We are staying at the Sleep Inn @ Court Square which is right on the trolley line and very reasonably priced with breakfast included. Lena and Dan - our cruising buddies from Arkansas - suggested this place and it was definitely a good recommendation. Nothing fancy but certainly had all we need including the much appreciated coffee maker for me to brew a cup of tea at all hours of the day and night and a fridge!

 This is the first time I've really had no set plan of what we will be doing each day... oh don't get me wrong I had researched Memphis and knew what it has to offer but I'd not really set days for different things. 

As usual I was awake and rearing to go long before Rodd thought was acceptable but he accompanied me down to the dining area for breakfast all the same. We had self serve waffles and scrambled eggs (not together) and Rodd added bacon. The bacon here is somewhat different than we get in Australia, it all seems to be the skinny end of the rasher and I'm pretty sure it's always deep fried as is always really dry and crunchy looking!

After breakfast we headed out to the trolley stop right outside the hotel and paid for a 3 day pass... well actually it's $9 pp for a 3 day pass but you have to feed notes into the machine and the driver gives you the ticket. I didn't have any change so he said to sit down and find it, a couple stops later I just fed a $20 note in and the driver was horrified as I wasn't getting change... I shrugged and assured him it was alright as it was only $2 extra. We found all the trolley drivers friendly and helpful, always asking where we were going and making sure we knew when to get off. 

 There were 2 English couples also on this trolley and when the driver asked where we were going we said "oh just doing the loop" to which he said we needed to be on the River Loop trolley and told us where to get off and cross the road to get on it. The English couples got off too and we all stood in the little trolley stop sheltering from the drizzle that had just started and of course Rodd was chatting to them.... as he always does! They had planned to go to Graceland and the National Civil Museum today but as it happens both are closed on Tuesdays!! 10 minutes later the right trolley came along so we all got on, they got off at the Bass Pro shops but I wanted to do that at night so we continued around the loop which takes about 20 minutes... eventually we made it back to the Beale Street stop so decided to get off for a look.

We wandered down the street and ended up in Rum Boogie which is a bit of a dive, very dark and kinda dirty feeling but interesting and the staff were very friendly. We had lunch there, I ordered battered pickles which were lovely ( for fried food ) but not really a whole meal so I ordered some mashed potato and when it came it was smothered in some sort of gravy.... I was so hungry I ate most of it but for hours after all I could taste was that gravy which I'm sure was meat based, made me feel quite ill just thinking about it!

Back to the Hotel for a nanny nap and then heading out for some dinner before Smackdown!! 
As we were walking we passed a place called Hueys', on the corner of 2nd and Union Streets, and I remembered I had written this place down as a recommendation from Trip Advisor posts for a good meal. We had a couple of drinks and I got a fabulous Veggie burger, I'd definitely recommend eating here... it is a chain restaurant/bar but we enjoyed it. 

Time for Smackdown!! Rodd loves to watch the WWE - Smackdown and Raw - all the time at home and when we were planning this trip he commented  "you'd think with all the places we go that it would be on at one of them while we're there... surely" so that got me thinking and researching and what do you know??? Sure enough it's on in Memphis the day after we arrive.... perfect! Rodd is so excited and I'm .... meh .... not really my cup of tea but I'll go along cos I know how much Rodd wants to go.

We walked the couple of blocks from Hueys' to the Fed Ex Forum and went through the security and of course straight to the bar where we bought a couple of wines and headed in to find our seats. I was actually carded when I bought the drinks which I find hilarious but apparently in Tennessee no matter how gray or wrinkled you are it is still required by law that you show ID when buying alcohol! 

Small hiccup getting into our seats as there were 2 young boys in our seats, apparently their seats were a couple along but they liked ours on the aisle better! Time for the show... and it is a show, lots of lights, fireworks type flares with loud bangs going off on the stage as the performers entered... every single time I jumped much to the amusement of the nice older man sitting beside me! He actually turned to me and said "got you good" and the next time "got you good again" with a cheeky little laugh! 

I think Rodd may have been slightly disappointed in the show.... it was great, don't get me wrong but the stage is tiny, looks way bigger on tele, and yes I know it's all acting and very well choreographed but at least on TV it's edited to look real whereas here you see it all! We ended up leaving not long before it finished, whether Rodd wanted to beat the crowds out or he'd just had enough I don't know! As we were leaving Rodd saw all the security standing at the door so just HAD to get a photo with them... he then handed out Vegemite to some of them! ....as you do!!

We stopped at Hard Rock for a quick drink, or two, as all the places further down Beale St were crowded and noisy - oh god did I say that? Must be getting old!! Time to go "home" so back to the trolley stop and home to collapse in bed!