Where the people smile, smile on you all the while

I've been in the ol' hometown for the past week on a work assignment. It's kind of weird staying in a hotel in Memphis when my family lives here, but it's given me a chance to enjoy downtown in a way that I haven't in a while.

I haven't had a lot of free time, but I did get to go for a run Friday morning which took me down Beale Street (on a Friday morning --scandalous!), past the Gibson guitar factory, by the Civil Rights Museum and up the Mississippi River bluffs. I was so struck by all the sights that I've often taken for granted that I ended up retracing my steps with my camera trying to capture it all. I thought I'd share a few ...

Main Street mall and trolley

Who knew?

I think we'd all agree that is a REAL river.

This isn't actually Beale Street -- my camera ran out of battery power before I was able to shoot Beale Street, which runs between B.B. King's and the Blues City Cafe.

Memphis: it has standards, despite what you've heard.

He lives.

How many of you can say you graduated high school IN A PYRAMID?

You might think Elvis is the only king in Memphis, but you'd be wrong. Cotton is king.

I've loved, loved, loved being here, even if I've been working most of the time. You never know who you'll run into. The Southern hospitality really is second to none. I've conversed with more random strangers in a week than I probably had in several months. Sure, Memphis has it's dark side of crime and controversy, but every city has it's share. I might feel differently if I lived here again, but for now I'm proud to say it's my hometown.