Dietz Summer Road Trip

This morning we woke up in Nashville, enjoyed our free breakfast, and drove about 3.5 hours to Memphis. The land of the Delta Blues, que “Walking In Memphis” by Marc Cohn. We rolled in around 11:00 am, a perfect time for lunch. We chose Corky’s, a place that promised the best ribs in Memphis. Memphis promises the best ribs in the USA. And the USA promises the best ribs in the world, so these should be the world’s greatest ribs?!

There was hardly anyone in the parking lot and we thought, ok maybe this place isn’t all its hyped up to be. Corky’s has a few locations, we went to the one on Poplar since it was right off of I-40W. John ordered the ribs (Dry) and beef brisket. Danielle got a catfish sandwich. Once the food came there was not much conversation to be had. It was in fact, amazing. John stated these are the best ribs he has ever had, at least for now! The restaurant quickly filled up and by the time we left at noon there was a wait!

After lunch we drove about 15 minutes to Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home. We paid $10 for parking and walked into the main ticketing lobby. Unfortunately it was $36 Per Person to go see the house and tour. We really didn’t have the time for a full tour to get our money’s worth, nor did we want to spend a combined $72. So instead we went to the gift shop, posed with some glasses, and spent about $12 on souvenirs. We got a peak at Elvis’ private jet, got a picture with the sign and called it a day. If you are a huge Elvis fan, it would be justified spending the $$ and the time there. Don’t get us wrong, we appreciate The King. But we had more pressing things to get to. So with that, we crossed the Mississippi River and headed into Arkansas.

We got to Little Rock, AR about 2.5 hours later and went directly to the Clinton Presidential Center/Library. For $7 you get access to 3 floors of President Clinton History and a trip down memory lane. They also had a special exhibit about Dinosaurs, and had we not just seen Jurassic World, we might of been compelled to go through that portion. However, the tour at the Museum started with a video narrated/hosted by President Clinton. Then we walked through the library divided into each year of his 8 years as president, along with asides focusing on specific issues he dealt with during his presidency. It included a full scale replica of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room. It also has some sweet memorabilia. Both of us being presidential enthusiasts, and Clinton being the president during MOST of our childhood, it was really interesting to spend some time here. Danielle’s favorite part might of been the portrait of Socks, the first Cat. Seeing as though when she was little, she bought a stuffed animal version of Socks and read her Presidents Book religiously.

Outside of the museum there are various other buildings to visit and a great bridge to walk across taking you out on the Arkansas River.

Next, we headed to a National Historical Site in Little Rock. Little Rock Central High School, which was the site of the 1957 integration of the nine students, otherwise known as the “Little Rock Nine“. Still a functional high school today, this building is preserved as a historical site, yet students walk these same stairs everyday. It was almost 5:00pm by the time we got there, so the Visitor Center was closed, so we parked the car and walked right up to the front doors of the high school. Outside are 9 benches surrounding a little pond, each with a name of one of the nine, as well as a 10th bench for “Future Students”. You can walk right up the steps to the school house doors. Above the entrance are 4 statues representing Ambition, Personality, Opportunity and Preparation.

It was now almost 6pm so we headed for the hotel. Top floor with a great view over the Arkansas River, and a few bridges. It was hot, humid and sunny all day. Quickly the weather turned and a nasty stormed moved in. A Flash flood warning and brilliant flashes of lightning. It was pretty neat to watch it all over the water out of our gigantic window.

We got ready and went to dinner at Samantha’s Tap Room and Wood Grill, promising over 32 beers on tap and to cook most of your food over a wood fire grill. We sat at the bar for awhile as we waited for our table. We enjoyed some local Little Rock brews from Lost Forty, Saddlebock and Stone’s Throw. For dinner we shared a Heirloom Tomato Salad, by share we mean John had the Bacon that resembled more of a steak than a strip of bacon, and Danielle ate the Tomatoes, Onions, and Cheese. If you know us, you know that John’s food typically eats Danielle’s food. Dinner was Salmon and Portobello sandwich. We were talked into ordering dessert, and we are glad we did. It was a waffle with bananas, vanilla gelato, and Bananas foster sauce on it. It was delicious and all around a great atmosphere. Prices were responsible and it was located in the River Market district, walking distance from our hotel and the Old State House. Little Rock was a surprising charming city in the “deep south”.

The rain subsided for our walk home and made it back with the help of an umbrella. When we got back into the hotel the storm started again so we opened up the blinds to watch again only to find the bridge across the Arkansas River is flashing lights to support the Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage. Truly a great day indeed! Love Wins!