And yet another in my series of hotels which I didn’t get to visit because of the Coronavirus. But, I wanted to acknowledge somewhere (so, here) the very fast response from the hotel to my e-mail confirming that they’d offer a refund. I will most certainly be offering my loyalty to this hotel as soon as I can get to Austria, which is hopefully this year. Another effortlessly professional response and I remain delighted at Accor’s hotels at how they’ve handled all of this.
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Nashville – Puckett’s
I went to this grocery restaurant (it used to be a grocery store and they’re played on that theme), because it was well reviewed and it also seemed quite quirky. They had a lunch offer of a salad and then a main of two different meats, along with two sides and I went for the onion rings and fries. I’m quite predictable like that.
The pre-starter was a local dark beer and although this was before the time that I became obsessive about noting what craft beers I drank, I recall it was rich and went well with the main course.
I had thought that the salad included in the lunch deal option, which cost in total around €10, was a little side salad rather than served as a separate starter. I remember there was a choice of dressing and I also recall that this was the honey mustard dressing as it was insanely moreish. It even made the salad taste decent, and salad isn’t designed to taste nice…..
Beautifully tender meats (not that I can recall what they were, but I’m guessing I would have ordered chicken and pork) with the onion rings being the star of this little show.
There’s a daily cobbler served and as far as I’m concerned, the best thing that can be put under a crumble are either peaches or blackberries. Since it was peach cobbler available as their daily special, I went for that and it was delicious.
The grocery theme is visible within the restaurant and during the evenings there’s frequently live music played on the stage. It was a large restaurant that was busy, but the staff were helpful and they were willing to explain the menu concepts to me and there was a relaxed feel to the proceedings. The prices weren’t too bad at all, especially since I had the lunch deal, although I probably didn’t need the dessert that I ordered. All in all, very lovely.
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Memphis – Mosaic Egg
The mosaic egg at the entrance to the Memphis Welcome Center. I’m not sure why they chose an egg, but it’s a fun thing and it’s very noticeable. Perhaps that why they chose it….
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Memphis – The Road to Nowhere
I love roads to nowhere, there’s an element of mystery about them. Although I don’t know what has happened here, it’s the Interstate 40 crossing the Mississippi River into Memphis.
And here’s the overview on Google Maps, the stump of road right by the edge of the river….
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Memphis – Squirrel and Fried Chicken
In January 2018, I had a rather pleasant visit to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken in Memphis, and I saw this happy little squirrel the next day near to the river enjoying his own little piece of chicken.
Bless him.
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Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Thirteen
The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the Coronavirus crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored…..
Bantling
The dictionary defines this as a “young child”, a word that it seems is still in usage today to at least a small degree.
The word has steadily fallen out of use over the last century, but it’s quite an affectionate term in many ways, although it hasn’t always been used like that and was sometimes defined more as a brat.
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Memphis – Memphis Pyramid
The Memphis Pyramid, known as the Great American Pyramid when it was constructed, is hard to miss from its riverside location in the city.
Of course, everything in the United States is understated…… Anyway, this immense structure was constructed between 1989 and 1991 and was designed to be used as a sports arena. It’s certainly like no sports arena that I’ve seen before, which was perhaps half its problem, as ultimately the NBA team in Memphis built a new and more suitable stadium for itself elsewhere in the city. After a period of closure and since 2015, the building has been used as an outdoors store in what is perhaps the most impressive of backdrops possible.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from an outdoor shop, but I’m certain it wasn’t what I was about to experience. This is the 28-storey lift to the top, which is the tallest freestanding elevator in the country.
Some of the scenery within the pyramid, which is designed to look like an outdoor wilderness environment.
Complete with a bear.
And rocks.
And trees and huts…..
There is a point to all this water, this is one of the boats which is for sale. The main tenant in the building is Bass Pro, who specialise in selling fishing, hunting and boating gear and there are large stocks of all of these here.
This boat isn’t for sale as it has alligators around it.
Because of course every outdoors store needs alligators everywhere….
And the store’s subtle little fish tank, with feeding demonstrations taking place at pre-set times.
I thought I might have a ten-minute walk around this pyramid, but I stayed for a couple of hours exploring it and I remember needing a quick lunch whilst I was there. There’s a hotel here as well, and there are plans to expand the site and perhaps introduce more rooms to the hotel. Although for those who can’t wait for that, it’s now possible to spend the night in the pyramid by glamping.
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Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Twelve
The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the Coronavirus crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored…..
Bang Up
This phrase is defined by the dictionary as meaning “Quite the thing, hellish fine. Well done. Compleat. Dashing”, which is interesting perhaps as it’s almost the sort of term that could be used today in modern slang. Indeed, there are still references made to “bang up good”, although I’m not sure whether that’s a continuation of the older term or by chance it has been reintroduced. I like the idea that it’s a phrase that has been in use for centuries though.
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Memphis – Mud Island
I wasn’t able to visit Mud Island for the simple reason that it was shut in January 2018, but I liked that usually visitors can go there by using the monorail service on the above bridge. Which also of course wasn’t operating when I was there, but the photos I’ve seen of it look rather intriguing.
An information sign about the island, which hopefully at some point in the future I’ll get to visit. This bloody coronavirus had better hopefully disappear soon, my list of places I need to (re)visit needs tackling….
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Memphis – American Robin
One thing I discovered on-line after taking this photo in Memphis is that the American robin isn’t really anything to do with the European robin, which slightly disappointed and confused me. It has the name robin as it resembles the European robin, but it’s a totally different bird. And there’s today’s fun fact of the day…..
