Tag: museums

Tennessee Super Kitschfest! – Day 6, Graceland and Sun Studios


Graceland was a trip. We both expected to laugh the whole time and marvel over how cheesy (and awesome!) 70s it was, but truly – we were way more moved by the whole visit than we’d ever expected. Yeah, there was a lot of kitsch — but I’m not gonna post a zillion pics of the mansion out of respect for The King. There’s always google, and hey – you should plan a trip yourself to Graceland one of these days, I think you’ll like it!

 

Just a few fun pics:



As if Graceland wasn’t huge enough, Ed + I fit in a visit to Mecca — er, Sun Studio. To say we were excited about this is a grotesque understatement. They don’t let kids under 5 take the tour so Mom + Dad were awesome to watch Ruby while we got to visit sacred ground.

“X” marks the spot where Elvis stood to record in the studio

The Million Dollar Quartet

While Ed + I both agreed that Memphis itself wasn’t exactly our favorite city in the U.S., we cannot deny the amazing history there and are humbled by its significance with regard to the music we love!

p.s. We had the best BBQ meal ever at Cozy Corner! Ever had a BBQ Cornish Hen? Didn’t think so. If you’re ever anywhere near Memphis, you have to stop in, eat the food, and say hi to Ma Robinson. (She and Ruby became pretty good friends)
 

Tennessee Super Kitschfest! Day 4, Country Music Hall of Fame, Hatch Show Print and the Best Meal ever

We returned to Nashville on Day 4 with big plans to hit up the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It was NOT a disappointment! From Johnny Cash’s guitars to Carl Perkins’ Blue Suede Shoes to Hank Williams, Jr.’s boots, there was so much to see and learn about. We loved it because it really broke down all the different eras and subgenres within the Country Music scene – further proof that Lefty Frizzell and Garth Brooks are NOT the same when it comes to country music!

 
 

(Top to Bottom: Johnny Cash’s guitar, Carl Perkins’ Blue Suede Shoes, Kenny Rogers’ vest, Hank Williams Jr.’s boots, Hank Williams Sr.’s guitar, Wanda Jackson’s guitar)

My day was made by seeing Patsy’s Hall of Fame plaque on the wall

And Ed jumped in on the action with Kenny Rogers

After hitting up the Hall of Fame, we had just enough time to see the Hatch Show Print Shop. This is an amazing Letterpress shop that’s been around for 100+ years and has done many of the iconic show posters for many many well known concerts. It’s music history inside those walls, and both Ed + I went crazy inside. Such a fascinating place. These pics don’t even do it justice. We love Hatch Show Print’s Style!!!

 

We finished the day at Monell’s in Germantown for one of the most amazing meals we’ve ever had. In fact, it was so amazing that we didn’t even take a single picture. It’s an old Victorian style house where you walk in, get seated around a large family style table (which you likely share with other folks) and get served everything just like you would at a big family dinner. The rules are “Take as much as you can eat but eat all that you take.  We pass the bowls to the left. No cell phones calls allowed at the tables during dinner.” We had the best Fried Chicken we’ve ever had, Pot Roast, biscuits and cornbread served with fresh peach preserves, Red Pepper Cabbage, Corn Pudding, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and some kind of crazy good peas (and Banana Pudding for dessert!). Seriously – an amazing dining experience, one we’ll never forget!

 

The Transmission LA AV Club exhibition at MOCA

 

We were in for a serious treat on Saturday as we headed up to MOCA to catch the Transmission LA: AV Club exhibit that was curated by none other than the Beastie Boys’ Mike D! It was sort of a magical wonderland inside, and we definitely recommend that everybody go see it! The best news of all? It’s FREE.

Here are just a few — of many! — highlights:

 
  

With so many amazing things to look at, we decided go outside, walk around Little Tokyo, and of course – take a short Yogurtland break.
 
 

Our family … great art … good food … these are the days we live for!

p.s. Here’s a little video clip of our fave part of the exhibit:

Palm Springs, Day Two

Oh, yesterday was chock full of perfection! It couldn’t have been better, and we managed to fit in just about everything we love in Palm Springs.

First – it must be mentioned that we SLEPT IN.

Then, it was off to Charles Phoenix‘s retro slideshow: Pools, Patios and BBQs. We had been to his Holiday slideshow before, and it was so fun and super kitschy that we knew we would love the backyard one, too. Basically – he has found and collected the jackpot of kodak chodachrome slides from the ’50-’70s, and has compiled them all into one amazing and hilarious compilation. Here’s just one gem of an example from his slides from the show:

Probably even more of a surprise than his show, was the auditorium and grounds of the Palm Springs Art Museum where the show was held! Yes, we always swoon over the amazing mid-century modernness of Palm Springs, but the museum is super-70s, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled! All orange, very orange … we were dying over it, and took a few pics:

After the slideshow, we headed upstairs to catch the Backyard Oasis: The Swimming Pool in Southern California Photography, 1945-1982 exhibit, which is as amazing as it sounds, and the perfect thing to see while in Palm Springs!

After all the amazing architecture and art, we were starving – so it was time to hit up our favorite place to eat in Palm Springs – Norma’s, which is on the campus of the absolutely fabulous Parker Palm Springs Hotel. There’s not a trip in Palm Springs that has happened that we haven’t stopped at the Parker. We love it there and freak out over Jonathan Adler’s design no matter how many times we’ve seen it. Norma’s has the best brunch ever. I got my usual lobster + asparagus omelette and Ed got a take on eggs benedict with pancakes, canadian bacon + asparagus. Yummmmmmmmmmmm.

We’re always planning our next trip to Palm Springs, even before the current one is over, and I’d heard about a new hotel in town called the Saguaro. Basically, they took over the old Holiday Inn and swanktified it – and now, we are definitely going to stay there next time! It looks amazing with all the colors of the rainbow. We could not get enough of this place as we walked around …
 

After drooling over the grounds of the Saguaro, we took off to drive around the neighborhoods of Palm Springs to admire the gloriously restored and very well loved mid-century modern homes. We even made a stop by one of our old favorite, Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House, and got a pic of it in my fancy 5-series that I’ve been testing all week!

It was an amazing day!