Month: June 2019

Memphis, TN to Little Rock, AR I walked down to the Mississippi riverfront, symbolic halfway point of my cross-country journey. Went over to the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum. Their exhibition was created by the Smithsonian and it’s excellent. It takes the history of Memphis’s music from the 1920s through the 1970s. They have enough…

Clarksdale, MS to Memphis, TN Had breakfast at Yazoo Pass. Another great recommendation from Chuck, my host at the Travelers Hotel. Had a delicious omelet and cappuccino. And an OMG cinnamon roll. Couldn’t leave Clarksdale without visiting the crossroads, where according to legend Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for prowess…

Oxford, MS to Clarksdale, MS The Graduate Hotel in Oxford — the only hotel I know of that plays The Smiths over its sound system. And has a pink-floored elevator. I went to Big Bad Breakfast. Diner but a bit precious, in a good way. The South has soul and style. It’s deeply American. Mississippi…

Birmingham, AL to Oxford, MS Weather nicer today, cloudy and cooler. Driving west, and it’s getting more hilly. I entered Mississippi, the 13th state I’ve visited on this trip. Oxford, home of the U. of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”) is leafy and beautiful. I got to the Graduate Hotel. Love the lobby with its pink floors.…

Montgomery, AL to Birmingham, AL In Montgomery Monday morning, 8:20 AM. Plenty of cars but almost no one walking on the streets. I have a theory about why the downtowns are deserted. It’s because life is lived in the suburbs, not in the city. And what life there is in the city is not downtown.…

Athens, GA to Montgomery, AL Still in Athens, I was looking for a Starbucks and unwittingly drove onto a deserted U of Georgia campus. I parked right next to the football stadium — as lavish as an NFL one. Starbucks turned out to be in the student center and was closed. Going through Atlanta, I…

Jacksonville Beach, FL to Athens, GA To get ahead of schedule a little, I took one day instead of two days to go from Jax Beach to Athens. I also tried “shunpiking,” that is avoiding Interstate highways. The shunpiking worked out well. I love seeing assemblies (those groups of highway shields) and I love a…

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville Beach, FL A restful day. I drove down from Savannah to Jacksonville Beach to visit two more old friends, Phil and Susan. They’re retired. They have a big, affectionate dog named Cash (after Johnny). There were no places on my list to visit there. They took me to the ocean beach.…