Wednesday, June 26, 2013

To Memphis, Via Nashville

We left Cincinnati early Tuesday morning (6/4), with a long day of driving ahead of us. We were en route to Memphis, my most anticipated stop of the trip, with another bucket list item just waiting to be crossed off!

Entering Kentucky!

I kind of dropped the ball on this state sign. That blurry sign we're driving right past says, "Welcome to Tennessee!"

The entire trip from Cincinnati to Memphis took approximately seven hours, give or take a little, and Nashville was a perfect midway pit stop. We made plans to stop there for lunch, sought out a recommended BBQ place and invited Eric's Uncle Steve and Aunt Patty, who (somewhat) recently moved to Tennessee, to meet us there. They took advantage of the beautiful weather to ride their motorcycles over to meet us in Nashville for lunch, which was great fun.

Saying hello to Aunt Patty

The lunch destination was Jack's BBQ, which came highly recommended on the internet. From what I can tell, it did not disappoint, although the congestion from my cold left my taste buds asleep on the job a little bit. However, I do know that I liked their brisket and the Texas Sweet Hot sauce. Yum!

Jack's Bar-B-Que

Inside Jack's

After we ate, we spent some time letting Ellie run around in the grass next to the restaurant while we chased after her and chatted as much as we could. It was great for her to have the chance to play with Uncle Steve and Aunt Patty!

In the grass with Aunt Patty

I love this picture of Uncle Steve giving Ellie a flower he picked for her!

So fun to catch up with family!

The only bad thing about that stop was the mosquitoes. For whatever reason, the mosquitoes were rampant in that grassy area. And I tend to be great mosquito fodder. I actually looked down at my legs at one point and literally saw five mosquitoes biting me at once. I was eaten alive. Luckily, apparently it seems that Ellie did not inherit her mother's sweet blood, because neither she nor Eric had a single bite on them. So figure that one out. Regardless of the mosquitoes, however, it was a wonderful visit. Thanks so much to Uncle Steve and Aunt Patty for coming to see us! We hope to see you again soon!

After our visit, it was back in the car for another 3.5 to 4 hours to Memphis. When we arrived, we went straight to the Peabody Hotel and checked in. We were given a letter detailing our Duckmaster Package (HOORAY, and more on that tomorrow!) and got settled in to our room. Personally, the Peabody was the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. Eric said it was the nicest domestic hotel he had stayed in, but the Oberoi in Mumbai still won out overall. But at the Peabody, everything was just so nice and elegant, and the people were so friendly. We had a wonderful stay.

The Peabody Hotel

Inside the lobby. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the ducks had already left the fountain for the day and were up in their duck palace until morning.

Duckmasters! Yay!

Eric and Ellie in our room - I loved the purple, and the feather prints on the wall!

Another angle

The opposite wall

Left: The bathroom; Right: Ellie kissing the ducks on the pillow sham!

Just the sweetest face you ever did see.

Once we had settled in a bit, we went out to grab some dinner. I was feeling pretty lousy and Ellie was getting tired (and sick, unfortunately), so we opted to get dinner to go. But, we had to get BBQ once again - this time from Rendezvous, a highly recommended place just across the street from the Peabody. We got a sampler of ribs and pulled pork, along with the usual cole slaw and beans, and brought it back to our hotel. I think it was really good (the ribs especially), but seriously, my taste buds chose a terrible time to take the day off. Waaah.

Left: View of Rendezvous with the Peabody behind it; Right: Rendezvous entrance

Inside Rendezvous

Dinner!

After dinner, it was early to bed for all of us, given that this was the one hotel room we had that was not a suite. Thus, we went to bed when Ellie went to bed, and I tried my hardest not to cough/sneeze/sniffle all night. We had to be rested for our big fancy Duckmaster day!

Coming up tomorrow: Ladies and gentlemen, it's the day we've all been waiting for! Ellie and I will play the part of Duckmasters at the Peabody Hotel!

To see more pictures from our time in Nashville and arrival in Memphis, click here.

1 comment:

Lauren said...

The Peabody looks like an amazing hotel!!! Love your blue top too :)