me. I wouldn't call myself a huge Elvis fan, I really only like 2-3 songs he put out. But he was the symbol of American entertainment for so long, he was the King for crying out loud. And people used to always say I resembled a young Elvis. I used to joke that if I was ever down and out I would just hit Vegas and spend my days as an impersonator. When we hit Graceland it was mobbed with tourists from all over the world. A lot of cameras flashing, and people crying at his grave site. In retrospect it was probably more kitschy than cool, but it's one of those places that you are happy you hit once in your life. The legacy of Elvis sort of masks the rich music history of Memphis. A lot of great blues and rock musicians came through this town. Beale street was the epicenter of urban juke joints for the south. It's still a great place to visit for some decent bbq and great blues.
Memphis also meant that we got to shower, something we needed after driving and camping for a couple of days. Next up was a straight shoot trip to New Orleans. We were really looking forward to passing through swamp lands and a part of the south that we didn't understand. In true fashion as we started leaving Memphis we suddenly realized that instead of heading south we were heading due west. All of a sudden we were on a bridge crossing the Mississippi and heading into, of all places, Arkansas. As it would turn out the first exit wasn't for about 15 minutes. A little sidetrack, but it enabled me to add the letters AR on to the inside brim of my baseball cap. By the time that hat vanished, into the world of everything you own that just disappears, I had 16 states carved on the inside. I'm sure some people would say that 15 minutes in AR doesn't count -- trust me a lot of people have said that to me, but fu if you feel that way. We always did stupid little things like that, we also had taken a picture of every state welcoming sign. It's funny, but the northeast, at the time, had the lamest welcoming signs I have ever seen. Kind of fitting I guess. I've never been back to Memphis, but when I do I'm going to hit P & H for a beer and a burger -- I think I'll always be Poor & Hungry.
When we left the Smokey's for Memphis we were two days from New Orleans and the cold northeast was an eternity away. We were going to Graceland and Beale Street. If you ever go to Memphis you have to check out the P&H Cafe, while it originally stood for Pearl & Harrison it was affectionately dubbed Poor & Hungry. They have great burgers and awesome fries. I think at one point in my life I'll go on a burger tour and hit all the great joints around the US. OK enough of the advertisement. Visiting Graceland meant a lot to me. I wouldn't call myself a huge Elvis fan, I really only like 2-3 songs he put out. But he was the symbol of American entertainment for so long, he was the King for crying out loud. And people used to always say I resembled a young Elvis. I used to joke that if I was ever down and out I would just hit Vegas and spend my days as an impersonator. When we hit Graceland it was mobbed with tourists from all over the world. A lot of cameras flashing, and people crying at his grave site. In retrospect it was probably more kitschy than cool, but it's one of those places that you are happy you hit once in your life. The legacy of Elvis sort of masks the rich music history of Memphis. A lot of great blues and rock musicians came through this town. Beale street was the epicenter of urban juke joints for the south. It's still a great place to visit for some decent bbq and great blues.
Memphis also meant that we got to shower, something we needed after driving and camping for a couple of days. Next up was a straight shoot trip to New Orleans. We were really looking forward to passing through swamp lands and a part of the south that we didn't understand. In true fashion as we started leaving Memphis we suddenly realized that instead of heading south we were heading due west. All of a sudden we were on a bridge crossing the Mississippi and heading into, of all places, Arkansas. As it would turn out the first exit wasn't for about 15 minutes. A little sidetrack, but it enabled me to add the letters AR on to the inside brim of my baseball cap. By the time that hat vanished, into the world of everything you own that just disappears, I had 16 states carved on the inside. I'm sure some people would say that 15 minutes in AR doesn't count -- trust me a lot of people have said that to me, but fu if you feel that way. We always did stupid little things like that, we also had taken a picture of every state welcoming sign. It's funny, but the northeast, at the time, had the lamest welcoming signs I have ever seen. Kind of fitting I guess. I've never been back to Memphis, but when I do I'm going to hit P & H for a beer and a burger -- I think I'll always be Poor & Hungry.
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