I woke up on Kelly's couch and peered out the window towards the courtyard. Heavy rain was falling from a dark sky. Great day to be off the river.

Sometime in the late afternoon the rain held up and I took the opportunity to get outside and explore the city. With Kelly gone at work I grabbed an Uber and hit the Spaghetti Warehouse to fill a pasta craving. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around downtown Memphis, exploring the murals that covered many of the city's brick walls and popping my head into any area that peaked my interest. One such place was an art gallery that featured portraits from the photographer Jack Robinson. Dozens of famous stars from the 60s and 70s, all shot by Robinson, lines the walls in black and white. Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Jack Nicholson, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Cher to name a few.

I also walked by the infamous Lorraine Motel, now home to National Civil Rights Museum. Preserved as it was on that fateful day in 1968, you can see the balcony that Dr. Martin Luther King stood on outside of room 306 as he was shot and killed. A replica of the wreath that was placed on the balcony the following day still marks the spot.

As I walked away from downtown toward the river I stumbled on an interesting building with a sign depicting a microphone. Interested, I walked up to the door and was greeted by a fellow named Kevin. A bit skeptical of me at first, once they found out about my journey they welcomed me in. It turns out, Kevin and Pat were in the midst of planning their weekly radio program, Beale Street Caravan. "The Caravan" for short, is a nationally known Blues show distributed by NPR exploring the history, culture and sounds of the Mississippi Delta and Blues music. After chatting for a bit the crew went back to continue planing this weeks installment. Before leaving, however, Kevin hooked me up with a Caravan t-shirt that reads "I Listen to Memphis" and Pat called over to her friends around the block at the Blues Hall Of Fame to set me up with free entrance! It's funny what you'll find when not looking for anything in particular. (You can listen to the program in iTunes by clicking the link below, or by searching Beale Street Caravan. https://itunes.apple.com/…/beale-street-caravan/id758868889…)

After leaving the Caravan Crew I headed down the road to cash in my admittance to the Blues Hall of Fame. I walked the exhibits and listened to some of the all time greats while picking up a few new artists to roll with on the river.

Once finished with the Hall of Fame I walked back to Kelly's place where we met and then grabbed a bite to eat at favorite spot of her's, BarDogs. After dinner went back, took it easy and called it a night

Solid day exploring a new city. Lots of culture and local flavor in Memphis. I dig it.