The Reluctant Road Tripper: Day 10

Maryland→Virginia→Tennessee

It was a pretty pleasant drive through Virginia, seeing lots of green grass, bright red barns and farm houses again.

Our next stop is Memphis, Tennessee…

Tennessee, Tennessee...Take me to another place, take me to another land, make me forget all that hurts me, let me understand your plan. Arrested Development, baby. 

Arrested Development - Tennessee

Elvis’ Graceland mansion is located in Memphis but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time for us to visit. Since we couldn't go to Graceland, we decided to drown our sorrows on something else that this state is well-known for… BARBECUE!

For years, I've been talking about wanting to go to the Southern states so I could lay my hands on some legit BBQ and chill at some legit BBQ place with some legit Southern peeps. Yes, everything needs to be legit.

And here I am. In Memphis. At Central BBQ. Oh my yum.

I love the set-up of the place with a huge patio out front and how they have a no-fuss service and food presentation. When you come in, you line up to order and sometimes the line can be very long. Luckily, we kinda beat the crowd by like 15 minutes and got to order quickly and snagged a table inside.

Their Southern twang is adorable, “Would you like some slaw with that?” 

You can order your ribs dry or wet so I ordered half wet, half dry just to taste the difference. Was there a difference? I don’t know, I was too busy stuffing my face. Oh, and did I mention that you can pick some yummy sides with your order like mac 'n' cheese, slaw, potato salad and so on?

This was the dry one.

And the wet one.

I tried the pulled pork sandwich (with slaw) and the BBQ nachos as well. I’m not really a nachos person but I just wanted to give it a shot anyway.  Thanks to my brother for murdering the heck out of those nachos.
 

I came in like a wrecking ballllll...'coz my food was all gobbled up in 20 minutes. Is this the look of guilt?

Obviously not.

I wish I stayed outside 'coz they had live music on the patio despite the crazy heat and humidity.

Bye, Piggy! See you next time!

I wish we had more time to go around different BBQ spots (BBQ hopping?) but I can’t complain about Central BBQ, in fact, they are known for being one of the best in Memphis. If you really want to know what American BBQ is all about, you have to make the trip to the Southern states. But if you’re a Californian like me who’s stuck with the franchise options, Lucille’s or Famous Dave’s isn’t too bad at all. 

We headed down to our hotel, where we had a nice view from the window of both the Mississippi River and their downtown area.

You see that land right across the bridge? That’s Arkansas.

What a nice sight to see before I lay my BBQ-filled head and get some shut eye.

Toodles!

Chill Pill: Morning Song

I'm sure everyone's got the mid-week blues but we all gotta get up on our hineys to make a living. Getting up at 4AM then sleeping early to get up at 4AM again, doing mundane errands, carrying the grocery bags on your own, keeping up with all the bills, nursing your own self from the flu, dealing with grumpy, rude and mean people in random places like the checkout counter or the gas station, managing your finances...ain't it fun living in the real world?

 I used to live in my little bubble so this song just hit the nail on the head for me...

"Where you're from,

You might be the one who's running things

Where you could ring anybody's bell and get what you want

You see it's easy to ignore trouble

When you're living in your bubble

So what are you gonna do

When the world don't orbit around you?

So what are you gonna do

When nobody wants to fool with you?

Ain't it fun?

Living in the real world

Ain't it good? 

Being all alone"

Paramore- Ain't It Fun

Okay, quit reading my blog and get back to work!

Toodles!

The Reluctant Road Tripper: Day 9

Washington, D.C.

We took the metro which had a station conveniently close from our hotel in Maryland to Washington D.C. Everything is walkable when you get off from the Metro Center station, namely, The White House, Smithsonian Museum and that big dude chillin’ up on that chair the Lincoln Memorial.

Interesting ceiling at the metro station.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t avail of the White House tours since they all got cancelled from the beginning of March and they won't be having any until further notice. I’m guessing this is due to some confirmed reports on the White House receiving letters that contained some biohazard stuff and being addressed to the President (yup, sometimes I swap my cartoons for the news).

If you don't plan on joining any tours, make sure to check the weather and wear comfy shoes because there is a whole lot of land to cover. I don't recommend visiting in the middle of summer (like we did) because it gets scorching HOT and HUMID. I’ve lived in a tropical country for most of my life but walking around under the sun with 95 degree weather + severe humidity is like walking on the surface of the sun. It is THAT bad. I bet this place would be lovely during Spring, though. 

Time to explore!

Squirrels make a special appearance to the tourists who willingly feed ‘em whatever morsel of food they've got on hand. They are so used to all the tourists that one of 'em crawled on a kid's shoulder to beg for more! This is the first time I've seen a squirrel that looked borderline obese.

I don't remember what this monument was called but this is where you can see a lot of dem borderline obese squirrels at.

Welcome to my humble abode. I’d invite you in but I got locked out.

The only good thing about not joining a tour is that sometimes you can find random things along the way, like the Lock Keeper's House.

"This Canal house built at Lock B by 1833, sheltered the lock keeper who also collected tolls and kept records of commerce on the waterway. It remains today as the only remnant of the Washington Branch of the C&O Canal."

Not really knowing if we were going the right way, we followed a walking trail that led us to this large pond.

It was so damn muggy, I had to catch my breath and stop at a bench like every 20 feet. 
The hair and the sweaty face says it all. Oh and that's not a lame attempt of a duck face, it's actually an involuntary pout when I start to get exhausted.

Looks like the Prez has important visitors today.

Good God, we finally made it. Phew.

Hello, Mr. President.

Tucked in a small nook is a tiny book/souvenir shop where everyone tried to squeeze in just to relieve themselves from the stifling heat. I was in there pretending to look around when all I could think about was how I would have to walk ALL the way back again in that dreadful heat to get home.

 

You can get a pretty nice view of the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial, too bad it was in the middle of renovation while we were there.

I have no idea why I took this picture so lopsided. Ha!

They needed to do some restoration work on it due to earthquake damage.

The World War II Monument.

I just admired the U.S. Capitol from afar because ain't no way this little piggy gonna walk all the way down there. The Smithsonian Museum was just a couple of blocks from where I took this picture too but I really had to wave the white flag this time. The mind is willing but the body is weak in the knees and sticky all over.

With only the slightest energy left in my body, we found refuge at this thank god, it’s air-conditioned place that kinda left me feeling a little bit out of place. I went in with my touristy shorts and tank top, only to find marbled floors and tables with lots of men/women all clad in their power suits and ties.

Old Ebbitt Grill

Luckily, they have an area for us under-dressed tourists to be comfortable in.

To my happy surprise, this resto-bar that we stumbled upon happens to be a historic place wherein past (and maybe even the present?) U.S. Presidents used to hang out like Presidents Grant, Cleveland, McKinley, Roosevelt and so on . If I read the newspaper articles (hung in a frame inside the resto) right, most parts of the bar are original despite all the renovations it had undergone through the years.

I know you're probably wondering why the heck I ordered hot soup on a hot day but that's just how I roll, mmmk? I love me some clam chowder.

Yummy pesto pasta with salmon.

Right when we stepped out of the restaurant, we saw a convoy of black SUV's all lined up and parked in front an establishment (I don't remember if it was another resto or a hotel) next to the Old Ebbitt Grill. The ones in the front seats were in suits and ear pieces, most likely from the secret service.

We decided to just head back home right after our late lunch and for the first time in our entire trip, I concurred. I didn't feel so bad 'coz I was able to at least enjoy the colonial architecture that surrounded the area.

Hehe...check out the Duck Tours peeps.

Just a personal observation though, and I know it varies from one person to another---but D.C. is by far the least hospitable place that I’ve ever been to. The sights were a delight to the senses but the peeps, well…I think some of ‘em need to use those vacay or sick days, be one with nature, catch a falling star, mix hard drinks, ride a unicorn, pass the dutchie to the left hand side...ya dig?


I am officially a flat tire. Another day, another adventure!

Toodles!