signs – Page 2 – thosecoolkims

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 5, Epicness on the way to, and within, Memphis

Day 5 was surprisingly action-packed — it’s best just to count down the highlights!

#1 – Morning run at The Parthenon (Nashville)

So random that Nashville has a replica of the Greek Parthenon. Our hotel was so close (and we needed a run after the crazy awesome dinner we had the night before), so we put Ruby in the stroller and ran the loop around it to get some exercise and sightsee all the same time. How’s that for multitasking?

#2 – Loveless Cafe (Nashville)

A quintessential Southern Style Diner. Known for the Hashbrown Casserole and biscuits made from scratch. Delicious and retro – the perfect Ed + Carrie combination.

#3 – Loretta Lynn’s ranch (Hurricane Falls)

This was a crazy unexpected detour! We saw a billboard off the side of I-40 and knew we’d have to make a stop. It did not disappoint, plenty of Coal Miner’s daughter kitsch and actually, a pretty amazing place. We skipped the guided tours, but snapped plenty of pics on our own.

#4 – The Peabody Hotel (Memphis)
The Peabody is a very old place, and they are known for the ducks that live on the rooftop in the middle of this crazy city. Each day at 5pm, the ducks “walk” from the fountain in the lobby to elevator, and ride up to the rooftop of the hotel. It’s kind of a big deal. We were stoked that we could get a cocktail, while Ruby stayed entertained watching the ducks!

#5 – Unexpected Flaming Lips Concert on Beale Street! (Memphis)

We were walking down Beale Street and saw a big crowd, then all of the sudden I heard Wayne’s voice – it was a Flaming Lips show! They were trying to break Jay-Z’s world record of the most shows being played in 24 hours. It was crazy to be standing on the street and seeing the show! I was stoked they played oldie-but-goodie, “Vasoline” and my mom even caught one of the big balloons from the show – RAD!

#6 – Central BBQ (Memphis)
With so much BBQ in Memphis, there’s a lot options, and a lot of favorites. We went to Central on the recommendations of MANY and were not disappointed! This is not a tourist trap on Beale, and its nothing fancy – just delicious BBQ that had us savoring every bite. I got the brisket, Ed got the pork, and Ruby stuck to her vegetarian ways and kindly asked for hummus. She indulged once we got back to the hotel.

#7 – Date night in Memphis

Not gonna lie, it was uneventful. We were just too tired after a long day! We enjoyed another cocktail at The Peabody (after deciding Beale Street wasn’t our scene and being unsuccessful in finding Elvis impersonators!). It was a good drink, though!

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!

Tennessee Super Kitschfest! Day 2, Roadtrippin’ to Pigeon Forge

Today was another whirlwind of a day, this time we drove 3.5 hrs east of Nashville to Pigeon Forge. The main reason for the trek is to visit Dollywood (which we’re doing tomorrow), but today was full of more fun Southern surprises. We were very grateful for a sticker book during this long drive — it kept Ruby busy!

Since Dolly herself is from Seviersville, which is in the Smoky Mountains, we decided if we really wanted a different experience, we’d rent a cabin in the Smoky Mountains instead of a regular motel on the Parkway. Boy are we glad we did! It’s just too bad that we don’t have more time here … there is an enclosed porch with a swing, a hot tub, a full kitchen, a whirlpool bath tub and a jacuzzi! We could easily stay a week here, it’s very quaint and peaceful.

After getting settled we met up with our Michigan relatives Kay + Dave, and had a Southern style dinner at Huck Finn’s. This place was COUNTRY: the menu lists “fixins” and “vittles”. Dad even ordered Fried Frog Legs, and I saved enough room for Banana Pudding!

Now it’s bath time and off to bed to be ready for a BIG dose of awesome kitsch overload at Dollywood tomorrow!

More pics here:

Tennessee – Day 2

Palm Springs for Carrie’s Birthday!

Many of you know that Palm Springs is a place dear to our hearts. Iconic mid-century architecture, fun and stylin’ places to hang out and get pampered, and on top of that, it’s just a good place to chill. As such, coming here for Carrie’s birthday has become something of a tradition for us.

And so for Carrie’s birthday this year, where are we? Naturally! This time around, we’re staying at Hope Springs, a place we’ve wanted to check out for many years. Very cool, if slightly bare bones. Carrie’s birthday this year happened to fall on a Friday…the beginning of all the festivities for Modernism Week Palm Springs!

Dipping our feet in the mineral hot springs tub!

THIS is Edfood. Lobster pot pie at Copley's.

We’ve got lots more fun coming tomorrow, so stay tuned!