Walking in Richmond

Magnet #869 - Memphis, TN

STWsis got me this magnet from her trip to Memphis, TN, and I was planning to use it for when the BFF and I did the BFF Babymoon.

I mean, that was when we thought we were going to Memphis. Until we realized that it was about a 9-hour drive to get there from NC. Which meant, shoot, we might as well have driven back up to NY for all the driving we'd have to do. So, we skipped it.

Instead, we ended up in Richmond, VA. Which, if I haven't said before, revealed itself to be quite the jewel of the South. Lovely town, and so much to see and do. A true gem.

And, since I totally spaced and forgot to get a magnet from Richmond (I know! Crazy!), this will have to do.

Lil' bit country

Magnet #637 - Grand Ole Opry

I never got into country music until I met one of my college roomies who listened to it alllll the time. It sounds a little cheesy, but she always had a song in her heart, and on her lips, and she introduced me to the best of the early 90s, inadvertently teaching me all the lyrics. And, I guess it took.

Of course, nowadays, I'm finding that my country music love is in stasis. In the 90s.

My friend went to Nashville and brought this back for me from her tour of the Grand Ole Opry. I've never been - I mean, I didn't grow up with it in the house, so I guess it's no surprise that we skirted the Opry in favor of Opryland, instead.

Oh, my.

I just went to go look up Opryland, and realized it was shuttered and demolished in the 90s! Talk about stasis in the 90s. Nooooooo! But it was the Home of American Music, it says!

The park had some cool rides, including a bunch of long-lost to memory kiddie rides. And oh, those fun cheesy performances where everyone swings and claps to overenthusiastic "get your hands clappin'!!" performers. What's weird is that I can't really imagine my parents running around at Opryland, going to what had to have been country music performances.

I do remember my parents would fob me off on my Uncle Oscar to take me on the scary rides - the most memorable one was a scary, scary plane ride. In my head, I've built into a bunch of planes that were hung from a chain (!!!) That flew around a tower (!!!). But, to be honest it's one of those hazy dazy memories the I distinctly remember being is the air, flying around at breakneck speed, and it was dark. And there may have been a joystick.

Or, that was just a hazy dazy memory of being in a cockpit...on television.

eta:
Found it! Apparently, there was a plane ride. It was called the Barnstormer (natch) and it was a 100-ft-tall spinning airplane ride. Whoa, from Themepark Timelines. Just whoa. Really? My parents let me ride in that thing?

You must have a false memory - GAR Day #4

Magnet #87 - St. Louis, MO

It's come to my attention, dear reader, that you may think that I'm a little bitter about not going on the GAR. As truth would have it, I'm still feeling a little relieved that we didn't go. Mainly because of the gas issue, but also, because apparently, we would have been traveling at the height of tornado season. And, this year's tornado season's been the worst in several years.

Still, having joy magnetism take the trip has been fun, seeing what places I already have magnets for. I'd forgotten that my sister had brought this one back for me. Today's the day we would have done the rest of Memphis (Graceland and Sun Records), and then done the mad drive through Kentucky and Illinois to get to St. Louis. (Don't ask - I was hoping to squeeze in two extra states without anyone noticing. Heh.)

I've not visited the St. Louis Gateway Arch, but for years, I thought I had. Seriously. I mean, how do you just forget? Then I realized that it wasn't our family's cross-country trip where I saw the Arch. I want to say it was the Griswolds who saw the Arch, because apparently on our family trip, we didn't even go through Missouri. Heheheh. Oops - hello, false memory.

Anyway, my real reasoning for heading up north to St. Louis (versus just going through Arkansas) was because St. Louis would have bought us Kansas City, and most important, Independence, MO. Independence was the starting point of the Oregon Trail!

And who doesn't love a good game of Oregon Trail!


GAR Track of the Day: Walkin' in Memphis

eta:
Incidentally - Doctor Who magnetwatch Day 14. I believe my magnets are taking the QE2 across the pond.

You can take the girl out of the country - GAR Day #3

Magnet #86 - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

So today, we're in Nashville, TN, visiting the Bluebird Cafe, the Parthenon, and the Hermitage this morning. Driving to Memphis in the afternoon. (Yes, this was an ambitious day. They all were.) Man, my verb tenses are gonna be nuts for the next two weeks, huh.

I've been to Nashville, but not as an adult. One of the GAR roadtrippers brought this magnet back from her own Tennessee roadtrip.

Ryman Auditorium was built in the late 1800s, and found itself as the home of the Grand Ole Opry for years and years and years, becoming the launching point for many country music careers along the way.

Even though I'd grown up around it most of my life, I had a healthy distaste for country music until one of my college roommates educated me on the best of country music. Still love the stuff, though living in New York, you don't get much exposure to it. So much so, that when Garth played Central Park almost a decade ago, I was heartily convinced that I would be the only one in the park.

Man, was I wrong.


GAR Track of the Day: Thunder Rolls