Dab
Cast Member
Posts: 536
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 11-03-02 09:53 PM
Putting this here because it's Off topic.
My daughter wanted to see the Sac. Kings play the Memphis Grizzlies (basketball) so off we went to Memphis this weekend. 450 miles, not too bad, this is part of her Christmas present.
We left at 6am, pouring rain which lasted through 3 states. All was good, we were making good time so we decided to go inside and actually sit down for lunch and relax. Somewhere between Little Rock and Memphis (81 miles from Memphis to be exact) we come to a dead halt. 3 hours we sat with our car off on the freeway. No offramps, no service road. Seems 5 miles up a tractor trailer with 2 trailers overturned, cab was smashed in, barrels from the trailer all over (we saw later). Met 3 very nice men that were behind us. The driver works at the Pyramid where we were going and had to be at work at 5pm. He had heard of another freeway we could use but had no idea where it was and if we could even get across the mud (between the two directions). The guy and I asked this lady from Texas in a Honda (we decided we'd always remember her!) if we could look at her map and she told us no!! He decided it had something to do with my license plate. (Texas rivalry here). A doctor in a Mercedes though helped us but by that time, traffic in the other direction was at a stand still so we sat. People in the other direction would yell over to all of us that there was a wreck up there (NO KIDDING) someone would yell back, are they moving it yet? And we would always get a NO. 3 hours later we move and the doctor let me move over in front of him where I could BOMB at 80 to get to Memphis. We had planned to get there early, find this one Marriott that the hotel lady had given me a $30 discount on but it was "tucked away" somewhere???
Saw Marriott on top of the high rise and we just went there as it was now 5:30pm. We never did find the little Marriott but I had reservations at both as long as I cancelled one by 6pm. If you think valet parking at WDW is expensive....$12 here for valet PLUS the normal $7 parking fee. I didn't care, we were hot, tired, dirty from being in the rain and the game started at 7. We had planned to site see a little and eat at this good BBQ restaraunt but ended up eating BBQ sandwiches and nachos at the game. LOL
If anyone is ever going to the Pyramid in Memphis, it's a nice Marriott though. The glass elevators take off fast so it's a rush going up! Oh and Krispe Kremes in the gift shop in the morning (we had some this morning). The trolly wasn't coming last night, another family was going to the game also. They decided to walk (it's downtown Memphis in the dark which was scary to me). 3 blocks, under the freeway, around a construction zone...we decided to run and catch up with the family. Kings won!!! Pyramid was 1/3 full which never happens in Sacramento. Always sold out.
My son got a Grizzlies Bobble head thing for the first 3000 kids there. We wore our Kings shirts and a few people from Memphis asked us where we got them because they've hunted for Kings stuff since they were fans.
We ended up walking with a group of guys back to the hotel, much safer to walk in a pact at 10pm downtown.
This morning we got our Krispe Kremes and then drove down to Beale Street where we would have went yesterday, drove by and started our drive home. For any Big Brother fans out there, continually heard "this is Amy Crews from BBIII) and I listen to something 101". We took our time again coming home, sat inside ate and relaxed twice.
If anyone is ever traveling on I40 through Arkansas, they proudly tell you they have 12 construction zones. 50 million truckers and it goes down to 1 line for 10 miles 12 times LOL The truckers were very very good though about sitting in the right lane to make sure people merged to the left where they were suppose to so that people wouldn't bomb up the right side at the last minute to get over. The truckers would get in the right lane a mile back where it says MERGE NOW ---> and they'd just stop which would make people merge to the left where they were suppose to. Actually made it go a lot smoother then being in the correct lane and watching people bypass the lane and try to fit in up front.
We had a really good time, my daughter took a ton of pictures at the game and also of the fall follage in Arkansas. Even though I'm not fond of this part of the country, Arkansas has some very pretty lakes, mountains and fall follage.
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