The first thing after arriving in Memphis is to rent a car. So what's the car arranged for us?
Is it the Infiniti FX?
Or the Mustang?
With so many baggages, the Nissan Xterra can perfectly accommodate us
Ah, don't be too greedy. We can settle with a Buick La Crosse. So Buick La Crosse it is!
Hertz personnel: "Hi there, your car is ready and here's it is!"
Oh well, so we didn't get the Buick but a Toyota Corolla. It's OK, at least it has the same colour!
The trip to our hotel is pretty intimidating. Our tiny car was surrounded by fast & large trucks everywhere. At some point we were sandwiched in between them. The blue waters of St. Pete was replaced by stretches of warehouses. There were even warehouses keeping dozens of trucks inside. The entire place looks grey & deserted. The only life were from the moving trucks on the highway.
We later found out that UPS, FedEx & DHL each has one of their largest hub in Memphis. Shipping millions of packages daily. With Memphis located at the center of America, no wonder these logistics companies are all focusing here.
A sigh of relief escaped us when we saw the Holiday Inn sign. Phew!
The Holiday Inn @ Olive Branch Mississippi is located in the middle of highways. We can constantly hear trucks entering in and out of the highway.
Once inside, The Holiday Inn is like a safe home for us. Sheltering us from the harsh environment outside.
The view from my room
The white bathroom with endless supply of towels. There was at least 10 towels for me!
The hotel provides 2 sets of the most comfortable hard and soft pillows. Ahh...as I laid on the most comfortable bed. I flipped the key card in my hand and there was the word "Ahh..."
So all together now, Ahhhhhhh.............
Memphis is famous for its B-B-Q ribs. We were glad that this B-B-Q restaurant is just right in front of our hotel.
We ordered the burger with shreds of chicken in BBQ sauce.
BBQ cashier: Do you want with slaw?
Us: Huh?
BBQ cashier: Do you want with slaw? (start to get a bit impatient)
Us: You mean coleslaw?
BBQ cashier: Do you want with slaw? Slaaaaaw (not bothering to help us understand)
Anyway, we get our orders and no doubt it's the best BBQ burger I've tasted with the tender chicken slices splashed with generous amount of BBQ sauce.
The next morning, we decided to stock up a little bit. Should we go right or left? Since we came from the left side of the hotel yesterday (road filled with fast trucks), we decided to explore the right side.
We were supposed to find a place to eat but took the wrong turn. We ended up lost in between mazes of corn fields. Suddenly, Stephen King's "Children of the Corn" story crept at the back of my mind.
After stretches of corn fields and forests, we finally found the Chinese restaurant. The place looked deserted and this looked like the only shop in the whole area. We entered the empty restaurant and ordered.
The spring roll was served with mustard - The stuffing tasted weird
The soup tasted weird too and has a strong smell of "something". Can make out what it was.
The Wanton skin was so thick I just can't swallow it.
The chicken rice served with cashew nuts is the only descent tasting dish
Since we are talking about food, let's just continue with another dish we found called the Egg Drop. I was curious about it and the owner gave me a small portion to taste before deciding to order. It looked like a bowl of raw eggs! I was reluctant but the owner kept telling me it's nice and not raw. So, I gathered my guts and took a sip. Mmm...it actually tasted pretty good!
This is the strangest combination. I ordered fried noodle and the side dish was ... fried rice!
Just look at the portion. It could be my breakfast, lunch & dinner
I was cautious with my next order. Still it looks huge!
Holiday Inn made the guests feel like home. Every Tuesday, there's a bonus for everyone - free snacks :) I love it when they serve the yummy nuggets
Everyday, we crossed the border of Mississippi & Tennessee to get to our office. Feels like we are living in the edge. After a few days of tiring meetings, our team decided to go downtown Memphis and have the best BBQ pork ribs in Rendezvous.
Just look at that! Slurp!
Since I am not a big eater and don't really know how to eat ribs (too many bones), I decided to take the easy way out.
Mmm..the juiciness of the beef in BBQ sauce. The perfect match of BBQ beans and slaw. One word Delicious!
We had a short walk to our colleagues apartment in downtown Memphis
Opposite the apartment is the Autozone baseball stadium. Patrons of the apartment get a special stand to spectate the game. And we did just that :)
We headed further away from Olive Branch towards Germantown. The scene changed from truck infested roads to sprawling country homes in a laid back neighborhood. Not far away, it The Avenue mall at Carriage Crossing
To say St Pete's building are huge, wait till you see these in Memphis.
Yup, the shops mainly have their own building in The Avenue
Even though we are in the same shopping center, we actually have to drive to reach the restaurant of our choice - Bonefish
Now, Bonefish was highly recommended by my boss so we decided to try it out. It's more of a fine dining restaurant. Small portion, delicious and expensive.
Oh my, this post is turning into some food blog but hey...we're from Penang. Food is our love interest
One evening, we decided to head downtown again. This is a historical landmark of Memphis - the Orpheum. Since day 1, we planned to catch a play in Memphis. However, we kind of missed that. Blame it on work! Hehe...
I've read a bizarre story that amidst the grand interior of the Orpheum, lived a child ghost. She will normally occupy a "special" seat in the theatre to watch the play as well.
This is the amazing sushi we had in Blue Fin. A short walk from the Orpheum
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