Let's start where we left off...
MEMPHIS
Before I left for the big DC Equity Liaison audition I did a bit of sight-seeing in Memphis. One of the coolest trips we made was to Graceland, the home of Elvis. I have about a zillion pics I could put up on here but I'm just gonna pic my ten favorite. If you wanna see more just let me know!
Here's Graceland...
Elvis' subtly decorated living room...
The bedroom. Please note the purple bed spread...
This is his downstairs lounge area. There were a bunch of different TV's in there so he could watch different shows at the same time. My favorite part of the whole room was the random white monkey on the table...
During my sophomore year of college at Boston Conservatory we had a section in Musical Theater class where we had to learn to sing 50's style. I sang Elvis' first #1 pop hit Heartbreak Hotel!
HYSTERIA!!!
This was my favorite pic in the entire gallery. I love how into his performance he seems. And look at the kids sitting onstage with him...oblivious to the fact that he's gonna be HUGE!
GRAMMYS!
GIRLS!
Tigers?
All in all, Graceland was an informative, exciting, and ultimately sad experience.SUN STUDIO
Another trip we took while in Memphis was to Sun Studio, the birthplace of Rock and Roll and home to the "Million Dollar Quartet". The "Million Dollar Quartet" is Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
I can't quite remember since it's been so long but I'm pretty sure Memphis Recording Service was the first name of Sun Studio. The reason it was changed to Sun Studio was to invoke feelings of a new beginning and new possibilities...I think...
U2 recorded their album "Rattle and Hum" at Sun Studios! Here's Bono apparently wooing a microphone...
This is the AKAI 12 track recorder/console that the U2 album was recorded on...
Not quite sure who signed this but I like what he wrote. "On and on, on the beat goes, on and on, on the beat goes! ON and ON!" Sorry...just had to throw in a Madonna song there.
B.B. King's chair!
See the newspaper stuffed in this speaker? That's how distortion was created!
This is the actual studio where bands come to record today...
The Man in Black.
This is the spot where Elvis stood while he recorded at Sun Studio...
And here I am doing my best Elvis impersonation...
MARCH OF THE DUCKS
Across the street from our Memphis hotel was The Peabody Hotel. At 11am every morning there is a fanfare at The Peabody and a line of ducks march from the elevators into a fountain which stands at the center of the hotel. They stay there all day, wading and preening, until 5pm when they are marched back up to their fancy digs at the top of the hotel.
I watched them strut their stuff back into the elevators at 5pm but was only able to capture this lousy shot...
As soon as they started waddling toward the elevators there was a huge commotion. I would say the ducks get about 50-100 spectators every time they march. People bum-rushed these ducks like they were Paris Hilton, Oprah, Madonna, Obama, and Beyonce combined...for real. Those aren't ducks...they're celebrities. It you wanna knows more go to www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody_ducks.KARAOKE!
The first night we were in Memphis, Carolyn, Eric, Rudy and I went out to Beale Street. It's basically THE place to go party in Memphis. We first stopped at a bar where there was a real blues band rocking out. It was pretty great to see. It put us right in the Memphis mood...as did the enormous cups of beer they served there.
See Rudy's cup? HUGE. We then went to another bar right next door where Carolyn forced me to dance with her after she bought me a jaeger bomb...yikes. The dancing was crazy fun, though!
Please take note of Carolyn's red shoes. PUMPS. Yes, please, thank you. And look at this pic...we could almost pass for a couple...almost...well, no, not really...
The best part of the whole evening was when we all decided to hit up a karaoke bar. I, for some ridiculous reason, chose to sing Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. Surprisingly enough, though, it was quite a hit! Carolyn belted Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood. In the middle of her song some drunken girl tried to come up and sing with her. Carolyn most definitely shooed her offstage...it was classic. Here she is belting away...
INDIANAPOLIS CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
On our way to some random place in the Midwest (Illinois maybe?) we got slammed by a snowstorm. Therefore, we had to take a detour to a Hampton Inn very near Indianapolis. Luckily, one of the best Childrens Museums in the US is in Indianapolis. Margo, Kevin, and I decided to revisit our childhoods and headed off for some great entertainment. Again, I took about a million photos so I'm gonna try to keep it simple here.
In the middle of the museum was a huge blown glass sculpture...
Right underneath it was a see through ceiling where you could lie down on a revolving chair and stare up at an array of blown glass objects. Here's a little bit of it, pretty cool...
See that cupid riding a turtle? It's called a Putti!
Next, we choo-chooed (yup, I said it) into a train exhibit. There were miniature trains everywhere. There was even a little landsacpe that you could crawl into to get a better view of the trains going by. 
After the trains we headed into the dinosaur section where I was hatched...
The dinosaurs then led us into the creepy Egyptian section which was filled with mummies. You could spell your name out in hieroglyphics which was pretty cool!
After the mummies we explored the comic exhibition. They had Superman's original cape from the first two Superman movies!
And Scooby!
And this. Where can I get a pair of these..?
An Aliens comic book? Really? Next to a BOB HOPE comic? Is this really necessary?!
Ok, there's a lot more to tell but I'm getting tired. I'll have to finish the recap later!
Bye for now!
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